Ah, Deadlines...

[LauraJUnderwood]

Three of them in a row.

500 Signing sheets for the Song of Snow collection. Done!

Editorial changes to make in The Lunari Mask for the editors at Yard Dog Press. Done!

Proof pages for my story St. Ned of Airlock-9 for the forthcoming anthology Houston, We Got Bubbas (also from Yard Dog Press). Done.

Of course, I still have to work on a story I promised another small press editor. I ran into him at MidSouthCon, and he wanted to know why after my story Like the Night appeared in his magazine, I had not bothered to send him anything else.

Wasn't for a lack of Wanting To, I assured him, but between the novels I had contracts on, the novels I had to start promoting, and the fact that I got on a "novella" kick and started writing novellas instead of novels or short stories (and here, I don't know why I write them as marketing them puppies is pert near impossible unless you can find a small press--like Carnifex who published The King's Wind willing to take you on...).

So of course he hit me with, "Well, we're putting together an anthology of novellas, the deadline is October, the guidelines are on the website--write me something."

*sigh*

And of course, he sticks the stake in my muse' heart by saying, "You write a damn sight better than a lot of writers I know..."

*sigh*

How can you say no when they compliment you like that?

So of course, I am mulling around an idea. I don't usually write SF. The theme is the end of human kind as we know it. Either the trials and tribulations of the last humans, or what has happened now that humans are gone.

I am sorta playing with an idea where the humans are nearly gone and another species is finding it's own kind endangered by their rarity. And the character is male, but telling me the story in first person.

*sigh*

So I guess I will get on with that, and look over projects to be worked on, and make myself a list of things I need to do between now and the next deadline...

Laura J. Underwood

[dustinzgirl]

Your week sounds like mine. On top of client deadlines I have family deadlines. I'm moving somewhere like the moon where they can't reach me by phone. Want to come with?

And I know what you mean about compliments...one webmaster I wrote a bunch of stuff for told another that I am excellent and he told another and before I know it I have way too much work, which of course boosts my ego, but not enough time, which means my housework suffers (again!)

But as long as they keep saying "So-so said you were excellent at writing articles (or ad/real estate blurbs)..."

How can I say no?