Ten Minutes Left of 2006

It's been an interesting year. Not entirely like the Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times" but every now and then, kinda-sorta.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

The Gay Zombi Penguin 'Toon I Should Have Put Up In JULY!!

I have no idea how it happened, but I missed the posting of my very own stop on the Gay Zombi Penguin Tour back in July (the day before my birthday even!). So here, very belatedly, are the Gay Zombi Penguins from July:



Now, the artist/author of Gay Zombi Penguins wasn't 100% satisfied with that one, so she drew me a new one! Yay! TWO for one!

Blog Chain #8, The Android's Dream, Star Trek, Fizzle

The AW Blogchain is plugging right along, now in it's 8th iteration. I've asked to join in this time around and I look forward to participating. Please read along and comment - even if it's just to let us know you popped in for a peek.

The participants (by AW username) in posting order are:

BK_30 -Just A Small Town Girl
asorum - A View From the Waterfront
Gillian - Even in a Little Thing
Simran - Writing-From-Within
aruna - Down From the Garrett
Forbidden Snowflake - Incoherent Blabbing From an Incoherent Person
Cath - Curiouser and Curiouser
Peggy - The Road Less Traveled
Atomic Bear - BTGC Production Log
Dawno - NVNC ID VIDES, NVNC NE VIDES
XThe NavigatorX - Fireflies in the Cloud

I loaded 6 CDs worth of Christmas music (Mannheim Steamroller, Trans-siberian Orchestra and a Celtic Christmas CD) plus an iTunes purchase of Renaissance Christmas music (also Mannheim Steamroller). That's several hours worth, at least.

I'm also going to figure out, at some point, how to subscribe to some podcasts. I can do some via iTunes, but there are others not listed there I'm interested in. I have a cool little digital recorder that I can download stuff to so that might be the solution for portability.

I'm about a quarter of the way into John Scalzi's The Android's Dream and it's been a very fun read. I highly recommend everything he's written, including his blog Whatever. (very cute kitten alert - be prepared to say AWWWW)

I'm also reading through some Star Trek fiction. There's a trilogy that was put out for the 40th Anniversary, Crucible with each of the books featuring one of the three main characters, McCoy, Spock and Kirk - in that order. I finished the McCoy book the other day and started the Spock one today (yes, I'm reading two books at once - the Trek book is a pocketbook sized paperback and the Scalzi is hardback. It's easier on my shoulder to carry the Trek book in my purse). I also picked up Voyages of Imagination which "takes a look back on the first forty years of professionally published Star Trek fiction, revealing the personalities and sensibilities of many of the novels' imaginative contributors and offering an unprecedented glimpse into the creative processes, the growing pains, the risks, the innovations, the missteps, and the great strides taken in the books." (from Amazon's blurb)

Since I've been collecting these books since, oh, 1969 or so, I'm pretty excited that I'll have a way to check for completeness of my collection as well as organizing it. I think some of my books have gone missing over the years, so I'll want to fill in the gaps.

Well, the brain is fizzling out. Good Night!

Dawno,
awchain
Star Trek
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,

Put on Your Sunglasses - It's Time Again for Dawno's Intense Christmas Sweaters!

(the first part of this post has appeared in Absolute Write's "Thread Killer" thread, so it may look familiar - I believe in recycling)











Yes, it's that time of year again. The time of year when Dawno wears her Intense Christmas Sweaters to work. I now have enough of them to wear for the rest of December's working days starting Monday the 6th. I can't tell you how excited I am. I just love the puzzled looks on some folk's faces. They're not sure if they should flee or just put a present under me.

(Tiara International Sweater, above)

However, I have one great sadness, much the same as last year - I haven't found any really, really highly embellished Tiara International sweaters so far this year - not even online. They used to make the best ones. I can only hope that I can get down to SoCal after Christmas and find some down there - last year I found a couple very nice ones, but the store that had them has been bought out by Macy's and they haven't had any good (for the Dawno value of "good") Christmas sweaters in a Macy's in years.

What are the elements of a certified Dawno good Christmas sweater?

Color - there needs to be lots of it but there should be a reason for the colors and they should harmonize. One of my favorite sweaters has many shades of browns and golds worked into toys and ornaments and Christmas trees. Another features shades of green that lean towards sage and olive - looks lovely with a pale sage turtleneck. I "lost" that sweater for a bit and was extremely joyful when it resurfaced last year.

















