Journeying about the islands of the internet, came across “John Holbo” writing about Ernst Haeckel’s early Christmas card designs and the Victorians’ affection for the distinctly Cthulhu’ic art, along with a delightful and squeamish rendering of The Night Before Christmas. If you’re so inclined, scroll down and give it a read.

Bright sunlight and cold makes the air sparkle–can’t say the same for A Haunting of Roses this morning, but this time of year splinters my focus–not much of an excuse, that’s the case most of the year, but especially during December, coming off of NaNo, needing to think about gifts and gatherings, getting ready for the advent of another new year, and still trying to write, ah well, it’s a beautiful day and the words always come sooner or later.

Lullaby

Decided to work at home this morning, drive in at 7, deal with Thursday traffic. The temp outside was 44 degrees, my brain was at the same, but I managed 96 words of a new scene between Baron Tetakai and one of his servants. Ninety-six words are good for five o’clock in the morning. Then I put on my game face and got ready to crawl through the dreadful zombie traffic. Surprise! We rolled along just fine–no significant stoppages, despite reports of two problems–a broken-down car in a middle lane and an accident. Didn’t encounter either–all was clear by the time I reached La Tijera, a mile before the Howard Hughes off-ramp. Got to the office with time to spare. Wow.

I’m tired of getting up and heading out so early anyway, so I think I’ll change my schedule and work at home, leave at 7, see how my blood pressure manages.

Methinks, a million fools in choir, Harry Clarke

That’s a reminder–must proof my story Ghost of Roses in the final copy edit of The Nightmare Begins, The Horror Zine anthology. After this final review, it goes to print!

Need to update the word count for A Haunting of Roses. I’ve written a little more. This weekend won’t be as busy for me as the last so I’m hoping to make considerable progress with it.

Finally got a rejection back from the magazine I’d sent Auno’s Widow to. I’d submitted it in May. Gosh, you think they could’ve said no sooner? Anyway, I’ve got another place to send it and that’s the other task for the weekend.

My friend Michelle’s latest mystery story, the excellent A Spider in Zanzibar is out in the special double issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, the January/February 2010 issue. I loved it! Okay, so I’m a bit prejudiced. Still, if you enjoy well written mystery short stories–go and buy.

Vignette, Aubrey Vincent Beardsley

Moving along with A Haunting of Roses. Still thinking over my objectives for 2010, will do my GDR’s in January. The vampire movie watch continues–last week I watched My Best Friend Is A Vampire (1988), gave it a 7; amusing teen comedy. And, Blood Wars (2007), rank 0. Ick! And, Korean director, Chan-Wook Park’s Thirst (2009), gave it a 10! This one will get a second viewing.

It’s been cold this week–winter winds out of Canada have greyed the skies, and I’m starting to drag my leather jacket around with me. Hope Saturday is sunny.

Crown Anemone, Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale

The lovely long weekend is drawing to a close. I spent today writing the first chapter of A Haunting of Roses, a fantasy novel set in Angharad, like A Lamentation of Swans. I’m not sure how long this novel will be, but I’m aiming for 75,000 words; it may be longer or shorter. I started on it early this morning, paused to take the garbage out, and discovered it was a beautiful warm day outside–so I took a walk up to the bluff and sat and stared at the ocean for a while. The breezes were warm, sweetly scented from the dried weeds and grasses on the bluff and the sea was glazed with a hard shimmer of late afternoon sunshine. I walked back home and went back to work on the novel for a while longer.

Last week I watched my STAR TREK dvd, enjoyed it all over again. What a great movie–a terrific reset to my all time, #1 favorite TV series (the original). Saw NEW MOON again over the holiday weekend, and enjoyed it very much. It’s a better done film than TWILIGHT, although I liked TWILIGHT, I felt the story could’ve been better developed. I’m looking forward to ECLIPSE, which opens next June.

I’m not looking forward to the start of the work week and the zombie run, but I’ll be busy in the early hours of the morning working on A Haunting of Roses–a good start to my day.

I’ve got a crazy quilt of a manuscript, can’t dignify it with the word “novel”, although it’s certainly novel in the deep degree of its random narrative awash in a sea of incoherency. But I’ve made it through another November, and that’s the value of National Novel Writing Month–you’ve got a target of 50,000 words and you must/ certainly should write daily, bail those words into the ship of your novel so as not to drown in the great white sea of blankness.

Since I’ve been doing NaNo, my production through the flow of the year has improved, but November is the only month where I actually do write daily, except for the day I purposefully take a break. I’m striving to carry November through the other 11 months.

This time I winged it since on November 1 I changed my mind about what I was going to write and started off up the creek and under the water, paddles nowhere in sight.

First Saturday in December, Michelle and I will do our traditional celebration of our NaNo success with a fine holiday dinner at Summit House. I’m looking forward to that! And then it’s another dive into the great white sea with A Haunting of Roses for the month of December. I plan to start the new year with a manuscript ready to go!

Hush James Jacques-Joseph Tissot

Almost there! 42,222, The Key to Chaos, and chaotic it is, with words scampering all over the place.

The Sphinx of the Seashore, Elihu Vedder

Broke 35,000 this morning. Once finished, The Key to Chaos will likely sit on Mac’s hard drive for years, untouched, in all its muddy glory. It is 90% dreck, 10% good stuff with good ideas speckling it like pecan bits in a not so great cookie, burned at the edges, too much salt. Good ideas. Very good ideas. Execution–not so much, but that’s okay. It can soak and simmer in the swamp for a while. Maybe it’ll surface shining and alluring like Excalibur.

But not in 2010. In 2010, one of my novels is going out the door agent hunting. Not sure which one yet, but I’m thinking A Haunting of Roses–it’s my December project, getting it ready. But possibly one of the others–Sweet Taboo or even Loose Daddy (Hah! Fat chance!) or I may blow the dust off Shadow Walk, and there’s also Silk River. Not lacking for choices. Just need a little backbone.

A Maid in the Kitchen, David Emil Joseph de Noter

Day 18, and I’ve reached 30,000. I want to be as far along as I can before the Thanksgiving break ’cause I really don’t know how I’m going to fit in the writing time between food, my sisters, and jaunting off to see NEW MOON–again! (Can hardly wait until Saturday for my first viewing.)

Yesterday, for the first time in what seems like ages, a wonderful thought about Sweet Taboo popped up from the swamp. I’ve now got a theme for Deidre’s arc, and a starting point for a whole sequence. I have not had a thought, wet or dry, about Sweet Taboo in…months? It’ll have to keep until December, when I’ll have a chance to squeeze it alongside A Haunting of Roses.

Prezziosa, Warwick Noble

As of today, 27,371!
My Nano counter doesn’t seem to be updating as it should.