Mid-Write Crisis and Book Launches

Hello all,

I'm actually re-reading Dorcas Grubb at the minute, which was the story I wrote for last year's NaNoWriMo. This is the first time I have been back to it since finishing it back in Nov 08. And *whispers* it's actually quite good so far. I mean, I'm only on page 4, but still. Perhaps I'll work on this one after Inter Vivos is finish.

Urgh, Inter Vivos. It sucks. Well, actually, chapter 11 was better, but the first 10 chapters (as I said before) are terrible! Maybe it's partly because the rewrite that I did sucked some of the initial excitment and passion out of it.

Reading through Inter Vivos has made me wonder whether I'm cut out to be a writer. However, I grit my teeth and continue on, and try to be optimistic that I can turn this turd into something that people might want to read.

If writing and getting published were easy, then everyone would be doing it.

I'm hopefully off to the Inkermen book launch at Loughborough University on Friday afternoon, as I've managed to wrangle out of work before our office Christmas party. I'm a bit scared actually. Not hundred percent sure why, as I don't normally get nervous. Hopefully it'll be fun.

"Land's End" Review

Just a very quick post to say that "Land's End" (Inkermen Press, 2008) has finally received a review:
http://newmysticsreviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/by-not-so-beautiful-sea-review-of.html

"Lucy Ann Wade starts off the stories with her take on the Calypso and Odysseus episode from The Odyssey (“Calypso”), doing so with great success as she explores the always treacherous nexus of naiveté and sexual lust. The “do as I say, not as I do” two-facedness of Calypso’s fellow Naiads made them read like a pack of modern high-school girls and not the far-off subjects of what is often (wrongly) seen as an irrelevant and antiquated tale."

Not too bad at all.

I started working on a new story yesterday, as well as adding to Chpt. 23 of IV. I'm hopefully going to be in a position where I can send off a few more submissions in the near future, so look out slush piles of the world! You have been warned.

Land's End

I have received my copy of Land's End, and it's really pretty! It's a lot nicer than I had anticipated. Seeing my story in print is a real buzz.
I have been working on another couple of short stories that I hope to send off to places for publication soon. I think the more credits I have to my name, the easier it will be to attract the attention of a publisher/agent. Well, here's hoping, right?
Off to rehearsal now. Hope to write a proper post soon!

Lands End Cover

Am I just the biggest geek because I find it exciting that the anthology my short story "Calypso" is a part of has its own Amazon page? How sad am I?

Anyway, here is the cover of the book, Lands End. I find it a bit weird that the person on the cover appears to either be completely bald or is wearing a stocking over his head. Maybe the caption should be "Mugger Walks on Water" (I'm sure you guys can come up with something better!).

The link to pre-order the book on Amazon is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lands-End-InkerMen/dp/0955625939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216914249&sr=8-1

Weariness

I am so tired right now, and I'm not really sure why, but I feel properly weary. Maybe because I've not had a holiday all year and have been working long hours, on top of rehearsing, driving and trying to write. I just feel right now like I always need an extra hour of sleep, no matter how much sleep I actually get. Strange, no?

My corrected proofs have been sent back to the Inkermen, so hopefully all that is in order. It was good to read over the story again, as I had forgotten it in the six weeks since I submitted it, so could look at it with fresh eyes. This is obviously the key to editing and rewriting. Wish it was always this successful - have just re-read my new draft of Inter Vivos, and think it's rubbish. Sigh.

Was going to post an extract from my latest short story here, but then realised that it contains the text I submitted for the Waterstone's What's Your Story competition, which I'm not quite sure has ended. Best to be safe than sorry, so I will instead post it here in a couple of weeks time, when I'm sure the competition has finally finished.

It's Raining, it's Pouring

...and I haven't bought my coat to the office today, so I'm going to get drenched on the way home, if this continues. The rain actually looks like smoke as it's hitting the pavement. Nice to look at, but please don't make me go out there.

I have finished my travelling for work for this academic year, I think, which I'm actually a little disappointed about. I don't like it when I have to do it every day, but sometimes it's nice to not be stuck in the office all the time. Plus I get to buy nice food and work pays for it! The other thing I've liked is that I've had a bit more time for myself, as I've not been working my second job whilst I've been travelling, so I've been able to have evenings and weekends to myself. True, I haven't done anything with this new free time, beside watch TV I wouldn't normally watch (this is what comes from being in a hotel with only 5 TV channels!), but it has felt a little bit like a holiday. But it's back to work in the office, and back to work for my second job, from now on in.

I haven't written anything in about a week now, simply because I've been too tired to write on the trains (well what do you expect from a 6:45am start?!!), and then I've been revising for my driving theory test. Now that the test is done (and I passed - yay!), I can get back to work. I want to finish my Tabitha Grubb short story and get that ready to send out to places, and also finally finish this second draft of Inter Vivos. I haven't got very far. Just need TIME. Sigh. Am longing for those school summer holidays that I used to have in days of yore.

In other writing related news, my short story Calypso is due to appear in an anthology by The Inkermen, entitled Land's End, which is due to be published in August 2008. I'm just checking the proofs now. I quite like Inkermen's manifesto, and so I'm pleased to be a part of this anthology. You can order the book from amazon, or alternatively, let me know if you want a copy by 14th August, and I can get you one at a reduced rate.

Oh look, the sun has come out now. Crazy English weather!