Theme - the sweater should have a unified theme. Snowmen and snowflakes, trees and ornaments or trees with presents, Santa and reindeer. Let's not just clutter up a sweater with every conceivable Christmas icon. And placement is important. I like detail down the very center of cardigan style sweaters and at the bottom hem. On pullovers the entire front should be covered. Stuff on the back, it's ok, but it should be a continuation of the front, not something entirely different. I have one new sweater that has simple conical, decorated trees up the front, and there's a line of stitches that go over one shoulder to the back with Christmas light bulbs at the end of it at about mid shoulder. I approve.














Beads and metallic threads - definitely, but again, for embellishment not for their own sake. Random sequins or beading doesn't work for me. I have a sweater where the pointsettias are embellished with bugle beads and it's perfect. Sequin garlands on a Christmas tree, lovely.

Last year it was suggested in comments that I embellish my own sweater. I'd love to do that someday - I just can't make myself put aside the time for it right now. One year I searched and searched and couldn't find a new sweater. I did find a cardigan in ivory that had snowmen and snowflakes embroidered on it in off white yarn. Barely visible - certainly wouldn't show up in pictures.

I decided to get some shades of brown, tan and gold embroidery floss and stitch over parts of the sweater to give it color. I worked a few of the snowflakes and the caps on the snowmen. I put the sweater on. The snowflakes were unfortunately positioned on the sweater, which I didn't realize until I tried it on and looked in the mirror. They looked like light brown and beige yarn pasties. I picked out the work I'd done on the snowflakes but left it on the caps - they looked fine. Lucky for me I did find a sweater at the after Christmas sale at Robinson's May in Bakersfield and wore that to the family celebration later that day.

I have broadened my Christmas wardrobe this year in a new direction. My daughter and I were shopping while I visited her last month and I got a pair of flannel jammies. They were decorated with pink flamingoes wearing ski caps and scarves standing in little snow drifts outside of Airstream style trailers decorated with Christmas lights. I may now need to buy a new pair of jammies every year as well.

I will face the mall hoardes once again tomorrow. The holiday bracelets I ordered have come in at Brighton and I'll need to pick them up. I'll wander around for a few hours, hoping to be inspired by something I can get for a gift but I truly dread going out into the crowds. I think this will be more of an online Christmas than ever.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last Thanksgiving I wrote this:

'Apple thing' is a favorite around here. I never would have guessed when I first tried it out last year but it was well received and back by popular demand this year. As to how it got stuck with the name 'apple thing', I made the mistake of writing down 'apple thing' on my list of steps to take (so everything would finish at approximately the same time) and times to take them. I place the list on the counter. Everyone who goes in the kitchen reads the list. Now everyone calls it apple thing. I bet there's a real name for it. Don't tell me. I'm happy with it as is.

As a public service, I give you the Apple thing recipe:

Pour two cans of apple pie filling in a round pyrex lidded bowl and top with crumb cake topping and cook it with the turkey for the last half hour. (you can do it in any pyrex dish so long as there's a lid - I just happen to have a round one I like.)

Topping: pour out a mound of Bisquick into the bottom of a medium sized mixing bowl, don't ask me how many quarts or what, just medium, and the mound - well lets say a couple cups. It doesn't quite fill half the medium bowl.

Add 3/4 of a stick of butter, about a half cup of brown sugar, a generous dash of cinnamon - mush it up 'til it's all clumpy. Pour it over the apple pie filling.

Should I write a cookbook or what? I think it would go well with icecream. Serve warm or cold. We like it warm.

I was talking to my daughter about the Thanksgiving dinner shopping I did the other day. She asked me at the end of my recitation "What about applething?" Oh goodness, I'd forgotten to get the canned apple filling for applething!

This morning my daughter arrived from SoCal around 9 am. I picked her up at the airport and our first stop before home was the grocery to get the apple thing stuff and something for her to drink (our fridge has my Arizona Diet Green Tea, the hubby's apple juice, a couple bottles of Romulan Ale and a couple Bud Lights. Oh, milk. And a bottle of Mead.)

Thanksgiving wouldn't be the same for my daughter without applething.

