A nice surprise!
Current mood: busy

Number 1 had today off, so I spent most of it with him. We went to see Eagle Eye, then out for lunch! An unexpected day mostly off, though I'll try to get some work done this evening. Including critiquing for Rinda.

That's right! She sent me the first chapter of her WIP!

As for yesterday's progress, ch. 4 is now done!

And, here are the questions that came in yesterday...

From tabbycat_21: What are the YA books about? I know the other books, but not these.

Rachel: My YA trilogy is about Kaylee Cavanaugh, a high school junior who thinks she's losing her mind (and has actually spent time in the mental health ward) until she discovers she's actually a bean sidhe (banshee, to those unfamiliar with the Irish spelling), and there's a reason she gets this funny feeling—and an urge to scream uncontrollably—when someone near her is going to die. I've given my own slant to the Irish lore, and have populated Kaylee's world with all manner of beings, some of which I took from old stories, but many of which I simply made up.

From Mickey: This isn't a YA specific question, but I hope you'll answer it anyway. Have you ever written anything in one book or series and liked it so much, you wished you could use the same concept in the other? A plot device or sample of scenery, or even a particularly pleasant description?

Rachel: Yes, but so far I've resisted giving in to that urge, because I'm hoping that my one unsold book (excluding the two "practice" novels, which will likely never see the light of day) will one day sell, with all those wonderful ideas intact. ;-)

From Carol: My question is do you use any current slang in your YA dialogue? It seems with HS students catch phrases would change so fast they would almost be outdated before the book came out. On the other side would be taboo words, or are there any for YA?

Rachel: I don't use a lot of current slang, for that very reason, but neither do I ignore it completely. That's a delicate balance I'm really still trying to strike. ;-)

As for taboo words, I don't think there are any "offensive" words teenagers don't know, and while a bit of that is realistic, my publisher has been clear that they don't want gratuitous use of the words they consider most offensive. So, again, I'm trying to strike a balance.

From Anonymous: Was just wondering if your YA series would be of interest to those of us who read your werecat series? Or would it be geared more to the much younger generation?

Rachel: I think it would be of interest to my adult readers, because the audience I'm aiming at isn't really much younger than that of my werecat books. I get mail regularly from teenagers who read my werecat novels, and I'm an adult who loves to read YA, as well as books for adults.

My suggestion would be to read the excerpt of My Soul to Take when it comes out (likely several months in advance of the actual book) and decide for yourself then. ;-)

From Jackie: Why do you think YA is becoming so popular? There are many authors right now who are breaking out with YA novels/series, and I don't quite understand what the appeal is. Is it writing to a younger generation, or are their content differences? Not that I'm downing YA books--my favorite series (Vampire Diaries) is a YA series […] I was just wondering what motivated you to make the leap.

Similarly, from e.dean: What exactly was your motivation for starting your YA series?

Rachel: Actually I think YA has always been pretty popular. I know I read books as a teenager (though I read YA in elementary and jr. high, and had progressed to adult books long before 8th grade). But I think it's been only in the last few years that adults have "rediscovered" YA, thus broadening the potential audience.

As for why I'm writing YA… The same reason I'm writing adult urban fantasy: because I like to read it. ;-)

From Stacy (Who is evidently a very curious woman. ;-) )Do you always work from an outline or have you started a book with only an idea for character?

Rachel: I've started three books with only a character in mind, and of those three, only Stray has sold. Though, to be fair, one of those was never sent out. But now I pre-plot everything, in part because my publisher requires a synopsis to approve before I start writing the actual book. But in part because the rough draft just flows so much faster that way. ;-)

Also from Stacy: Have you ever been writing along, minding your own business, when an unexpected character pops into the plot?

Rachel: No. I've had unexpected things happen, and have had existing characters turn out to have much larger roles than expected, but I've never actually created a character on the fly. Not that I can remember, anyway.

Also from Stacy: How many hours do you normally write each day on average?

