Screwing Up Time Mailing List

In an effort to let my readers know the latest news about the Screwing Up Time series, I've added a Screwing Up Time mailing list. (Yep, it's there on the right side of the page, just under my bio.) If you sign up, you will NOT be spammed or receive lots of emails. I plan on using the list only when a new book is being released or I'm doing a giveaway--like the one I did last week. So, if you want to be "in the know," sign up. Thanks!

(The logo is Mail Chimp--the service I'm using to run the mailing list.)

FREE BOOK

Today and tomorrow, Screwing Up Babylon is free at Amazon! Click here to get the free e-book.

  

Also today, Screwing Up Babylon is being featured at Kindle Books and Tips. If you haven’t heard of KBT, check out their website for great free and inexpensive e-books. Click here.

Obsolescence

Before my regularly scheduled blog post, please note that on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22, Screwing Up Babylon will be free on Amazon! If you’ve been waiting to read the book or know someone who might like it, now’s the time to get it.

Monday, we had a printer malfunction. My husband’s computer and his printer stopped communicating. After some trial and error, I discovered that it was a driver problem. I tried reloading the drivers, etc., but that didn’t work. So, I called tech support.

After the introductions and explanations,the tech dude said: So what seems to be the problem?

Me (confused because I already explained everything): Uh, I need to reinstall the drivers.

TD: I can help you with that. Let’s reinstall them now.

Me: (wondering if he was paying any attention during the meet-and-greet when I explained the problem): Um, as I said earlier, that didn’t work.

TD: Oh. Let’s uninstall the old driver.

Me (realizing that he’s reading off a screen checklist): It won’t uninstall, remember? It gives me an error message.

TD: Oh, that is too bad. (Long pause.) You know, your printer is obsolete. We don’t provide service for obsolete printers.

Me: So...there’s nothing I can do?

TD: You could hire someone who knows about computers to fix it. Or you could reformat the computer.

Me (sputtering): You’re serious?

At one point, he offered to sell me a new, non-obsolete printer. Needless to say, I loaded the drivers to an even more obsolete printer (a 14 year old Canon--yay for printers that keep on printing) onto my husband’s computer and said, “Now you’re going to use this printer, okay?”

Problem solved.

Everyone Needs Encouraging

Writing is not a middle-of-the-road kind of thing. Not many writers have so-so days. The writing day was either a wonderful/euphoric/I-rocked-word-count kind of day. Or it was exhausting/depressing/soul-grinding kind of day.

I’m not saying other jobs aren’t that way. (In fact, being a mom to a pack of small children is kind of like that—my oldest was five when my fourth child was born, so I guess I was well prepared for exhaustion.) In any case, I think one of the hardest things about writing is the emotional toll. In a new book I’m working on, I do something I’ve never done before—writing from the antagonist’s point of view as well as the protagonist’s. And, I’m writing the antagonist’s POV in first person. In a very real sense, I become this horrible woman. Her wretchedness clings to me. I even feel her guilt (okay, I feel the guilt she should be feeling, but isn’t) knowing how many lives her selfishness will destroy. When I finish her scenes, I need a bath to wash off the filth.

It’s enough to make you really discouraged. But, because I have amazing writing buddies, when I whine about the novel, they say things like “Wow. If you feel that bad, you must really be rocking the story. I can’t wait to read it.” And just like that my I-just-descended-into-the-depths-of-depravity depression becomes a good thing. And my day turns from soul-grinding to euphoric. Everyone needs encouragers.

Screwing Up Alexandria Status Update

Things are moving forward for Screwing Up Alexandria! I just heard back from beta reader number two. She said that she “thoroughly enjoyed” the novel. In fact, she was in just a hurry to find out what happened that she had a hard time focusing on beta reading it.

And beta reader number three has given me part of the novel back (she’s just started the book), so I can begin considering her comments.

I hope to start working on beta number two’s corrections today. Woot!