The Progress

On the aforementioned Impulsive Act, I received an immediate, positive response from one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite author/editor who has also somewhat been mentor along the way. She will send something soon, says she, and even gave me the opportunity to send something her way – that is if I can get it in soon. I think I can, but we’ll see.

Otherwise, no definite takers but I did get a thank you back from another well known author in the genre.

This is uncharted territory for me, but I’m so excited!

Yeah, I’m impulsive… so???

So, years I’ve been thinking about, talking about, taking notes for… an erotic anthology. You remember the whole spill of me giving myself specific timelines, like after I’m published in ten anthos, then twenty, then thirty, and well, I’ve passed thirty and I’m pretty sure I’ve been putting the damned thing off. I had at one point even convinced myself that no one would be interested/read/buy an antho with my name on the cover but still, over the years I jotted notes, sketched calls for submissions, imagined who I’d want to submit.

Then last week I found a worn out print out for one of those calls, figured I’d bring it with me on “the trip” and work on it in my spare time. Lo and behold, I forgot to bring it, but begin working on a new version of it this morning. I thought I was just getting it started for when i got my hands on the rough draft adn could really put a package together but after class today I guess I was so wound up that I went to writing and before I knew it I had shot off an email to an editor querying the proposal, even sent a CV and sample call. Then I started putting together a contact list in my email for my “dream authors” those special people I want to ask/beg/plead with to submit something for the official proposal and (hopefully) eventual book. I’ve had to do some tracking down of some people that I haven’t been in touch with and am even planning to reach out to a couple who may not know who the dickens I am, but geez I’m SUCH a big fan and I hope I don’t come off that way, lol.

Anyhoo, not that I have any readership right now in this recently reincarnated blog, but I was uncertain as to where to post… they’re not knocking down the door at MySpace, either.

What adult woman wants to live in a dorm?

Not this one, I tell ya, and I did everything short of falling onto my knees and begging not to come here. Unfortunately, it came down to this – report to The Academy for two weeks, get your training, get your fuckin’ certification and get it over with. The alternative – get another job. Or at the very least, go back to your old position at this job, and honestly, I kind of don’t want to do either so I picked the lesser of the two evils.

Today is the start of day 2 of my “Advanced Training.” I’m the minority in all sorts of ways, one of four black folks (yeah, I still scan the room and tick the numbers off on my fingers) one of only two women, one of the youngest (and I ain’t complaining about that one) and the only, only Corrections Officer.

Wow. Talk about the unexpected. My fellow classmates have been interesting though. It’s always interesting to listen in on how many robbers, murderers, rapists got bagged last month.

I’m staying in a military stylye dorm, which means I have to make up my bed (complete with the flowery comforter and fluffy, purple pillow) tight enough to bounce a quarter off of. I have my shoes – thong sandals, thank you, lined up at the foot of the bed and everything else neat and in its place or else. My mom would love this, come to think about it…

I guess my leg up is that I’m kinda computer saavy. I’m familiar with the software we’ll be using and I was one of those kids in kindergarten who did want to be a teacher when I grow up, so I guess in some ways it’s kind of all come full circle. I’m not working in my dream profession, but I enjoy where my job has taken me. I still get to do what I love and I haven’t lost hope for the ultimate dream.

Another positive – I have time to check email and blog and stuff before class every morning.

I need to pick one and stick to it, obviously.

I’m double blogging. I don’t post the same thing on both, though. The other is more of my “personal” blog. I talk about the writing there, too, but I talk about the kids, and I talk (in an around, about way) about my relationship now and then. But I have news that I believe is worthy of sharing on both, but I’m not about to retype and I don’t even want to cut and paste, so right now, linking is my friend:

My MySpace Post today.

Live and let.

I received an email last night from… ok, from here on out we’ll call this person The Editor. It was odd because for a time I had some “conflicting” feelings on how the whole anthology business went down. But all loose ends were tied in the end and I made a deal with myself to not work with this person again. It was kinda wierd the way we ended up working together in the first place, but anyhoo. So, the email asks if I had received my copies and my check… number one as if both were coming from the same place, number two as if I hadn’t already inquired about both before, the last inquiry (about the check) having not even been acknowledged. Ok, so I’m thinking, either this dude is seriously playing me, or, I blasted my last email off to the last address and he honestly had no knowledge of the mix-up. So, me, always willing to give the benefit of the doubt, I emailed back, let him know that I had received both – the books a long, long time ago and the check just last week.

In the email he also asked for a story for an upcoming call, asked if I had received/heard about said call, which I had and had actually had another conversation with him about (WTF???!!) but I kindly let him know that yes, I had received the call, and sure, I could write something.

So, I guess my thing is – am I being flaky? Was I making something out of nothing from the beginning? I mean the situation (monetarily) is/was small enough for me to let go, but business-wise, I’m not really sure I want to press forward.

Hmm. We’ll see.

Nothing Mysterious Here…

I’m so easy to figure out, it’s pathetic. I get bored; I get wonderlust, I change my hair, I change my blog(s). Damn, never in a million years would I have ever thought I would come to be so f’n predictable.

Do Not Disturb won an IPPY!

Ok, so Rachel won a Gold IPPY for editing this collection, which is wonderful by the way and houses one of my favorite stories by moi, An Honest Woman. Also among winners in the Erotica category was the ever wonderful, Violet Blue.

And.I’m.High.

Received my three Black Eyed Peas CD’s today. Yay! Listening to The End right now. Specifically, I’mma Be, my favorite.

And…

… I finally got paid for that reprint. The check came with a card with a hand-written note inside. Nice touch, but I still stand by my feelings on the whole situation.

Cutting to the chase…

The most recent rejection.