Today I've written and read. Mostly I've read Locus and The Somnambulist but I've also had a good look at Starta och driva företag (a 'how-to' book about running a private business). I've thought some more on what to call said business and settled (so far) on "Ormes Text & Tal" (text and speech). That way I can (mentally at least) squeeze in my guide-work if ever I get some again.

I've also been laundering. Boring work, laundering. I try to spice it up with a fika while the machines do the hard work. My favorite coffee-shop is just around the corner and the friendly staff there look after my laptop and coffee while I run down (across a patch of grass, aprox 30 seconds walk) to the laundry room to change machines. It takes the tedium away and I reward myself with carrot cake after a successful laundry session. Folding, you ask? Not immediatly. I tend to drag that out infinitely. I try to get better at it but it usually takes a day or so. Yeah, I know. I'm not the best housekeeper, I can't be good at everything! *laugh*

Now for some copy-writing work. Then I get to watch Poirot (oh, the prettiness of the Poirot is almost too much!) and eat dinner. I've also promised myself an early evening, I have yoga tomorrow early and I'm not at my best game when I get too little sleep.

I've got two days off from work to write. It is glorious! In the last three weeks I've barely written a word, so I complained to my lovely boss who took it to heart and let me arrange for two days off. Today I started with a yoga class, had a little nap (until 10) then wrote for two hours, went for a fika</a> with K and talked about writing. Back to writing at two o'clock and I've been at it since. With small brakes for napping and eating.

Since I'm home alone tonight I'll be writing most of the time anyway. I want to get the story rolling so I can toss in a mornings work here and there without first having to recap all I was supposed to say/do/plant. So far it's looking good!

Yesterday the 'net was all atwitter with the new episode of Dr. Horrible's Sing-along-blog, and today I got to watch it. Yeah, I know, I'm behind all you trend sensitive guys with a stable internet connection. Can't help it, mine is not the most reliable there is.

Well, never mind that! Who can resist when a (soon to be) super villain says in act one "It's not about making money, it's about taking money!", I just wonder? Or when a certain cheezy super hero sings "Captain Hammer's here, hair blowing in the breeze. The day needs my saving expertise."

And my favorite from the second act, "Go ahead and laugh, yeah I'm a funny guy." And no, you're not supposed to think that's funny until you actually sees what he's doing.

Oh, and did I mention the Evil League of Evil? Or the singing, ryhming cowboys? A thing to die for!

Or "The world's a mess and I need to... rule it." Yeah, you and me buddy! I could be your laundromat-buddy!

Ever since that one publishing house sent a reply saying they would read my book and get back to me I've checked that e-mail address with a regularity bordering on OCD. I've even created a folder called Publishing Contacts (I'm ever the optimist). When I opened that folder today, to read that letter over again and check the date on it (only three weeks old) a commercial banner appeared. It read:

Do you want to publish your book? (insert web page here) We help you professionally and affordable to publish your own book.

I SO hope that was just a coincidence.

Gods, I really like Buffy the Musical! It's about the only record in the store that doesn't get old.

I'm battling a craving for everything sweet and fatty. I can stand here all day  wishing for a danish with fruit, a latte macchiato, a box of chocolates, a slice of pizza, a croissant with apricot jam... You get the drift. I try to keep up morale with rye crisp bread, but it's just not the same! My, rather tiny, kingdom for a bag of jelly candy!

Neil Gaiman is signing black t-shirts he stopped using and give them away to be sold/auctioned. Boy, do I want one! And yes, that makes me feel like the worst fan-girl ever.
It feels hard to admit what I wouldn't give to be able to dress in one of his old t-shirts... I have no self respect.

I've been almost nonexistent these last three weeks. That's because just as I recovered from the flu from hell I got the tummy-bug from that very same place! I felt almost like a human when I was on my back in bed, but as soon as I moved I was returned to the state of a six year old, crying for mummy. Sad really.

Well, here I am, back at work. I'm in a full hour before we open because I felt the need to do yoga again (three weeks with only one session, my back was cramping!). If that was a good choice or not remains to be seen.

The weekend was lovely. We had friends over for dinner. As always with those two (C and A) my head was full of ideas and inspiration when they left! I wanted nothing as much as to sit down and write. Sadly work was claiming my attention. I've been too ill to write, too ill to read and the connection at home has been down all this time, so no internet. I found out that I was due some copy texts this week that I really needed to start up asap.

