It's snowing again, so the greater Raleigh area has been shut down. That's the 5th or 6th time a snowfall has done that this winter. Right now we've got about two inches, and it could be up to a foot of the white stuff. Or it could be a big bust and we'll all have to go to work as usual tomorrow (they shut down the Day Job today at 2:30).

Hey, I just started my journal entry with a Weather Report. No editor's gonna buy this!

I'm thinking about editors lately (nice segue, eh?) because I just mailed off letters to a bunch of 'em. An even dozen, actually, along with missives to three agents. Along with the letters were SASEs, outlines, and the first three chapters from the Blackbeard novel (9 of 'em!) or the opening 50 pages from the Wannoshay novel (4 of 'em!). We'll see how many of them come winging back my way with a desire to read more. Here's hoping those nude photos of my dog I inserted into pages 45 and 46 of each manuscript do the trick...

That gives me three different novels out to various agents and editors. I have a couple stories to send out as well, but I may just sit on them a while. Short stories are so 2002.

I guess now I'd better finish revising that Blackbeard novel. I'm giving the editors a couple weeks' lead time to respond, so that gives me a nice, tight deadline to write to. The plan is to be done with the Blackbeard novel completely by the end of March (so I can start a new novel!).

The revising should really start whizzing by now that I've gotten my opening chapters reworked -- those are always the roughest part of a novel for me. And I'm enjoying the protagonist of this one a lot -- Ella Simon.

Another thing I've been enjoying is Carter Beats the Devil. I wish I had more time to sit and read it -- Gold does a nice job with his details, and I loved the elephant's roar (trumpeting?) at the end of the opening section.

One thing I haven't been enjoying much is writing in this journal -- I've felt way too busy doing, well, busy work to feel like I have much to "blog" about. But for my rabid fans, I give you this paltry entry. Enjoy, but please, keep your expectations low... Later!

Now Playing:
"Some Devil," Dave Matthews

Now Reading:
Carter Beats the Devil, Glen David Gold
(lots of devils, eh?)

Today's Quote:
Twenty feet from her, Mitch stopped in mid-kick. Even from this distance, Ella could tell his pale blue eyes were wide with some wild emotion. As if in slow motion, he lifted a gloved hand and pointed at something directly above Ella.

She looked up, and when she did the water cleared, as if the silt in it had simply dissolved.

Just a few feet above her, in the clear, icy water, floated a man.