In the Queue 11

Hiro from Heroes, just in case you hadn't realized I am a geek yet.

I did it! I survived deadline hell week! I met all my deadlines, even the ones for pitches that I didn't really *have* to do. Hallefreakinlujah.

All work and no play makes Ellis a dull girl, so I'm looking forward to wrapping this post up and then chillaxing in the sun for a while. Now on to the queue!


Fiction

With pressing deadlines looming, I didn't get any work done in my novel this past week. I am, however, excited about The Sea Queen Daughter's blog tour, which kicks off on Monday. It's going to be epic! I'll be posting much more about it next week and hope you'll take time to say hi on my perambulations across the bookternet.

Reading: I started Zen Attitude, the second book in the Rei Shamura series by Sujata Massey, last night during an insomnia attack. I need to move somewhere where there's not a big difference in the seasons; changes from summer to fall and spring to summer kill me.


Nonfiction

Too much to detail, so in summation: this past week I wrote and edited 2 feature articles, a chapter for an essay collection, 4 short articles, 2 guest blog posts and an interview, plus 2 pitches. I'm not sure my brain is functioning as normal right now...

Reading: I have one chapter left in Take a Closer Look and I'm bound and determined to finish it SOON. Today, if possible.


That's all for this week. See you next week for The Sea Queen's Daughter blog tour!

In the Queue 10

Just swimming along...

What a weird, stressful week. I decided over the weekend that I wasn't going to write for a certain company anymore; unfortunately, they were my major source of income, so I'm a bit worried and stressed about finding another gig to replace them. I haven't been sleeping, my reading time keeps getting interrupted, and one of the dogs got really sick on Wednesday night. She kept panicking and flailing around and would only calm down if someone was holding her. I need some major happy, distracting and/or inspiring entertainment, stat.

In the meantime, on to the queue...


Fiction

Planning/Editing/Writing: Not much news to report this week. I only managed to write a few pages in Bank Robber's Special (still working on the title) over the week, probably one of the reasons I'm in a MOOD. Writing isn't therapy but sometimes it has the same effect. The blog tour for The Sea Queen's Daughter is filled so now I just need to focus on guest posts.

Reading: This week I finished Death Without Company by Craig Johnson. It was much better than the first book in the series, The Cold Dish—shorter and with more things happening. Currently I'm reading Animal Farm by George Orwell for an essay I'm writing. If Boxer dies I am going to be VERY upset, you guys. Oh, and I'm re-listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on audiobook.


Non-Fiction

Planning: An article on Doctor Who and how it's become a touchstone for feminist and colonial issues because of its popularity and worldwide audience. Just heard today that the new season won't start until fall 2014, incidentally.

Editing: More artist profiles.

Writing: Today is more of editing day for me. If I get time to write I want to focus on my fiction stuff and write up a review of Death Without Company.

Reading: Since I haven't had a lot of time to read, I haven't made much of dent in Take a Closer Look, the book about art interpretation I started last week.



What have you been up to this week?

In the Queue 9

What's the haps.

Hello, everyone! Do you recognize the park in this picture? It's the Val-de-Marne in Paris. I have Paris on the brain lately. This morning I've been playing "J'ai Deux Amours" on a loop on my iTunes. I have two loves: my country and Paris. Maybe someday I'll move to Paris, you never know.

Can you believe summer's almost over? I hate fall. My birthday's coming up and I'm already wishing I could go into a coma and wake up when it's over, uhg. But that's still a few weeks off, so on to the queue!


Fiction

Planning: The blog tour for The Sea Queen's Daughter is coming together nicely and I'm super excited about it!

Writing: Still working on the noir story. I'm wondering what to call it; the title when I initially abandoned it was Beefcake Special, because I had some vague idea of making the hero take his shirt off constantly for no reason. Which I can still do, of course, but it doesn't sound very noir-ish. Now I'm thinking maybe The Old Five and Dime? Stay tuned.

Reading: I FINALLY finished The Cold Dish this week and was like, "Yay, I can move on with my life!" After which I immediately picked up the next book in the series, Death Without Company. What can I say, I was feeling lonely without my guys. I'm also re-listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on audiobook. By pure coincidence, this weekend marks the 15th anniversary of its release.


Non-Fiction

Planning: I was contracted to write an essay about George Orwell. I'll admit right now that I have very little knowledge of Orwell and have never read any of his books. So that's going to take some research.

Editing: A press release about an artist. I enjoy writing these things, strangely.

Writing: Meh.

Reading: An art book called Take a Closer Look. It's set up to read like fake letters or conversations, so it has a socratic feel. Terribly clever.