I also wrote last year:

Things I really need to buy at Williams Sonoma:

* A ricer, I heard a chef on NPR say that was the best way to make mashed potatoes
* A good oven thermometer, I have NO IDEA when my oven has pre-heated. My old stove had a little light that went out. This one has no such indicator. I just turn on the gas and wait about 20 minutes
* A gravy boat, I'd like one in my china pattern, but Lenox has discontinued the McKinley pattern from its Dead Presidents line of china so the only way to get a gravy boat is to buy it from a discontinued patterns place which, right now, doesn't have any gravy boats. We used a large melamine bowl and a spoon for the gravy. Classy.
* A knife block

Since I wrote that I've obtained all of those items - not all at William's Sonoma,I did get the ricer and knife block there, but I found the oven thermometer at the grocery and got a plain white stoneware gravy boat at Cost Plus World Market.

The table is draped in a new cloth, the centerpieces are out (one of the grandkitties keeps gnawing at the dried stalks wheat they stuck in it. I've removed the wheat and put it away). Yankee Candle scented Housewarmer candles in Pumpkin Pie scent are burning (I don't cook pies - I buy them and we eat them cold from the fridge with way too much whipped cream). The turkey is in the oven and at about 2:30 I start whipping up the side dishes.

This year it's just the hubby the daughter and me, I'm thankful that we can be together. I'm thankful that my son hasn't been deployed yet. I wish my daughter's SailorBeau was here - he's in the Middle East. I hope the Navy puts on a wonderful feast for them.

I'm thankful for NaNoWriMo - I've proven to myself that I can face the blank page and write (nearly) every day. I did 50k in about 18 days. I'm no where near finished with the story - December and January will be my personal NoWriMos. Then I let it sit so I can come back to it with fresh eyes and start the re-write. Maybe by spring I'll have something to ask a beta reader to look at.

My best wishes to you all for a lovely day, whether you're celebrating Thanksgiving or not, I'm also thankful that you come by and read here.

Dawno,
AppleThing,
Thanksgiving,
army,
soldier,
emptynest,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,
Parenting,
NaNoWriMo

I Just Liked the Picture

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Tagged for "Five Things" Meme by Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware!

::Giggly fan girl moment::

ok, better now.

You can probably infer, from the number of posts I've put up on my blog that feature Writer Beware warnings and information, that I think Victoria Strauss and A. C. Crispin are way up near the top of my list of the most wonderful people on the planet. I also have a number of A. C. Crispin books on my bookshelf, as I am a rabid Star Trek novels fan and I'm starting to collect Victoria's books as well.

So, when I wandered over to read the recent posts, I noted Victoria had done a meme. Memes are fun, you learn stuff about folks, too. I read down through her answers. Good ones, all - you should go read the post.

Then I saw "Dawno" as one of her 5 tagged people. Dawno? That's me! Wow!

::down, fan girl, down!::

ok, better now, again.

Here are the details of the meme from "At Last! Writer Beware Blogs! A. C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss Reveal All!"

[Victoria says she's been tagged] "by Cathy Clamp to write five things about myself that few people know, and tag five others to do the same."

5 things that few people know about me. Hmm, where do I start? I'm such a shy person. I've been so reluctant to reveal much that is personal on my three blogs and in those thousands of posts on Absolute Write. Since people who would visit here know so little about me, I could say anything. This should be a snap.

::crickets::

Hours later...

#1.
My first major public solo musical performance was in a church Christmas program where I had the Mary solo. I believe to this day I got that role only because of my 3 month old son.

The better singer's (seriously - operatic quality soprano and I used to have an ok voice, but not in her league at all) baby was a girl. You might think "who would know?" but this is a church - we all knew her, she was a featured singer, the organist and the wife of one of the associate ministers. Everyone knew her baby was a girl.

Even so - who would care? It's just a church program. Well, this was a huge church and it was just outside of L.A. in a little suburban community called Santa Clarita. Many of the folk at the church were from "the industry" (movies, tv or recording - I've got a Bacon number of 3 as a result of knowing Steve Lively). So this was quite a production - not your typical tempura painted sets and bathrobed shepherds.

Was the music minister was a stickler for authenticity? Maybe he didn't want to stretch our willing suspension of disbelief too far? Or he felt sorry for me, a new member and a new mom with a 3 month old baby boy - why not let her do it, she can carry a tune while holding a baby. I was very grateful for the chance, regardless, as I love to sing and always wanted to be a soloist. I was able to do many more solos at that church for the few years I was there. I often miss those times.

