I Hate Ranting But...

I’m feeling overwhelmed. There I admitted it. But I don’t know if it’s the time of year, or the point I’m at in my menstrual cycle (and right now we’re in the post stage, though I suppose you could call it pre-pre-pre stage) *sigh*

So what is making me feel overwhelmed?

Well the first thing that comes to mind is that – my boss is leaving. An opportunity came knocking and she’s taken it. This brings up many thoughts and questions in my mind:Am I doing the wrong thing by not looking/keeping my eyes peeled? Is my loyalty to the company that hires me an out dated thing? – It does seem old fashioned, but like a guy who is courteous and respectful to a woman, it doesn’t go out of style... right?

• I’m feeling a little betrayed that she’s leaving, but it’s not like she can say, why don’t you come with me.
• I’m feeling overwhelmed by the responsibilities I’m going to be taking over. Like sending out meeting minutes from management Review and making sure all the executive managers approve it.
• I’m worried I won’t make it. I’ll fail and the company will crumble.

Yes that last one is a bit of an exaggeration, but for 6 to 8 weeks I will be a department of 1, because my other coworker, who deals with a lot of the daily stuff, will be on Maternity leave. While she says she’s coming back, I have to prepare for the possibility that she might not. You never know... and suddenly I find myself thankful for the shortness of Maternity leave. If I lived and worked in the UK I could be a department for six months!

Wow did that make my mind boggle and put things in a little perspective.

 

So beyond that little stressing development I’ve piled onto my life:

• POD Formatting for hire - I’ve a contract with MWiDP, thanks to Anne R Allen and her worry about getting How to be a Writer in the E-Age out in time for her conference (my paperback just arrived *grins*). So along with formatting the 10 to 15 books mark’s got me listed for I’m also helping someone else with hers. (She’s even paid me.)
• Keeping up with spending time working on writing every day, be it word count or planning or world building. This is part of my retirement plan folks. I have to keep marching forward, so that when I’m ready I can start putting books out there one after another.
• Teaching Sunday school about every other week. So far I plan the morning before... I’d like to give it more fore though, but I never seem to.
• Making Halloween Costumes (I have a drafted post on that, that I’ve not gotten up) potentially in the next two weeks, ready for an event my kids will be going to.
• Keeping up with this blog. I’ve been horrible at it since I hit the one year mark in June. Kind of like my Diaries... only better, because those never had the weekly punctualness for a whole year.
• Making sure I read, not just books to my kids (but how can I not read “STAND BACK!” cried the Elephant “I”M GOING TO SNEEZE!” – okay I haven’t read it yet, but the title was too awesome not to pick up for 50 cents from the Library book sale.) but also books related to the genres I write in.
• And all the while not ignoring the kids, hubby, dog and visitors (the In-laws are in town right now), part of which means making sure there is food in the house (totally failing at that right now) and doing laundry (failed that two weekends ago, but caught up last weekend)

Yeah – if anyone ever tells  you, or you think to yourself, I can’t wait till I’m out of school I’ll have more time – think again.  Eventually we all have to get out of the house and live on our own. With age comes responsibility, until you get so old you need someone to care for you, then you just sleep a lot.

Responsibility is just a weight on your shoulder and right now it’s making me grimace more than smile. Maybe once I have those costumes done....

 

} Cathryn Leigh is sorry this is more of a rant than anything else. She hates to rant, to anyone, even herself, which means she probably bottles up way to many thing for her own good. So she thanks you for reading. {

You Don’t Need Money to be a God...

...You just need to be (no not a doctor, it costs a lot of money to earn that degree); a writer. You read me right. It doesn’t take any money at all to start writing. A walk to the local library, plop yourself down at the public computers and start typing. There are free writing sites out there (my favorite is Protagonize, of course). Or you could sign up for free e-mail and send the story out to the ones you love. But, either way, it’s totally free to dish out agony and pain on the characters you create.

Of course being a writer comes with its own pit falls. If you’re doing it like I do, your characters start to live inside your head and you’ll find yourself talking to them at odd moments. Worse yet they could take over you words and you might blurt something out. I’m serious. Charley’s characters took over her blog once to plead for help.

I haven’t had anything so drastic happen. I prefer to be a benevolent Goddess and love dishing out happy endings. Not ever afters mind you, those are simply unrealistic, but what they call in the Romance industry ‘happily for now’ – my life is full of those moments so I share with my characters, the good guys at least. They in turn protect me from the evil nasties I’ve begun to create.

It’s quite fun, actually, to see my character come to life and grow into their own persons. Plus, it’s a lot less stressful than raising my kids.  No one will accuse me of child abuse if I stuff a character into a bunker only to fill it with rotting vegetable stew. Not to mention those great character conversations that happen between me and Charley.

Of course, she’s like me so she doesn’t think I’m crazy for it. In fact I blame her for my characters becoming so vocal and active. Now I find them watching through my eyes and making observations about the world I live in. Sometimes keeping those thoughts to myself hard because... well, here’re two examples from Rachael.

Example 1

My hubby and I were watching Firefly, I can’t remember the episode now, but Rachel grins at me from inside my skull.

“I like him,” she comments as Captain Reynolds kicks the bad guy into the running engine because he won’t take the Captain’s message back to his nefarious boss.

Of course, she would like Mal. Though I created her before I ever say Firefly or Serenity, Rachael is a female version of him. She runs her ship without a crew, though... Or, she did until I decided to reunite her with her hodge podge family. Don’t let her grumbling fool you, she loves them and woe to anyone who tries to mess with them.

Example 2 (links in this example are 'not safe for work')

My hubby and I got cozy and started watching Diary of a Nymphomaniac and Rachael saunters into my brain.

“That’s what I am,” she states, indicating the main character with a smirk.

I think my jaw must have dropped, even if I didn’t say what I wanted to. I mean,

I’d known she was an adrenal junkie. And sure, she was a saucy minx and liked sex, but a nymphomaniac? That threw a wrench into the works on the loving romance I was hoping to write in there. Michael might never get over his depression now!

Yes, us writers may be the Gods of our creations, but our characters will assert their individuality. Of course if they annoy us too much we can alter their stories to add more physical or mental anguish. However, these are probably thoughts best not said out loud because, as Miriam so nicely blogged about, you might have to tell the police: “I’m Not a Psychopath. Honest!”