I've also entertained dreams of a third room to the apartment, for library-office kind of use. It's only dreams of course, but it got me thinking of the possibility of an office space somewhere in town. Would be nice to have all the papers from my copy job in one place, all the receipts and all the reference books as well. That would free some shelf space for more recreational books. Shelf space is good. When I start up my firm I might get an office. Might.

That's another thing I've had time to ponder. What would I call said firm? It's not terribly important of course, but I like to think about names and this one would be tightly connected to my writing so I feel like it matters. Any ideas?

Yesterday was one of those special days when almost all of our regulars came in to the store for a chat and a quick hello. I like that. Even if it means they have vacation and I haven't...

I've mentioned them before, but here goes!

A fantasy social networking site - forums, events, author chats - has
been set up at:

http://wonderlands.ning.com


For all things fantasy - wherever you are in the world - Wonderlands
is well worth a visit.

Visit Wonderlands at: http://wonderlands.ning.com

I've heard of titzian red before but... Yesterday I realized that the colors I helped pick out for the bathroom at work were a distinct hellboyish red instead. So we followed up the theme with a border in between the two red shades where we wrote "hastur" an unwholesome number of times.  We have painted the kitchen sand and the other bathroom light blue. It's really pretty, but the mignola red bathroom's still the prettiest!

Outside the sun shines like nobody's business and here I stand, wishing I was out there. So this is what full time feels like? Thanks but no thanks!

I'm better than yesterday, something I can see quite clearly from my bad temper... I'm still not well enough for a swim in the ocean. Hence the bad temper.

Saturday at the store's as lovely as usual though. People have their holiday faces on and seem to have all he time in the world. Just this minute a customer came in, bought a book, packed it in his backpack with a picnic blanket, a bottle of water and a pillow! That's weekend for you! Oh no, I'm not envious at all...

I thought I was well. I went off to work as if I've never been ill to begin with and arrive at work a shadow of my former self. And the day went downhill from there.

The highlight of the day was when a friend came in to the shop and we discussed how and why and what should be in a bible of my book. A thought that have kept me occupied the rest of the day. It even gave me something to think about when I was in such a bad shape I had to go home early. Thank Ceiling Cat L showed up when she did! I was of no use what so ever by then.

To illustrate:
9.45 - Wow, I feel all well! I'm going to work, yay!
9.48 - Boy, I can't remember it was this far! Have I gone straight past it? I must have been biking forever!
9.55 - Hi, boss! Can I go home now?

The rest of the day was a series of conversations started and faltered because I forgot what I was about before I finished the sentence.

So I went home and fell asleep on the sofa. Always a good way to get interesting patterns on your face.

The only piece of good news I have is an email from one of the publishers that told me they received my manuscript and will read it, don't expect any news the next two to three months, thank you.

Oh, and I found Wonderland. A lovely community for those interested in fantasy (reading, writing, selling, drawing or otherwise). Turned out I was the first Swede there!

Most unwelcome was the last weeks uninvited guest- Summer Flu. This horrid companion shows up when you least need the distraction, least can afford to loose the time and preferably when you have your life planned down to the last minute of every day.
I'm no exception.

I've lost the last week to the flu. I've missed out on a lot of nice people, on some social gatherings, on a movie or two and on a lot of writing time. Today I got robbed of the first day in a month when the weather was good enough to go to the ocean. I'm too tired and have a heavy head cold so there will be no walking along the seaside for me.

I've tried to use the time, when I was lucid enough to think, to read some books I've left for too long and some that I got sent last week. I just looove to be called a professional reader and get books in mysterious packages that show up as a secret gift. My new-found training discipline got shot to hell, but what can you do? There is no way I could manage the breathing exercises with this cold, not to mention how my body would react to the 40 C heat in the yoga studio. No, I've read books, blown my nose and cursed my fate instead of working on my head-to-knee position.

To make it perfect I've managed to infect my sweetest. No rest for the wicked... Oh, and did I mention that this was the only week I've had time to spare? As of tomorrow I work full time and have a busy copy schedule as well.

With my yoga mat hung to dry in the shower at work I found this hilarious!


more cat pictures

So, the holidays are over. It was splendid going away for a few days and I met a lot of friends and got to hang out with complete strangers, eat way too much food with a seasonal theme, having my clothes smell of fire smoke and all this in a ruined castle! I'm so going back next year! (If I get invited of course...)

