SURVIVING BAD GRAMMAR AND OTHER WORD TANGLES

SURVIVING BAD GRAMMAR AND OTHER WORD TANGLES

14 days until release

Monday, December 19

Bound to be gritting my teeth...
Are Mondays ever fun? Honestly, it's like karma sprinkled something really foul on the day in general. Today appears to be no exception. I have a mountain of reading to do for my day job--all of it in dire need of grammarizing. But I can't touch it. Torture, I'm telling you! How am I supposed to look at all those misused semi-colons without running and screaming?
Worse, I have to summarize it all in a neat little spread sheet we're supposed to socialize with the world. I'm supposed to keep it purely factual...but say a nice thing or two along the way. Hmm, I write fiction and I don't think even I can stretch the truth enough to say something nice. Like I've always heard, If you can't say anything nice... Yeah, I didn't say anything at all.

But Determined to do something productive today!
Once I'm home, it's back to chapter 11 of the manuscript in progress. Yet again I'm reminded why this wasn't working. I promptly start tearing it apart for, like, the 3rd time. I NEVER do this, so it's disconcerting. A friend writes to ask me if I saved the old version(s). Takes me at least ten minutes to stop laughing. Um, no.

Or not...
I pinpoint exact moment in the chapter that I started having problem...then promptly close the file. I need to be sending emails to people, don't I? Sure! I have a book coming out in two weeks, after all.

Certainly there's someone I haven't told. Let's see. Who do I know with the biggest mouth? That's a good place to start. Unfortunately, that would probably be me, so I need to look farther down the list. RWA chapters, check. Readers who have visited my website and entered contests, check. Neighbors, check. Grandmother (who will tell every single friend and relative I've never met), check. I'd love to hunt down one of my college professors who told me years ago that I was better at creating fiction than putting together a marketing plan. Hearing those words again would make me feel so much better.

I drop new emails to a few pros with big, wonderful websites who cater to readers everywhere. Maybe with their help I'll stop angsting. Well, it's a nice fantasy, anyway...

Running down the list:
So yicky Monday has finally ended. I did accomplish a few things:

• Moved forward on promotion plan for BOUND AND DETERMINED - COMPLETE (a little bit each day and hopefully something will help)
• Work on existing manuscript - COMPLETE (still wishing like hell I was finished!)
  10:30 pm - I'm tired tonight. But have to stop hubby and thank him for being chief cook and bottle washer these days. He's filled in every gap I haven't had time for since I found out that BOUND AND DETERMINED would be coming out early.

Except he draws the line at picking up the house beyond his office and the kitchen. So after half an hour of mindlessly shoving things back in closets and drawers for my folks' big arrival tomorrow, I collapse.

Tuesdays aren't karmically tainted, right?

Shelley Bradley

SURVIVING THE BIG HOLIDAY PUSH--Part II

SURVIVING THE BIG HOLIDAY PUSH Part II

15 days until release
Sunday, December 18

Bound to be totally bored...
Laundry day. Ugh! Got to be done, but it takes up the whole dang day! So fun folding clothes in-between trying to fix the drama my book in progress has become and trying to think of yet more people to tell about the pending release of BOUND AND DETERMINED. I'm running out of ideas. One of my single male cousins suggests telling the men in my office. Immediately, I'm thinking...no. I have to sit in meeting with these guys. I'd rather doing it without knowing they'd read my very detailed descriptions of sex. I'm just funny that way.

But Determined to find something fun to do!
Okay, so I've been working hard. I've nearly worked my way through the entire manuscript so far, pinning and tucking and tidying. I'm feeling better. I have a new plan. Don't I deserve a little bit of time to do some fun reading? Stop shaking your head. Yes, I do! Work with me, people.
I finish the book and sigh. I could go off on a rant about insecure heroines who are grateful for a man, even if he is a raving jerk, but I don't have that much space and I'm pretty sure you don't have that much time. So...I guess I need to look for another book. I content myself with the fact the Cowboys are playing, so I should be entertained by that.

Or be totally annoyed!
So, the game is over, and I'm wondering if the all-girls' school in the next town showed up, rather than the actual Dallas Cowboys. That was a butt-kicking if I ever saw one. I'm 2 for 2 today in the luck department. Hmmm. I'd go back to bed if I thought I'd actually sleep.
After dinner and a quick bath for my child, the day is over. And YES! The laundry is finally finished. 9 o'clock at night, but I'm done for another week.

So glad the day is over. I managed to:

• Moved forward on promotion plan for BOUND AND DETERMINED - COMPLETE (a teeny bit)
• Finish the laundry - COMPLETE (finally!)
• Work on existing manuscript - COMPLETE (wish to hell I was finished!)
  

11:00 pm - I'm off to bed. It occurs to me that I promised myself a manicure and pedicure about 10 days ago. I still haven't had time for it. In the race to get my house ready for the holidays, work on this book, promote the release of BOUND AND DETERMINED, the rewards for checking items off my list are just not happening. I'm on vacation from work from the 23rd until January 3rd. Hopefully, it will be much less hectic then! Stop laughing!

Shelley Bradley