Rachel: I write five days a week. More, if I'm on a tight deadline. But the number of hours a day really does vary widely. I aim for one chapter a day, for a minimum of 3,000-3,500 new words. If I can do that before four pm, then I take the night off. If I can't, I work after supper until I've met my goal, even if I work past midnight.

However, when I'm on a tight deadline, it's not unusual for me to work for 12 hours or more per day, though by that point in the process, I've moved beyond the rough draft to either the second or third go-'round.

Thanks for all the great questions, and I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Currently listening : The Paramour Sessions By Papa Roach Release date: 2006-09-12

8:50 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

YA series questions?
Current mood: busy

Progress on YA3 continues, and I'm very pleased with both the content and the pace, with three chapters down, and fifteen (or so) still to go. And, as usual, surprises pop up all the time. Things I didn't think of when I was plotting the book, but absolutely love working into the manuscript.

At this point, it occurs to me that I haven't posted anything substantial about my YAs on my website (which desperately needs to be updated), and that there might be some questions floating around out there.

However, first let me reiterate that I am not abandoning my werecat books, or my adult readers. In fact, with two more werecat books (Pride and Prey) coming out in the next nine months (before the launch of my YA series), things will be pretty werecat-focused around here for a while. But I am willing to take some questions about my YAs today, since that's what I'm working on at the moment.

You can leave me a question about my upcoming YA series (if you have one) on any of my blogs (Blogger, LJ, Facebook, and My Space--yes, I have four blogs, but the content is the same on all but My Space, which I update much less often) and I'll try to answer them in the next couple of days.

And if I don't get any questions, we'll have to settle for more of my pointless rambling. ;-)

Oh, and check out my interview of Maggie Stiefvater today on FFF!

Note: Blogger comments must be approved by me before they will post, so please don't post twice, thinking that that the internet has eaten your questions. That's probably not the case. Give me a couple of hours to check for comments and post them before resubmitting, please. ;-)

Currently reading : The Touch of Twilight (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 3) By Vicki Pettersson Release date: 2008-05-27

3:12 PM - 3 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

On the radio!

[Originally posted by Melissa Marr at Fangs, Fur, and Fey.]

Fangs, Fur, and Fey is kicking off our radio talkshow with our All Souls Show

On October 30th at 3 PM EST Join the Fangs, Fur, and Fey admin team-- Melissa Marr, Jeaniene Frost, and Mark Del Franco—as well as NYT bestselling authors Jocelyn Drake, Vicki Pettersson, and Holly Black to talk about faeries, vampires, and all things paranormal with Eos Executive Editor, Diana Gill.

CALL IN or use the chat feature to talk to the authors live on air at (347) 826-9684

More info?  Go to ..:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/AuthorsOnAir/TheBeyond/2008/10/30/All-Souls-Show

This is the first in a series of shows that Fangs, Fur, & Fey will be having on the Authors On Air Blogtalk Radio station. Future shows will include more FFF authors, as well as more special guests.  Updates will be posted here & on the BlogTalk Radio Authors on Air station.

Some of the authors already signed up for upcoming shows are

Kate Smith

Ilona Andrews

Jordan Summers

Cheyenne McCray

Jeri Smith-Ready

 Rachel Vincent

Jeanne Stein

Patrice Michelle

Yasmine Galenorn

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Janni Lee Simner

Carrie Jones

Sarah Rees Brennan

Cassandra Clare
Marlene Perez
Marie Brennan

3:09 PM - 5 Comments - 8 Kudos - Add Comment

Mammoth Q & A (part 2)

[If you haven't seen this week's giveaway, you still have several hours to enter. Click here for details.]

I intended to post the second volume of Q & A this morning, but my internet was down for most of the day. Sorry for the delay. Also, I got several more questions yesterday, so I'll have a few more to post tomorrow...

Varvara: I also write and I am trying to check my manuscript but I keep thinking of new ideas. How do you keep from going on to new writing projects?

