I wrote a really depressing happiness post. Then I realized that was a contradiction and not helpful and that I should do better, but nope, I got nothing.

What made you happy this week? Secondhand happiness is also good.

The post on Time is up at He Wrote She Wrote Again.

I’ve been reading a lot of new romances and old favorites (went back to Murderbot again). Reading the new romances is reminding me why I like the genre and why it so often doesn’t work, so that’s been helpful. And Murderbot is just comforting. Just started Allie Brosh’s book, Hyperbole and a Half and so far it’s as funny as her blog.

What are you reading?

Bob and I did another HWSWA chat last night, this one on Setting, which will be up a week from Saturday. (This Saturday is Time.). We’re almost done, I think there are only four topics left, and I don’t know if we’ll keep going after that or not. It’s not a very interactive site–problems with commenting, I think–and what we’ve found is that after years of arguing with each other about writing, we’re pretty much meeting in the middle on a lot of things. But it’s been good working on the project, so even if we stop at the end of September, it’s been worth it. I do think the process is more important than the result unless other people, say readers, are involved in the result. It’s a bad idea to waste other people’s time.

So this week I combatted dizziness and talked about setting. What did you do?

My close personal friend, Patricia Gaffney sent me a gift because it didn’t sell at her yard sale:
Continue reading →

The new HWSWA post is up. . (Thank you, Jinx!)

Short recap:

• I put up my bit on scenes.

• He put up his bit on scenes plus sex and violence.

• I pointed out that sex and violence wasn’t until next week.

• He said it was on his schedule.

• I gave in and we talked about scenes (a little) and sex and violence (more) and then he used his dog Gus as an excuse to bail and leave me to talk about sex.

• I did some more discussion on action scenes (aka sex and violence).

• A week later he e-mailed me to say, “So it’s sex and violence this week, right? That’s what’s on my schedule.”

• I did not kill him. I was possibly rude, but he still lives.

Next week is Time. Prologues, epilogues, flashbacks, flashforwards. That’s when he dies.

Krissie’s new book, THE ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY WORST MAN IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES, is just out in e-book and print, and she has this to say about it:

“I love this book.  Jenny and I went round and round about the hero’s motivation, and I reluctantly gave in because on rare occasions she’s right (but I wrote an epilogue and she’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands).  It’s funny, sexy, and not nearly as dark as I usually write, because right now the world is dark enough.  It’s not going to change your life but it can change your weekend, and there are times when that’s the greatest gift.  It has Jenny’s seal of approval (particularly the supporting characters), SEP loved the title, and I love the book.”

What more do you need to know? Oh, right, the cover: Continue reading →

This week I tried a lot of new books and read several that I won’t read again. They were good enough to read once, not to revisit; the worlds and characters just didn’t draw me back. Still not sure why some books do that (I have many theories, of course) since the genres are so different. Must just be good writing and great world building (Rivers of London, Murderbot, the Ivy Years, Kissing Ezra Holtz, Red White and Royal Blue, the Campion mysteries, etc.).

What did you read this week?

Today I am clearing out the living room and measuring for the white board I have been lusting after for months. Stop lusting, start doing, Jenny.

What did you do this week?

So I woke up this morning with labyrinthitis. Again. The good news is that (a) we’ve been here before so I didn’t panic and call 911 and (b) it’s a much milder case. But there was a point as I was throwing up that I thought, “What the fuck, universe, what did I ever do to you?” Because this has not been a good month. Well, except for Kamala Harris, that was good. And the weather has been beautiful. But Milton is still gone, which seems impossible, and my e-mail is still downloading about a hundred e-mails a day that I did not ask for (just got one from Woodsmith Magazine as I typed this) and now I’m dizzy and nauseated and supposed to stay away from screens. My life is screens. Come on, universe, cut me a break here.

On the other hand, there’s always a bright side. Continue reading →