Have you had any moments like that? I told my hubby about a couple and decided not to tell him anymore. I love the dear man and don’t want him to think I‘m crazier than he already does. Not to mention he’s currently my best editor... when I can get him to edit my stuff!

*Giggles and Grins*

:} Elo / Cathryn

P.S. I’d like to thank Tammy J. Patton, whose comment on Anne’s blog about Writer Myths for the inspiration of this post – even if it took me a month to write and post it. {:

Beautiful Sarah and Hasón

Beautiful People is a series of questions you ask your characters to answer as a way to get to know them better. It comes from the blog Further Up and Further In, which I’ve begun to follow and occasionally comment on.  I first saw this set of question in March. They were repeated again in April (just this past Sunday, in fact). They are questions meant for a couple or pair of Protagonists. So who better for me to use than Sarah and Jason, now known as Hasón (aka the Spanish pronunciation of Jason).

Now, before I start grilling them, there are two important facts for people who don’t know Sarah and Hasón, my Phoenixes of Vervell.  First off; Sarah is from our world, which is on the brink of, and then collapses into, World War III. Secondly; Hasón is from another plant/parallel world that’s similar to our 18th century but without gunpowder. Sarah ends up in his world, which is where their trilogy takes place.

Part One

1. Do they believe in anything that most people think is impossible?

I can’t say that Sarah does, though by the end of the book she believes in things she would have never believed in before.

Hasón doesn’t believe in the impossible so much as hopes that what seems impossible will become possible. He prays a lot to the Gods about this.

2. Are they strong, or the "damsel/knight in distress" sort?

Oh goodness no, neither one of them. They are both people of action, though Hasón thinks things through a bit more than Sarah does. Then again he’s been trained to do so.

3. Do they have a special place? (e.g. a corner in his/her bedroom, under a tree...)

They both feel The Grove is their special place. It’s a ring of Willows with one Dogwood tree and a spring hidden inside. No one else can come into it, even though they’ve tried to share it with other friends.  It’s also where they met (see Part Two Question 1). :}

4. What occupation do they have, or plan on having?

Sarah is an elementary school teacher. She’s following in her mother’s footsteps and it’s also a way for her to avoid the draft (and war). But, she also really cares about kids and in the time of war wants to give them a safe place to just be kids.

Hasón is a Scout, a trained swordsman. It’s not a typical profession for a Nobleman’s son, but he didn’t want to become a Knight due to their arranged marriages. Now he’s a Sergeant and leads his own small group of men, patrolling the boarders of the Kingdom and generally keeping the peace.

5. Describe their current place of residence.

In the beginning of the story, Sarah’s moved back into the farmhouse in which she grew. There, she’s helping work the farm with her father while tending and teaching the city children that they are sheltering from the bomb threats. Once in Hasón’s world... well let's just say that finding a new home is part of the plot. *grin*

Hasón lives in a Sergeant’s house when he’s not on patrol. It’s a simple wooden duplex, with a outhouse and small yard in the back next to the barracks where his men live and the practice fields and what not. My own medieval version of army base housing.

6. Explain their last crisis. How had they changed when they came out of it?

Sarah’s last big crisis was a gang rape. Five guys did some nasty things to her and as a result she had to get a full hysterectomy or die. She was twenty. Afterwards she dove back into taking self defense classes, mistrusted most guys and decided she was glad she had decided to become a teacher. In fact, it was easier for her to accept the fact she’d never be anyone’s biological mom than it was for her to start trusting guys again.

Hasón’s last crisis was being captured by unfriendly kingdom next door. He managed to escape with his men, but not until after they’d been tortured by General Wholawski. Hasón left the fortress knowing just how much pain his body could withstand and how a woman can pull apart friends. His exterior self became a hard shell, but thankfully, he’s still a lovable huggable teddy bear at his core.

7. If they could drive any kind of car they wanted, what would it be?

Sarah would have a red pickup truck. In fact, I suspect she drives her Dad’s, which is probably an old ford. At least she would drive it if the war hadn’t put a ration on gas.

Hasón has no idea as his world doesn’t have cars, but he prefers horseback to a carriage, despite being open to the elements. He likes being able to see around him – it’s the military training.

8. How do they deal with change?

Sarah will moan and groan about it, but she deals. She’s seen a lot of change in her life, with the conversion of the ranch to a farm, her mother’s death and then the war. The war has changed a lot of things like de-modernizing the farm, and the rationing of food and gas.

It depends on the change with Hasón. He thinks a lot, internally running through the various ways to deal with it before selecting the one he wants. Essentially, change is just another mission to conquer. The amazing part is he can do it quickly, which is why he’s a good leader.

9. If they had to amputate one body part, which one would they choose?

Sarah would choose her hair, and if that didn’t count she’d go for a pinky toe. Easy to get used to having and easy to hide in shoes or show off in tevas for amusing conversations.

Hasón would give up his sword arm so he could retire from the Scouts and spend the rest of his life with Sarah. And if the Gods won’t let him do that, he thinks Sarah’s idea is a reasonable one.

10. What would their favorite be at the local coffee shop?

Sarah would probably order a French Vanilla, light, extra sugar, from the local Dunkin Donuts. Starbucks would be too pretentious, though a good chi from her hometown coffee shop always hits the spot.

Hasón would have no idea what to do with coffee. I presume his land probably drinks tea like the English, so I suspect, if Vervell has small cafes, he’d order a nice black tea... No, scratch that. Apparently, he prefers light green tea. Go figure.

Part Two

1. How did they meet?

Sarah’s best friend had just moved away and she didn’t want to deal with her brothers that day (she has four, all older) so she slipped out to the Willows behind their house.

Hasón, disappointed no one would spar him with his new shiny and sharp sword, went into some woods to fight imaginary foes and rescue damsels in distress. He stepped under a Willow tree and found Sarah.

They became best (imaginary) friends, almost immediately, as she joyfully joined in his game, but not as the damsel in distress mind you... at least not one without a few tricks up her sleeve to get herself rescued.

2. How do these two deal with conflict?

They both face it head on. Sarah might be more stubborn, but Hasón is well versed in the way of compromise. He rarely yells though, and would rather think it through and let Sarah rant and rave before throwing in his two quinnies (Vervellean cents). After all Sarah isn’t completely illogical and she often has good points hidden in her ranting.

3. Do they have a special song, phrase, item, or place?

If they had a song it would be “Some Where, Out There” only they technically are not ‘sleeping underneath the same bight star’. They definitely have a place though – The Grove – the place I mentioned above where they met and played, and later just talked.