#2.
I love to eat raw green onions - with lots of salt and I only eat the white part. The green stuff stays on the plate. This I inherited from my dad.

#3.
I had thick tufts of hair on my ears at birth. Don't know how long it stayed there but nobody called me "wolfgirl" in elementary school, so it was gone by the time I turned 5. Currently ears are still fur-free and I can wear silver without feeling deathly ill.

#4.
I would like to own a pet hedgehog. I would not call it Spiny Norman - tempting as that would be - perhaps something very English sounding and floral.

#5.
I'm often the last person to "get" things. I'm very literal sometimes. I have a story to illustrate. When I was in college M*A*S*H was a huge hit show and we all gathered in the dorm lobby/lounge to watch. It was an event - people brought snacks and sodas and popcorn. If you wanted a chair or the couch you camped out hours in advance. So there's an episode where the main characters are sitting around drinking and they start toasting (I Googled the lines and found them):

Col. Potter: "To Blackjack Pershing."
Hawkeye: "Inventor of 21."
Col. Potter: "To Harry Truman."
B.J.: "To Bess Truman. To Margaret Truman."
Hawkeye: "To err is Truman."

It goes to commercial after that. I finally got the last line - and started laughing. People looked at me - the commercial wasn't funny. I explained. People made zoom gestures over their heads. Took me a minute to get that, too. Puns go over my head all the time. I'm not good at coming up with them either, to my chagrin.

Well, that's it. Thank you Victoria - it was fun.

Time to tag 5 lucky bloggers!

DTKelly
emeraldcite
XNavigatorX
AmyBA
chaostitan



Dawno,
Writer Beware,
Star Trek,
meme,
Absolute Write,
Blogging,
Blogs

Gah! I Haven't Posted Here in Days!

I've been doing a short post daily in my NaNoWriMo blog but by the time I finish my NaNo writing for the night, post in that blog and wander the AW forum a bit, it's pretty late (as you can see from the timestamp on this post) and it's past my bedtime. There's not much excitement going on so I hate to just post to be posting blather.

But! I would like to draw your attention to a post on a blog named Surgite. It's a complete riot, do go read it.

I was one of the statistics, btw. A proud moment for me.

OK, time to stumble through the dark and pray I don't trip on a cat and die getting to bed.

Only 41 Days Until Christmas

This post has nothing to do with Christmas. Certainly not with the shopping I want to get done early nor where I plan to spend it. But I really do need to start thinking about it soon. When, I wonder, will I feel that edge of panic setting in? Last year I was still shopping pretty much up to Christmas Eve. At least I got my cards out early!

The NaNoWriMo word count widgit was still wonky so I took it off. I'm at 25037 so I've passed the half way point two days ahead of the official schedule. I talk more about it on Drive By Booking so I won't go into details here.

This weekend I spent with my daughter. We had a wonderful time. She's got a sweetheart of a house and her performance in Grease was fantastic. I hope she gets me some pictures soon.

Not much going on of much interest in my life. IILAA is still a brown stain. AW's new server is at its new home. I'm not sure when they'll switch over but we're all pretty excited about it - we're hoping it will solve the page not found and other glitches we keep having to have our own server.

I'm pretty brain drained from writing so forgive the short update. Thanks for stopping by!

The Widget is Wonky

There's a glitch in the widget right now - at 1666.67 words per day by day 8 the goal should be 13,333.33, not the 8981 it's currently showing. Of course by the time you read this it might be fixed - but I had to do MATH! to figure out where I was in relation to the Wrimo goals tonight. Suffice it to say, I'm still comfortably ahead enough to do this in 25.4 days.

And yes, I am fixated on the word goal, but it's that challenge that's getting my butt in chair every night. And while I feel comfortable about the dispensation to write crap so long as I write, I also feel that there are bits and pieces of what I'm doing that show promise. I'm not writing aimlessly or just throwing 2k unrelated words on the screen to meet the goal - I feel like it's the first draft of a real novel.

It's pretty exciting.

Dawno,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,
NaNoWriMo

Wherein I Decide to Improve My Ergonomics

Hi to 69.119.194., optonline.net, Yonkers, New York! Lots of visits from you today! Some of them rather lengthy. I'm always glad to have visitors. Leave a comment sometime and let me know what it is that keeps bringing you back here.

