Halfway point

Despite the computer problems I had this week, and the ongoing renovation of my house—which often means having to run to Home Depot three times a week for supplies, among other things—I still managed to pass the halfway point of the story.

I think I’ve earned a glass of wine.

Back to normal

I just went through four days of HELL. No kidding, I was freaking out! It all started with our internet connection; the darn thing kept on disconnecting every five minutes. Because our router was quite old we thought it was the problem, so we changed it for a brand new model, which, for some unknown reason, only made things worse. My beloved (and rather ancient) computer instantly disapproved of the new device and threw a fit—its last, I feared. So in a state of utter panic, we rushed to the store and bought a laptop. Now that all my files have been safely transferred to the new laptop—thanks to my very smart, very kind, and very wonderful hubby—I feel much better.

Phew, disaster averted.

Review

Curled Up With a Good Book has a review of The Princes of the Golden Cage. Here’s a snippet: “With the promise of skillful storytelling ability that author Mallet reveals in this work, there’s much hope that the sequel, The King’s Daughters, which will continue to follow the adventures of Amir, will bring her talent to full fruition.”

Progress report

The first draft of my urban fantasy is coming along. Today, I’ve just passed the 100-page mark—yay! Although it’s not really a third of the novel, (I never know how long my books are going to be until they’re finished.) it’s nice to see that three-digit number at the top of the page—a small victory of sorts. It’s not bad considering that I began the draft only two weeks ago, lost several days of work going to a convention and that half of my house is under renovation. If nothing else, I’m consistent. I write about 2500 words, or ten pages, minimum every day—I can do more but never less. I enjoy having a goal to achieve everyday. It works for me, and it helps to keep the flow of the story going.


Oh yeah, I’m also a morning person and a morning writer, so I normally start working at 6:30 am. I never said I was sane.

I'm back!

I’ve just arrived a few hours ago from Con-Version. Although the convention was smaller than in past years, it was still a lot of fun. In fact it allowed me to spend more time with everyone I met. I had long, wonderful chats with Lynda Williams, Alison Sinclair and Jennifer Rahn.









Of course there was the musical, a tradition at Con-Version. Randy McCharles as Elvis.










I attended many readings and panels. Reading by K.A. Bedford




The iron panel with Timothy Zahn and Jennie Breeden was a ton of fun.

As in all good conventions, one often encouters the odd creature...

and the very odd.

Con-Version

I’m off to Con-Version, Calgary’s premier science-fiction and fantasy convention, in the morning. I’ll be back on Monday. I won’t blog while I’m there, but you can expect a full report once I’m back…with plenty of pictures of course.

Appearances

I will be at the “library” in Heritage Lane during the PGX Friday, August 8, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and Saturday, August 9, again from 4:00 to 6:00. Don’t be shy and come see me!

B.C. Day

Yay for long weekends!

Done!

I have finished my outline and am pretty happy with it. I am particularly pleased with the opening and the ending scenes. (To be able to successfully plot a story, I always need to have a firm beginning and ending in mind.) Sure, there are still some weak spots and holes left to be worked out, but that will come later. My notepad is full of notations about characters’ backgrounds, magical rules, and the politics of this new/alternative world I’ve created—more than enough to clarify the foggy areas of the plot. Now, I’m looking forward to a blissful first draft. I LOVE first drafts.