4. What kind of things do they like to do together?

They like to just be together and talk about whatever comes to mind, or hash out whatever is in their thoughts. Only, it’s mostly Sarah doing the talking. Hasón loves to listen to her and be near her. He wants to wrap his arms around her, only there was a limitation to the Grove where he couldn’t actually touch Sarah. Once she’s in his world, he’s not all sure what he should do.

5. Describe their relationship as a whole in 3 words or less.

Skeptical true love

:} Cathryn Leigh

Squealing Until the Cows Come Home

What IS that Noise?

This week has certainly very squeal-tastic for me. Gosh I’m not sure what order to put them all in. I think it all started with Anne’s blog last Sunday, snowballed over to Mark’s announcement (which I read twice once on MWi and once on Sapphicscribe), and tumbled into a snowman with Saffina’s Musings and The Stone Church News.

·         Two Sunday’s ago I entered a contest on Anne R.Allen’s Blog to win a sighed copy of “Walter’s Purple Heart” or a signed copy of “Pay it Forward” both by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This weekend I discovered that I’d won “Walter’s Purple Heart”. OMG SQUEE! This squeal lasted the longest as I not only did so in my responding e-mail to Catherine, but also in instant messaging to Charley, on Charlie’s post to my facebook wall, in an e-mail to Charley (I hope her eardrums are okay) and finally on Anne’s Blog where she announced the winner.

·         Both Mark’s Blog and Saffina’s Author Blog announced what’s going on with MWiDP. I was so excited I wrote a poem for a comment, because, OMG their publishing venture looks super sweet. So sweet that I’m tempted to ditch the whole query process and just go Indie with them. But that’s not the only thing that made be squeal. I’m also squealing because I can’t wait until “St. Malroy’s Forever!” is published by MWiDP . Which my favorite peeps Miriam and Charley are helping to write!

·         A couple weeks ago Saffina stated she was “Banningthe Bull” on her personal blog. I took a deep breath and offered to give her an excerpt from what, I hope, will be my premier novel. In her most recent blog post she mentioned me as being “adorably excitable”, along with the fact that I’ll be first of her Illuminating Indies series, January 28th, 2012! SQUEEEEE I’m chewing my nails right now as I await my hubby’s review of what it going to be posted.

·         On the smaller scale, I wrote an episode for my church’s newsletter, but hadn’t hear a word as to wither or not it would be included. Lo and behold I received my copy of The Stone Church News,January/February 2012 issue and found it; one whole glorious page (no. 14) dedicated to my story! *giggles* On Sunday, one of the parishioner said he liked it and asked if I was a writer. I very proudly stated – Yes, though I’m not published yet, but I’m working on it. I also got two thumbs up from our priest as passed by my Sunday School class, though that could have been about anything!

So there you have it. I’m squealing yet again just writing and posting this list. It’s been an exciting week! Gosh if you could just see the jitters in my hands. Yup, I’m totally feeling adorably excitable now, even if my hubby might not like the phrase so much. (But you know what, sometimes it fits him too. *wink*)

:} Cathryn Leigh

P.S. You may also have noticed I've tweeked my look and started to add pages. Exciting huh! :}

Am I Worthy?

Last week I mentioned something about having Guest Posts on my blog. Well apparently, the time was right as my two good friends Charley and Miriam immediately volunteered. Of course they won’t do it for free, but at least it’s only words they are asking me to write in return. So look for Charley and Miriam to appear here and in exchange I’ll appear on their blogs.

In addition, on Monday, Saffina Desforges had a facebook status looking for un-published author’s who wouldn’t mind showcasing their work on her blog. I volunteered. I must have been the first response because she e-mailed back saying if I got something to her by January 25th, I’d be the first. That’s a “Yikes!” and “Oh My Gooses” all at once. I wasn’t sure I had anything worthy, but thanks to Charley and Miriam , I have a good candidate, if my revising doesn’t then make it unworthy. *grin*

"We're not worthy" - Wayne's World

And since we are talking about guest blogging, I must mention Mark Williams. After I got my Kindle for Christmas, he kindly gave me two books, with my promise to do a review. He said if it was fairly lengthy and in depth he might consider posting it to his blog. I don’t know if I can write a review worthy of that but I’ll give it my best shot. The least I can do is post a condensed version to Amazon. I ought to be worthy enough to do that.

So am I worthy?

Yes, I am and you can be too. You just have to work hard, believe in yourself, and have a few cheerleaders to remind you that you got what it takes.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Dreaming of a Goal

This seems to be the time of year when we all reflect upon what we have done in the past year and what we are going to do in the current one. A friend expanded this and blogged about where she wanted to be in 2020. That’s nine years from now.

In nine years my daughter will be in 9th grade (Year 10) and my son in 7th grade (Year 8). Yikes! That means I’ll be getting hit with one in Middle School and one in High School. What I’m doing at that point will largely depend upon what my kids want to be doing. Of course that doesn’t mean I can’t set my own goals for nine years from now.

But I do have a long term goal: Turn my writing into a second career so that when I retire from the day job, I won’t really be retired, but have a portable career that will supplement my retirement savings to allow me to give to the charities closest to my heart, spend quality time with family and travel (hopefully by motorcycle).

Quite the goal huh? I’m not sure if it’s measurable, concise, or has a real deadline, but that’s the dream. I have other things I want to do, but they are sitting (like perform in the Nutcracker) until my children get older and don’t need me as much (as if! *giggles*).

Phoenixes of Vervell by Gabriel Morrison

So this next year I’m focusing more on my writing. Last year, saw me begin to revise and edit in a way I never have before. I plan on doing even more editing and polishing of my Phoenixes of Vervell in 2012.

Yes, beyond the two collaborations I have going, my main goal for 2012 is to revise the Wholawski out of my trilogy. Sarah’s Phoenix needs to be aligned with Phoenix Rising and Phoenix Triumphant, and Skathains replaced with Arenians. Then I want feedback from beta readers and a critique group. After another edit, I’ll start submitting in the traditional method. *nervous nail chewing*

I know, I’ve been reading a lot of Indie publishing blogs. And I’m not discounting that route at all. In fact, I suspect I’ll end up wandering down that path anyway. But, after a bit of soul searching, I’ve decided that part of my journey to becoming an author needs to include an attempt at traditional publishing (aka rejection).