Rachel: Honestly, I don't have this problem. I'm tempted to say that's because I have deadlines, so I have to turn things in in a certain order. But the truth is that I didn't have that problem before I was contracted. (Before you start throwing tomatoes, let me say that I have plenty of other problems...) I tend to obsess over whatever I'm working on at the time. As in, while I'm working on a rough draft, I walk around in a daze, thinking of nothing but my characters and what they're doing, when I should probably be thinking about driving, or cooking, or whatever I'm saying at the time.

The only advice I can offer on that one is to love what you're writing. If you're not in love with it enough to want to write it, maybe you shouldn't be writing it. Or maybe it needs to be reworked, so that the plot fascinates you enough to keep your attention.

As for those other ideas, write them down, so that they can each obsess you in their own time. ;-)

Kara-Karina: What do you think of True Blood series on HBO?

Rachel: I haven't seen it. I haven't read the books either, so I wasn't sure that I'd understand the show, but I've been assured by several viewers that I would, so I may check that out. After I get a DVR…

I don't have time to do everything I need to do in a day's time, so the thing that I sacrifice most often is television. Unless it's a show 1 likes too, so we can spend time together while we watch. So I literally watch almost no television. Sad, but true. ;-)

Along the same lines… Shartyrant: As for questions, I have to ask which TV shows you enjoy currently? Do you avoid the urban fantasy/horror genre? Or do you enjoy them? Same goes for books.

Rachel: The only shows I watch (other than the news—I'm a bit of a headlines-addict) are Heroes and Lost. And no, it has nothing to do with the single-word titles, like my own books. ;-) But I do consider them urban fantasy. Do I avoid urban fantasy or horror? No. I love them, in both movies and books. But I do try not to read UF while I'm actually writing a rough draft, to avoid "absorbing" ideas. Then I binge read during my after-book breaks. ;-)

Book spot: Was it more fun writing one series as opposed to the other? Or very different (since one's YA and one's not)...and actually, do you have a favorite new (and/or upcoming) YA book?

Rachel: Both of my series are fun to write! I love watching Faythe grow up, and honestly, I love torturing her. She has some very tough decisions coming up, and even more things to deal with that are out of her hands—though she's loathe to admit that.

My YA series is fun to write in a different way. They're very fast-paced, and writing them is like racing full out toward something I really, really want. And when I finally get there, I'm exhausted, and excited, and I can hardly breathe. And it's totally worth it.

As for my favorite new or upcoming YA? I'm eagerly waiting for Fade, the sequel to Wake, by Lisa Mc Mann. I loved Wake, and have asked my agent to try to get me an ARC of Fade. Twice. She's working on it. ;-)

Bobbi: So you've been Halloween shopping - what is your costume going to be this year?

Rachel: I don't know! I haven't bought one yet. I was shopping for decorations and Halloween cookie stuff. ;-) So, anyone have any costume ideas for me?

Night Critter: Would you like to write more YA books after this series?

Rachel: Yes, I would love to. But that'll depend on whether YA likes me as much as I like it. However, I will not stop writing for adults. Unless my adult books stop selling… ;-(

Mickey: Did you absolutely regret leaving out anything that got tossed in your Prey rewrites?

Rachel: That's one of the best, most insightful questions I've ever been asked! And the answer is no! I got to keep all the best parts, which involved the sub-plots carried over from the rest of the series. Which probably means that my editor was correct in her opinion that the original version of Prey would not stand alone. That's why I had to rewrite it.

The main plot for that book would not have been easily understood by readers who hadn't read the previous three volumes, and we want to attract new readers, not alienate them. So I'm thrilled for the opportunity to make the book better, and more accessible. And this new plotline is much more emotional. Hopefully much more compelling. I'm pleased with it, and am crossing my fingers that my editor likes it too. ;-)

Amanda Capel: How important are beta readers/ critique partners for an urban fantasy writer?

