Tales from the Raven

This is the blog in which I turn cartwheels and max out my exclamation quota for the year.  This blog anounces that last night, in the wee hours of the morning, I finished the first draft of Popcorn Potion.
Now, this is very exciting–even though I know I’m writing in a montone.  It’s only that I can’t whoop and dance [...]

Every year in September I start thinking and dreaming of pumpkins.  I never have been able to decide which I love better, tomatoes or the great orange squash, but let’s just say that there are times and places when I’d choose these veggies over chocolate.
Now, I know it’s not the first of October, yet, so even though [...]

My writing progress this past week was of the kind that doesn’t add much to the word count.   I’m technically writing chapter six, but have gone back to revise all the preceding chapters.
That’s great–the addition of crystals, cats, and glass crickets can only be a good thing!  But, the word count didn’t budge much, and [...]

When my cousin, friend, and writing buddy, Caleb, called me up a couple years ago and asked what I thought of taking on the job of managing editor for The Sigurd Journal (TSJ) I thought he was crazy, but I also knew I had to say yes.  While the crazy never stopped, I learned a lot and [...]

The chickens are finally laying eggs!  Better yet, they’re laying them where we can find them! 
 
Since they’ve abandoned their coop for higher ground–literally, they’re now roosting in the trees–and ranging all over the property, we haven’t had much luck finding the eggs until now.  I suspect the hens have an identity crisis–they’ve mistaken themselves for the easter bunny.
I have grounds [...]

First the new counter: Popcorn Potionpages: 40,000 / 60,000 (67%)
Not much to look at, true, but I did predict that this week’s count would be low.  Next week we’re into a regular routine and hopefully I won’t need any more backstory digressions that don’t count toward the novel’s forward momentum.  Remind my characters they’re not allowed to [...]

I started Popcorn Potion, the novel, tonight.  Yay!
For the last week I’ve been fussing at the characters, fixating over details in the outline, and floundering in the rules of magic.  Tonight I slapped myself and stopped.  Everything that could be planned out ahead of time already was and I just needed to get out of my [...]

Or, it feels that way.  Mostly ’cause my backside is so tired of sitting in a hard wooden chair for hours and hours that I wonder if I’ll be sitting down for the next week!
Bootcamp was awesome.  Any and all who have ever considered it should stop pondering and start perfecting their submission.  I really [...]

It’s really weird to be back in a town where I lived (or lived in the next door town) ten years ago.  The town itself has changed and morphed with the addition of SVU, but I can feel that some of the changes are due to a shift in my own perspective.
And not just that [...]

I hit a deer Wednesday night.  But unlike the last one, this one was a big fellow who was running so hard when he came out of the woods that he jumped above the level of the car bumper and really mashed our grill and hood.  Did some damage to the stuff under the hood, [...]