That's all for this week! Do any of you have plans for the weekend?

In the Queue and Tim Gunn Should Be Batman

This week has been okay. Everything has felt a little blah lately, honestly. I might be getting bored. That's never good; when I get bored I start making unwise decisions.

As you may know, I've been watching Project Runway again this season, and I was sooo happy Tim Gunn saved Justin last night. Yay Tim Gunn Save! I was sobbing all over the place when he was eliminated and my mom was like, "You are NOT crying right now." But then Tim said he could stay in the competition! HUGS ALL AROUND YOU GUYS.

In other news, I'm finding it hard to imagine Ben Affleck (Batfleck!) as Batman. But then I probably won't see the movie either way, so my opinion's not worth much.

And now on to the queue...


Fiction

Planning: A book tour for The Sea Queen's Daughter. I'm scheduling guest posts or author interviews for the week of September 23rd. If you have a blog and are interested in participating, please feel free to e-mail me or DM me on Twitter.

Writing: I'm still working on the bank heist noir. I have no idea what to call this book. It's very different from my other stories: for one, it's told in the third person present, which is not a typical tense for me at all, but the story just felt like it wanted to be told that way. Secondly, the tone is much darker than my usual light mystery fare. I hope people like it!

Reading: I've been slogging through A (The?) Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. It's not that bad of a book, it's just that it's the first in the series, so there's a lot of exposition about things I already know thanks to the Longmire TV show. I also started reading it when I was really busy, and as a result I now feel like I will NEVER EVER FINISH THIS STUPID BOOK. Seriously, I've been reading it for over a week and I'm barely halfway through. And it's 300 pages. I'd skim the rest but it's not really the type of book you can skim. UHG. I just want to move on with my life.


Non-fiction

Planning: That post on the roots of the phrase "What's your poison." I think I've mentioned that before in the queue.

Editing: I just finished editing three short book reviews, and I need to finish an article on Albrecht Dürer today.

Writing: This!

Reading: This week I finished a really fun reprint of a 1930 cocktail book called Shake 'Em Up. The appetizer recipes are so bizarre I just HAVE to try them. This book might be a must-buy for me; I definitely recommend you hunt down a copy.


That's all for this week! What's have you been up to?

In the Queue 7

I am so hungry right now, you guys.

I almost forgot to write my queue post today! I'm pet-sitting this week, which means I have two sets of demanding dogs to take care of, and less time to read and get things done. Except for watching Game of Thrones, of course. I'm almost finished with the second season. Have you noticed NO ONE on that show wears underwear?

Anyway, I still managed to have a few productive days this week. Not this day, though, so let's move on the queue...



Fiction

Writing: I just started writing a story about a man who is unwittingly involved in a bank robbery. I have a feeling this one is going to be pretty short, and I'm planning on making it grittier than any of my other mysteries. You can read the first few paragraphs here.

Reading: I started The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. It's the first book in his Longmire mystery series; Longmore is is a Wyoming sheriff. I don't really want to read the series in order but my mom's making me, haha (she is, though). I'm also still reading The Seven Sleuths' Club. I'm so into it I go days without reading it.



Non-fiction

Planning: After struggling to write two food-related articles last month, this month I have TONS of ideas I'm planning to write about.

Editing: An article about painting styles and three artist profiles.

Writing: An article about photographs that impacted the world in some way.

Reading: Nothing, but I have some cocktail books at the library I'm looking forward to digging into.



What's in your queue this week?

In the Queue 6

This looks like a fun place to be...

Hello, readers! How has the week been treating you? I've been pretty depressed this whole week, honestly. I think I just really need a holiday; I find myself fantasizing about taking a WHOLE DAY OFF. What luxury! I even was tempted to apply for a grant to do research in Moscow, that's how bad it is. Moscow, the land of bad night clubs and vodka, the only alcohol I absolutely can't stand. Still, I might apply, why not?

Speaking of Russia, last night on Project Runway the hot-blooded Sergio left the show (or was kicked off? hard to say) because he wasn't being appreciated. *tiniest violin in the world* That means all the other horrible designers got to stay. Sometimes I wish they'd just cull the designers who are obviously not going to win, which at this point would be half of them. Oh, and Tim Gunn is starting to sound like Yoda: "Sad it may be; necessary it IS." Make it work, Luke!

And now on to the queue...



Fiction


Editing: My main project this week has been editing The Real McGill. I'm almost done. It's going to need more editing after this first pass, for sure.

Planning: Once The Real McGill is done I plan to start thinking about publishing The Lonely Hipster.

