Rats...

I meant to post before midnight, but it's suddenly tomorrow. This happens a lot, somehow.

I am going dark for a week to finish the final draft of DEADLINE. Don't know if it will sell. I hope so...but, you know...new genre and all that. Who knows?

I'll likely still be around here -- a writing thing, after all, but putting work stuff on hold for a few days to get this thing done.

In the spirit of things I won't be doing, here is a picture of what my house looked like the morning after a little Ms. Zephyr Gets Released celebration I had a couple of weeks ago. I forgot to take a picture of it before the party, of course, or during, when the candles brought a little magic to the night outside. In this shot, Seamus is very kindly offering to help me with the dishes. Since it's pretty hard to get good help with two teenagers in the house, I may take him up on it this week.

~kc

Ms. Zephyr is a Book!

Got an email from my editor, Barry Jowett, today.

He was holding my new book in his hands. He likes it. I hope I like it!

I can't wait to see it, I know that much.

Soon -- in time for this Saturday's Spring Book Hatching, I hope.

So, I don't have new book euphoria just yet, but I _almost_ have completed book euphoria. DEADLINE is now 100,000 words when I thought it was going to be 85, but it is a mere couple of pages from being finished. Had a great writing day today and hoping tomorrow brings the euphoria. Hope with me. Chant with me -- Charlie's mantra: Stay Calm, Staying Calm.

Much happening this week:

• MS. ZEPHYR becomes a book. (It was not supposed to happen until tomorrow, but it actually happened one day early!)
• Spring Book Hatching on Saturday
• Flying to Toronto Saturday night
• Book Expo on Sunday and Monday, with CCBC launch of Ms. Z and signing at the Dundurn booth lined up, along with meetings of many friends from afar.
• Somewhere in there I have to fit in DEADLINE becoming (if not a book) a completed ms.
• Plus all the things I have to do before I leave for Toronto.
  

But... is this all fun?

Why yes -- it is.

I love my job.


~kc

DEADLINE Approaches

Worked all day today (with the exception of a couple of hours spent viewing a boy's lacrosse game from atop an eliptical trainer, thereby killing two birds with one treadmill) on meeting the DEADLINE deadline, which is, in fact, tomorrow.

I am touching wood as I type this (which makes typing darned difficult, I have to say) but I think I may finish this thing tomorrow. Not finish--finish, but finish. (I could articulate this more succinctly, but the writers among you know what I mean, and the non-writers must know by now that the writers are nuts anyway, so there we are.)



Got the absolutely marvellous news yesterday that MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK will be delivered on Tuesday to Dundurn. Much planning of launches and readying for this week's Spring Book Hatching, trip to Toronto, CCBC event at Book Expo Canada, Dundurn signing at same and meeting of many friends and compatriots throughout next weekend. (The image of the book tower, left, is courtesy of the Book Expo Canada website...)

All of this predicated on achieving above DEADLINE deadline -- so in order to facilitate same, this is it for now. (Forgot to mention that whilst watching the lacrosse match and pedalling rapidly nowhere, I also read the latest David Sedaris story in the New Yorker. The undisputed highlight of the day.)

~kc

Friday the Thirteenth

Actually, now that I look at the clock, not any more. Have spent most of the day writing, writing, writing letters to the Most Wonderful and Exceptional presenters we have coming this year to the Surrey International Writers' Conference. It is a sad fact that, though I am many months away from the end of this letter-writing gig, I need to do a better job of cleaning up my email. I've just discovered that I have 500+ in my Sent box. Yipes. Actually about 1500+ in the various boxes. Spring cleaning ahead, I guess.

Plan to spend the weekend NOT letter-writing, but book writing. DEADLINE is living up to its name. Time to get it done and move on. Ceilidh is calling.

Speaking of my Edinburgh girl, the London Book fair is about to commence on Monday, I see. You can see more about it here:
www.londonbookfair.co.uk

Last year, I was lucky enought to have a peek at the gigantic event (which many people went to great pains to insist is tremendously smaller than the Frankfurt version). I had travelled to Edinburgh (my favourite city in Europe; setting of next series, starring Ceilidh Craig, as referenced above) for a little research jaunt. Whilst out for a drink with a few of the city's literary community, (a night to remember, without a doubt), I happened to mention to Ron Grosset (of Geddes & Grosset Ltd in Edinburgh, and one of aforementioned literati) that I would be in London the following week.

He very sweetly arranged an invitation for me, which was slipped in a clandestine fashion under my hotel room door when I arrived in London. So, off I went to Excel in the Docklands to see the Fair. And a wonderous event it was, with more books, publishers and agents than the eye could hold.

