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 am in that flailing state of too many details, too little brain, too much to do in too little time. I leave for RWA National in the morning, and I haven't packed, this from a usually insanely organized packer who makes lists and puts things into the suitcase days ahead of time. At present, I have picked out my clothes (most of them. I think.) and put them in a pile, and thrown a lot of other random crap into my open suitcase, like an evening bag and extra camera batteries and business cards still in their boxes and train tickets and and and. Have to organize all that tonight.

Have emailed my three roomies for the event so we all have each others' cell numbers. I've never met any of them before.

If I don't write myself out a schedule, I am going to miss one of the several events I'm supposed to attend. I sort of kind of did that last week, but really my schedule is a pile of individual invitations that I need to organize.

Oh, and sleep. What is this sleep thing, anyway?

Meanwhile, hanging over my head is the Author Alterations for Moonlight Mistress. I am not going to even attempt to look at the manuscript until I get back home again. I'll still have a week or so to work on it then, and I think the manuscript is pretty clean.

I am not in a good frame of mind today to make resolutions, but I will try anyway.

1. Buy/get free fewer books that I am not sure I will like.

2. Read more of the books I already have.

3. Cull book collection, especially romances.

4. Sort tax-deductible receipts into categories throughout the year: travel; research books, which includes books in my genre; other expenses like website, office supplies, organizational dues.

5. Get more exercise. I got out of the habit of walking as much as I used to, and I need to get back into the habit. Winter shouldn't stop me. I have plenty of warm clothes.

6. Eat more vegetables. This is another habit I fell out of, and need to get back into. Mmmm, broccoli!

7. Save a little more money each month. I started this last year, but can still do better.

8. Travel more to visit people and see things, not just because I have to go to a con or do a reading. I am hoping to have a few extra days in Montreal before or after Worldcon.

9. Make a list of the books I read this year that are new to me; it's been a while since I've done that, and it's always interesting to look at later on.

10. Get rid of the old tv that I never use because it only works with the vcr.

My brain is exploding with all this book and e-book and audiobook and for all I know, book transmitted into space.

At the same time, I am thinking on revisions for book two, which feels much more real.

And I'm eagerly awaiting my netbook, now that I've finally ordered the thing (I first started considering one back when I got the first payment on the book contract).

This weekend will be given to revisions and Bach. Tuesday I'm guestblogging. Next weekend is my book launch, then the week after that I'm guestblogging all week and also dogsitting. Then I go out of town for a week, return and see Gogol Bordello live.

No wonder I feel overwhelmed.

Happy birthday to my book!
Happy birthday to my book!
Happy birthday The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover!
Happy birthday to my book!


It is also the birthday of three of my friends! Happy birthday to LJ-less K., to truepenny, and to ellen_fremedon!

A workshop buddy passed on this email to me:

Hello from Amazon.com.

We are writing about the order you placed on October 28 2008 02:50 PDT (Order# [redacted]). The item(s) listed below will actually ship sooner than we originally expected:

Victoria Janssen (Author) "The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom & Their" [Paperback]

Estimated arrival date: 11/19/2008.

*trying not to hyperventilate*

*people will READ this book*

*i mean, besides the people who ALREADY read it*

*i mean, that's kind of the point, but*

*did that sound australian?* @justine

This meme is no doubt past its sell-by date, but I'm doing it anyway.

Novels I've written and how it relates to the novel/s I've sold.


1. First attempt: a futuristic sf novel, in which I did a lot of things to the city of Philadelphia, both good and bad. I started over several times, never completed a full draft, did complete a couple of outlines which I didn't follow very well. Worked on it in dedicated fashion, though, for a long time, and produced a lot of wordcount. I was told the characters were fun. Am still fond of a couple of them. Might go back to it someday for a white-page [from scratch] rewrite. For now, trunked.

2. Second attempt: a fantasy novel, working from a detailed outline. Again made the mistake of starting over when it wasn't working, instead of pushing through the bad parts. Original plot was way more than I could handle. I was told the characters were fun. I did a lot of research for it, though, and that was fun. Unfinished. Trunked. Reworked some bits in recent years, before I had deadlines.

3. Third: 100K historical novel, completed, revised twice, synopsized, and queried. No agent was interested; never heard back from the one manuscript requestor. Say it together: I was told the characters were fun. My agent has it now, to give it a look when she has time.

4. The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom and Their Lover, faux-historical erotic romance. My current agent, who contacted me on the basis of a story I sold her, asked me to do a proposal based on that story. The novel was sold on the basis of the proposal, which was three chapters and an outline; by the time it reached Acquisitions, I'd sent them another seven chapters or so, so they had about ten in hand when the purchase actually went through. Turned in October 2007; due out December 2008 from Harlequin Spice. I've been told the characters are fun.

5. The current project is second on the Spice conrtact. It's set during World War I, and with werewolves. In progress. Due August 2008. We shall see on the characters.

6. Next, who knows? I want to do some more proposals, especially a Western, which would have to be with some other publisher, since my current one already has a Western series. Depending on how well my books do for Spice, they might offer me another contract, and I have a list of ideas just in case, which I'd like to add to. I'd like to go back and do a YA fantasy, and something with that sf idea. I will worry about it when the current novel is done.

My manuscript is running short of ideal wordcount by at least 10K, maybe 15K. That's because the line that bought my novel generally has books of a longer length than I intended when I wrote the outline. I know how I can make the story longer, and where, and what would happen in those scenes. I told my editor I'd do my best. But when? Even taking a day off work would likely only net me around 1500 words.

Of course, I will have (approximately) 3-6 weeks for revisions later on, but I'll be, well, doing revisions, so am not sure how much new writing I can add then.

Must not panic. Panic is bad. I am perfectly on schedule for writing a novel of 80K. 90-100K is the tricky part. If you're playing along at home, that about 50 pages I need to crank out. It's a good night if I write 4 pages. Michael's trick of changing fonts is fine if you're running over, but not so much when you're short.

War stories, anyone?

My laptop appears to be on its way to laptop heaven. Am resigned to shelling out large cash to replace it, becaues I really don't want to do without something to write on.

I back everything up obsessively, so only lost the couple paragraphs I was working on last night.

It smells faintly of smoke and ozone.

Farewell, free laptop of ancient vintage.