Hooray, hooray, hooray!

Doyce has boarded a plane and is on his way to NYC for the weekend. Just as excitedly, we have NO PLANS! Well, ok, we're going to hang out on Friday Saturday at home and watch bad movies with the roomie, his gf (Semicircular Vegan!), MJ, and Oscar Gingersnort, but other than that, our whole weekend stretches in front of us with no pending appointments, family responsibilities, or otherwise scheduled time. How divine!

High Tech Post!

So, Amazon's Kindle has been all in the news lately, and folks have been regularly fawning over the one in our office. Similarly, an editor I know recently posted about her company's trial run with the Sony Reader, which she's already in love with.

Now, I am all about saving paper. And money. And I love convenience (who doesn't?). So it may come as no surprise that I'm taking a good hard look at these devices and their ilk for possible future reading of submissions and such. (Not finished books, though. I like the experience of reading books too much to switch for those.) I think that's why I appreciated Alvina's review of the Sony Reader -- unlike most of the recent articles and such on the Kindle, which focus on it as a device for reading finished books, her opinion is on reading manuscripts. And yes, sitting on a crowded subway train during a holiday rush hour is probably not the best time to pull out a loose manuscript.

All that being said though, I recognize that I'm not an early adopter. I'm not going to be the first person on my block with the hot new technology. And for the most part, this has worked out nicely for me. I lucked into a iPod mini, and though my version's no longer being sold, it still works (well enough) for me. I wasn't the first in my family or circle of friends to get a digital camera, but I was able to benefit from their experiences with them to get a good one, when I finally decided I wanted one.

It always takes me an extra year or so to want the new gadget.

So consider this a no-rush kind of request for information. If you hear anything about these new devices, if you use one yourselves, if you've got a hot tip on a sweet sale, let me know. Someday, I may just bite.

In the meantime, I have to go print out a submission.

When the sidebar is longer than the posts

I know I've been a bad blogger.

Truth is, there's a TON of stuff going on, but nothing I can blog about at the moment. Come the day, though, I will have pages and pages to say. Well, posts and posts.

Still, maybe I can ask for a little help. Have any of you worked with a great web designer that you'd recommend? I'm ideally also looking for someone with some experience with flash, but that's not a deal-breaker. Also looking for an accountant in the Denver area. Suggestions? Recommendations?

I'm also looking for a fun gift for my four female coworkers that's a little unique but not too expensive. I need four of them, so my budget is low. I thought of trolling through Etsy, which I hear some great things about, but I do also love to support crafty people I know, so if you've got a pile of handmade gifts just sitting around, let me know!

Thanks!

My Notables

De suggested I list a few of my notable books of 2007, which I'm always happy to do! How to choose, though? Books I read in 2007? Book published in 2007? Or a little of both? And what about books I haven't read yet, but I still want to consider notable? Well, the easiest way to do this list is looking at titles I've read in the past year, so here we go. I reserve the right to add more stuff later, with different qualifications.

• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. I read this back in January, and later in the year picked up its sequel, Forever Odd, which I also enjoyed. I had had this image in my mind of Koontz as a horror writer, but this was sort of thrilling magical realism, with a murder mystery. I'm looking forward to reading the third book in the series, Brother Odd.
• The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. Just plain fun YA, with an utterly compelling heroine in Ruby, who is also featured in The Boy Book. Looking forward to reading Lockhart's newest book, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, coming out in May 2008.
• The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce. An editor I dearly want to have a book with gave me an early copy of this, which I devoured in one short chunk when Doyce & I were in Florida this past spring. Book Two in the trilogy is already on my to-be-read shelf. A really intriguing, unusual "vampire" tale. (Yes, my quotes are deliberate.)
• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card. This book came up in conversation just recently, in talking about fairy tales. A fun, realistic retelling of Sleeping Beauty, with dashes of Russian folklore thrown in.
• Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of A Tree by Lauren Tarshis. Just read it. I'll wait. It's short and hilarious, with one of the most wonderful middle grade heroines I've had the pleasure to meet in a while.
• The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Funny, touching adult novel about a woman who grows up in a family of private eyes. Did I mention they're all dysfunctional? Yeah, good times, good times. I think I read this in one sitting, too.
• In The Garden of Iden by Kage Baker. This one's up here because I want other folks to read it too, so we can talk about it. A little slow starting, I thought, but then you're thrown into a world where children are raised in a futuristic colony, then given missions by their teachers and controllers from the future to save parts of the world from extinction. Really intriguing. I have the next book on reserve at the library.
• Agnes & The Hitman By Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer. What happens when a top-drawer, funny, chick lit novelist combines forces with a man's man military thriller writer? You get a fantastically funny, densely plotted roller-coaster ride like this one. Just a blast. I loved the authors' previous collaboration, too.

That's it for now. What are your notables?

How Many Have You Read?

Of the 100 New York Times Notable Books of 2007.

I've only read one -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Ah well. To be honest, there's not all that many more that I want to read.

Sure, when you put it that way...

"Oh no!" I exclaimed, sitting at my laptop, staring at the screen.