Right now I’m in a place where I don’t need the income from selling books and my dream has been to see my books on the shelves of a bookstore. Don’t worry, I won’t wait forever to get my final acceptance (or take a predatory contract *shudder*). Seeing my books in a bookstore is the stretch goal; the bottom line is to be published and to continue being published.

I’ve got these stories in my head and I want to share them with more than just my immediate family, or even my extended family. I’m thinking the world! (Or at least those people in the world who want to hear about ordinary females doing extraordinary things and discovering that love surrounds them.) *grin*

Now back to work editing Phoenix Triumphant. *wink*

:} Cathryn Leigh

Feeding an Addiction

I have a confession to make. I’m an addict. My drug of choice? Books. And I’m going to feed that addiction buy buying books with my blood money.

Okay, so according to Wikipedia addiction can be a continued involvement with an activity despite the negative consequences. For me those would be:

• Making meals gets forgotten (made worse when I snack while reading)
• I stay up way too late, causing exhaustion
•  My hubby (and kids) tend to feel abandoned

And all because I might as well be inside the book because that’s how hard it can be to take me away from it. Although, given that I’ve stopped reading books, it’s probably not a true addiction. Still it felt that way for a while, but now I think I can moderate my reading so it’s time to start reading all these good books I’ve been hearing about.

And to get those books, I’m going to use my blood money. No, I haven’t turned assassin or anything like that. It’s actually all completely legal and arrives via paycheck (complete with taxes taken out) from my day job. You see, my company uses blood as part of the release testing of product before it can be sold. To obtain the blood they need they set up a blood donation program; which compensates the participants. It’s not much money, but given I’m getting an e-reader for Christmas and the price of e-books, it will be plenty.

I will also be trying to save some of that blood money to fund my publishing costs, when I get to that point. But, since I keep hearing that to be a writer you have to read, I thought I ought to start fitting that into my schedule. The most difficult question?

What will I read first?

:} Cathryn Leigh

It’s NaNovel Update Number 4!

Well we’re heading down that long slippery slope to the end, it’s Day 23 of NaNoWriMo!

First, we have the Statistics:

Total Word count:  56,607

Total Page Count:  192

Total Time Spent:  42.50 hours

Average Words per minute:  21

Average Pages per hour:  4

Second, we have the Write-Ins:

Well this week, rather than the family or work getting in the way of my Writing-In, it was my own health. Yes the, since you’re doing NaNo and got a flu shot (okay that may or may not be a factor in this), you’re going to get sick has hit me. Last year it was a twenty-four hour bug and no real biggie. This year – Pneumonia – yes that lovely chest infection took me by storm Sunday night and on Monday night went to the doctors, was prescribed three medications and told to stay home until 11/24 (Thanksgiving Day). Well Phooey. *pout*

Lastly, we have my notes

I’ve finally introduced my last main character. I know it seems a little late in the book to do so, but this puppy won’t be done when it’s done. It’ll be more like a purposeful To Be Continued... If I write the thing right, Rachael and her ‘crew’ may become my serialized fiction novellas. She seems to like that idea, and so does the rest of the cast.

Now on to our excerpt for the week. This one comes from something I wrote today. Michael’s memory block that has kept his Nueri half from his Human half separate has been removed. Poor guy is two in one. Makes for an interesting write. On second thought we’re going to make it two. Rachael wants to brag about her kids. :}

Rachael clicked off the communication unit. Michael was not going to be happy about this, if her and Traverse’s son had survived. What a wacked out family she had. More whack out than her own family had been when she was growing up. At least all but her had been normal humans. Now she was married to a Nueri, had a Nueri daughter, had an affair with a Pirate and born an aborted baby who’d been sold to the cyborg program. No she definitely didn’t put that past Traverse’s father to have done so.

On the plus side, she smiled, her kids had balls. One was leading a revolution that she thoroughly supported and the other had given the UCPA a big F* you by tracking down his parents. No child, donated to the cyborg program was ever allowed to know where they came from. They were supposed to grow up in their own family loyal to the scientist that raised them. She highly suspected that half those scientist hadn’t any clue on how to raise a child. Then again neither did she. Probably better for both her kids to have been raised by someone else. Though who knew, maybe she’d have figured it out before she completely messed up. Still, Rachael reeled her thoughts in, they weren’t namby pamby kids. They grabed their destiny by the balls and shook it. That was reason enough for her to be proud of them, even if she’d never had a hand in raising them.

Now that the glowing mother has had her turn; let’s peek at Michael’s duplicity, despite the fact he is asking me not to.

Michael slept in the blissful silence of darkness until a gentle shake woke him.

“How’s the head?’ Rachael’s voice tickled his ear.

“Still horrid,” Michael groaned as he rolled to one side. His head still pounded, though not quite as bad as before. He could use a serious neck massage though.

“Here,” she handed him a pill and some water, “take this; Mom’s cure for migraines. We’ve got to lift off in four hours or we’ll be late.”

“Late for what?” Michael asked as he sat up to take the medication.

“Rendezvous with the good Senator to pick up my wayward son.”

“Who?” Michael was still puzzled. His memory was seriously foggy.

“I’ll explain more once we’re on board. The surgery’s probably taken a bit out of you. Medications still wearing off and such.”

Rachael helped him into a ships suit after carefully taking all the IVs and sensors off his body.

“You know for a hospital supposed to be the best, that was a little archaic.” She shook her head and then took his hand. “How’s the head now?”

“Better actually,” Michael felt surprised.

“Probably should have taken out the IV first, who knows what they were doping you up with.” She laughed slightly. “Good thing I know who to make friends with, I think they wanted to keep you for studying.”

“I think I’ve had a life time worth or more of  being studied,” Michael stated harshly.

“I know love,” Rachael embraced him with a kiss. She pulled back into his eyes. “I know,” she whispered.

Her eyes spoke of memories and times gone by, of the things they’d done and didn’t. He saw images of his own past reflected in them, testing, drugging, torture, and he nearly collapsed.

“S---t,” the swear came to her lips as easy as love, “Come on let’s get you to the ship before that temporary block totally dissolves.” She straightened him up and brushed him off. “Come on and follow my lead.”

The halls were quite and Rachael walked through them with confidence. Michael followed trying to imitate the bravado she seemed to ooze, probably not making as much of a go at it given his head still felt like shit. S---t? Since when did she start swearing?

Since you let me out, a little voice responded.

Who are you? his mind wanted to know.

Your other self, the one that’s been blocked from you.