A sure sign of my advanced age is were the sleeping arrangements. All the other years we've slept in tents, on peoples floors, ten to a room - you get the picture. This year we've opted for the comfort and ease of a cabin! Yeah, I slept in a cabin. And we didn't cram it full of people either, just the two of us. I must be getting old...

Back at work I struggle with the feeling that I should be spending all my time with next Udda instead of standing here in sweltering heat. It's not productive to long for my computer the entire day just to get home and die a little in the sofa instead. I'm way too tired when I have the time to write to actually get it done. Next week, I promise myself, next week I'll have three days off and plenty of time to write.

It's a nice feeling to actually look forward to start upp again. I was a little afraid that I wouldn't feel the pull of the new story over the angst from the last one. But right now I'm carried by a wave of well-wishers and (I hesitate to call them that) fans. The massive approval from my near and dear ones have mattered a lot, not to mention the compliments I get from people further removed- that counts and I'll try to remember it all when the going gets tough.

The new books title? Well, I'm not sure really. If you have any opinions they're welcome. It will be about Udda so I'll probably use a title with her name in it, maybe with the second meaning of the word as well.

more cat pictures

Tomorrow is Midsummer's Eve and I'm looking forward to it immensely! The national holiday coincides with the actual event for once. We are free from work tomorrow AND it's the longest day!

The last couple of years we've celebrated it with a certain friend, R, wherever he's at. Since he works at a lot of different places around the country (that is the life of an archaeologist after all) we've spent Midsummer's Eve at exotic places like Eketorp (iron age fortification on Öland). This year we're going to Bohus fästning in Kungälv (another fortification, this time from the Middle Ages) where he's acting blacksmith for Kompani Bastard (a reenactment group).  They have a camp there and do guided tours of the castle. Even if I'm not going in period dress it's going to be great! Midsummer's Eve in a ruined castle. Can it get any better?! It can! I get to spend it with people I love and miss in my day-to-day life.

And tonight I'll get to play Arkham Horror! Oh, the joy! I'm proud owner of Kingsport Expansion, but I'm not sure we'll be able to even brake open the box tonight... Ah, well, I can't get everything at once. That wouldn't be fair.

Have a great Midsummer's Eve everyone!

When I'm in the writing frenzy mode I'm not competent socially, I'm not very attentive to my sweetest and I probably have a number of other qualities I'm not aware of (not sure I want to become aware of them come to think of it) and then I read this on Neil Gaimans blog (from Samuel R. Delany's About Writing:

"I was just struck by this paragraph from one of the letters -- to someone who wishes he or she was a writer, but probably isn't. And I thought, I should put it up here for all the people who write to me convinced that they would be happy if only they were writers.

Writers are people who write. By and large, they are not happy people. They're not good at relationships. Often they're drunks. And writing -- good writing -- does not get easier and easier with practice. It gets harder and harder -- so eventually the writer must stall out into silence.The silence that waits for every writer and that, inevitably, if only with death (if we're lucky the two may happen at the same time: but they are still two, and their coincidence is rare), the writer must fall into is angst-ridden and terrifying - and often drives us mad. (In a letter to Allen Tate, the poet Hart Crane once described writing as "dancing on dynamite.") So if you're not a writer, consider yourself fortunate.

(Hey, I thought when I read that, at least I'm not a drunk.)"

And I second that. At least I'm not a drunk. And I'm happy sometimes. Life is good in comparison to the drunk-lousy relationship-prognosis! The long wait for replies from publishers has started. I'll keep you posted.

This is a little homage to the guy who brought me a button saying "I read chick-lit without embarrassment". He had it made for me specially! Chick-lit are here to stay, get used to it.



more cat pictures

... how ever will I cope? =)

I went to a clothes-swap a month or so back and Grön Stad (a newspaper covering  local news about environment and the like). I got my picture taken and was asked a few questions - now I'm in the paper in a pretty, white dress from the '70s. It's lovely, the picture are not bad and I'm quoted correctly! Check it out, nr 2, 2008, page 14. It's downloadable as pdf.

So- I'm in the student magazine in Lund, cleverly disguised as "the next Doris Lessing in the classroom" (I love it when they phrase it so you can use it to your advantage, especially since I'm in the center of the picture below the title...), then I was interviewed for Mahskara (Malmö Högskolas studenttidning) about time travel (!) and now I'm in every household, in my pretty swapped dress!