Another chapter bites the dust. I think I can safely say I’m 2 to 3 chapters from the end, as opposed to the 4 to 5 chapters I’ve been saying for the last . . . oh . . . five chapters . . .

Man, I might be able to finish this sucker before Seattle! WOOT!

Telltale Kisses
Stephanie Solomon-Lopez and Medora MacDougall, Editors
ISBN: 1-932667-27-X ~ Price: $18.50 ~ Buy now
Associated merchandise

Since 1973, Rockwood Junior Baseball (RJB) has enriched local children’s lives by providing the positive experiences of teamwork, personal achievement, and excellence through participation in organized sports. Unfortunately, that changed last September, when the league president was charged with embezzling team funds, leaving RJB burdened with debts and without much-needed equipment.

Due to this extreme misfortune, it seemed as if the two hundred and fifty to three hundred children of the RJB league would be unable to play this year. Stephanie Solomon-Lopez, one of the parents angered and disappointed by the situation, has decided to do something to raise money, and help the league recover from its financial woes.

Telltale Kisses is an anthology of twenty lesbian romance stories, written by popular writers who have volunteered their talents to assist a children’s sports program in need. Ranging from sizzling hot to achingly sweet, from historical mystery to contemporary erotica, Telltale Kisses features offerings from new and familiar authors in a fabulous line-up: Nene Adams, Lynn Ames, Blayne Cooper, Linda Crist, Vada Foster, Sloane Grayson, Seana James, Tara Kerry, K.G. MacGregor, S.X. Meagher, T. Novan, Mykel Taylor O’Connor, Kim Pritekel, D. Jordan Redhawk, Patty Schramm, Miss Violet Spender, Ali Vali, D.I. von Alacalandra, Pat Winterburn and Lara Zielinsky coming together for the first time in a single volume to benefit RJB.

Published by BookEnds Press, and distributed by StarCrossed Productions, Inc., every copy of Telltale Kisses sold will not only provide a unique literary experience, but also aid Rockwood Junior Baseball in its recovery from this devastating financial loss. Purchase your copy today, and help the children play!

Miles, that is. I’ve written Lainey out of Shaktoolik, through a six hour break at Koyuk, and on her way to Elim. Hopefully the end of this chapter will see her out of Elim and on toward Golovin.

The next stretch after that will be short and sweet with only a mandatory 8 hour break in White Mountain. I think I’ll be done in three more chapters. Whew!

Then this mess will be off to three content beta readers and I’ll dump it onto my mailing list for a month. After that, the first draft will be removed from list archives and I’ll begin rewrites.

Not sure what’s next as far as projects go. Orphan Maker calls, as does Born of Silence rewrites. Or maybe I should do a full rewrite of CyberEpic for publication. I’ll take a week off and see what slaps me upside the head most.

Steph Solomon-Lopez has been working on the cover for Warlord Metal. Good gods, this woman rocks! I liked the original cover from Fortitude, but this one . . . flabbergasted. Yep. That’s me. Once it goes through the publisher and we get an okay, I’ll post it.

And someone asked me about the ‘3rd’ edition of Tiopa Ki Lakota. This book will not be appreciably different from the 2nd edition published by Fortitude. The same goes for Warlord Metal, I think. Those of you who already have a copy of the 2nd edition do not need to buy the 3rd in the hopes you’ve missed something!

Hello, everyone!

Thanks to all who have helped us out during this time of crisis in our lives. We’ve managed to keep afloat this month with your assistance. Thank you for your generosity! I’m so grateful for our friends who have given us aid and assistance.

They say that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Well, it’s a bit difficult to make that #@$%* lemonade when life chucks lemons at you faster than you can duck and find the juicer. We just got hit today with a massive tax bill. Yes, the vulture-like tax man has decided that we owe more than 500 Euros – ridiculous, considering our financial situation, but until Corrie can get her taxes done – and we don’t have the money to pay the bookeeper – then the Dutch government can simply assign an artibrary figure as taxes owed, which you have to pay. There is no negotiation. There is no appeal. It’s pay or lose your goods, since the contents of your house can be seized.

I’m sitting here with those lemons piling up and I don’t know what to do. I might be able to keep the roof over our heads, thanks to your donations, but it looks like it’s going to be unfurnished soon.

If you can help, please donate anything you can. Our PayPal link is on our website; you can find it at http://www.corrieweb.nl
or at my library http://www.corrieweb.nl/library.htm

I would also like to auction the complete Water Witch novel. Instead of waiting for each chapter per week, you can have the finished work in your hands as a MSWord .doc. The winning bidder of the auction will receive the complete Water Witch: The Deceiver’s Grave (100,000+ words) plus a Glossary and Bibliography. This is for the winner’s eyes only; they will be purchasing the right to preview the novel before on-line and off-line publication, not the rights to the work itself. I’ll retain copyright as the author of the work. Okay? So with that in mind, bidding starts at 250 Euros. I don’t usually set a limit on my auctions, but I kind of have to this time around.

I am also available to do commission stories. Contact me privately for auction bids and anything else – my e-mail address is wynna1@yahoo.com

Nene

As mentioned yesterday, I didn’t know what Scotch wrote in her letter to Lainey before the race began. It turned out to be a combination pep talk and love letter. Of course.

Chapter 46 is complete. Chapter 47’s going to rush through two or three checkpoints (and that many more notes from Scotch.) The next stretch of trail is along the coast – icy, flat, bleak and boring. Not much in the way of excitement to write about and Lainey’s already done a whole lot of soul searching. Any more would make it boring . . . maybe as boring as the trail!