From various points across the room, I'm asked by my mom and sister, What's wrong? Is someone sick? Did the project we just spent several hours working on disappear?

Um, no. "Battlestar Galactice: Razor" premieres tomorrow night, and I won't be home to set the DVR.

Sure, when you compare it to all the other stuff that could go wrong, it's not so bad. But it is a problem. And Scifi.com's being annoying difficult about telling me when they'll air it again.

The bird is in the oven

The potatoes are chopped and ready to boil, the stuffing is made, the parade is on in the background, and the table is set. It's Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

A few things I am thankful for

In no particular order.

• My bear
• Coke Zero. Really. It's yummy.
• Banana Republic's Martin fit pants
• Also, sale coupons
• Frontier Airlines (the official airline of our wedding!)
• David Tennant as Doctor Who. (Watch that. It's a special)
• White chocolate Maltesers. So delicious!
• My plans for the future

Friends and family and other assorted loved ones, etc. etc. That goes without saying.

What about you?

I know I should be horrified

I mean, it's not even Thanksgiving, and the Christmas decorations are already up and out everywhere. But something about the smell of fresh pine trees and evergreens popping up on the median of Park Avenue just makes me smile.

That, and the knowledge that my Christmas wish list is very simple this year. This or this. My needs are simple.

You wouldn't know it to look...

But today I packed three boxes of books in my apartment. We did a big paper order at the office, so I asked the guys to save me a bunch of those xerox paper boxes, which are great for packing. Taped three of them together and brought them home tonight, and quickly and easily filled up three boxes. I'm trying to keep things in some sort of order -- if only to be able to look at the top of the box and say, "Ok, that one goes in the basement office, that one goes in the living room, that one goes in the "library" downstairs." So far, so good.

John Green Explains The Writers Strike

Very well, too, I think.

And ***Dave linked to the WGA petition that I signed a few days ago. Go add your name.

You know. If you want to.

Not so recent.

So I added a fun book to my "Recent Reads" list on Amazon last night, and I come in this morning and check out the sidebar, and lo and behold -- it's backwards. Instead of showing the most recent ten books I've read (usual caveats apply -- doesn't include manuscripts, partials, proposals, books not yet listed as available on Amazon...), it shows the first ten I added when I first set up the list. So, you know, it's showing books from April '06 instead of now.

I'm hoping it sorts itself out shortly. I'll admit I just kept futzing with the code until it looked the way I wanted it to -- I don't think the website where I grabbed the html is still active. Anyone else who uses Blogfuel also noticing problems?

Who Knew?

There was this much to worry about? I'm doing lots of research, but in the meantime, if anyone's had especially good or bad experiences with interstate movers, please let me know.

My Google Quote of the Day

In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others.
- Andre Maurois

Who knew I was so talented?

I have, apparently, unsung depths.

And no, this is not the news to which I recently alluded. And thanks to Misa for the 8am wake-up text, "Is this the kind of news where you can't drink caffeine or alcohol for 9 months?" No, I promise.

Deliberate silence (sort of)

There are a lot of exciting things going on around ktbuffy-central, but I'm holding off on saying much about them until I can do it all official-like and such. I know, I know... I'm such a tease.

It'll be worth it though, I promise! Eventually...

P.S. No, I'm not pregnant.

Strike Update

No, I don't represent tv writers, but I still absolutely support them in their strike. How can you show your support? Avoid tv on DVD, or on the internet. Writers are striking to get paid for those views.

Remember when we used to be able to watch reruns on tv between seasons? It doesn't happen anymore because those shows go right onto the internet for available download. Now, when everyone's being treated fairly, I love being able to get caught up on my tv sitting in front of my computer. Since I learned that those viewings are being termed by the networks as "promotion," and don't make their writers any money? Not so much.

Keep reading.

Hi-larious repeated conversation at my sister's recent wedding

"So you're C's sister who's also getting married?"

"Yes."

"And I hear you're breaking your mother's heart and moving to Colorado?"

...sigh. No? I hope not!

Grrrr... doctors!

So, after having my cold hanging around for about a week, and getting really tired of the coughing fits that seem liable to end with my lung in my lap, I called my doctor's office on Monday morning. First available appointment? -- Tuesday afternoon at 3pm. (Side note: is this just a New York thing, or are all doctors this crazy booked? I can only compare it with Doyce recently being able to call Kaylee's pediatrician and get an appointment right away. Anyway, another nice thing about the upcoming move.)

So, yesterday I work through lunch and leave around 2:30 to get down to my doctor's office, which is in my old neighborhood, four apartments ago. And I check in, sit down, and wait... and wait... and wait... and nearly fall asleep... and wait... and finally get to see the doctor, over an hour and 15 minutes after my scheduled appointment. She asked me a series of questions about how long I'd been coughing, exciting details about the consistency of my nose blows, etc., and a ton of other stuff, only to conclude that I must have asthma.

Really? Because I came in with a cold.

Is it asthma because you're paid by the drug companies with free samples and artwork in your office, and not one but two visits from drug company reps while I was waiting? It is asthma because that's what you specialize in? Because I've been coming to you for over ten years now, and you never thought of it before.