I love Site Meter. I often find I've been visited from unusual locations. I recently signed up with the Google Analytics as well, but, aside from cool pie charts, I don't see the advantage of it over Site Meter. I'll have to investigate more, perhaps I just don't know how to read the data yet.

I've discovered the one thing about the daily two to three hour BIC sessions I'm having. I need a new chair. My hamstrings are killing me. But I'm still churning out the words, day by day. I'm thinking I've made a good start but I'm worried about momentum. Can I do this for a whole month? Two? A year? The rest of my life? I'm putting off seriously thinking about it. But I know that if I really want to do this writing thing I must. Speaking of which, I recently purchased an e-book, by someone I highly respect and who hasn't given me a smidge of bad advice to date, to see about opportunities in an interesting market. (Hint, Absolute Write) I'm not going to talk about it right now, but after NaNoWriMo I'm going to explore the possibility and if it looks likely I'll say more about it then.

Spoke to my daughter today, it was interrupted by a call from her SailorBoy in the Middle East. He recently injured his left index finger - nothing he'll get a Purple Heart for, I'm relieved to say. He's left handed so that will make his job more difficult and painful until it heals.

Daughter is lonely but doing fine otherwise. Her play has its final weekend and I'm flying south to visit her and see it. She's looking forward to showing me the little house they're living in. I'm looking forward to visiting, too, haven't seen her since late August when we all went to Georgia.

Nothing much else to yammer about and it's getting late. But I didn't want my friend in Yonkers to come back and have to stare at the same post from yesterday.

Dawno,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,
NaNoWriMo

37,164 Words

I'm keeping a daily journal of my NaNo experience over on another blog. So far the posts are kinda short and not real informative. I get to the end of my daily BIC session and there just isn't anything more to say. However, I really need to find a plot. I'm wandering all around a storyline, but it's not taking off somewhere yet. This could be a bit of a problem down the road...yes, I actually realize it's a major problem. Tongue is firmly in cheek here. I'm trying to get my characters to tell me where they're heading but I think they need a kick in the ass.

I do remind myself, however, that this is really, truly the very beginning of my attempt to seriously write long form fiction. It's been 30 years since college, I've never even attempted such a prolonged steady pace towards a specific writing goal before and I have to remind myself that I'm not trying to write something that's publishable on Dec. 1. I'm just trying to get myself started in a daily habit of writing a connected sequence of words. No short humorous personal essays or non-fiction bits - but a novel. And if not that, then a lump of words I can carve away at until it becomes a decent sized short story - but that's only a last resort.

And if this is the "trunk novel #1" I have to be ok with that. And ready to write trunk novel #2 and #3, etc.

I read some good advice recently. Let the editor tell you it's crap. (maybe I'll try beta readers first) and (this is really paraphrased) don't hang on to the idea of becoming a writer too long - give it my best shot but if it's not something I really can do, I need to move on and not miss out on the other stuff I could be successful at. Sounds like a plan.

But first, I have 37,164 more words to write.

Dawno,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,
NaNoWriMo

Trying to Write a Novel?

There's been no news on the IILAA nor has the Brown Stain been replaced with a real website. Amazing what a little bit of noise among writers with blogs can do.

I've been tapping away every night since Nov 1 for about 2 - 3 hours a night, doing an average of 2,644.25 words per night. I've also spent some time reading some great sites about writing by writers for writers (well, one is an anonymous agent). I want to share them with you.

#1 Learn Writing With Uncle Jim - this is a novel writing course done over the course of thousands of posts and approaching its 3 year anniversary - the first post was Nov. 13, 2003. This thread contains wonderful ideas, lessons, exercises and prompts. There are line by lines of first pages of novels and discussions about everthing from formatting to grammar to publishing. It's incredible. Many of us at Absolute Write hope that Jim will get this in book form someday soon.

#2 Holly Lisle. I love her Notecard Plotting. There are other good tips and hints and ideas on her site as well - all free. Yeah, she sells stuff too (but at a really reasonable price), but there's real goodness in the freebies, not just a bait and switch or "for the rest of this lesson please send $19.95 before midnight tonight to PayPay! Hurry, this offer expires at midnight tonight" stuff. Oh, she has a cool podcast, too.

