This post's purpose is to collect my common tags in one place, so readers (and I!) can easily access entries on several subjects.

I'm not supposed to have insomnia this week. What's up with that?

Yesterday, I mailed review copies. I did laundry. I made a to-do list. I had an email discussion with my editor about cover ideas for The Duke and the Pirate Queen. No, I don't actually have any decision-making power, but they asked me about something and I gave my opinion. I also ordered a copy of my French translation, to see if it would arrive before my official copies. The official copies come from Somewhere in France. I don't have a contact there, so the time of their arrival is very mysterious, much like the origins of the translation itself. I asked about my copy of my audiobook for The Duchess etc.. I'm not sure I can make myself listen to it, but I do want my copy for the sake of completeness.

Georgette Heyer Starter Kit at the pro blog. For which I have many of you to thank, back in the day - a bunch of you recced me your favorites, many of which are now my favorites.

Philadelphia's transit strike is over, so later this week I plan to be back to early-morning gym sessions. I didn't go first thing this morning; I'm actually a little stiff from Saturday, still, and am not sure if it's better to go work that out or give it a little more time.

I also plan to get back to writing this week. Last week I deliberately took off from the novel, letting it stew around in my backbrain, and instead wrote some upcoming guest blogs and emails about review copies and the like. Yesterday, I brought my notebook to Tuscany (a coffee shop, not the place in Italy, alas!) and focused on what needs to happen in the last 20-25K of my first draft. I probably haven't thought of everything - I never do - but it's enough for going on with. I don't want to waste too much time meandering around figuring things out, now I'm so close to the end. I have quite enough plot items going on already!

I am boring, boring, boring. After three straight days of insomnia, last night I went to bed really early. I still woke up in the wee hours, but it wasn't quite as awful because I was farther into my sleep cycle. I feel somewhat better today than yesterday. That is, less whiny and pathetic on the inside.

Tonight I might even do laundry or something.

Oh, yeah, and I also have to finish a novel.

Third straight night with insomnia.

This can stop, like, Real Soon Now.

Blogged about some worldwide werewolf legends. All hail posts written ahead of time.

I continue to read bits of The Moonlight Mistress. I think I'm checking to see if all the words are there, or something. There are parts I didn't revise a great deal, and I keep searching those out; those are almost like reading something new. I found a small continuity error I made, that most readers probably won't catch. It doesn't make any difference to the plot.

I, who dislike reading on screen, have bought four m/m romance e-books, three of them by people I know and one that's set in World War One, so of course I had to have it. I'll probably post about them after I've read them all. Luckily, I could download all of them in PDF format, so I can print them on scrap paper and read them that way. Yeah, yeah, I'm a Luddite.

I upped my weights yesterday, to the degree that for some I had to really struggle, but today I'm not nearly as stiff as I worried I would be. Though I am not dancing like a butterfly, either.

Today's pro blog post is Oral Tradition, Epithets, and J.D. Robb.

Insomnia followed by a transit strike, which meant I didn't have the comfortable length of time to get to the gym and work out before the day job began. Will have to work out either at lunch or this evening.

I walked to work, of course, and fairly quickly, which is exercise. But it's not enough. In a mood like I'm in today, I need weights!

(I can provide smelling salts if you're in shock that I want to exercise....)

It was chilly and thus hard to get out of bed this morning. I was glad I went to the gym yesterday morning instead (I skipped Saturday--too stiff and tired from Friday night's dress rehearsal). I do have to get up and go tomorrow, though.

Saturday night's concert audience was fairly small, probably a result of 1) rain; 2) Halloween; and 3) people staying home to watch the Phillies in the World Series. On the drive back with a friend, the roads were scarily deserted, and the restaurant where we stopped to eat was practically empty (and had the game playing on the bar tv).

Am still very excited about my author copies.

I blogged about why NaNoWriMo is a good idea even though I'm not doing it.

And evil, evil Amazon is having a huge sale on sf/f tv DVDs. Most notably on the two Stargate series.

I have author copies of The Moonlight Mistress!!!

*is happy*

Women's Studies Reading Challenge for next year, at A Striped Armchair.

I couldn't think of a Halloween costume. Well, I thought of several, but lacked energy to actually put them together, and those that didn't need much putting together, I lacked the energy to wear.

I did paint my nails sparkly dark purple while I was waiting for my clothes to come out of the dryer.

But once again, there are many things happening this weekend, and I'm not doing any of them because I have concerts on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and a dress rehearsal tonight. I could maybe have juggled around and done at least one party, but then I wouldn't have had any weekend. Sometimes I crave free time alone more than anything else. Will try and do some social stuff next week.

Spooky Book Recommendations. I'm not a big fan of horror. What's scary to me is more along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale (which I did not include).

And an interesting gym fact - I think I have handedness when doing some exercises. Which makes perfect sense, but I hadn't thought of it that way before. I can fairly easily do things with one leg that, with the other, feel impossibly awkward even while I'm doing them. Not sure if it looks differently from the outside. My balance is also better when on one side than on the other. I'm right-handed, and my left leg is more graceful than my right.

For some reason, I keep thinking today is Friday. I even put my choir folder in my bag last night, because Friday night is dress rehearsal. I remembered this morning, but still have to keep correcting myself. Weird.

My author copies of Moonlight Mistress are apparently here but I cannot get them, because it is concert week and I am never home when the courier wants to deliver. So I am having them delivered to day job tomorrow (which is FRIDAY, right?).

