Friday, July 22, 2011

Random items of a Friday evening...


It may be old and dirty, but it works great,
and by god, it's kitty-proofed!! 
Hot
Well, there's one advantage to having a somewhat wee condo - you can cool it down with one window unit air conditioner and a fan. And as I said to a friend recently, chocolate does taste better in the heat. Melty chocolate!!

Don't laugh at my fan - it is an awesome fan. It's like 20 years old, and just so powerful. The plastic slats in the back got brittle and started breaking off a few years back, which wouldn't be that big a problem, except I worried the cats would stick their paws in, so, using the principle of darning socks, I kitty proofed.

Mr. Crane scorns this fan. He went out and got another fan a few years ago, a shiny new plastic thing, and it has already broken, but not this baby! It is now hard at work circulating the air. Can you believe this heat? I went running today and I still don't feel right. Totally brutal.

Elsewhere
Do you do this - go through word phases, and you take a shine to a certain word and use it a lot? I'm going though that with the words wee and elsewhere. Wee I like for its subtle comic value. Wee really has tons of attitude; you find this out when you start using it.

But Elsewhere! This is a hell of a word. Coy and powerful. It forces sentences into a specific and singular order, and then it arranges their collar and makes them sit up straight. Like a mean, mysterious nanny. I am so into the word elsewhere.

Deadly Destinations
There's a really fun event this month over at All Things Urban Fantasy and Dark Faerie Tales called Deadly Destinations. It's authors being sort of summer tour guides to their novel settings and giving away tons of books. I'll be there in a week, giving away a copy of Wild & Steamy!!

More excellent series-kickoff books for temporary sunshine prices for kindle!
With all my ballyhooing of Nicole's cheapie dealio (see last post) I didn't realize TWO other leaguers have cheapie deals right now. Sunshine is on many shoulders!
I will admit this is a particularly insane detail;
note that a piece of the back is simply hanging
by the string. Well, it just is.
Three great opportunities to give three excellent, popular series kick-off books a test drive. I've heard this lasts through Sunday, and also, until the 27th. I don't know which thing is right.

A rare moment in the Crane household
I'm about to finish edits on the still-not-named book #3 which will fly into my agent's hands on Monday, and I recently finished a major part of a different new series project that is elsewhere.

So basically, on Monday, I will have a totally clean fiction plate, and I don't think the day job will be crazy. I think it's kind of a rare occurrence, and I'm excited for it. It means I can write whatever the hell I please during my special morning writing time. I have an idea for the best-ever new series, but I'm also thinking of doing a Simon novella, or doing a Christmas novella of some sort. I think I'll decide when I get there.

Adrian!!!!!!!!
I'm such a fan girl of Joanna Bourne, I had to trot out to her blog to see just when the heck Adrian's book is coming out, a book I've been waiting for since like 2009 when Spymaster's Lady, one of the best books ever written, blew my socks off.

I found a treat there: the Adrian cover. And an excerpt. And it will be out in November!!! The heroine of this book is named Justine. A fine name, Ms. Bourne! Godspeed to you on the edits!!

8 comments:

B.E. Sanderson said...

I love the old fans. They were so much better than what we have now. Way to go on your gerry-rigging to keep yours functioning. String and duct tape are the best.

My shiny word this week is 'repulsive'. I caught a commercial for this new show and my first thought: 'that woman is repulsive' and now I'm finding all sorts of things that are repulsive. =o) And yes, elsewhere is a lovely word.

Kristie (J) said...

I'm really looking forward to the Bourne book too. I'm not too sold on the cover though. A cape?? Really? A cape?

Carolyn Crane said...

B.E. Hah! You have a word, too. And a fine one it is!

Kristie: I know, the cape! Also, I think of Hawker as a bit more wiry than this fella. But, so goes covers. You know what's inside will rock.

orannia said...

Sorry to hear it's so hot where you are. YAH for fans and fingers crossed your heat wave snaps soon!If it helps, it is very cold here...there is even supposed to be the hint of snow around the city tomorrow - it never snows here!

For some reason (word association is my friend :) The Black Hawk reminds me of The Sea Hawk, so everytime I see The Black Hawk I think of Errol Flynn *grin*

Joanna Chambers said...

Oh god, Adrian! *faints*

I'm not sure any heroine is going to be good enough, though Bourne does marvellous heroines...

Elsewhere? I want to know how it ends up being such a cornerstone in your sentences. I have words I fall in love with to write and others I fall in love with to speak. And others for work. I'm loving 'bright' and 'architecture' to write, 'actually' (with very heavy emphasis) to speak and 'agile' in work chat.

Carolyn Crane said...

Orannia...send snow! Also, Errol Flynn! I love it.

Tuumperkin:I love architecture. I might rip it from you. I could even see going unconventional with it: The architecture of his despair... How will you use it? But, hah! I will be the first to know. for work, I abuse the word aspirational. I also like agile, but I do prefer nimble.

Chris said...

My brother has one of the original fans that our parents bought us as kids and it still works. Although, wait a minute, I don't remember seeing it in the move...

Carolyn Crane said...

Chris! You have to find out! Don't let it go!!!!