Michael shook his head trying to jumble his thoughts back into one. He wasn’t two people. He was one person, who happened to have the annoying problem of being Nueri.

But it’s not a problem, that little voice came back, it’s a boon.

“How the...” Michael clamped his mouth shut as Rachael looked back at him. He internalized the dialog again as they exited the hospital. How the hell is it a boon?

If you weren’t Nueri you would never have met her, never have had a child, and Transium would drive you crazy.

I killed my wife and child! Michael felt like he was exploding.

Elizabeth is there before you, can’t you see her, she’s leading you to safety.

“Ah, right on time,” Rachael interrupted his internal dialog.

They were a good distance away from the hospital now and had been walking down the street arm in arm, Michael wasn’t sure when that happened. But, as they got to the next corner a car pulled up and stopped. Rachael opened the door and pulled Michael in with her. Neither voice said anything in his head as the car pulled away.

And what about you, my readers, how are you doing? And how are your NaNovels going?

:} Cathryn Leigh {:

It’s NaNovel Update Number 3!

All right we’ve gotten over the midway hump and we’re now at Day 17 of NaNoWriMo!  

First, we have the Statistics:

Total Word count:  42,805

Total Page Count:  146*
Total Time Spent:  34.55 hours
Average Words per minute:  20
Average Pages per hour:  4

*by the way, I’ve got my pages set up with double spacing, that why the page count might look a little high. I’m planning on printing this for editing by hand, rather than the electronic method I’ve been using for Phoenix Triumphant.

Second, we have the Write-Ins:

Well the family and my husband’s work have been conspiring against me. Still after a failed attempt at making it to the local library on last Wednesday I made it last night! I even found a fellow Writer there, trying to make up for lost days. I averaged 28 words per minute in the hour I was there, so I’d say it was successful. Still hoping to get to one of the big Write-In’s that happen closer to my work.

 

Lastly, we have my notes

Okay, so Light Speed is pretty slow when you have to travel 1,000 light years. I’ve discovered some interesting things about space travel. There’s a lot, and I mean A LOT of time spent twiddling your thumbs. Thankfully Rachael has an over a million books on file and has Michael to translate some of the more ancient works written by me, Miriam and Spook in the 21st Century A.D. Remember Rachael and company are living in the 41st Century A.C. (After Colonization).

I have gotten around to introducing Michael’s half-brother, Kron, and Rachael and Michael’s daughter, Lupita. In fact she’s got the best line written so far, so I think today’s excerpt will feature that. I’m looking forward to introducing Adam soon, the cybernetic aborted baby of Rachael and Traverse. Let me tell you. This is a fun cast!

 

“I think I’ve found a solution to your problem on how to fund your revolution,” Kron stated.

Lupita sipped the tea, but was wary of the Vidal. Kron had warned her about the stuff when he’d first stashed it in his house. To have him bring it out was a sign that something big was up. Bigger, she suspected, than his off handed comment about funding.

“Is it legal?”

“Not in the least.” Kron shook his head as he sipped his Vidal and then his tea. “Might involve Pirates too.”

“Space Pirates?” Lupita leaned forward, eager to know more.

“And you’re mom.” Kron sipped his Vidal and then his tea. He chuckled. “You can close your mouth now.

“Sorry,” Lupita sat back and nearly drank her Vidal in one sip. Luckily the burning stopped her and she spit half of it back. She gulped the tea, though it burned in a different manner going down her throat. “You could have been a bit more tactful.”

“Yes, but I’d say that expression was worth a kilo of Transium.”

Lupita snorted. “Don’t make me go Transition on your ass.”

Kron frowned. “You’ve been hanging around them boys too much.”

“Them boys, are going to be my army, if I can get them some weapons,” Lupita spat back. “So how’s this funding, my mom and Space Pirates linked together.”

“Not quite sure yet, but you know that spacer you’re Dad’s been traveling with?”

“The ‘Spacer bitch’?” It was the term she’d heard thrown about by her grandmother the few time Kron had gotten her close enough. Just glimpses of her father, but she’d known it was him. Whatever pack instinct came with being one of the Nueri Nin Ni, told her that he was family, close family, just as it had told her that Kron was related, though it’d taken longer to figure out how.

Kron leaned forward and Lupita reeled in her thoughts. “Well that ‘spacer bitch’ happens to be your mother.”

Luppita’s jaw dropped once more, but this time she kept enough cool to quickly close it before Kron could comment. “Are you sure,” she looked at Kron sideways, looking for any hint that he was pulling her leg.

“Your father just about came out and said it... How did he put that to me?” Kron sat back as he sipped the last of his Vidal while thinking. “Something along the lines of they got hitched when they were teens, only she went by a different name back then.”

Lupita froze, tea cup half way to her lips. “You’re not joking one iota?”

“No,” Kron looked dead serious. “And she’s got an in to the black market, IF we can supply the Transium.”

For thsoe of you who know Spook and a little bit about her NaNo Project, the Vidal drink, a gin made flavored with Vidallia from the twin sun system of Tellirax, was indeed named for her character, Vidal. Don't worry, they gave me their seal of approval.

And What about you, my readers, how ar you doing? And how are your NaNovels going?

:} Cathryn Leigh {:

It’s NaNovel Update Number 2!

Well NaNo has begun and I’ve set up a little NaNo update template to minimize time spent away from my NaNovel. So here’s what I have to say on Day 9 of NaNoWriMo.

First, we have the Statistics:

Total Word count:  25416

Total Page Count:  90
Total Time Spent:  22.22 hours
Average Words per minute:  19
Average Pages per hour:  4

Second, we have the Write-Ins:

Okay I went to a Write-in at a public Library in MA. It was odd not being in a coffee shop but I did accomplish one goal – get my mom back into writing! She went with me and since that Write-In she has utter reorganized her writing space so that she can write at night and not disturb her husband (who is an early bird).

Next up – trying to organize my own write-ins at the Eldersburg, MD Library. I’m going to make it an informal thing tonight. Maybe next year I’ll get the Library involved.

Lastly, we have my notes

The wood stove cooking didn’t go so well for me. My bread didn’t cook all the way through. I really ought to have followed the instructions better. But enough of Non NaNo stuff.

Things are traveling at light speed, which should be expected of a Sci-Fi universe that covers about a 2,000 Light Year size glob of space. Our next quote from what I’ve written this week was chosen based upon a Facebook conversation with Spook. Apparently one of her characters got a gender change mid way and it reminded me of a hilarious conversation between two of Rachael’s lovers. Keep in mind that Rachael is pretty insatiable as it is.