Writing: Nothing, at the moment. I'm torn between starting the third and final book in the Hipstery series, editing another short story I want to polish up, or writing something completely different. I'll have to see where next week takes me.

Reading: This week I finished The Suicide Shop by Jean Teulé. If I had to describe it in one sentence, it would be The Addams Family meets Amélie (and personally I love The Addams Family, so). For the most part it was a really fun read, even though the story lost focus near the end and the conclusion didn't fit in with the theme of the book AT ALL.



Non-fiction

Planning: To write a tribute to Barbara Mertz (also know as Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels), who died on Thursday. I'll probably sob all over it.

Editing: Nada.

Writing: I'm in the middle of an article about early 20th-century novels with more fully-realized/independent female characters than most 21st-century books. That's going pretty slowly.

Reading: Nothing, again. It's all I can do to read an hour's worth of novels these days. Sad.



What's on your plate this week?

In the Queue 5

What's the haps for the week of August 2nd.


Bonjour, mes amis. Some big news this week: The Sea Queen's Daughter is now available on Amazon and has its own Goodreads page! If Venice, Carnevale, magic, and romance at all pique your interest... well. You should def check it out. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Okay, so what did you all think of Timothy's elimination from Project Runway last night? I mean, the guy was definitely the weakest designer of the bunch, but at least he was a genuinely good person, unlike SOME people. The drama was just so high school and awful *not overidentifying at all*.

Now on to the queue!



Fiction


Planning: I'm thinking about revisiting a book that I plotted out but then decided wasn't working. It was meant to be a light-hearted caper romance, but maybe it will work better as a noir novel. I'll have to look over my notes and see.

Editing: I'm finally ready to start on initial edits for The Real McGill. These things can't be rushed, you know (well, they can be, but why?).

Writing: Still plotting out the final volume in my "hipstery" series. This one is taking more planning than the others because there are a lot more suspects.

Reading: I finished The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Galbraith," aka JK Rowling, yesterday. I have many FEELS about it. Basically, the beginning was great, but the middle dragged and the mystery was ridonkulous. But I think if you like JK Rowling it's worth reading. I also started a book called Lick by Kylie Scott. So far it's hot rock star goodness.



Non-Fiction


Planning: A lot of articles right now. I'd like to write about why we read books, the historical roots of the phrase "What's your poison," Manet's illustrations for The Raven, etc. Whether or not I'll get to all these articles by the end of next week is the question.

Editing: Entries for a gallery catalog I'm contributing to.

Writing: A PR release for an artist.

Reading: Zippo. I'm just not in the mood to read non-fiction right now, even foodie books. But if you've across a good cocktail book, let me know.



What's happening in your life this week?

In the Queue 4

What's happened, what's happening and what's about to happen for July 26th.

The last In the Queue post for July! Where did the month go? Time usually feels like it's crawling to me, but not this month. We got a new puppy, so that has given me a lot to do, and I've resolved to devote at least half my day to fiction writing, or fiction writing related activities like this post.

Is anyone still watching Project Runway? I was hesitant after last season, which was insaaaaanely boring, but so far this season has been better. That Timothy guy is ridic annoying.

Anyway, on to the queue!



Fiction

Planning: I should dig into editing The Real McGill, which I finally finished this week. But I haven't yet. I'm scared.

Editing: *eloquent shrug*

Writing: I started writing the summary of the third and final volume in my "hipstery" series (hipsters + mystery, haha). I write summaries instead of outlines, because outlines are too linear for me. This one is going to be a twist on a classic mansion murder mystery. I'm pretty stoked.

Reading: I finished The Salaryman's Wife. Even though the mystery was super-easy to figure out and a lot of the plot twists were telegraphed, I really loved Sujata Massey's voice. I'll definitely be continuing with this series.

Last night I started The Cuckoo's Calling by "Robert Galbraith," but I'm only 2 pages in so no verdict yet.

On the classics front, I put Treasure Island aside for a bit because it kept putting me to sleep. No joke. Nevertheless, I'm determined to finish it, eventually. The other book I started is called The Seven Sleuths' Club by Carol Norton. It's kind of a precursor to The Babysitters Club. And by precursor I mean I would be bloody shocked if Ann M. Martin hadn't read The Seven Sleuths' Club at some point in her life.



Non-fiction

Planning: To write a review of The Salaryman's Wife and a press release for a gallery in NYC.

Editing: Two articles for Food Riot. Last minute McGee, that's me!

Writing: Just this at the moment.

Reading: I am sadly behind on my non-fiction reading. And even my fiction reading, for that matter. It's kind of stressing me out. Right now I'm lucky if I can get an hour of reading in during the day.