Rachel: Um… I don't know that they're any more important for UF writers than they are for any other writer. That said, they're critical for me. Especially as my deadlines get closer together. For me, perspective is everything. It's vital. And I work on rough drafts for weeks on end (anywhere from four to ten weeks straight through), completely burying myself in the story. When I come out of that first-draft-fog, I feel like I'm still covered with bits of the work itself. Subplots cling to my skin. Turns of phrase, catch on my clothes. I inhale fictional angst and exhale imagery. I'm still very much living in that world for a little while, which means I lack the perspective to objectively judge my own work.

If left on my own, I will eventually shed those bits and pieces, and be able to look at the book with a critical eye. But most often lately, I don't have time for that process to occur naturally. So I send my stuff to Rinda, and to Miriam (my literary agent). They will both critique the work honestly, which lets me see the book through their eyes—a fresh perspective. That's invaluable for me. Absolutely necessary.

Sara S.: I was wondering: how often do you find yourself suddenly surfing the net about some stupid topic when you're supposed to be writing? Happens to me all the time when I'm doing research...

Rachel: Pretty often, as you can probably guess. Research can be just as addictive as writing, and so long as you're not wasting time when you have a deadline, I think that's fine. After all, you never know when you might stumble on something else you can use in the book. ;-)

Boxingking: any advice on making a gingerbread house? Preferably a nice simple one, made out of packaged graham crackers...

Rachel: Thick frosting. ;-) Mine is so thick that it doesn't taste very good, but it looks like snow, on the Christmas houses, and black or orange trim on the Haunted ones. I've never made one out of graham crackers, but I'd assume they're pretty brittle and will break easily, so be careful.
If you're making one out of gingerbread, try and avoid this rookie mistake, from my amateur gingerbread days: cut out your gingerbread pieces before you bake them.

I know. Sounds obvious, huh? But for two straight years (we've been doing this for six years now), we would bake huge slabs of gingerbread, then try to cut them into the shapes we needed after we cooked them!

That doesn't work. They just crumble or shatter. ;-)

Wow, you guys have lots of interesting questions! I'll post the last of them tomorrow, along with the winner's name, so check back in then to see if you've won!

9:20 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Mammoth Q & A

Wow, you guys took me so seriously! In less than a day, we got 61 entries, including 24 different questions. And there's still two more days to go in the giveaway! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, scroll down for info on the giveaway...)

Unfortunately, that means I'm only going to be able to answer about half of them today, so check back in tomorrow for the answer to your question, if it doesn't appear below. And here's the first half:

Bella g.: I have always been a voracious reader now I am toying with writing been putting ideas to paper what should be my next step? lol I am a great researcher but am a loss as what to do. Help?

Along the same lines… Ryan: I also write my own stories and am trying to write a manuscript. If you have any advice for a beginning author like me, please help me out.

Rachel: My best advice for how to write your first novel is to turn off your internet connection, ignore all the advice out there, and write until you finish the book. (Ironic, considering that if you'd already done that, you couldn't possibly receive this advice, huh? ;-)) Seriously, though, there will be plenty of time to agonize over the supposed dos and don'ts after you've completed the first draft, and reading too much of that during the process can completely derail both your creativity and your confidence. So I say ignore everything else and just write until the book is finished. You can always clean it up on the second draft. And the third draft. And the fourth draft. Etc…

Chris: Do you have any favorite books on the craft of writing, and if so, what are they?

Rachel: I'm probably going to get hate mail over this one, but no. I've never actually read a craft of writing book, unless you count a chapter on characterization I read four years go, from a book, the title of which I've long since forgotten. Regarding writing, I'm more of a learn-by-doing kind of gal.

That said, however, I study the craft in the novels I read. Notice I said the "craft," not the content. Which is why I try not to read books in my genre while I'm actually working on a rough draft. I'd hate to accidently absorb something. But I think that we as writers can learn a lot by analyzing the technique of other writers we think got it "right."

