11.2.13

890 words today. Not a great start to NaNoWriMo, but I have been having a wee bit of kittius interruptus, and my parents have come for a visit. I knew I'd be late to the game this month, I'm just trying to keep the word counts in the 1k range daily so I don't get too far behind. A nice big fat 10k day will catch me up, so I'm not too worried.

I generally write very linearly, moving from scene to scene, chapter to chapter, adding to things in the order they appear in the book. But every once in a while, I get a wild hair and can't wait to set down a future scene. That's where my word count came from today. The second to last chapter, actually. It's kind of nice knowing so early on where I need to end up. Normally that doesn't happen until much, much later.

I thought I brought home kittehs, but I was wrong. They are minions. Homicidal minions, at that. Jordan has already buried her mouse, dug it up, and proceeded to drown it when my back was turned. And she's supposed to be the shy one.

I will buy them more mice tomorrow, as well as a fishing pole with ribbons that I think they will go bonkers for. And try to get words while they dance about. Life, it is good.

11.1.13

The universe works in mysterious ways.  

I got nothing done today - the first day of NaNoWriMo. But I have a darn good excuse.  

It's been a week of strange, dislocated disappointments. When I finally steeled myself to go get a kitten,  I thought I was going to have the same experience as last time, where I saw Jade at the shelter, and bam, that was it. 

This time, we had lukewarm feelings toward a bunch of adorable kittens, from several places and connections, which was bizarre. I mean, you're supposed to click, right? And I didn't. Maybe it was my own fault, the walls I've built around my heart to protect myself from falling in love again. I found several snuggly sweeties, but none I couldn't stop thinking about. And whatever the reason, all of those adoptions fell through.  

But I wasn't heartbroken over any of them. So last night, before I went to bed, I celebrated Samhain in my own way, with a candle, and the memories of those I love, and at the end, I sat with Jade's ashes, and asked her for help. That she could give me a sign, or a zing, or a dream, something that allowed me to know what to do. 

I woke this morning with vigor. We were going to go to the shelter again and this time, really open up. And just as we were leaving, I received an email from the Director of Happy Tales Humane in Franklin, TN. She had a new batch of kittens, just spayed, that were approved for adoption overnight, and there were silver tabbies in the litter. 

I hightailed it down to Franklin, and I am so excited to tell you, I found a kitten. Actually, two. Twins. Two little girl love bunnies, silver and gray and soft and fuzzy and the cute, it burns.   

Jade was one hell of a cat. The fact that it takes two to step into her very large paws doesn't surprise me in the least.  

 And so, I give you our two new adorables, Jameson and Jordan.

10.31.13

Happy Halloween!

What a strange day. Started with a bang, a great idea from CC on the book that has morphed into a great plot point. Did a bunch of mental work on that, in between waiting to hear if our application for twin kittens had been approved. (Yes, I'm still driving around town with kitten gear in my trunk, but no kitten.)  Sadly, we were denied. We've had four adoptions fall through now, and I'm getting the sense the universe is trying to tell me something.

Halloween was cancelled here in Nashville due to strong storms and possible tornadoes. So I am hunkered down with a Manhattan and a raft of chocolate and sweet tarts, and may the force be with the kids if there's nothing left tomorrow. 

Spooky dreams! 

10.30.13

Rather an awful day, all the way around, wasn't it? So sorry to hear about my friend Michael Palmer's passing. He was a super cool, super sweet guy, who always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone. And he writes some amazingly cool thrillers. In times like these, all we can do is send the family love, and buy extra copies of the books. We've lost too many friends this year, that's for sure.  I'm just heartbroken for everyone -- he touched a lot of lives. We're sending prayers to the Palmers tonight.

We didn't have any luck with the feline situation, either. That is to say, the universe threw a loop, as the universe is wont to do. I'm having a terrible time with this decision anyway -- I know, I know, it's a cat. But cats are familiars, and the choice is an important one. 

We found a kitten last night we fell in love with -- 5 weeks, rescued from a dumpster. Absolutely precious little girl. So while she spent the night getting her shots, we picked out a name, resurrected some of Thrillercat's toys and bed that I haven't had the heart to get rid of, realized they were too old and this kitten needed new stuff. I spent an hour shredding newspaper for the litter box, then went this morning and bought a bed, sisal mat, cage (kitten is too small to be allowed to roam a room just yet), the cutest pink dishes, the works.

We even settled on a name. 

I didn't sleep at all last night, worrying, wondering, hoping.  I had the feeling something was off, and I couldn't figure out what it was. Fear, my subconscious said. Just fear.

We showed up to bring her home, and when I walked in I knew something was wrong. And then they told me, she is actually a he. They messed up. As a matter of fact, the entire litter are boys.

Which shouldn't be a big deal, but I've had my heart set on a little girl. Enough so that after an hour of deliberation, we left, sans kitten. 

And I've felt horrible all day.  It really shouldn't matter, right? I love all the boys in my life. I've just never had a boy cat, outside of a Tomcat named Morris who came around when I was little. He was all white, and appeared on our back deck the day Morris the cat, of TV fame, died. I told my mom, awe in my voice, he was Morris, reconstituted.

Yeah.

So it's time to sleep on it, and hug on my hubby, and perhaps the universe will tell me what to do. 

Sweet dreams. 

10.29.13

1400 today, with some fun surprises. I love it when something happens I don't see coming. I've done a lot of research for this book, so I anticipate many situations like this. Research is best handled with the iceberg mentality: what you see is just a tiny bit if what I've learned along the way. And the research for this book has been so totally cool...

I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo - I've said many times that every month is NaNo around here, but I generally write between 30-45k a month, and NaNo is a goal of 50k. Totally doable, and I love the frantic month of creativity. I'm starting a bit late, too, because my parents are coming this weekend. Well worth having to make up time. 

Writing was interspersed with some interesting feline inquiries. I may have news on this front tomorrow. I don't mean to be oblique, but I don't want to get my cart before the horse. I'll tell you though, seeing animals in cages never, ever gets easier. If you're thinking about adopting, please do. There are so many animals who need a loving home, and will worship you for saving their lives.

Sweet dreams!