#3 A variety of posts on Making Light. Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden (and no, I didn't forget the hyphen)have collected a wonderful following of writers, editors, readers. In addition to great posts, there are huge veins of gold running through the comments sections of that site. I think most of them are mentioned in Uncle Jim's thread but one I'm particularly fond of is Slushkiller. Oh, and this one The Evil Overlord Devises a Plot

#4 Miss Snark Indescribable. May not always have the best advice in town (I can't say if it is or isn't due to my novice stature) but it sure is fun to read.

#5 The Unstrung Harp or Mr. Earbrass Writes a Novel

Dawno,
IILAA,
Absolute Write,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs

More About the Brown Stain and Co.

There's an update for you about the Desert Rose Literary Agency/Leann Murphy at Writer Beware. Does anyone think the whole IILAA thing maybe backfired on someone?

I gotta go to bed. See ya again soon, I hope!

Go "Digg" Victoria's Post on IILAA!


Dawno,
IILAA,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

If you're following the IILAA/Barbara Bauer does a Podcast news you've probably seen this one already, but just in case:

CROUCHING SNARK, HIDDEN DRAGOONS

In other news, the brown stain is still up where the IILAA site once was.

The 99 words contest was won by emeraldcite - do read his wonderful entry and leave a congrats in the comments. While you're there tell him Dawno says congrats too but still can't figure out how to leave a comment. Hey, Blogger Beta programmers - fix that will ya???

I'm keeping a NaNoWriMo journal on another blog, Drive By Booking, so I won't go into details here, except to say that I finished a chapter tonight and I'm still buzzing and can't get to sleep yet. I betcha that doesn't last all month.

We had a pretty good turn out last night for Halloween but not enough to finsh off all the candy we bought. I figure I'll use the leftovers as snacks for my writing sessions. Lots of Disney Princess costumes, some with lighted tiaras. Only a couple kids came in 'street clothes' and grocery bags but I had plenty of candy so *shrug* no problem. The annoying thing was the ones who knocked on the door even though I had turned out the light and brought in the pumpkin - our property manager gives each of us a free one every year and allegedly if you leave it out that is supposed to signal that you're giving out candy. I assumed it also meant that if you took it in and turned off the danged porch light folk would get it that you weren't. Apparently a few folk didn't get the memo.

This morning when I went out to the car there were just a few desultory streamers of toilet paper in the trees up and down our street. As I looked at them I couldn't help but think "slackers! back when I was a kid we TP'd things up good - none of this two or three streamers per tree" and I walked up hill in sandstorms both ways to school.

Tomorrow the movers come to get my son's household goods from the garage and ship them to Ft. Bragg. I hope the stuff gets there before Thanksgiving. I nearly forgot about my DIL's car and had to call back - that may get there more quickly.

Go "Digg" Victoria's Post on IILAA!


Dawno,
IILAA,
barbarabauer,
Absolute Write,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs,
army,
soldier

Happy Halloween!

The kiddies are starting to show up - there was a great vampire kid - real retro, Bela Lugosi makeup that someone obviously took time to do for him. One toddler thought he should just come right inside and make himself at home and the grandkitties are completely freaked out.

For all of you and yours, Happy Halloween!

Surprise!!I An ILAA Update - This Desert Rose Doesn't Smell So Good

The IILAA site had a interim page up (very briefly, I hear) before the current brown stain appeared there. The Truth About Writing site managed to capture the eloquently stated position of the IILAA before it disappeared - it's not quite exactly what you'd expect to see on a professional literary agent's association's webpage.

Also, the IILAA sockpuppet has arrived! You knew it would show up sooner or later. An anonymous new member of Absolute Write has sent a PM to Victoria Strauss (and others). Victoria has reproduced her PM on her blog. It appears that Desert Rose Literary Agency has a defender - a "client" (certainly not the primary agent for Desert Rose Literary Agency, Leann Murphy, really, someone else completely different, really) has selflessly stepped into the fray on Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency's behalf, completely unsolicited by Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency to chastise and decry the terrible things the CABAL is doing to Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency.

But, what does the Desert Rose Literary Agency have to do with IILAA? Because IILAA is the target, not Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency.

Because, other than being on the top ten list of Independent Agencies on the (now a blank brown stain) IILAA site, why would one of Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency's "clients" feel they have to defend her with vague threats about connections and knowing how to code because the IILAA site is being made the laughingstock of the blogosphere?

