Pardon Me While I Bow in Joss Whedon’s Direction

Sort of random various shit to report, but first things first:

* Yes, I totally had my ass kicked in Round 2 of DU BWAHA. I Was not expecting the round to start that night (because there was something else on the site that said they weren’t voting again until the 19th) and suddenly, voila! I was getting the beat down by Josh Lanyon. My one consolation (besides being in the ring with Holy God Josh Lanyon!) was that if I’d managed to get the same number of votes for Round 2 as I begged, borrowed, scavenged, and scrounged for Round 1, I would have totally won. That makes me happy– and makes me very grateful. Thanks for everyone who nominated me and voted for me–you all rock, and that was TOTALLY FUN! Maybe I can write something outstanding and get nominated next year? I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

* The Locker Room is out on April 22nd, and Waiting will be out on April 9th. WOOT! I’m really excited about The Locker Room–I’m proofing the galleys right now, and I’m like, “Oooh.. I don’t suck!”

* I got a lovely visit with my Aunties Monica and Carol last night. That NEVER happens–but I just sort of zoomed away from the family, went, sat, knit, and talked in the dark. I love them both–I’ve just never really had a chance to visit them without my kids. I want to do it again.

* On Friday, I went to pick up Zoomboy at his friend’s house–he’d gotten out early and I asked his friend’s mom if she could keep him so when i went back to pick up Chicken’s friend Stivie, I only had to make one trip.

I hadn’t been planning on staying, because she was waiting with wine. And bread starter. And now I’m totally girl-crushing on this sweet woman with four kids and a reasonably messy house because she wants to be my real life friend and she got me to bake bread. And now I have to get the recipe from her because IT WORKED and it TOTALLY DID NOT SUCK! WOW!

* Oh yeah– Living Promises now has a contract and will be out Late July/Early August! WOOT! I’m so excited about this one, but a little worried too. (Really, Amy? You worried?) Anyway, this work is just not that angsty. I’m sorry– I mean, I know it should be–it deals with dead boyfriends and HIV, but Jeff from KPR and LP doesn’t do angst. He just doesn’t. He’s snarky, sarcastic, and occasionally bitchy. Collin, his love interest, meets him snark for snark, and both of them are just too damned tough to go into angst. They know about death, they know it could happen to them, but damned if they’re going to spend their time getting upset about that. They’re both a little self-involved, both a little vain, and both a little bit hot tempered, and both totally survivors. I love them–I love their chemistry, but they’re not Deacon and Crick, or even Mikhail and Shane. They’re just two regular guys, trying to get by. I hope you guys love them like I do. (And as much as my beta readers, who kept assuring me that they were awesome, even as I said, “But, there’s not a lot of angst.” They were like, “That’s okay– with their backstories, too much angst is a really bad thing.”

* Tomorrow I shall take a picture of Squish and my WIP– I’m really getting excited about it, even though there’s a mis-crossed cable down at the bottom that I have no intention of actually fixing, but I may do the Yarn Harlot’s cosmetic fix, so I don’t feel like a total slacker.

* My Alpha book is progressing at a satisfactory rate. Seriously–I’m having fun. If I wasn’t writing doing some other work for DSP, I’d be on NANOWRIMO pace with this one! GO DRAGON GO!!!

* In the meantime, enjoy Spike. I know that a LOT of people told me that Adrian reminded them of Spike from Buffy, but although I’ve been watching the series for the last year (for the record, nearly six years after Adrian died for Cory and Green) I didn’t really see it. There were superficial resemblances, of course–cockney accent, white blond hair (although Adrian’s was floaty–and natural) and blue eyes–but I didn’t really see the ‘feeling’ everybody was talking about. But now that I’ve seen the last episode (and thanks all of you for not warning me that was coming. *sniffle* Fucking series finale.) I totally get what you were saying. Eight years after the series ended, I am now totally in love with Spike. *sigh* I’m ALWAYS five-ten years too late for cool. But that’s okay– because Spike’s mine right now, and not the entire world’s. I’m totally happy with that. (Hmm… Spike & Dean… HelLO plotbunny… I swear, if I was doing slash fanfic, I’d SO… MMMMMMM…mmmmm…. yeah…)

* Aherm… anyway, I’ve been Twittering. I need to stop. It’s not so much the timesuck, as it is the addictive properties. Besides… my dragon’s getting snotty and screaming, “WRITE, BITCH, WRITE!” (That could just be Littlewitch, but I don’t think so. The voice is deeper, and sort of growly.) But I need to remember how much fun it can be when I’m feeling lonely at home.

* It’s supposed to rain a lot this week, which totally throws a monkey wrench in that hole water aerobics thing–and they’re moving to another pool next week while the home pool is being repaired, and they won’t have the same class times. *whinge* Yeah, I know, whine whine whine– but I want to look not frighteningly blob-like when summer starts. It’ll be the first time in quite a while!

* Chicken made it home safely on Friday night–I cooked corned beef & potatoes for her since we got to go out on St. Patrick’s day, and that’s one of her favorites. She was FULL of stories from her trip–I think she enjoyed herself, although I don’t know if she’ll cop to it. That’s okay– her story about the mornings was priceless. Apparently, all the girls in her hotel room woke up early and did their hair and their makeup and chattered her awake. “You need to get up! You’re going to be late!”

Well, Chicken doesn’t do make up, and her hair is limited to straightening her bangs so they don’t spazz when she has her hair back in a ponytail. She got up, put on her clothes, straightened her bangs, packed her shit, put her shoes by her bed… and slid back in for another hour. She said they all stared at her and laughed at her–and then left her the hell alone.

*sniff* Makes a mom proud.

And that’s alls I gots, folks–but then, I’m busy bowing in Joss Whedon’s general direction.