“Alpha Foxtrot Bravo Dash Zero One Niner responding to the communication request from Bravo Tango Sierra Fifty,” a male voice came over Traverse’s communication unit.

“What the...” he flipped the response switch, “Either you’ve had a sex change or this isn’t Rachael.”

Of course as soon as he said that Traverse wanted to hit his head against the wall. He had known there were others ship board with Rachael, he just hadn’t expected them to be awake. Thankfully the man obviously had a sense of humor because a chuckle came across the line.

“I’d fear for the women of the universe if she’d had a sex change.”

“Amen to that,” Traverse chuckled to himself. “This is Captain Traverse of the [to be named Pirate Ship] requesting instructions for landing.”

Oh and see that underlined phrase, yes I need a name for my Pirate Ship. Rachael’s Frisbee 100 (that’s a space ship designed based on the Frisbee and 100 feet across) is the Alfa Foxtrot Brave Dash Zero One Niner (AFB-019), nicknamed Cilla by Captain Robert (who apparently had a huge influence on Rachael as she keeps referring back to him.). I was thinking something along the lines of Juliet Romeo (JR for Jolly Roger?). Use the FAA/Military alphabet and you could come up with some interesting letter/word combinations :}

And so dear readers, I conclude with these three questions for you:

1) Have you a pirate ship name to suggest?
2) How are you NaNovels going?
3) And how are YOU doing?

:} Cathryn Leigh {:

It’s NaNovel Update Number 1!

Well NaNo has begun and I’ve set up a little NaNo update template to minimize time spent away from my NaNovel. So here’s what I have to say on Day 2 of NaNoWriMo.

First, we have the Statistics*:

Total Word count:  6327

Total Page Count:  22

Total Time Spent:  5.31 hours

Average Words per minute:  20

Average Pages per hour:  4

*Don’t worry I’m not calculating that every time I post. Nope, I already have a spreadsheet that I log my start and end time, as well as the total words and pages. Then Excel does all the calculations for me. If you think that’s organized you should see my Nueri binder...

Second, we have the Write-Ins:

There are five weeks to NaNo this year, so I’m giving myself a goal to attend four Write-Ins AND the TGIO Party. I’ve already made it to the Kick-Off party, which was a blast. Being at my mom’s for this first week I’m going outside my region (and taking my Mom with me) to attend a Write-In on the south shore of Boston. We’ll be attending that tonight.

Lastly, we have my notes

I won a binder at the Kick-off party and spent the last week filling it with my map of the galaxy and the starships I’ve designed. Funny part is next year I’ll start work on designing one for my mom’s story that I’ve just about convinced her to do for NaNo next year.

Now as to how my story is going. I am having a blast. So is Stowaway, the large tabby feline, who gets to do the Cheshire Cat act because he knows he’s in a novel (this is Dare 1) and he’s decided that’s his purpose for being there (double dare) and he’s going to be trying to convince them they are in a novel (double credit). Only I think he’s doing that more for his own entertainment than anything else.

Oh, I’ve also managed to find a way to mention a few trilogies that my friends and I have written *grin*

Rachael let out a swear as the deceleration made her mess up her course.
“Have you down loaded anything new to my tablet?’ Michael asked.
“Death and Fairies, Aeserion and The Phoenixes of Vervell.” Rachael spoke responded with out paying much attention to what she said.

That’s right through out the story I get to make references to these three book as Michael works on translating the ancient Latin alphabetic texts to the oriental like character language now used. Apparently, Rachael’s father used to read these trilogies to his kids. She can’t read the Latin alphabet and translation keeps Michael out of her hair while they’re out in space.

Now, should I start counting the number of times Rachael beds someone? I could include Michael too, to increase the count. He’s not nearly as bad as her though and only beds others out of necessity. (What happened to those anti harassment laws? I have no idea!)

And now I’m off to do some old fashioned cooking on a wood stove. *giggles* It’s back down from the year 4000 AC (after Colonization) to 1800 AD. I’m just a century hopper!

Oh and how are you NaNovels going?

:} Cathryn Leigh

Count Down to NaNoWriMo

In less than a week, November starts and with it the [Inter] National Novel Writing Month begins. Never heard of it? (Though I’m thinking all of my blog readers probably have.) Then you can check them out over at the NaNoWriMo website. As they put it NaNo is “30 days of literary abandon”. It’s the one month you’re allowed to write crap in, so long as you remember to edit it out before submitting it to anyone... Well unless you all want a laugh over NaNoisms; Miriam has some good ones on her blog.

Anyway, this year I’m going for my Science Fiction story, which is centered around Rachael Elizabeth Anderson. I’ve dragged her and her lover/husband Michael Rembrandt Brocktovitch over the coals in a draft story that a few people have read. Let’s see what have I done? Well I have:
*  Made them fall in love, get married and have a child all before the age of 16 then separated all three of them by force when the child is six months old
* Given them temporary and permanent memory blocks so that they don’t remember their past (aka the above statement)
* Killed off Rachael’s family and made her think she did it
* Brainwashed Michael into thinking he killed his wife and child
* Had Rachael become indebted to space pirates who forced her to get an abortion and then sold the embryo without her knowledge
* Had Rachael and Michael reunite and fall back in love

Well, when I first thought about doing this I was going to try and do an utter rewrite on what I’d previously written, but that’s kind of cheating. Plus I’ve discovered that doesn’t necessarily work so well. Or at least I don’t think it would for me.

Instead, I’m going to take off from where I left off. Essentially Michael and Rachael have entered into a contract to work for this particular planetary government. It’s highly lucrative and Rachael’s got the qualifications as a space courier. Some of the things I’m going to throw at them:
* Reappearance of the United Government Rachael’s parents used to work for, they’ve finally gotten around to tracking down her ship, which used to be theirs
* Recovery of memories, at least on Rachael’s part, and the unraveling of their convoluted past
* Reunion with the Pirate’s son, who was the father of the aborted baby
* Appearance of the aborted son whose mind is very human though his body is mostly machine
* Contact from the daughter Rachael and Michael thought were dead

Yup, so I think I’m ready. Once I’ve printed out all my space diagrams, spaceship diagrams, spaceship specifications... What? I have been working on these since 2003 you know. :}

But what about you guys? Are you doing NaNo? Are you ready?

