Geez… what a week. I can honestly say I've never worked harder on a copy edit than I have for the past twelve days. I've actually never taken twelve days to complete a copy edit before. TLDR… it's a long manuscript and there were a crap ton of glitchy little things that needed review. My brain kind of hurts right now. LOL
To top the long work week off, my daughter had three nights of after-school events. National honor society inductions on Tuesday, golf awards banquet on Thursday, and the holiday parade on Friday, which we made five gallons of hot chocolate for the choir kids to drink and keep warm while riding the float. Seriously… it's not as easy to make five gallons of a hot drink as one might think. And… my daughter's also in band so she doesn't even ride the float with the choir. She marches and misses all the chocolaty goodness.
Needless to say, I'm now behind on my television viewing. I actually couldn't watch the finale of The Last Ship. I'm not ready to say goodbye to this show yet. I'm going to miss that damn ship and its sailors so much.
I do have a brief rundown of what I did get to see. Caught another episode of Strike Back's fifth season. I'm starting to like this group a lot. I do miss the instant chemistry the previous cast had, especially the leads. That said, the dynamic is different enough with this group that I'm interested in where things go. And they're completely pared down, carrying on with how the previous incarnation ended. The commander is rebuilding and restoring the reputation of Section Twenty. So… they get lots of wiggle room.
Caught the Chicago crossover event with Fire, Med, and PD. Thoroughly enjoyed all three shows. I've lost some love for Chicago PD. The fifth season kind of lost me with all the sneaky snitchy bullshit. I really want to watch Chicago Med from the beginning. Here's hoping that happens in the near future.
I'm almost finished with Luke Cage. Disappointed there won't be a third season but maybe we'll see the character is something else. Who knows.
Got an episode of Murdoch Mysteries in. I like how this show weaves current topical events into the storyline, showing how often history tends to repeat. Not necessarily a great thing, but it's fun to see how they work it all out.
Watched a couple episodes of Classic Who. I'm behind on the new season but should get caught up soon. Started a new episode of Penny Dreadful and should finish the first season by the end of the month.
And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Muse It Up, a novella that started with writing community prompt of "a writer meets a bartender at his favorite bar". What happens next?
Here's the mini-blurb:
Nate Shaunessey can't get in the groove to write his new supernatural series. When he meets the new bartender, Hunter Gant, at his local pub, a muse is born. The only problem? Nate's afraid to tell her she's his latest inspiration.
And a snippety peek…
Nate buzzed with a million ideas. "Hunter Gant, you're a lifesaver." He entered his cottage on its corner lot and went directly to his writing nook.
The small alcove had a wall lined with floor to ceiling bookcases that held many of his reference books, a wall with double windows, which let in lots of natural light, and a third wall that included his work area, an L-shaped desk with his PC, laptop, and several writing aids—inspiration boards, a phone docking station for playing music, and a huge white board he used to refine story points.
Settling behind his desk, he switched on the lamp—not much natural light streaming through the windows at five a.m. Opening his laptop, he started typing as soon as the empty document appeared on the screen. He filled ten pages by dumping the contents of his brain through his fingertips flying over the keys.
His mouth kicked up in a grin. "Thank you, Hunter." Her family history provided a solid backdrop for his newly forming character—Fiona O'Leary, heir apparent to a supernatural legacy of solving the unsolvable.
He saved the notes then leaned back and closed his eyes. "Fiona is uniquely situated. Her dad's side of the family is involved in law enforcement; her mom's side all own pubs. Fiona has a foothold in each, running a detective agency and working as a bartender in two of the pubs on the side." He nodded, loving the vision sparking to life in his head.
Grabbing a notepad, he jotted character traits, all coming from Hunter. He focused on her green eyes, sketching from memory and filling in with some colored pencils. Tearing the page, he tacked it onto one of his inspiration boards.
He spent the next several hours filling in backstory. How Fiona got her start as a supernatural detective; how her family of cops and bar owners referred clients to her and how she used them as resources. The law enforcement side gave her access to police reports and autopsy findings. The pubs offered up a place for her to tap into the preternatural world by providing a gathering spot for fae creatures and other paranormal beings.
Once the world took shape, he started on the other characters. Fiona would have love interests in both facets of her work.
He made a note in the margin of the page. "At least two in each. She won't find her true match until at least book five." Five… out of a dozen.
Yes! He had at least a dozen, maybe more. Creative fires burning, he continued typing, writing, refining, and outlining until his eyes almost crossed with fatigue. Glancing at the time, he yawned. Ten a.m. Five hours of nonstop work. He'd take it.
Especially after three days of pretty much nothing.
Leaving everything out and open, he got up and stretched the kinks out of his muscles. "Time for a shower and a few hours of sleep."
Then another session of work and maybe a visit with his new-found muse.
I'm having a lot of fun writing Nate and his inspiration. Hunter's story will unfold a little slower and she'll reveal her secrets a little at a time.
That's it for this week. Happy reading!
Skylin
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