Hayden: what's your favorite holiday pie to bake? And will you put up pictures of the haunted gingerbread house?

Rachel: My favorite holiday pie to bake is apple. Homemade, of course, except for the crust. I can make homemade crusts and they taste pretty good. But they're not pretty. ;-( However, I love my apple filling. I pre-cook it, so the apples don't "shrink" when they bake. And it's soooo good. ;-)

Yes, I will post pictures of our gingerbread houses. Unless they turn out really, really bad this year. And in case you haven't seen it, here's last year's Haunted Gingerbread House.

Along the same lines… Dawn M.: So what do you get asked to make/bake/cook the most for the holidays?

Rachel: Number 1 most often asks for chess pie. That one's very easy (it's like a pecan pie, without the pecans), so I can whip one out in about fifteen minutes (though I bake it very slowly, to make sure the filling gets done without burning the top or the crust), even though I don't personally like them.

He also asks for fudge. Every year. Homemade fudge. The only problem is that, to my endless frustration, I haven't had a batch of fudge turn out right in about three years. I've lost my touch, and am not sure why… ;-(

Carolynn: I know everyone's process is different, but do you send Rinda your MS to critique when you're completely finished with a draft, or as you get done with each chapter?

Rachel: I send stuff to Rinda one chapter at a time, in rapid succession. But those chapters are in the 2nd or 3rd draft by the time she sees them. I write the rough draft, then polish it a chapter at a time and send it to her because the first draft is not my best work, and why on earth would I ask her to clean up something that I would have caught on my own in one more run-through? ;-) Also, I do a lot of layering in subsequent drafts, so the first draft just doesn't isn't very complete.

Freedom: What is your one guilty pleasure cd/song that you would be embarrassed about if other people knew you liked it?

Rachel: Um… most of the songs on my playlist are by Korn, Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Stained, NIN, Papa Roach, and artists like that, as well as some softer stuff by Nickleback and similar bands. But I must admit that I also love 80s music. Big hair bands. Rock ballads. Metal chicks. Seriously. And I'd insist that you keep my secret, except that I've just blabbed it all over the internet. ;-)

Cyndi: I was wondering what your plotting process is? Do you actually plot the whole book in one sitting, or does it take several?

Rachel: Um…I usually plot the entire book in one "sitting." Because I have to turn that plot in to my editor to be approved before I actually write the book. And because the rough draft just goes soooo much faster that way. But that "sitting" could take several days. So far, both of my YAs were literally plotted out in the matter of a few hours, over fajitas with 1, then a long session with my whiteboard and post its. ;-)

But my werecat books take longer to plot, because the books are longer. And because I'm now up to book 5, which means there are lots of plotlines, and they tend to get tangled… These days my werecat books are a LOT of work to write. And polish. But it's work I love. ;-)

Okay, thanks for all the great quesitons! There will be more tomorrow, and the give away will be open until late Friday night, in case you've missed it so far!

5:30 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Odds and ends. And one last Mammoth giveaway.

Wow, yesterday was awesome. I had lunch and went Halloween shopping with a friend, and didn't turn on my computer until 10 pm, and that was just so I could watch a movie in bed.

 

I have to start plotting my third YA (no title yet, because I only have a vague idea what it's about) on Monday, and I'm very excited about that. It's not due until January 1st, which should give me a nicely padded deadline. Except that I also have to do revisions on both My Soul to Take, and My Soul to Save. And possibly another round of revisions on Prey, depending on what my editor thinks it needs. And three of the most intensive baking holidays (we do a homemade haunted gingerbread house for Halloween, a festive one for Christmas, and all kinds of pies and sweets for both Thanksgiving and Christmas). And holiday shopping.

 

But I am looking forward to it. All of it.

 

By the way, I can't remember if I've mentioned it here or not, but right now it looks like the publishing schedule for the YAs is:

 

My Soul to Take - Sept. 1 2009

My Soul to Save - Oct. 1 2009

Untitled 3rd in series, with similar title - Nov. 2009

 

Of course, nothing's written in stone (Ever, apparently. Maybe our society needs some more good stone masons...), but right now, this is what they're telling me.

