{little places in the heart}

I Heart Candy 2

I <3 Candy - a crazy-fun little store.

I’m back.

Some of you tried to stop by while we were hauling the blog out of the mess of Blogger, and I hope you weren’t too frustrated by not being able to comment! THAT wasn’t supposed to happen. Anyway, I’m blog-supported by WordPress now, so all should be well.

Technical difficulties aside, it’s been a rough couple of days. A person most dear to me passed away, and I remain six thousand miles away. Knowing that he had been ill for four years, I’d said goodbye before, but I was fooled by how well he was when I last saw him in January, and I misunderstood the speed with which cancer can move. His death caught me unprepared — so unprepared that I need to delay acknowledging the immensity of the loss in some parts of my brain. (That may not make sense to you, but …well, it’s how my head works right now.) That I heard on my birthday, and I had the devastating misfortune of finding out on Facebook just didn’t help. [Note to Facebooking People: Please. Social networking is not the place for every topic. It is just not.] So, I’m a little scattered at the moment, but I’m fine – no need for more concern. I’m fine. Thank you.

Big Top Toys 2

Kites and mobiles at Big Top, best toy store EVER

We’d planned for our dear person to visit us in Scotland, and for awhile, it looked like it was going to happen. And then last September we realized it would not. So, from time to time, I’ll just be posting a few pictures of the places we would have gone, “had we but world enough, and time.”

Tapas 2

Café Andaluz, our special occasion tapas place, for when we feel a need for Mission style furniture and a California vibe.

Meanwhile, the revision continues apace! I have the dubious privilege of being what my editor calls a “clean” writer; I don’t always have major revisions to do. But this time there are some fairly significant changes I have to make in a character, including changing her passion. That’s hard — what we love, what drives us, makes us who we are, so now I am essentially looking at a single character, and rewriting her — which in turn rewrites the way she responds and reacts and relates with family and friends. And this is all because my editor is leery of too many musicians lately in YA fiction. Apparently there’s a violinist in When You Reach Me, which I haven’t yet read, and since it won the Big Dance (aka Newbery) my cellist has to go. Le sigh. But, it’s actually turning out just fine so far. I took away her cello, and gave her a blowtorch.

I am liking that change a lot.

Highlands 2008 416

Urquhart Castle ruins — Loch Ness in the background!

I’m also realizing — as I’m supposed to be revising — that science fiction has taken over a remarkable percentage of my brain. I am thinking all the time of things I could use, things I could add — I have two notebooks at my desk full of scribbles (plus the back of the odd envelope) and another one next to my bed. This is a very broad work, and it just goes deeper and gets bigger — And after reading the very brilliant Mr. Elzey’s Building Better Boy Books series, acronym-ed HEAVES, where the ‘s’ stands for SHORT? I am really fighting the temptation to write a Rowling-length (Books 4 thru to the end, anyway) sweeping epic. That’s not really my style, and I do kind of feel strongly about a well-pruned, tightly written …mini-epic. Enough to tell the story well, not enough to make camping (HP joke. Sorry.) seem like a lifetime achievement and make the book cost $30. That’s what I’m going for.

Well, enough talking about work, now off to do some.

Until next time…

Edinburgh Castle 53

Edinburgh, from the castle, on a dark, drear day.

4 Replies to “{little places in the heart}”

  1. *rubs eyes and looks around* New blog digs? Very nice.

    So sorry about your loss (and on your birthday no less). I like your idea of posting pictures of places “we would have gone.”

    Now, a blow torch standing in for a cello? Flaming music!

  2. Hug (even though you are Fine).

    I am now imagining your characer complaining about having her cello taken from her–You can’t do this to me. My cello is my life. I feel very sorry for her. Even though she seems to be accepting her loss.

    1. Oh, I didn’t know you played!
      To be honest, I am not jazzed about this strings removal. Have there REALLY been nineteen hundred YA books lately wherein the character played the violin or cello? Really? Nonetheless, I’ve seen NO blowtorches lately, so blowtorch it is.

      And thank you for the hug. I know the “FINE” sounds defensive, I think just having so many people ask “What’s wrong!?” and getting a letter from someone I hadn’t spoken to since high school because the word “cancer” was included in a Facebook status update kind of scared me back into my cave…

      1. Gah no it is not me who plays, I was just imagining her reaction!!!!!I shoulda put in quotes. I can think of one chello and two violins in the past 3 years or so, which doen’t seem that many…

        I think maybe perhaps I know what you mean about fine-ness–I’m sadly approaching a situation of my own viz my father in which already I am getting more overt sympathy than I particuarly want or need–it’s like having the piano keys of one’s emotions being played by other people, well meant but jangly on the nerves.

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