Surely not because Leann Murphy of the Desert Rose Literary Agency made up the IILAA or created the website for it, just so she could say she was part of a real live literary agent's association (does it make you wonder why she's not with the AAR? It wouldn't be that sticky Canon of Ethics or maybe having to actually sell to real publishers, would it?) to lend some legitimacy and credibility to her own agency...I'll leave it to better sleuths than me to figure it out.

However, I do believe stock in Alcoa recently went up considering the amount of tinfoil being converted to chapeaux.

One other thing, did you wonder what the "International" in International Independent Literary Agents Association means? Perhaps the 10th of the top ten was Hill & Hill of the UK? People are making a connection but with the IILAA site down and Mr. Hill incommunicado, it's difficult to really link these two. However, this post from via Miss Snark does merit review as it discloses Mr. Hill's underhanded tactics and will arm folk against falling for the tricks of others like him.

Go "Digg" Victoria's Post on IILAA!


Dawno,
IILAA,
barbarabauer,
Absolute Write,
Writing,
Blogging,
Blogs

Oh NO! The IILAA Site is Down! Also, Babs Has A Podcast

A visit to the IILAA website reveals a brown page with the words "Hello there! I am currently working on the site....... Thanks for visiting!" Nothing more. I wonder why it's down?

Perhaps for a well deserved proof-reading to edit out the numerous typos and grammar/punctuation errors (IILAA stands for "International Independent Literary Agents Association" - missing an apostrophe, maybe)?

Perhaps to update the "IILAA top 10 agents" list to a more accurate "top 9" (unless it's to add a 10th member)

Maybe they couldn't handle all the web traffic coming their way from people who read blogs like Writer Beware's AC Crispin and Victoria Strauss' blog, Miss Snark's, Agent Kristin, or folk who frequent Absolute Write or Preditors & Editors...

On the off chance that you, dear reader, aren't one of my usual 3 or 4 buddies from Absolute Write who already know this stuff and you are also novice writer who has been Googling along doing some research into the getting of an agent - PLEASE READ the info on these next links:

• SFWA's Writer Beware info on Agents and Agencies (and you don't have to write SF for this stuff to apply to you)
• Absolute Write Bewares and Background Checks forum - there are some general interest threads and then many, many specific inquiry threads. Oh, just because you see an agency or agent's name as a thread topic doesn't mean they're bad or scams - just that someone had a question - you need to read the thread and even then, go do more research!
• Preditors and Editors
• AAR
• Google (or your other fav. search engine) - and don't stop with the first page! Drill down and see what the real history of (or lack thereof) this agent/agency is.

Ok. 'Nuff of that. What about Bab's Podcast?? Apparently Barbara Bauer hasn't had enough grief in her life. She has put out a podcast "What's Wrong With Publishing" or maybe it's "The Crisis in Publishing" anyway, it's Babs and a couple of like minded folk (Thomas Wahl, David Hiatt and Josh Dinnerman [sorry Matt Dinniman for the earlier typo] ).

According to Babs these things are wrong with publishing:

• Google (which they think is getting an "exemption" from just about every law "because they are an internet service provider")
• Anonymous people posting mis-information that "harm" a "number" of independent literary agents (whom Babs feels must be getting paid to do this by the benefactors of all the anonymous posting)
  
• Googlebombing - "done by experts paid to program and, er, write that blog" ("that" blog?)
• Disparagement on the internet - "some have called for Congressional hearings" but dear Thomas doesn't think anything will come of it
• "Bloody", "bloodsport sites" that have Google ads that people click on taking advantage of people's names being disparaged and the government should look into it!! I agree that the government should look into what's being said on these sites. The FBI should be looking into every agent and agency these sites are talking about. And maybe the IRS.
  

Then she starts on the Miss Snark "column" - claiming it's a 'dragoon' of writers disparaging their competition, i.e., the Babs and her colleagues. Do read what Miss Snark (and folks in the comments) says about that.

Well, I've had enough entertainment this evening. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Go "Digg" Victoria's Post on IILAA!


Dawno,
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Is "Any Publicity" Good Publicity? More Blogging on the IILAA

More good blogging about the IILAA! (or this IILAA search)

Vampwriter has a nice line up posted.

Thomma Lyn has links to the AAR site and AAR's Canon of Ethics - go hit her site for the links and say hi in her comments when you visit.

Agent Kristin gives us her opinion at Pub Rants.

