Monday, February 27, 2006

Ramblings


Happy Monday, BGs. I'm rambling today with various updates on myself in no particular order. Why am I rambling? See #1.

1. I am brain dead from a weekend of doing our personal finances, after a heavy week of writing. Even with my careful filing system, it takes me 8-9 hours to prepare our information to take to the tax guy so he can actually do the taxes. When did life get so complicated?

2. Wait a minute, I can’t be brain dead. I have to finish Coral Moon in the next three weeks!

3. Next three weeks? Oh, no! I might have a problem with that, seein’ as how I don’t know how I’m going to make the whole thing come together.

4. Tonight—guess where I get to go!! I’ve got 17th row floor seats to the Bon Jovi concert. Yowsa. I was going to take my husband, but . . . hm, suddenly he’s very busy with business in San Diego. (When I told him I wanted to go see Bon Jovi, he said, “Bon Who?”) So my 16-year-old daughter’s going with me. Okay, so it’s not a boy band concert we can both scream at (they’re SO old news), but she’ll still have fun. A mom/daughter night out.

5. Do you know after 1 ½ years of working to get “Don’t forget to b r e a t h e . . .” trademarked, my attorney says he has to start over because the bureaucrats keep changing their minds about what “category” we’re supposed to pick or something. It’s all insane. Anybody ever tells you hey, no sweat, you can do your own trademark—don’t believe ’em. We’re working on trademarking “Seatbelt Suspense” too, but that one’s a year behind. Which means next year I’ll probably get to start over on that one. Sheesh.

6. I will be at Mount Hermon again this year. Who out there’s going? I’m gonna lead one of the mentoring clinics. With about 10 mentees, I guess. Gayle Roper’s doing one, and Randy Ingermanson’s leading a second, and I guess MH keeps getting more people asking to be in a group, because they asked me if I’d do one, too. I’m already on the critique team, which is work enough, but I said okay.

Okay, that’s the ramble for me. Some of you might check in and let us know what you’re working on, or reading or whatever. I hope to be more coherent tomorrow, but . . . we’ll see.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Brandilyn,

I'm signed up for your mentoring clinic at MH. Looking forward to it! Met you briefly at ACFW last year and have been reading your blog for several months. I've appreciated your insights and wisdom--thanks for sharing.

www.erinkeeleymarshall.net

Unknown said...

Those conferecees who get you are in for a treat. You're tough and that's a good thing. I hope to have an editor like you someday.

Interesting about the trademark thing. Whodathunk it'd be that difficult.

C.J. Darlington said...

I just finished reading James Scott Bell's Presumed Guilty (due in April), and it's another great page-turner from Mr. Bell. He's been a favorite of mine now for years, and if any of you haven't read his legal thrillers, now would be a great time to start! Before that I read Tim Downs' Plaguemaker -- another great novel. Now to write reviews of both ...

As far as an update on my writing, I'm busy finding a publisher for my first novel Thicker Than Blood while chipping away at my second novel Innocent Blood. I just found out today that one of my short stories has been accepted in the take-home paper "The Gem". The same story is also going to be published later this year in the take-home papers "Standard" and "Evangel". If any of you get these in your churches, be looking for the story "Out of Time" by C.J. Darlington this fall. :-)

Domino said...

Rambling? I'm in!

I was in a mentoring group at MH last year. I liked it so much, I signed up to be in another one this year. I plan to have a great time at MH this year.

I entered a few writing contests with my first finished novel. I have two more that aren't finished yet. Of the two unfinished inspirational novels, one is romantic suspense and one is a much lighter romance.

Rebecca LuElla Miller said...

Writing contests--yep, I've been jumping into those too. I entered my second Writer's Digest short short story contest (I think they lost my winning notification in the mail, though--hahah). I'm also in the ACFW Genesis contest for unpublished novelists. BUT, I just got notification this morning that a little piece I wrote for an on-line promotional contest, Everyday Hogwash, was a daily winner. Not a big writing credit, but the prize was $200, and I am now eligible for the next weekly.

Main thing is my trilogy--I'm on chapter 17 of book 3 and still looking for a publisher.

Yep, I'll be at Mount Hermon again. And Brandilyn, I'm happy to know you will be at the critique desk again.

Becky

Lynette Sowell said...

I'm working on a novella due March 31, and my mystery novel is due June 15. Plus I'm developing a mystery series that spins off the first book.

And I'll be at Mount Hermon, my first trip. First trip to California too. I'm really looking forward to it. I was thinking of joining one of the mentoring tracks, but what I'd like feedback on is my series development and I won't have any chapters written on that yet. I'm thinking of getting it critiqued. Not sure, though. I'll likely end up in JSB's track. His book Plot & Structure was great. :)

Rachel Hauck said...

Bon Jovi? Very nice. I went to Keith Urban this past Friday. Very wonderful entertainer. :)

Have fun with your lovely daughter!

Rachel ;)

Dineen A. Miller said...

I'll be at Mt. Hermon this year, Brandilyn. Really looking forward to it. Not sure which track I'm doing yet. The mentoring thing sounds so attractive. LOL! Then there's JSB! Decisions, decisions...

Bonnie S. Calhoun said...

I live in New York, so there's no chance I'll get to be at MH! Maybe someday!

I'm editing my first novel, trying to figure out how to tie up the 2nd and 3rd novels and plotting #4!

Camy Tang said...

I'll be at Mt. Hermon, too. It'll be so great to see everybody there! I'm not sure what track I'm taking yet.

I used to love Bon Jovi. Their Young Guns inspired album was so great. Dang, am I showing my age?

Camy