I don’t know where this month is going. Okay, I do. I’ve been sick, the babies have been sick, the babysitter has been sick. I have been writing and editing and taking care of sick babies and trying to rest and take care of myself. That’s where this month is going. Valentine’s Day was not fun-- sickness, tears, whining. And that was just me. (No, not kidding.) But I am feeling better (knock wood) and I’m focused on upcoming deadlines, metaphorically circled in red on the calendar of my mind.

At the moment, I have three major projects with April 1, June 1 and August 1 deadlines. That doesn’t leave a lot of slack in my schedule for illness or laziness or pretty much anything else. It is amazing, wonderful, fantastic to be so busy, to be doing the work I love so much. It’s also nerve wracking, frustrating and panic inducing at times. Balance, balance. All I can do is put my head down and do the work and hope I hit each deadline. I usually do. But again, there really isn’t a lot of play in my schedule this year. Being late on one deadline is likely to push back another deadline, etc. (Panic, panic!)

I have the less time sensitive deadlines and the weekly/monthly deadlines, too. The blog posts I’ve promised to write, the radio interviews that I’m agreeing to, the last Naked Reader Book Club chat, the first Erotica Readers and Writers Association erotic romance chat, etc. These are the things that writers rarely consider when daydreaming about their future writing career (at least I didn’t daydream about them), but they’re important and worthwhile and even fun (mostly). I’m still not a big fan of live interviews, though.

So, back to the grindstone, also known as my corner table at Starbucks. I’ll have various links and book covers and announcements and what not soon… not to mention the project update for this month (I’m doing surprisingly well!) and the project list for March. I know of at least one project I want to add to the list-- and I’m grateful to say it is not writing or editing related. Ha!

Hope you are having a sweet and lovely February…

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 03:11 PM Permalink

In the reflection of the water ball fountain at the Virginia Zoo.

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 12:37 AM Permalink

I have no idea where the first half of March has gone and why I haven’t managed at least to check in here. So sorry for those of you who might actually read my blog. I hear Facebook is making blogs obsolete, which makes me a little sad as I still regularly read at least two dozen blogs, even if I can’t manage to keep mine updated!

The first half of March has been spent working, if you can call doing what you love work.  (I guess sometimes it does feel like work, though I forget those times pretty quickly.) I’ve been selecting stories and editing Steamlust: Steampunk Erotic Romance, which is now available for pre-order on Amazon! (This is the formerly titled Corsets and Clockworks.  Though I’d grown attached to the old title, I like the new one just fine.

I’ve done some writing lately, too.  I’ve actually subbed two stories recently, which is impressive for me these days.  Once Steamlust is shipped off in another week or so, I’m going to spend a couple of weeks dedicated to writing, writing, writing.  Just writing. Sounds like a dream, actually.  I also pitched a few new anthology ideas-- a couple that I’m particularly excited about, so I hope to have a new announcement (or two) in a few weeks. 

Speaking of books… Dream Lover: Paranormal Tales of Erotic Romance is just six weeks away from being released!  Ohhhh… a new book!  I can’t wait to get my copies. Reviews are starting to pop up, like this 4-cherry review at Whipped Cream:

From mermaids to succubi to vampires, the Dream Lover anthology has it all. Stuffed full of authors both new and familiar to me, I found something to satisfy every mood I might have, as well as every mystical creature I’ve ever thought about imagining. I loved how the stories all had a similar thread running through them, but were all different enough to stand out on their own. Each will grab your attention and draw you into its own world for a moment or two before returning you home again. If you’re a lover of the exotic, erotic, and extraordinary, then this is by far the anthology for you.

Yay!! I l know I shouldn’t read reviews, but I can’t help myself (I suspect most writers/editors are the same way), so it’s always lovely to receive such glowing praise.  I’ll be doing some readings and promotional things for Dream Lover, which I’ll keep you all updated about.

I also spent a good part of March (and the last part of February, actually) sick, sick, sick.  Four solid weeks of some sort of illness.  Multiples illnesses, possibly, including an upper respiratory infection that led to an acute asthma attack that landed me in the hospital for a day in the half.  Not fun, not fun at all.  But the illness(es) seem to have passed, my energy is coming back, I’m doing well, baby is doing well and life is good.

So, what’s been going on with you?

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 08:01 PM Permalink

For the first year since I can’t remember when (and certainly since they started nominating so many movies), I have seen all of the Oscar nominated films!

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Whew! Before the nominations were announced, I had only seen Inception and Winter’s Bone (believe it or not!), so I had some catching up to do. I wrapped it up last night with The Kids Are All Right and now I can have some fun and make my Oscar picks!  So, here they are:

Best Picture: Inception (but I’m torn between that and True Grit)

Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Actress in a Supporting Role: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3 (But I didn’t see the other 2 nominees)

Art Direction: Inception

Cinematography: True Grit

Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland (I didn’t see it, but the costumes look stunning)

Directing: The Coen Brothers, True Grit

Film Editing: Black Swan

Music (Original Score): Inception

Music (Original Song): “We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3

Visual Effects: Inception

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Winter’s Bone

Writing (Original Screenplay): Inception (But I would love it if The Kids Are All Right won)

I left out categories where I didn’t see any of the films (documentary, foreign and short film categories, for example).  Maybe someday I’ll make a point of seeing all the films that are nominated in any category. Though that’s probably far too ambitious.  The only other person I know who seems to be as into the Oscars as I am is Neve Black, who is attending an Oscar party that sounds awesome.  It’ll be just me and the television tomorrow night, for however long the awards last… and maybe some snacks to get me through the night!

So, what about you?  Who will you be rooting for on Oscar night?

Posted by Kristina in Musings at 08:06 PM Permalink