I’m Melting…

I’m disappearing. I don’t go to loops and I mostly just visit my pals at Romance Divas these days. I’m writing, slowly. But I’m one of those people who must get the tone and style and everything kinda synched in the first chapter, so I’m spending a ton of time on that right now.

Steam Age Scandals is coming along, I think. It does not have a publisher, and it may never–first person? Steampunk romance or fantasy or whatever with romantic elements? Characters with names like Screw and Barber? But I’m enjoying this writing so very much.

The rest of my life: not so much. I don’t know from one week to the next if I’m going to see my Mom out of town or not, and whether she’ll be in hospital or not. But I’m taking it one week at a time, and husband is so supportive.

Simon the magical cat has a lesion on his tongue, and after the sticker shock of $500 worth of bloodwork today, I’m bracing for the $1000 biopsy next week. Guh. But he’s our boy, and we want him around.

I’m thrilled to say that my great stress relief–running–is working for me again. I’ve lost about 8 or 9 pounds and can get into the size 10s again. The size 8s are still in the closet, but may be history. Don’t get Lyme and Epstein Barr and have your thyroid bomb at the same time if you can help it. Honestly. It was a rough year.

My brother in Iowa dodged the horrid flooding by being in a town that shored up their levee incredibly well. I was so worried, as he’s disabled and has been through so much. My heart bleeds for the other folks. He used to live in Cedar Rapids, and I’m so glad he’s in Cedar Falls now.

I don’t have much to say about the current events of the romance world–NCP and all that jazz. Everyone has said it all. Everyone out for a buck, and it doesn’t matter who gets screwed. I don’t know how else to think about it.

This is weird, being in the twilight zone, not promoting (nothing new to push, really), a book has been subbed to my Samhain editor, but I’ve not heard about that. One in limbo for a year until the rights revert to me (from another company). NOT going to talk about that fiasco.

What’s going on in your world?

Oh Yikes, Bad Blogger/Transformers II

Where has the time gone? No controversies, nothing to really bitch about, no releases, no reviews…

What’s a girl to do?

I’m writing. Yay. After at least five false starts, I’m making progress on my WIP. A really new adventure for me–first person, very complex world, and I’m actually thinking of a plot in advance! I have no idea if I’ll ever sell this book, but I’m interested in it.

Work is busy–end of our fiscal year. They were shooting some of Transformers II on campus yesterday. Evidently there’s some hot chick in it and everyone was all atwitter over it. I would have liked to have met Jon Voight, but then, I was too lazy to walk a quarter mile to check things out. Not a movie I’d ever go see in a million years.

I don’t know what actor or actress I’d go out of my way to see in person. A lot of things get filmed here–I guess it’s an easy access ivy league school. Or maybe their rates are good.

What’s Wrong With My Brain?

I had a dream last night about Steve Carrel (you know, Michael Scott, The Office). In my dream, he was the nicest person on the planet, and we cuddled and he told me funny stories. It wasn’t sexual, just…comforting. Huh? John McCain’s wife was there, not very pleased.

I woke up singing a song I didn’t know I remembered. I found out that it’s from 1939, and since I was thankfully born many years later, I must have seen the cartoon in reruns or heard my Aunt and Mom singing it. I think it’s the earliest song I learned:
Small fry, hanging round the pool room,
Small fry, should be in the school room,
My my, what a sight to see,
You ain’t the biggest catfish in the deep blue sea,
Oh me, oh my, small fry.

Huh?

I wonder what triggers such things.

Talismans and Trivial Pursuits

I’m currently the only bidder on this necklace. It makes me wonder if I have bad taste. Sure, it’s cause I’m writing a steampunkish thing. When I was writing Mayan Secrets, I wore my Mayan astrological symbol necklace all the time. Of course, I always have that Mayan glyph on my back–got that way before I started writing. I mean fiction.

I wore a Celtic thingey when I was in my LOTR/fantasy writing kick phase. That didn’t work out so well for me, actually. I think it may have been an evil symbol. Can anyone say “Triskelion” three times fast?

I didn’t realize until tonight how much I surround myself with images, music, and general bric-a-brac in sync with whatever the theme of my current WIP is. Wow, poorly constructed sentence there.

Do you do anything like that?

Not such a happy go lucky day. Did manage a 40-minute slow jog, which is awesome considering where I’ve been the last year.

Mom’s first day home (not my home) was bittersweet for me. I spoke with her on the phone, and she sounded so relieved, but so fragile. Somehow the fact that she’s on oxygen shook me to my core. But she’s with her cat and her husband and was watching Cops when I called, so she’s much happier.

I’m trying desperately to avoid talking about my two WIPs too much. I feel like it’s letting the djinn out of the bottle too soon. So just popped a bit off to my crit partner, who is never hard enough on me.

What are you doing?

Happy Birthday Mom

She doesn’t really know what the Internet is, wouldn’t be able to find this blog if she could read. But it’s her birthday, she’s coming home from the nursing home today to spend her final days there, no matter what. She’s a brave, wonderful woman, and I aspire to be like her.

Oops, lame blogger

I’ve been remiss. I admit it. The beginning of summer caught me off guard. I haven’t been getting around much cyber-wise, and I’m in a revamping stage.

1. Closed my Yahoo group. I simply do not do it justice. I think Yahoo groups are going the way of…insert favorite extinct thing here…and I’m looking for better ways of communicating with fellow readers and writers. I’ll find you somewhere…keep looking over your shoulder.

2. We’re moving my mom out of the nursing home to her home on her birthday. This is where she’ll live out her days, as the family decided we wouldn’t see her go through this again. So she’ll get care at home, and I trust have much better days there, whether for a week, a month, a year…she always amazes us.

3. Once again, I’ve deleted about three WIPs in favor of trying to write the average American novel. The big time or bust. You’ll stop by and prop me up when this doesn’t work out, right?

4. My health has improved a good deal as I seem to be out of the woods with Lymes and Epstein Barr, thyroid levels good. I’m back to jogging (slowly of course, but hey, I’m happy about it) and losing weight. All systems check out okay )

5. I’m happy to announce my husband is now working solely as a photographer, and doing well. If you can’t believe someone can do what they love and support themselves, well, he’s living proof. He’s in galleries throughout NJ and his site is doing well. We may do a book together–his photography and my words. That would be very, very cool.

6. I’ve written a children’s book and a friend who is a very, very clever artist is working on illustrations now. More on that one soon.

What’s new in your neck of the woods?
Do you need a link to your blog? Please let me know at ciar@ciarcullen.com

Great Reviews Rock!

I’m thrilled with my five-angels all in a pretty row from Fallen Angel Reviews for Mayan Secrets. In part, Teresa said:

“Ms. Cullen has created a story incorporating humor, suspense, drama, and romance with a paranormal flare that captivates the reader from the start. I loved how the story began by Catherwood telling his tale and then returning to the future for the reader to learn how it all came about… In all, this book has a rich plot with many twists and unexpected turns that amuses and enthralls the reader until the bitter end. I look forward to future books by this wonderful author who never fails to astound her readers with her captivating stories.”