Halfway through the next chapter. Lainey’s officially on the coast of Alaska and will finish the race within the next two days. Scotch has left her a note at the latest checkpoint (Shaktoolik, for those interested.) The delivery of said note has reminded her of the one she had been given at the start of the race . . . the one she’s completely forgotten about.

I stopped writing just as she opened the one she’s been carrying around, so I don’t know what Scotch had to say at the beginning of the race. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow, eh?

Got this link from Holly Lisle, who received it from a friend. For those of you writing heterosexual or slash stories, you might want to check it out. Not safe for work! It’s an article about writing of penises . . . Read if you dare, but I warn you, it’s hilarious!

And another chapter complete.

Whew! Hope I can keep up the pace!

P.D. Publishing is proud to announce that we will be re-releasing the stories of D. Jordan Redhawk, Tiopa Ki Lakota, 3rd edition and Warlord Metal, 2nd edition. Both books will be available in the Fall of 2005.

Hopefully until the end of the novel. I’ve busted through 2672 words today, finishing chapter 44 and beginning 45. Lainey’s getting punch drunk from the lack of sleep, some hallucinations. This leg is also taking a toll on her dogs. She’ll lose two more before she leaves the checkpoint at Unalakleet.

Which is not to say the last three weeks have been a total loss. I’ve edited a total of 241 thousand words – all three of my previously published novels.

I scoured Castle Walls yesterday and submitted it to my publisher. If I’m lucky, they’ll want it, too. I couldn’t believe the errors, though. And I’m not talking thing that got through the content editing and such. I’m talking published errors that had shown up in the .pdf file but none of us caught. I checked the book and there they were. Whoops!

Tomorrow I’m back to that 1k a day thing. My buddy, Advocate, has given me the chance to beta her latest. I can’t read it until I’m finished writing this or I’ll get distracted again! My betas are going to be up in arms if I stop again!

That was a hassle and a half!

I went to open up my Warlord Metal file in Word, but it wouldn’t let me! When I went to the Finder (Mac) and clicked on one of the two files in that folder, I got an error message. Yikes! Fortunately, the other file opened and it was the manuscript. It would only open in Text Edit, however. Had to cut and paste into a new Word document.

I’ve spent the day wading through it, removing publication formatting and replacing proper manuscript formatting. There were some other changes, as well, but nothing drastic. An occasional word here and there.

I’m sending it off tonight before bed.

I’ve received contracts and signed contracts. Just have to get them back to the publisher. I also spent all day yesterday reading through Tiopa Ki Lakota. Not much in the way of repairs, since it’s gone through a total professional editing (thank you, Cindy!) so it was an easy read.

Ya know . . . I think I like it. That’s saying something.

Today I’m going to slog through Warlord Metal. Maybe I’ll like it, too, once I’ve done a final run through . . . I’m not holding my breath, though.

I had planned to finish the next Iditarod chapter today, and possibly start the following one. Circumstances have changed, however.

I’ve been negotiating two publishing contracts and have come to an agreement. I’ll give more details when the things are actually signed and official. Until then, suffice it to say that Tiopa Ki Lakota will see the light of day as a book again. Hopefully soon!

Today, I’m plodding through the last revised edition of it before sending it on to its new home.

Nine days in a row before a day off. Nine busy days in a row, I might add. A few years ago, a friend of mine worked with me, wearing one of those thingamajigs that told you how many miles you walked. She averaged about seven to nine miles a night. As a supervisor, I think I probably add a couple of miles to that. Which meant nine days of nine miles on arthritic feet.

Needless to say, that last day was agony. I could barely walk.

I’m an intuitive thinker by nature. Unless I actually talk (or write) things out, I don’t consciously take everything into consideration. Like the fact that I’m not long for my job at this rate. My disease is progressing, albeit slowly, despite ignoring it. I’m beginning to see a node develop on my right foot, just above the ball. sigh

In any case, I finally sat down and discussed options with my boss. I offered to buy a gimp scooter for work. At the very least, I’d be able to scoot from place to place rather than walk. That alone would cut considerable milage. I’d still be able to heft tables and chairs until it got too bad, still be able to do room sets. I’d just be able to transport myself in other ways. (The guys have slowly been taking up my slack over the last couple of years.) Additionally, we have an opening for another supervisor and planned on having the new hire work night shifts while I transfer to days. It’s a bit less strenuous than nights and I’d be more likely to not have to stay ten or more hours to complete the work.

My boss talked to her boss. Next thing I know, I’m in the office talking with both of them.

Two reasons for not transferring to an office position – I wear hearing aids and have trouble with the phones, and potential pay cut. We’re living on my income for the most part. My wife’s college money goes to tuition and groceries. What’s left is savings for land. I can’t afford a cut in pay. But my boss’ boss thinks she can get me a decent wage, and knows she can get me a phone that I can use.

So, it looks like I’ll be in an office environment by the end of summer . . . At least I won’t be so exhausted and in pain. Now if I can get over my 1970s era prejudice about ‘secretary’ work, I’ll be fine.

Real life is kicking me in the kiester. After being in a cast for three months and spending last month with next to nothing as far as work goes, the sudden massive increase in business is doing a number on my arthritic old body. I’m not even awake enough to think, let alone write.

Only one day off this week, and I’ll attempt to get the next Iditarod chapter finished then. Won’t know what my schedule will be beyond Friday, though. Fortunately, by the end of April, my sloppy self will be a bit better able to handle the physical aspect of the job and I can get this damned novel finished!

So is this the natural ‘end of novel’ thing, to barely make goal or not even attempt it? Who knows.

Lainey’s still perking up. I’ve got to through a monkey wrench into things or die of boredom. (Though when I reread the novel earlier in the week, it’s not lagging. It’s just my perception.)