That's all for this week! Anything of note happening your life?

In the Queue 3

What's happened, what's happening and what's about to happen for July 19th.

Wow, three weeks in a row! I think that's a record for me when it comes to blog features. Today the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer because I have cramps (TMI, I know, but I do really hurt). But I have to because I have things I need to get done—like this post!

Before I get to the queue, don't forget to check out my guest post today at A Buckeye Girl Reads about amateur sleuths and my research into whether or not they're just fiction.



Fiction

Planning, Editing, Writing: Grouping these together because there has been no change whatsoever on the fiction front. I didn't work on my novels at all this week. What DID I do with my week, anyway? I don't even know.

Reading: Finally finished The Lady Vanishes by Ethel White and it was okay, but the movie is much better. Right now I'm reading The Salaryman's Wife by Sujata Massey and Treasure Island (you probably know who that's by). Gave up on Secret of the Night because the audiobook narrator and I just weren't getting along.



Non-Fiction

Planning: I agreed to do a large-ish project of 20 articles for a client to be completed in the next two weeks, so I'm planning on devoting most of my time to that in the future. I also need to write another foodie post.

Editing: Just finished editing an article, so nothing in the queue at this moment.

Writing: Nothing right at this moment, although I SHOULD be working on those 20 articles.

Reading: Kind of annoyed because I have to return The Drunken Botanist to the library before I've even had a chance to crack it open. Such is life, as my grandma would say.



What's in your queue this week?

In the Queue 2

What's happened, what's happening and what's about to happen.

It seemed as if this past week went by really quickly! I think because of the holiday; it threw my sense of timing off. In any event, I'm looking forward to The Daily Show and Colbert Report coming back on air next week.

Last night my mom and I watched The Bridge on FX (instead of Snarknado), and it was actually pretty entertaining! I think it's definitely a show we're going to put on our DVR queue. I recommend checking it out if you're a fan of mystery dramas. I believe it's based on a Norwegian series, but the American version is set on the Juarez/El Paso border.

Now on to the queue...



Fiction

Planning: to visit the blogs for The Aspen House blog tour, which is being hosted by ABG Reads Book Tours and will start on Monday, July 15th. There will be reviews, excerpts, and guest posts by moi. To check out the schedule, visit ABG Reads Book Tours. I'd love to have you drop by!

Editing: nada. I didn't even get around to TSQD this week.

Writing: I'm so close to finishing The Real McGill I can taste it.

Reading: The Wheel Spins, aka The Lady Vanishes by Ethel Lina White; and The Secret of the Night by Gaston Leroux.



Non-fiction

Planning: articles on classics that pass the Bechdel Test and maybe an ode to Underberg? Idk, I need to write a foodie post, though, before I get kicked out of the club house (i.e. Food Riot). Or maybe a piece on how women are targeted for being drinkers? Hmm.

Editing: I started editing that paper on rock art and realize it was going to be a MUCH larger job than I had anticipated. So... yeah. Still working on that.

Writing: Right now? Just this.

Reading: No non-fiction reading for me at the moment. I'm struggling just to keep up with fiction!



What's in your queue for the week?

In the Queue 1

What's happened, what's happening and what's about to happen.

The blog has been pretty quiet lately, so I thought it would be fun to start a new feature where I share what I'm currently working on. I'm dividing it into fiction and non-fiction categories, since I write both and tend to go into periods where I focus on one or the other. Right now I'm in a fiction writing craze (although I'm still working on non-fiction stuff because that's a steadier income).

Anyway! Here's what's in the queue this week:

Fiction

Planning: to publish The Sea Queen's Daughter as soon as I do a final read-through and format the manuscript for publication.

Editing: nothing, actually, aside from final edits for TSQD.

Writing: my second "hipstery," the sequel to The Lonely Hipster (not yet published), called The Real McGill. I took a long break in the middle of this one, but I'm very close to completing the first draft.

Reading: I also read stuff! Right now I'm reading A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn and The Hour of the Dragon by Robert E. Howard.

Non-fiction

Planning: an article about Edouard Manet's illustrations for "The Raven," which I want to submit to the Edgar Allan Poe magazine, Poe Forevermore.

Editing: I *should* be editing a paper on rock art for publication, but I'm currently ignoring it.

Writing: Struggling over an article where I compare/contrast The Sheik and Fifty Shades of Grey. I think this an article that needs to be written, I'm just not sure how best to approach it yet.

Reading: I started The Riddle of the Labyrinth a few days ago, but it hasn't really captured my attention.



What you working on this week?