Of course, this year the London Book Fair represents nothing so much to me as a giant pain in the ass, since many of the the intended recipients of my letter writing efforts are currently jetting across a Very Large Body of Water with priorities other than answering their email.

So it goes. Time to read a little Vonnegut, I think, just to be reminded of how life never quite turns out as one might expect.

Oh -- and I am going to see if I can load a copy of the cover of Ms Z into this missive. Why not? (Hope it works!)

~kc

Easter Weekend

I'm tired. This writing business is hard work. The goal for the weekend is to hone in on the end of DEADLINE before real life leaps up to bite me again next week. A bit too much churning of the wheels today. I'm hoping for better tomorrow.

I'm sure there is more to report, but I can't remember any of it right now.

Happy Easter to all!

~kc

Much Ado About Everything

Working like a maniac on too many projects to count right now. Let's see...

I'm awaiting the page proofs for MS ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK, due out in May. (VERY excited to see how those will look...this book is quite a departure for me.)

Last year I wrote a novel for kids called A WALK THROUGH THE WINDOW, and I've just completed a bit of a re-working of that, so I hope it will be ready to meet the world pretty soon.

DEADLINE is still teetering on the brink of completion. My current goal is to get it done before I head off for a quick trip to New York later this month.

Also working to get the 2007 SiWC line-up off the ground. This is a VERY busy time of year, as all the presenters need to be put into place (likely 55+ this year) AND all the presentations have to be readied for the production of the conference brochure. Many hundreds of emails winging through the ether as a result.

I'm also leaping into the breach for this year's Lions Bay Telephone Directory -- my one remaining annual desk-topping project.

Progress continues apace on the CWILL BC Spring Book Hatching, coming this June. It's going to be a great party! We've got nearly 30 writers introducing their new books, and prizes and excitement galore.

Let's just say my life is pretty full these days.

I'm feeling quite bereft, as I finished Palin's Diaries of the Python Years last night. It has been quite fascinating to me to read of all the goings-on behind the scenes. Has quite brought me back to my own teenage years when I could recite the Parrot Sketch et al verbatim. However, I've also found the book very inspiring from a writer's point of view. I hadn't realized just how much of Michael Palin's life has been devoted to writing. His work ethic is admirable, all the more so because of the emphasis he placed on not isolating himself through the process. Fascinating read. (I spent a bit of time chasing Mr. Palin down through his 'people' to see if he might consider attending the Surrey conference this year, alas in vain. I hold out hope for some future year, though. I think he'd enjoy himself immensely in this setting.)

Am currently trying to fill the Palin breach by reading a book called RANCOUR by CWILL president (and friend) James McCann. I actually stole this book from James last year, but this is my first chance to read it. It has an exciting premise, with promise of werewolves, vampires and teen angst. (Not sure which will turn out to be the scariest of the three...) James has a new book coming out very shortly, titled PYRE. One thing is certain -- the man has an undeniable flair for coming up with riveting titles.

I also picked up a copy of my daughter's school book CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD by Gabriel Garcia Marquez today, whilst the girl was in her piano lesson. Got irretrieveably hooked and had to finish the story before making dinner. Simply marvellous read.

Writing Contest Changes

Spent a good portion of the day mulling over writing contests. One of the myriad tasks that make up my life is overseeing the writing contest for the Surrey International Writers' Conference. After fifteen years, the time has come for an overhaul, as the contest's popularity has outstripped its resources. The board has agreed to some changes, and behind the scenes, they are underway. Most importantly, watch for a new deadline. In order to accomodate the changes required to make this contest all that it can be, the deadline has taken a great leap forward into the formerly lazy days of summer.

Watch for all the news coming this month (I hope!) on the website, which can be found at www.siwc.ca

Speaking of websites, I spent another chunk of day making a few changes in my own. If you'd like a peek, you can check it out at www.kcdyer.com

If, however, you're anxious to view the new material, you might need to wait a few days to allow my uber-cool web-techie Bryan Hoff time to work his magic. Bryan has done my website work from the very beginning, and he always does an amazing job. If you'd like to see some other examples of his work, you can check out
http://www.themeparkmultimedia.com/

In other news, I have discovered to my horror that the confession scene for DEADLINE has stretched into a nine-page historical treatise. Am mulling my options. If one only had access to a slightly-less verbose villain...

Oh, and my apologies to Sir Tristram, late of the Bloodless Revolution book I mentioned a couple of days ago. He is, in fact, a Stuart (tho' he may in fact also be a Wunderkind; he's a pretty good writer for a young fella). And the book is pretty good so far.

~kc