Well, the Seekrit Project was finished tonight. The first draft. Who knows what the beta readers will say now... I've kind of hit the point with the MS that I've stared at it for so long I've lost all perspective on it.

But, it's done!

75,077 / 75,000 words. 100.1% done!

Well, there is good news for both of my friends who have breast cancer. One just had their op and got a clear margain, so more chemo and radiation therapy for her, but they think it's been beaten.

The other girlfriend (the one who is 27) heard a week ago that her cancer has shrunk from 7cm to 2cm. They want to giver her more chemo and she will have her op later, then radiation and that's it.

So it's a good week :)

Well, it was my fault; I introduced my teenage sister to the Twilight Saga before it was made into a film.

So we went to the movie. Today.

She managed to hold out and wait until today to see it, although she wanted to kill the girls sitting next to her, as they whispered the whole way through and kept checking their phone and shining the screen light in her eyes as they did so.

Other than the fact that I don't think the directors/designers know the difference between a new moon and a lunar eclipse (the introduction scene), it was a decent movie. But I didn't expect too much. The ending was a bit silly, but that's all I'll say there.

Heh.

Now, I've said in the past that songs can sometimes inspire me to write. Powderfinger's 'I Don't Remember' was one such song. Now, it's Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'. Yes, it's pop, yes, her film clips are a little crazy, but there is something about the lyrics 'I want your ugly, I want your disease' that inspires the horror writer in me.

Go figure.

On other news, I snuck a diamante collar into the shopping trolley last night. (Yes, this is how active Tom's and my social life is; we go supermarket shopping on a Saturday night.) I told Tom his "little baby princess killer cat" needed a diamante collar if she was a princess. He said no. I wanted pink with diamantes, but there was only black with diamantes.

When he was unpacking the trolley he discovered it. "What is this?"

I had thought his powers of observation were stronger than that. "A collar."

So here is Lily modelling her new accessory:



Tom says she now looks emo.

I say she's emo with bling.

Angela Challis has announced the line up for this year's Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror. There are many talented authors and wonderful works featured in this collection, but I have to (and want to) personally promote Pete Kempshall's 'Just Us', as it was originally published in Voices.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy of Aussie Dark Fantasy & Horror, but if you want to see the story in its original form, you can purchase a copy of Voices here :)



AUD $19 + shipping

I have been working madly, much akin to a headless chook for the past two weeks, finalising edits and proofs for The Phantom Queen Awakes. Thankfully, it is now typeset and ready to go! The authors are all very happy with the layout, which is always a good thing to hear.

Now, back to the other editing project and the Seekrit Project.

Seekrit Project word count:

72,257 / 75,000 words. NaN% done!

...has long been known to Catkind. They attack it whenever it appears, shredding with teeth and claws their greatest foe.

They know its plans, are aware of this intergalactic enemy that parades as a harmless - and inanimate - object. Yes, you know it too. How often have you seen a cute kitty cat, wandering along aimlessly suddenly stop, turn, and POUNCE upon its greatest enemy?

Yes, you may have already guessed its identity: string.

Over the years, it has tried to gain a greater foothold on this planet, appearing as twine, curly ribbon, ribbon, even as hair-ties and rubber bands. But Catkind knows better. There are many string-like objects in my household - you could say that I am cultivating the enemy - but they are kept subdued by two diligent cats.

Saxon is the more pro-active in his mission to protect the house and his humans. He routinely kills any and all string-like objects, preferring to chew and then grab them while they are dangled helplessly above by one of his humans. Torture, some might say, but really; we're just establishing dominance over this tricky and well-hidden life-form.

Lily, on the other hand, isn't entirely convinced that string is the greatest enemy. She kills it as a matter of course, and likes to shred it and the curtains, who appear very much like over-sized pieces of lacy string. But she feels that there is something else out there, something that needs greater study: ice.

She has spent many minutes trying to determine whether or not ice is a danger, but it melts too quickly for her to discover its true purpose.

Sinister Reads is promoting the Australian fiction that has been recommended for the Bram Stoker Awards. In order to reach the final stages, each work needs members of the HWA to vote for the stories.

I'm a little behind in promoting this, as it's already up to Issue #3. Go check it out, there are some very talented authors already mentioned.

Don't forget, Grants Pass has also been recommended. *grins*

As I'm sure you've all heard, Aussie authors and publishers were the winner in this argument. Let's hope it stays that way.