:} Cathryn Leigh

P.S. What’s going to make this fun and difficult is the fact that Rachael is a Nymphomaniac, Adrenal Junkie and prone to mood swings. Oh, and Michael is a werewolf (as is their daughter and Rachael is half one) with a six month cycle. *grin*

Poetic Excuses

I'm sorry blog,
I've ignored you so.
My momentum has been shot.

I've skipped a week,
nearly made it two.
I forget an awful lot.

You see we've come,
To that time of year,
When we're busy as the bees.

First October and its spooky night.
Two children's costumes, what a pretty sight.

Next is November, that writing spree.
A whirlwind of words to be set free.

Then comes December with its celebration.
Can I send my baking to more than one nation?

And should I also dare to mention,
That I’ve gone and volunteered?
To help lead my daughter’s troop,
Of Daisy scouts so dear.

There’s also this class I’m taking,
For the writing mother.
Volunteering for the church
No wonder I’m all a flutter.

And last, but certainly not the least,
Phoenix Triumphant goes on,
Some writing and some edits,
Until the story’s dawn.


:} Cathryn Leigh

Scared to Write

I need to stop procrastinating my writing on Phoenix Triumphant. And, it really is still writing more than editing since I haven’t gotten to a point where I can merge things together. I’m a bit fearful that I won’t be merging anything together at this point.

Right now I’m at the point where Phoenix is going to get his siege set up. And, I’ve got questions. Perhaps you do too. I know at least one of my followers is current on the story.

How long is the siege going to last?
Will Phoenix show himself to Wholawski?
Will he risk everything to get inside and be with Sarah?
And if he does, will Wholawski catch them and torture them?
What about Ryan, how much of a part will he play? (I know we’d all like him to keep out of harm’s way, but I know the Gods have plans for the boy.)
Who gets to kill Wholawski?
Will York get a chance to possess his brother, Chester’s, body?
And how are we going to get Lady Miriam out of the dungeon?
Will I ever get a chance to translate the God mixed up message she was shouting when Sarah first saw her?

I could go on, but some of my questions deal with wondering if stuff I’ve already written will come into play. Since there is the possibility it might, I’m not going to give you the spoilers.

At some point I need to stop checking e-mail and replying to my Protagonize notifications and just hunker myself down and write. I am just very scared of what I might end up putting down on paper. Wholawski scares me. He really does. And if you read any of In Support of Vervell, especially those chapters from his point of view, I’m sure you understand. Heck just reading Sarah’s dungeon tour, probably give you enough of an idea of how twisted the man is.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Back to the Phoenixes

Well yesterday was a big day. My daughter started Kindergarten. So far she is quite happy at school and she’s earning her Dino Dollars. Dino Dollars are the school’s way of positive reinforcement for being Ready, Respectful and Responsible. They get to spend them on a items, or save them for drawing and what not. I think I should institute a program like it at home. She bought home four of them today.

But, how about I get back to my main project; Phoenix Triumphant?

I haven’t be very diligent about recording my editing, or technically writing, hours lately, but I’ve been getting work done. It’s going the way it wants to go, not the way it was previously written. I’m cool with that now. It’s working out well.

General Jakubas Wholawski is as dastardly as ever and even if Sarah doesn’t tour his dungeon, you’ll want to kill him. SpookOfNight is sharpening her spork for him. Saddly rather than seeing it as a threat it gave him ideas and he wants a spork in his torture device bag of tricks...

Sarah is getting along well, though she’s not too happy at the moment. You can’t blame her, but Jason’s working as hard as he can to get them out. She’s cocked up an idea to rescue Lady Miriam though, if the other cast of characters lets me get that far.

Anyway, it’s time to write out Sarah’s dinner with Wholawski. Or, at least, fill out the school paper work my daughter brought home.

:} Cathryn Leigh

Choosing A New Adventure

I’ve found myself a new writing project. I have at last started a Choose Your Own Adventure style story. I’ve got two chapters and an introduction written, but I’m wondering if I’ve gone too big for my first time. I have a tendency to do that you know.

When I picked up quilting, did I start with a single block pillow? Nope, not me. No I started with a full size quilt, that still isn’t finished; fifteen years or so later. I did at least finish the quilt block I did for the one quilting class I took. I also have another, three block piece ready for hanging someplace. Oh yes and the baby quilt I put together for my Godson... But that first quilt, is still not finished.

Anyway that’s just one example of my biting off more than I can chew. But, you might ask, how is it I’m making this story more complex than a novice at Choosing your own adventure writer should go. Well perhaps if I give you the introduction, you’ll see what I mean.

Jordan, Peyton, and Riley find themselves locked up in tower cells, with most of their memory lost. Can they recover their memories and remember why they are locked in a tower of Solaris? Can they make it onto the Barrio ship before it leaves port?
Hop on into this Choose Your Own Adventure story and be anyone of the three characters. Make your choices wisely and you'll manage to accomplish everything! Make them poorly and you'll have to start all over again.

But hey, isn't that the point of the Choose Your Own Adventure, follow every single path you possibly can?

Notice that I have chosen three androgynous names, they are also three different age groups, the youth, the adult and the elder. Their stories will interweave. The basic idea is that Jordan stowed away on a ship and ended up in Solaris, where adventures occurred. Peyton, the experienced adventurer, was hired by Jordan’s family to find Jordan. Riley is the mage sent after Payton and Jordan when the two don’t return promptly. The story starts with a lost memory, and they’ll be unraveling as they go.

Personally I think this is going to be a lot of fun. Especially if I can do it well and pull off avoiding mentioning the gender of the characters. See, I’m trying to leave it open to whoever reads it, so that they can truly feel part of the story.

What do you think? Have I bitten off more than I can chew? How long do you think this will take me?

:} Cathryn Leigh

A Trio of Tasks

I must once again apologize for my day late blog. I don’t suppose anyone noticed.

There isn’t really much to say this week. I’m not working on my costume, I’m not working on my story, and I’m not working. Well, okay that’s not entirely true.

I did do some work on my costume in the last week. Everything has been cut out, so I started with my wings. The idea being I go for the hard part first. I’ve gotten so far as to sewing the three sections wing sections together for each one. Between each section is a channel in which I’ll put dowels to help the wing hold its shape. I need to do the leading edge (that’s the top part), which will hold two more dowels for stability, and a string, which should let me spread them. I’m still working on the whole how to attach them part.