She listened to my lungs, stuck me in a room with some weird contraption that fumed some kind of medicated smoke in my mouth, and then tried to give me a prescription for an inhaler or something before I finally broke.

"I can't do this," I said, indicating not just the smoking thing, which I felt like I needed to remove from my mouth to breathe, but also wasting all my time, taking a prescription I don't intend to fill, and buying into her diagnosis. "I just have a cold."

"Well, I can't do anything for a cold."

Oh yeah? Well then SAY THAT!! Tell me to rest, and take OTC medicine, and come back in another week if it's not better. Don't push another diagnosis on me thinking it'll make me feel better. It doesn't.

Anyway, I walked out of there incensed, and determined to get better on my own (with the help of OTC cold stuff). Mind over matter. I want to feel better, so I do.

So there.

Stoopid doctors.

Reviewers love us!

Thanks to Teresa, whose blog I regularly troll, I found this link to a review of Love on the Dark Side, the latest Black Lace anthology to feature a story by Katie Doyce. And they liked it!

Power Play, by Katie Doyce is a great sci-fi story about the super heroes (Vindicators) of Mercury Bay, and how one woman, Jessica, who also goes by the name of Timbre, uses some special techniques to capture the heart of Cinder, an escaped naughty boy. But it's her week off, if she turns him in that would be work, so she puts her plan in action to keep him detained. After all, she's supposed to be on holiday! A delightful tale of cunning tactics, sensational vibes, and superhuman power play! It's funny, sexy and out of this world.

Just out now in the US. Pick up a copy today!

Wedding Pic!

Since I'm sure my sister doesn't want her wedding photos on the web, just this one of the the little munchkins after the ceremony. Too adorable!

I got a couple of OK ones of Doyce and I, but I think the pro photographer might have snapped a few others. I loved my dress, not least because it was one of the very few dresses worn by a guest that wasn't black! Also, everyone said I did a very good job with my reading, Robert Louis Stevenson's A Wedding Prayer.

Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow,
for the health, the work, the food,
and the bright skies that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Amen.

Writing Assignment

Grabbed this off of ***Dave's blog, who got it from Terry, who got it from some guy named Steven Leigh. Otherwise known as Ten Questions for Writers, I'm going to try to forget Dave's answers and come up with my own.

What color is fear? Orange, with a fiery red around the edges.

What sound does affection make? Laughter.

What texture does Autumn have? Crisp, like scrunching leaves under your feet as you walk.

What shape does a conversation make? A figure eight, like infinity. Round and around and around.

What fabric is a kitten made of? Sorry, Dave, your answer's just absolutely right. Cashmere.

What noise is made by curiosity? A querolous "Mmmhm?", like the red monsters from "Labyrinth," or some other Henson creatures. The aliens encountering a telephone.

What is the smell of knowledge? Libraries -- old books, ancient xerox machines, wet wool on people that got caught in a rain shower and came inside to get warm and check out a book.

How do you punctuate life? With an exclamation mark or two. And sometimes a smilie.

What does death taste like? Ash and loneliness.

If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, what kind of tree is it? A new home to a different breed of forest creature.

Your turn!

Woot! And a strike!

Might have coughed up a lung here or there, but my sister's wedding yesterday was a blast and half. She looked gorgeous and happy, her hubby (my new brother-in-law) never stopped smiling the whole day, and everyone had a great time. One of my favorite moments -- realizing I'll have a dance partner for the rest of the weddings I go to for the rest of my life. Yay!

In other news, the Hollywood Writers Strike is on. Working in book publishing, it's easy to sometimes say, "well, they can just go write a book for something, right?" But it's not that easy. For more information about the cause (which is worthy) and the strike itself, I learned a lot from these links:

Two via Neil Gaiman's blog (yes, Neil's also on strike), here and here.
And one from Jane Espenson's blog, here.

Also, this is a totally awesome ad that ran in the Hollywood press, indicating a whole bunch of show runners' and producers' support of the strike.

Holiday! And TV-related ephemera.

Not really a holiday, but between a personal day on Wednesday for Halloween, a sick day yesterday, and another personal day today to get ready for my sister C's wedding, it feels like a vacation! Except for all the coughing, wheezing, and sneezing, of course.

Still, Doyce arrived early this morning, so that's good, and I'm feeling slightly more alive than yesterday, although I definitely need to get some more cold medicine. I may even eat more than one meal a day! Wild, crazy stuff.

Anyway, yesterday being what it was, I did not get a chance to remark on the exciting good news. Trust me, I'm THRILLED! Though we have to wait until the end of the Writers Strike (and did that happen yet? i thought the 31st was the deadline? It kept me up all hours on Tuesday night -- although part of that may have been my cold), good stuff like this is worth waiting for.

In other tv-related news, the roomie and I have given up on Bionic Woman. It just wasn't holding my attention, and when I found myself with several hours worth of episodes backed up on the DVR, with no interest in watching them, we decided to give it up. I'll save my Ron Moore love for Battlestar. Which reminds me -- must check out the mini-episodes online!

And did you catch the "pilot" of the new season of Veronica Mars. Only online, but such a show I'd love to see more of! If only...