Hello again, my friends. Yep, still here and still reading/writing. The two are synonymous right now as I'm doing a lot of beta reading and editing these days... for other people mostly but hey it's good practice. Right?

Today I want to direct you all to read a blog posted by Amazon (for those of you who haven't read it already at least). You can find it here... http://amazoniowan.livejournal.com/454574.html. She posted this nearly a week ago and it's taken me this long to read it. Very long week for which I owe a few people apologies and thank yous for putting up with me. But Amazon's post, while written to writers, is relevant for pretty much all of life. She's talking about that oh so wonderful little voice we all have that directs us towards caution but can get out of hand sometimes.

I've never been a risk taker... that voice had too much of a flavor of my parents to it and in my younger days I was the perpetual good girl. I never did anything wrong. Then again, I had to be pushed into trying anything as well. That included writing. I had a wonderful English teacher back then who really encouraged me... but I was a teenage girl who believed what was told to her. Go ahead, call me naive and I will fully admit it. So while the teacher was encouraging me I had my parents and the voice who wanted to protect me from being hurt by others' opinions of me and friends who thought I was competition in that arena. Only recently have I destroyed the 'critique' from one of those friends that made me abandon any thoughts of being a writer back then.

So, since then I've been the equivalent of Amazon's hiding in the closet with the colander. Thankfully I do not have the green plastic colander... that was my mother's. Even when I met my first true best friend eleven years ago and starting getting the flavor of support I needed it took a long time to accept my voices and work with them. I still tell them to fuck off on occasion rather than being more gentle as Amazon says. But I do have a teeny tiny stubborn streak on occasion. Oh, and I'm pretty sure for me it isn't voice but voices. Different flavors for whatever risk I'm considering at the time. The crying, bleeding girl when it's emotional. The glaring mother when it's physical. The ranting father for most everything else. Yeah, I'm least gentle with that last one... my father was the one who taught me to argue. No surprise to those of you who have met him, I'm sure. Go ahead, Webyeti, chime in on that one.

Reading Amazon's post really got me thinking about those voices. Yeah, I've known they were there and acknowleded them a long time ago. Too many psych classes in college not to then add my own curiosity and love of research on top of that. But I have realized that until a few months ago I never really dealt with them... just let them have their way. Until my life got spun around. Now I can't do that anymore. The potential paths I see laid out before me are definitely not going to let me hide and take zero risks. Am I scared? Hell yes. Just writing this is making me want to cry even with Dozer snuggling up to me. But to use an analogy related to my home town, that train is coming and there's no stopping it. So deal with it and do what ya gotta do.

Now, go read Amazon's post. Oh, and if you have any interest in her genre she has a new book out call Special Delivery. I just got my signed copy from her yesterday... and refrained from squealing out loud at least.

For those apologies they are owed to my heart brothers, the first for Webyeti. I'm sorry I dropped the news about Moof on you like I did... didn't want to upset you but I did want you to be the first to know. You were there when I got him and I know you loved him too. For Asrion who has put up with my moping this week. Your hugs and support kept me in one piece.

This dreary Sunday for which the forecasters are predicting yet more snow (I still swear someone's after a body count this winter), I'm off to read a couple folders of material I have from Amazon and Asrion. Snuggled up on my sofa with tea and Dozer sounds about perfect for the moment. The voices will be silent and I can gear up for the next round.

SK

Another weekend and another post. At least I'm getting it in at the beginning of the week this time. It's a quiet Saturday morning here. Dreary and awaiting more snow but that's just life in February in this little corner of the world. I'm spending it curled up on the couch wrapped in a blanket with a hot cup of coffee (doctored), my netbook, and two hounds snoozing (no snores... yet).

On the writing front, I wish I could say I've made progress on my own work but I really haven't. Nor have I made progress on edits for Asrion or the read through for Amazon. Sorry guys... just been one of those weeks. But I have been doing some proofreading/galley edits for Amazon's publisher. From my perspective it's interesting to see how this stuff works. I've done two short stories for them and just got my first novel to proof before next Friday. A good challenge for me. This weekend I also got a story from Amazon to beta read. Very excited for that one. I love reading her stuff. (Yeah, that may have made her blush but oh well... she's done it to me enough, that's for certain).

So why the lack of any sort of progress? It's a bitter sweet weekend around here. One of the hounds, Moof, hasn't been feeling well for a while but it's all been typical greyhound ailments so I thought nothing of it. Been there; done that. This week it progressed to seizures. So after some testing and consulting with multiple vets the diagnosis is intestinal cancer. I knew going into adopting greys that they are prone to this disease in its various forms. It's something I've been witness to among family and friends already so once the initial panic attack fades I know what to expect. And I pretty much always knew what I would do if one of my boys got to this point. All treatments are invasive, painful, scary, and unlikely to help much even in controlling symptoms. Not something I can put the pup through. So as of Monday morning he gets to sleep.

Moof is pretty sure he's going to get his puppy angel wings and no one really doubts it. He always has been the one who loves everyone and knows they love him. At least he's sure they all love him. *grin* His brother, Dozer, might dispute that on occasion but only in that typical brotherly way. He'll be adjusting to only puppy status again... I just hope he doesn't revert back to being anti-social chicken dog again. We've made such progress the last four years. But for right now the two of them are snuggled up together.

So now I'm going to go back to snuggling with pups and do some beta reading... because that always makes me smile. Those of you with pets, give them a pet/ear-scratch/snuggle/treat/whatever is appropriate for who they are and enjoy your weekend.

SK

I've been reminded that I missed writing a blog last weekend. As I sit here today trying to move thoughts through my brain I'm having a hard time remembering why that was. I know I did some writing... even got together with some fellow writers... but otherwise my memory is blank. So, sorry if I've disappointed anyone.

Today I have a full day all to myself. My plan was to do some house cleaning, play with the dogs, then focus on writing. Particularly editing my own story that I wrote for NaNo 2009. (Yes, I know that line will make some of you smile.) Some laundry and dishes have been done. Dozer is curled up next to me on the sofa while Moof has made a nest out of my comforter on my bed. And me? I've spent most of the morning curled up with my new blanket on the sofa with my netbook. But the manuscript I should be editing is at the other end of the sofa. Haven't touched it. Instead, have I been writing on the netbook? Nope. Watching the Ghost Hunters marathon and playing mahjongg. Oh, and drinking coffee but that's just a given with me anyway.

So I pulled open the blog. My hope is that by writing here I not only appease the one hassling me to update but also get my brain and fingers in motion. The tv show really does have a part to play in this. A friend of mine has been discussing some difficult characters in his current story with me lately. Characters that have some similarity to characters I have in a story I started a while ago. Those discussions have brought that story back to my conscious mind. My empathic paranormal investigator and the menagerie of creatures she encounters. Now I just need to find that notebook since none of those notes are on the computer yet.

The problem? That requires me to get off the couch. Though if Amazon keeps taunting with pictures of her fire that might push me to move... just out of frustration. Or I start something new... something inspired by the yet more snow we are getting in the frozen wasteland.

For those of you who are both literate and interested in sports, enjoy the Super Bowl tonight. I know I will be.

SK