I am in crunch mode right now. The first book of the UMSP is due in May, and I’m going to have to grind like a grindy thing to meet that deadline. My writing goal right now has been upped from 3000 words/weekend (my weekends are my only solid writing time, and my normal production rate is about 1500 words/day) to 5000 with 250 words/night on as many weeknights as I can manage. Can’t always manage the latter; I work long days, in a job that’s sometimes psychologically exhausting. But I’m gonna try, so wish me luck. As a result, I’m going to be blogging less, and a little less social.
All that said, I’m going to be plenty social this weekend, at Vericon up in Boston, for those of you who are near enough to the yard and want to drop in and say hi. I’ll be there Friday and Saturday, finishing up with a signing at the Harvard Bookstore. It’ll be nice to be in the old stomping grounds for awhile, and see old friends from the writing group I had there (the BRAWLers) and newer ones like Seanan McGuire. (Who I am totally gonna yell at for the end of Blackout, which she wrote as Mira Grant! I’m still crying, dammit.)
And speaking of crying… I mentioned this on Twitter awhile back, but I haven’t felt like talking about it much, so I’m just getting around to mentioning it here; sorry. But Besame Mucho — yes, the cat I adopted less than a year ago — passed away the Sunday before last. She was frail from the get-go, painfully thin as I noted in her introduction post, and despite a mostly healthy appetite she never managed to gain weight — lost it, actually, despite my and the vet’s best efforts. (And the vet, Dr. Quim, made an heroic effort. I really need to send the whole clinic some flowers or something, because I think her death hit them just as hard as it hit me.) Anyway, finally that weekend she just stopped eating, and there just wasn’t much to be done. Hazard of adopting an older cat. ::sigh:: But I’m glad I could make her last year, after being abandoned the way she was, safe and cozy.
Still, I wasn’t quite ready to lose another cat in so short a space. It’s hit me surprisingly hard — possibly because I had NukuNuku for 15+ years and that’s what seems normal to me, abnormally long as that was. I’m still wrestling with whether I want to adopt again. Certainly not anytime soon, but probably. …Ah, who am I kidding? I’m a cat person at heart. And my little house seems a lot quieter without someone around to go meow.
Anyway, until I’m ready to be a cat mama again, let me steer all New York-area folks toward the Prospect Park Animal Clinic, because they do good work, and they really care, and they always have abandoned and found pets available for adoption who could use a good place to live. Even if it’s only for a little while.
Hello – This is a silly question, I know, but I wasn’t sure after reading the Vericon or Harvard Bookstore websites. Will the Harvard Bookstore be selling all of your books for your signing this weekend, just the most recent, or should we bring our own copies?
P.S. I am sorry to hear about your cat. :(
Sepeyeonkqua,
Not a silly question, but unfortunately I don’t know the answer. You might try calling the Harvard Bookstore to ask!
I’m so sorry about Besame Mucho – I can’t even talk through my terror and worry about Gary when he’s at the vet, let alone when his time eventually comes. She must have had a wonderful year with you.
Yes, Seanan has a lot to answer for in the Newsflesh series. I still can’t think of the ending of Feed without feeling teary!
I am so sorry about your cat, but yes, for the last year of her life she was safe, and loved. That’s a lot. I lost my sweet Fatty about a year ago and swore I’d never get another cat, then two months later Lucy came strolling into my life, courtesy of the guys fixing cars on 177th street, who fed her and then couldn’t get her to leave. She’s not a replacement — Fatty, like your NukuNuku, was one in a million — but she’s become very important to me vey fast. Who knows what the universe will send you? Perhaps a little fuzzy angel will come around the corner one day soon.
and go you on that word count! You can do it!
Someone else will sneak into your life and you’ll be surprised by it, I’m sure. People like us weren’t meant to be catless. :)
Nothing that unusual about a cat who lives 15 years. Our previous cat lived that long, and our present cat is 17 and counting. He’s half deaf, and is getting a wee bit dotty, but still full of vitality.
But man do they leave a hole when they pass. And the only way to fill it is to get another one.
I’m so sorry about your cat. Sending good thoughts your way.
I’m sorry to hear that Besame Mucho has gone on to Kitty Heaven. My wife and I had to put down one of our two cats this past summer. It’s tough to lose pets because they become a part of you no matter how long they’re in our lives.
Sorry to hear about Besame Mucho. It’s always hard, whether it be young, frail, or elderly, but I think it’s harder when you know they should have had years ahead. At least she got love. And another one will steal your heart the moment you’re ready.
15, by the way, is not abnormally long to have a cat nowadays. Their average lifespan seems to be in the upper teens now. (A fact for which I am grateful, living as I am with a nearly 13 year old and an 11 year old. I still think of these as the new kitties.)
That’s devastating news about Besame Mucho! I’m so sorry for your loss.
Gosh, it’s so good to hear about your word count goals. I felt like I was failing myself miserably (same as you, mentally wrung out by the end of a work day) by not hitting my word tallies – but you make me realize I was setting myself really unrealistic goals! I’ll go a little easier on myself now I know what a pro like you sets out to do.
Condolences on your kitty, from one fur-baby mama to another.
Condolences on your loss. When I lost my dog late last June, it felt like I lost an invisible limb; she was that much a part of my life. We got her less than a year after our previous dog had to be put to sleep, and she was the best remedy to that pain. Not a replacement, but an entirely new and different being who put so much joy into life. Now she’s gone, too, (sigh) but another will come into my life, in time. Like you, I know I need that fuzzy-critter love too much. Your tears and pain show how important she was, so…let them flow as long as you need to. (hugs and comfort)
Speaking of catching up, I just (finally) finished the Inheritance Trilogy. Double and triple wow!!
On to the next books- thanks!