C. E. Petit weighs in at Scrivener's Error with some great links of his own - for example he provides a link to an Agent Research and Evaluation site that can't verify that 8 of the 9 "Top Ten" [sic] IILAA agents HAS EVER MADE A SALE to a commercial publisher.

Yes, we should give them some huge chunk of our hard earned money to represent our books (well, we in the sense of "if I had one" I'd be part of the we...oh, whatever - I'm doing NaNo this year, maybe by Dec. 1 I'll have a book, ok?) based on that track record of success. You betcha, I wanna "be a retainer" with one of those winners.

It's only fitting that Fahim on Solipsistic Meanderings has posted about this news from halfway around the world, after all, the IILAA claim to be international even though they're all in the US. I guess it really doesn't matter - they're doing just as well overseas as they are around these parts, huh?

Snarkling Kim has contributed to the conversation, too. She's another blogger to whom you should go and drop a nice "hiya" in comments.

Well, the Google Blogs search goes on for quite a few pages and even in the back pages there are a few that are actually about the IILAA - for example Jean at Storycrafters' post.

Keep spreading the news!

Go "Digg" Victoria's Post on IILAA!


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IILAA and the Great Writer Advocates' Cabal Conspiracy Secret Master Plan and Stuff

I'm excited. I think I finally have my chance at being part of a cabal! A minor, flunky-type part, but hey, it's better than nothing! How do I plan to gain admittance to the Evil HQ? By helping get the cabal's insidious message out into the blogosphere.

And here's the best part: You can be a flunky, too!! Here's the linkage you should peruse and re-use at your blog (and don't forget the technorati tag, DIGG-ing it, del.ici.ous, whatever else you can think of!):

Miss Snark discusses IILAA


"It pisses me off that people use OUR profession to prey on people. You can bet your bottom dollar that if some flim flam scam sham artist went around to writing conferences advertising him/herself as an editor at Fontosaurus Publishing Company that there be fecal matter hitting the cooling device faster than you can say 'clean up your euphemisms for the RSS feed'." Miss Snark on 10/27's post

"The problem with these guys is they charge up front fees, tell people it's the norm (it's not) and don't have ANY SALES LISTED." from Miss Snark (in comments on her 10/26 blog post)

P. N. Elrod discusses IILAA

"Apparently this bunch of qualified nouns have wearied of people like A.C. Crispin & Victoria Strauss working their butts off with others in an effort to shine a light in the slime pit world of publishing preditors.

Instead of earning an honest buck by actually SELLING a book, it's easier for the miserable leeches to attack defenders of integrity." from p_n_elrod's post

Writer Beware discusses IILAA

"Cue scary music. And just to enable you, the writer, to identify this Axis of Evil, this HYDRA, this SMERSH of the Internet, there's a helpful page entitled: How to spot hate sites who [sic] prey on the insecurities of writers. There, the terrible truth is once again revealed: "There are numerous websites trashing agents. Because of the number of these websites, the average writer who is simply browsing the internet is not aware that most of these websites, forums, chatrooms, etc., are operated by the same group of people who claim to serve the interest of you, the writer. But honestly, do you believe that the operators of these websites spend so much of their time, effort, and money because they truly care about you? Or do they have an agenda."

Okaaaay. Now I get it. It's a CONSPIRACY. Me and Ann and Dave and Jenna and Jim and Snark and Teresa aren't the autonomous individuals we pretend to be: we're a covert cabal with a Master Plan. What, you thought I was going to tell you more? Uh uh, my friend. Like any good Master Plan, ours depends on absolute secrecy." from Victoria Strauss' post


The Road Less Traveled discusses IILAA

"Their web site explains why authors should pay their agent upfront fees, and claims that Writer Beware, Preditors and Editors and other watchdog groups are really part of a conspiracy. It would be funny if novice writers weren't so vulnerable to such claims. That's how the scammers make their money, by convincing authors they should pay and pay and pay, even if they never sell a book to a publisher." from the blogger's post

Absolute Write Members discuss IILAA

I won't quote posts here - read the thread - but if you want my opinion Uncle Jim and Xhouseboy and veinglory have the best posts...

Oh, one more little thing...Anyone remember how we helped Barbara Bauer become (in)famous - briefly - earlier this year? Guess who's a member of IILAA?

Dawno,
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Digg Victoria's blog post on this