What else... Oh, yesterday I faxed in the permission forms which will allow me to post excerpts of both Pride and Prey, so all I need now is the countersigned copies, and my editor's permission. Which means that the excerpt for Pride should go up very soon. And the wait for Prey will be very short. Yea!

 

Okay, now before I sign off for the rest of the day, I do have one final copy of The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (US edition). If you want it (signed by me), leave me a comment in the corresponding Blogger post by 11:59 pm on Friday, Sept. 19th. I'll close the comments then, and the winner will be announced the following day. You can introduce yourself, tell me what you like to read or write, or ask a question. You must sign your comment, but please don't leave your email address in such a public forum.

 

Tomorrow I'll be answering any questions I get (or making something up, if I don't get any).

 

Until then... ;-)

2:50 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

My sneak-peek!

There was a lovely surprise waiting for me in my inbox this morning: the cover for Prey! I hadn't seen a concept, so I had no idea the cover itself would be ready so soon! I don't have permission to share it yet, because they're going to make one minor adjustment, but I can't wait to show it off!

Yes, I know that was a lot of exclamation marks in one paragraph, but I love this cover. It may be my favorite yet. In several ways, it's the inverse of the Pride cover, so they look awesome side by side (I have all four covers up next to each other on my screen). It's hot, and the colors stand out brilliantly. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing another urban fantasy cover with these colors, and I could not be more excited! It's gonna jump off the shelf at you. ;-)

So, now I just have to finish the revisions, so we can actually print a book to go between the halves of this gorgeous cover... ;-)

Edit: Oops, wait, I have seen one other UF cover with this color scheme, and I loved it! So I consider myself in good company. ;-)

4:50 PM - 9 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment

Pre-order!

4:58 PM - 14 Comments - 21 Kudos - Add Comment

I promised pictures (and a giveaway)...

Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures of myself as I would have liked, because it's terribly hard to take a good picture of one's self. But I did get many pictures of my fellow authors. And if anyone else turns out to have a good shot of me, I'll probably steal it... ;-)

So, here they are:

This is Terri Clark at the Literacy Signing, where they had both her anthology and some early-printed copies of her debut novel, Sleepless, which doesn't come out until September. And I got a copy! Next to her is Tera Lynn Childs, whom I met in April at RT, and on Terri's other side was Rosemary Clement Moore. All three YA authors together! I was so jealous! ;-)
This is Jocelynn Drake holding up her poster of Nightwalker, her debut novel. It was her first big signing, and she could not stop smiling!

This is Brooke Taylor, my RWA chaptermate. Her debut, Undone, didn't make it to the signing, and I know she was disappointed, but she had some really amazing post cards to hand out.
This is my agency mate, Jenna Black, signing two of her books and handing out some really amazing goodies!

This is my agent Miriam Kriss and me at the Harlequin party on Friday night. I'm not much of a partier, and you can't really tell it from this picture, but I'm actually wearing a dress! What you probably can tell from this picture is that I was completely exhausted by this point, after two straight weeks of conferences. But I had fun, and no one serves dessert like Harlequin. They had mini creme brulee, served in fancy spoons!

This is Teri Brown (author of Read My Lips) and me, in the room she shared with Brooke. Teri and I have been blog buddies since I first started my blog. She was one of my very first online friends, and we snagged our agents about a week apart, so I really feel like we started on this journey to publication together. It was great to finally meet her in person!

This one's just for fun. This is P.C. Cast's cappuccino, served during dessert at the wonderful Italian restaurant where our editor (She and I are both edited by Mary Theresa Hussey.) took us and P.C.'s daughter Kristin. The cappuccino was so pretty I wouldn't let her stir it until I'd taken a picture. ;-)

8:30 AM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Catching up...