I want them now. I want to see that all the stuff I didn't see before is correct, and that they made my requested changes on the back flap.

I also have to figure out if I'm going to do some kind of giveaway. I plan to send at least a couple of review copies out, not sure if I'll do more than that.

Dress rehearsals are always the worst because you're standing almost the entire time, usually on a marble floor and usually too close together to comfortably stretch out your arms. And then I had to go home late, in the rain. My knees are a little unhappy today, and I didn't get enough sleep.

I did have a Dr. Who dream, though - I was watching an episode that had both Ten and Eleven, though I didn't realize Eleven was going to be in it until the episode was partly over. Also, there was weird splicing with scenes from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. as well as, possibly, I Spy except Robert Culp was the wrong age. I think. I find all this amusing since I haven't watched any television since the weekend of CapClave. Maybe my brain wants some.

Have been corresponding with potential book trailer creator. This is very exciting.

I wrote 1000 words on my lunch hour yesterday. It went so fast because it was virtually all monologue, the big confession of past angst scene. I need to rework it a little because I realized there was a logic error in the story, resulting from me not having figured out all the implications. Writing it down helped with that. And once I've edited, I think it'll be a great scene.

Worked out this morning, and am seeing the trainer Thursday afternoon, the last time for this trainer, as she's a grad student. Will have someone else for my remaining sessions. Then I need to decide if I want more trainer sessions or not. They have been quite valuable. I definitely got my money's worth. I'm also thinking about a pilates class, but next year, as I have enough going on right now.

Rehearsal tonight, and dress rehearsal Friday night. We have two concerts this weekend.

It's concert week, so I predict much sleep-deprivation in my future. I went to the gym on Sunday afternoon after writing, and am hoping to get a little more writing done today during my lunch hour, after which exhaustion and a brain full of music will likely preclude further attempts until the two concerts and all their associated rehearsals are over.

Bought a new necklace this weekend. It is a tiny brass spyglass that opens and closes, and is pleasingly heavy (the chain is robust). Alas, it is not a real spyglass, just clear glass. But Elder Tot was most amused by it and played with it twice in one evening. I probably won't wear it around her too much. It is irresistably tempting, and should be saved for special occasions. I'm wearing it today.

I'm in the very early stages of discussing a book trailer. I am somewhat excited, even though I've never really cared about book trailers before.

Put together a links post for the pro blog: in which I name-check the OTW in response to an article I found about "soon, everyone will publish." Like, duh.

I am still basking in getting a review. And a nice one, at that.

Wrote 1000 words yesterday, between lunch and after work.

I'd forgotten how lovely outside validation could be. Someone else was entertained by what I wrote. It's not the sole reason I write, but it's a nice bonus.

"Well-plotted, and with an irresistible hero and a strong-minded heroine, this is pure pleasure. There's a fair bit of M/M sex, including a three-way with two guys and a girl impersonating a guy. Plus, the werewolves get it on too."

Thank you, Romantic Times!

They have found the heart of my story. I.e., lots of getting it on.

I note with interest that they didn't mention the werewolves were in human form when they got it on...it's assumed, right? *braces for some interesting emails from disappointed customers*

A friend just alerted me to the Romantic Times review of Moonlight Mistress, for which they awarded me 4 1/2 stars.

Alas, since I am not a subscriber, I cannot yet read the review...but it's 1/2 star more than The Duchess Etc., so I guess that's good!

Their reviews are available to the general public after two months.

ETA: duh, it must have been the sodomy. I had to remove it from the last book for pacing reasons, but in this book there are two scenes, so sodomy must be worth 1/2 of a star.

(Review-o-mancy!)

All of 550 words last night. I saw other words I would like to cut, but didn't allow myself to cut most of them. I am going forward right now. I also made a few changes to the scene notes for the last few chapters. I plan to write at lunch today, and after work. It felt good to make progress. I am within about 25K of having a completed draft. I suspect I may have a bit more plot than that left, given that erotic scenes in this book take rather a lot of wordcount. Oh, well. It's a Quality Problem, right? And not everything has to happen on stage. It can't be every character's book, much as I like them all.

No gym this morning, though I considered it. I didn't want to be sore when I see the trainer tomorrow. I'm not that dedicated.

I'm now reading the second in a new historical romance series by Mary Balogh; both the first (First Comes Marriage) and the second (Then Comes Seduction) use variations on the "Marriage of Convenience" plot, which I've always loved; one of these days I hope to write the "werewolf marriage of convenience" novel. So I'm rambling a bit on that plot over at the pro blog. Probably I will do so again in future.

I am a slow starter this morning. I made it to the gym, but not as early as I'd hoped, so I didn't have time to do a circuit of weights; need to figure out how better to organize my workouts to make them most efficient. I did some squats and crunches, plus fifteen minutes of elliptical, which was more intense than the treadmill. I see the trainer on Friday during my usual lunch hour.

Rehearsal was pretty fun, some bits swinging along beautifully, some still sounding scared. We're close to the concert now, so it's getting better at an exponential rate.

And I need to write this week, badly. I wrote around 800 words on the train down to D.C. on Friday, stopping only when the train pulled into Union Station. But I skipped the rest of the weekend, and Monday and Tuesday. Today, I'm going to go write immediately after I leave day job. Hopefully, I can get some lunchtime writing done on Thursday, as well, and after work on Friday. My usual Saturday session is being replaced by workshop this weekend, so I think Sunday will have to be a dedicated writing and gym day.