As to my story, I’m posting it. I haven’t really done much for writing on it. I do hope to get some done on that tomorrow. It will all depend on how much time I have between my class and yoga.

I’m still working, however this week I’m not going in to work. Instead, I’m taking a class on becoming an ISO 13485 Lead Auditor. It’s a week long, starting at 7:30 am so I’ve been getting up at 5 am, so I can leave by 6 am. That way I can get into the city and be on time for my class. I only drive half way and then take public transportation in. No way I’m dealing with city traffic. So that’s why I’ve been tired. I also have a test on Friday to see if I get my certification for completion for the class. Wish me luck.

Of course, the funny part is I’ve been leading my company’s internal audits since 2 years ago or so. And if my young friends are confused by this last bit... don’t worry, it’s just my day job and someday I’ll save enough from it to buy a nice house on the water and be a full time writer without worrying too much about whether or not I make it big.

:} Cathryn Leigh

From One Tizzy to the Next

After a week of being a ‘single’ mom, I have the company of my husband once more. This means that childcare has become, once more, a shared duty. I have to admit that I take my hats off to all the real single mothers out there. My mom was one from the time I was 7 or 8. Thankfully, she only had me and I was as good as they come (at least, that’s what she tells me...). It’s hard taking care of two kids alone. But, I’d rather not dwell on such matters. I’ve got other things to do, more story to write, and a costume to get done.

Yes, I’m still in the re-writing phase of my plot gone wild. Okay perhaps not wild, but I am thankful I have managed to get out and walk a little bit this week. It’s just what the doctor ordered for getting through that block I’ve had. I haven’t written anything based upon my thoughts yet. I don’t really like the way the thoughts are going, but what will be will be.

As to my costume, (should I take photos as I go along?) it hasn’t gotten much past the buy additional fabric and cut out the patterns. I’m a bit stuck on how I want to attach the wings. You see I have the dress; my mother gave it to me from some lavender and lace place. I love the tie-dye purple skirt, and the tie-dye purple lace sleeves, but the bodice is stretch velveteen, not the best of basses for wings. So, I either strap them on over the bodice, thus probably ruining the look slightly, or take the dress apart a bit and strengthen the bodice to better hold the wings. Yet even if I do that, how do I attach the wings in a secure manner, but also allow them to be taken out so the dress can be washed.

Velcro is one solution, and I think I might have some that will do the job, but these are not simple lightweight Fairy wings, but Dragon wings! (Are you also now thinking that yes I should get some picture up?) Well the wing membranes will be made of very lightweight fabric, which I’m also using for the under skirt. However, I’m adding in some wire wrapped balsa wood supports. The idea is to make a wing that can be opened by pulling on string at the back.

Added to this quandary, and probably the main proponent of it is: how removable do I want the wings? Obviously this is for Halloween, but I might just be wearing it to my mom’s big 60 birthday costume dance. If I do that, then easily removable wings would be good. After all I wouldn’t want to ruin my wing before I’ve had a chance to wear them a few time. If I’m just going to be wearing them for Halloween, perhaps not so removable is better...

No, because I’m thinking they may not be all that easy to sit in a car with. *sigh*

So apparently if it’s not my story that’s got me in a tizzy, it’s my sewing project, and if it’s not that, it’s probably my kids. And now, as I continue to sketch out ideas for attaching my wings, I bide you ado.

:} Cathryn Leigh

A Forgotten Blog and a Morphing Plot

Okay so being one day late probably isn’t too bad, but I still I feel bad for not posting last night. I got a little caught up in cutting out fabric for my latest Halloween costume; The Dragon Queen. It sounds more impressive than it probably will be, but I’m hoping that I will at least have wings that can be opened and closed.

Anyway, back to what I’d like to talk about; Phoenix Triumphant. Now, you would think that, having written the draft, editing would be a piece of cake and just a matter of working on sentence structure and warding. But no, not with Phoenix Triumphant, it is trying to go someplace completely different now.

The first half of the editing went fairly well. Not too many things were changed, and the parts that were easily slipped into the spot they replaced. Then it came time to introduce James. Obviously he was in there before, but I did some writing to figure out just why the Vervellean rescue party would trust the Azurean, who had a pretty high rank in General Wholawski’s army, to come with them.

That is where the major changes started. You see James went from a nervous, scared guy who was afraid of being killed upon return, to, well, a much stronger more take charge kind of guy. Don’t get me wrong I like this change in him, despite the fact he walks the line of double agent well. I know what side he’s really on.

Still it means that if I don’t get my but into writing gear in the next three weeks, I’m going to run out of material to post on Protagonize. Something I suspect my Vervellean fans might get upset about.

Speaking of those fans, I cannot help but return my love for them. Without them this story wouldn’t have gone nearly as far, nor been sustained for as long. It’s amazing to think that Sarah’s Phoenix was posted nearly two years ago? Craziness!

So to all the people I could list (if I was at home and had my notes) who have read and commented as well as those who have faithfully squealed when the first post date of Phoenix Triumphant was announced: THANK YOU! *Heart*

:} Cathryn Leigh

Running a Prose Competition

I think it is appropriate this Tuesday to talk about the Prose Competition I’m running on Protagonize. That’s right, on top of all my editing, motherly duties and work I am coordinating a Prose Competition, the Summer Prose Competition of 2001 (SPC2011).

I spent this spring coming up with contest rules and details, leaving the challenges for last. First, I had to create the questionnaire so that I could pair people up. After all Protagonize was created to be a collaborative site, so what better way to celebrate, than to have people collaborate? *smile* The questions were fairly basic, focusing on genres people love to read and write as well as some basic writing styles (like point of view and amount of planning). Pairing people up was h-a-r-d, hard! There were a few who had stellar compatibility, but I tried for a middle road. I wanted the teams to have a somewhat even footing. I’m just glad I gave myself a few days to analyze the results. Not to mention there were only fourteen contestants.

I did finally create my challenges too, finalizing them when my contestants were filling out those questionnaires. Nothing like a little last minute prep, eh? *grin* I’m really happy with them. Two story prompts and six criteria for each. The first Challenge is already posted to Protagonize and submitted to the Seasonal Prose Competition Group (Read tab). On Friday they will be complete short stories.

So far no one has complained about their partner, though I’ve caused some mass confusion by not clearly stating what I meant by Peer Reviews. My four Judges seem to be getting along well, too. Of course, this could all change when I post the standings tomorrow afternoon.

Wish me luck!

:} Cathryn Leigh