First, I didn't have time to end last week's giveaway and announce the winner, so…

The winner is: Beth, who wrote, "I would love to meet any author there. I find it fascinating to meet anyone who writes since I love reading!"

Beth, email me (rachelATrachelvincentDOTcom) with your full name and address, and your choice from the list of available books, and I'll put your book in the mail.

Now, about RWA…

In a word, RWA National was exhausting. It's a great networking conference, and I met (or re-met) lots of executives from my publisher, and got to hang out with several writers I hadn't met in person before, or hadn't seen in a year or more. Like Jenna Peterson, Kate Smith, Teri Brown, Terri Clark. And people I've seen several times this year (but never get tired of), like my roomie Jocelynn Drake, Melissa Marr, and Jenna Black. And my amazing agent, Miriam Kriss.

I also got to spend a little time with my editor, met lots of readers, and signed tons of books, mostly at my publisher's individual signing.

But possibly the best part of RWA was on Saturday morning, when my publisher officially announced the upcoming launch of its new YA line, to be launched (most likely) in September 2009, with books by me and by Gena Showalter. Unfortunately, I missed the announcement. Seriously. I scoured the conference program several days in a row for my publisher's spotlight (a panel where they tell what they're looking for, and what they have coming up) and never found it. And I had no idea that's when they planned to announce the new line. But I'm so incredibly excited!

Unfortunately, my return trip wasn't anywhere near as much fun as the conference was. My flight from SF to Denver was delayed by two hours, which sent at least a hundred passengers into a panic, because most of us would miss our connection. So we all tramped across the terminal (past at least 30 gates) to customer service, where I waited in line for more than an hour.

And while I stood in line, I ate an entire 10 inch margarita pizza. Seriously. It was four in the afternoon and I'd eaten nothing since breakfast. I was starving.

Anyway… I'd almost made it to the actual, winding, roped-off section of the line when an announcement came from the mysterious speakers somewhere overhead. "Last boarding call for United flight [whatever] to Denver. Everyone in line panicked. Again. We ran past those 30 gates again, wheeled suitcases trailing behind us, bumping into trashcans and passengers alike, only to discover when we made it to our gate that the announcement had been made in error. Our plane was not, in fact, taking off. And we'd all lost our places in line at customer service.

To make the story short(er), we all marched back across the terminal once again, in even fouler moods now, only to stand in line for another half-hour. Which was pointless. The lady at CS told me that if I did actually miss my connection (which she didn't think likely), I'd have to stay the night in Denver and fly to OKC the following morning.

These were not welcome words. Even less welcome were the words she used to explain to me that they would not hold my connecting flight for me (or the other two passengers in line with me) because the flight had been overbooked, and if other passengers checked in before we did, since we all held tickets, there would be no seat for me anyway.

The plane from SF landed two minutes before the plane to OKC took off. I did not make it. And I was not happy.

United put me up at the Denver Marriott, but there were out of emergency toiletry bags. Fortunately, the Marriott gave us toothbrushes, toothpaste, and deodorant. But they were out of contact cases and solution, so I had to walk across a dark parking lot, alone and in a strange city to buy them from the Hilton.

And I had neither a brush nor a change of clothes. But I did have my laptop. So I worked.

[If you're familiar with my ongoing series of kitchen disasters, this next bit will come as no surprise…]

Then, when I finally made it home and had started to relax, a long, nerve-shattering crash rang out from the kitchen. Number 1 and I raced from the den and were greeted with this sight:

The top shelf in one of our kitchen cabinets had collapsed, spilling glasses all over the countertop, stove, and floor. Including several cobalt wine glasses 1 inherited from his grandmother, and at least one souvenir glass he brought back for me from a trip eight years ago. So now I have to go shopping for new glasses.

Tomorrow I hope to post more details and pictures from my trip, and to open a giveaway for two copies of the Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance, which is now out! So stay tuned…!

8:50 AM - 10 Comments - 10 Kudos - Add Comment