The Tales of Missus P.

#AugustBreak2013 Day 31

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

I skipped yesterday. Totally forgot. I had a photo to use for the sign theme [HERE] too but I just didn’t even remember to do it. I was busy editing and trying to keep myself awake long enough to get some work done before bed last night.

Today was a pretty leisurely day. We walked into town (a new routine we’ve had the last couple of weekends – really helps my back to exercise like that) and Steve ordered a pair of sunglasses from Specsavers. I forgot to bring my glasses to have them adjusted though. I always end up getting them too lose, so they fall down my nose. It must be from wearing them while I lie on the couch on my side.

Anyway, it’s technically the first of September here in the U.K. School will start Monday, which is so fitting because it’s begun to feel autumnal outside. Sunny with a crisp breeze. Even the living room was chilly today and I wore a cardigan out. Wow.

Better than stifling heat in here though.

This month will be our anniversary and my birthday as well. Exciting times!

Anyway, August has been good. I got a lot of what I wanted to get done, and I really enjoyed the photo prompts for the blog posts. I’ll have to look up another challenge for September or October too.

Posted in All About Me, Travel, Writing | Tagged AugustBreak2013, editing, fiction writing | Leave a comment

#AugustBreak2013 Day 29

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

I would have really loved to post this from the computer, but my netbook is just not agreeing with me at all tonight.

Today I rested a lot. Still not feeling 100% and even when I tried to edit the last project, I just couldn’t. It’s in a pile now to be forgotten about.

We watched The Host tonight. It was boring and didn’t really make much sense. (Why do aliens need guns, chrome Lotuses, and even Earth at all?) I don’t recommend it, though I hear the book gets more interesting.

That’s it for today. I had to choose my favourite things as the photo theme today. Finishing a good book is one of them. I may make a list later.

Posted in All About Me, Movies, Writing | Tagged AugustBreak2013 | Leave a comment

#AugustBreak2013 Day 28

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

You know, ladies, those emotional, hormonal days when you feel like you’re crazy? Those days when you think you want to either cry, or sit in a dark room and each 100 Kit Kat bars, or both? Yeah, that was me today. I haven’t slept as much either because of my Ginseng and determination kick, but tonight after dinner I finally took a nap. My brains thanked me.

I didn’t work at all today other than look up ideas of how I want my YA Horror/Mystery project to go. Tomorrow I want to take that bus ride and get out of the house for a while. I’m almost finished with Mockingjay, so I’d like to read that over a nice frappuccino.

My parents got the proof copy of The Cupcake Witches in the mail from CreateSpace today. I know they’re proud (they don’t care about self publishing vs small press). I figured it was easier to send it to their US address too. Very quick turn out rate, I might add. I only ordered that 3 days ago. We still haven’t gotten the cover right with the dimensions. If we do this for a second book, I’m sticking with a solid color background. The little cupcake emblem on the bottom is cut off and there was no color to put on the back that matched the orange in the image we did. *sigh*

Also, I tried to find some info on a new, local salon. I was calling places to ask if I need a silly patch test for allergies before I get anything done, but one place said just to come in for a consultation and one didn’t answer the phone. I can’t stand going through all this. If I didn’t know if would look like crap, I’d just guy some Avon color from my neighbor and do it myself.

I got a call today from one of the new teaching agencies, saying they may have something for me at an English Department being a permanent support teacher. Not sure what all the details are, but I guess they’re putting my CV forward for that one. Nice to know that work may be coming my way right at the beginning of the school term. Amazing that just having a driver’s license helped my employability that much.

Posted in All About Me, Books, Teaching, Writing | Tagged AugustBreak2013, CreateSpace | Leave a comment

#AugustBreak2013 Day 27

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

BBC’s The One Show is filming their Summer Festival at The Sage today and tomorrow. I really want to be nosey and check it out tomorrow, since I was over there too late this evening.

Today I finished my current project. I say finished as it was at the end, I saw the end, I sprinted to the end. It’s 40,000 words. So, it’s a Young Adult horror novella, I guess. My idea now is that I can take it and use it as a theme for a series since my main goal for starting the book in the first place was to make my own Fear Street.

Of course, once I was done, I felt yucky. Not good, not pleased with myself, just bad. Like depressed because I don’t know what to do with the stupid thing. I can edit and query, I guess, and just keep on as if I’m going to self publish. I know being a published author, traditionally, is the dream goal, but I want a readership. I want people to like what I write. One day I want some awesome hardcover novels with my name on them gracing the proud shelves of book bloggers.

But that doesn’t happen all at once, so I’ll just keep on keeping on. I wanted to get set on my next project anyway, so I think I’ll get out of the house tomorrow, do some research and some coffee drinking, and let my mind go free for a bit.

I don’t want to hate the horror book, but I know what problems I have to address. I’m still thinking it’s just not worth querying about. I’ve read too many “sorry, submissions are closed” on small press sites anyway, and the ones I can submit too don’t seem to do young adult fiction. *shrug* Looks like it’s just up to me anyway.

Anyway, I picked up Steve, came home, ate a bunch of cookies, and stopped worrying about said book. If it’s not a masterpiece, so what? It’s all part of the biggest process. The whole writer thing is a minefield anyway because everyone wants to be the next big thing.

I wonder if this is how athletes, actors, lawyers, and singers feel.

Posted in All About Me, Books, Publishing, Writing | Tagged AugustBreak2013, Sage, self-publishing, traditional-publishing, YA Fiction | Leave a comment

#AugustBreak2013 Day 26

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Suzanne Schultz Pick

Per the current discussion about small press vs self published: I am fairly sick of the smugness that comes from authors who are “traditionally” published. If their book was put online and on shelves of some indie bookstores by a small press that didn’t bother paying a decent artist to work on their cover, they have no real right to be condescending to anyone else. It’s even worse when their book is tips on writing or self publishing. And why tell us how to market when your blog looks crappy and out-dated? Get a decent, basic theme and run with it. It doesn’t take much, but if it isn’t living up to these grandiose claims you have for yourself, get lost.

If you’ve made money, fine. Have fun. But unless you have a bang on cover and a decent readership, and have really done an extraordinary job with your novel you can put the condescension away, kids.

And no, we won’t hire you to edit our book with that attitude. I don’t know why people complain about clients’ work, then expect people to go, “Wow, he/she is really honest, I’ll pay them hundreds of dollars to talk bad about me after I submit my work too!”

But the rest of you who are just happy to be keeping on and doing your thing; you’re cool.

This, of course, has come from days of researching the matter online, it’s to no on in particular and certainly not to anyone I communicate with regularly. You’re all cool too. Honestly, I have found the people in my “Peeps” list to be very willing to help and encourage. I appreciate that so much (especially since I can be a right pain with the questions some days.)

I am totally all for traditional publication. I will query when my work is ready. Maybe. I understand the “Who cares? I have a publisher!” attitude. I just don’t think that a lot of these books merit much “Anything you can do, I can do better” taunt.

Plus, I promise I’ll talk less about writing once I go back to school.

Per the picture above: We took a nice ride on our bikes around the park today. It’s only been my third bike ride in the UK, so I’m not doing as well on the hills. I’m also not too keen on going on the street just yet either (I’ve seen how people drive on them already. People wander over in the bike line without a care in the world.)

But the day was so nice and everyone was out due to the Bank Holiday. I’m so glad Steve encouraged me to get out to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. He bought me an ice cream again today but I kept a hold of it and none of it got on my clothes. A+ Day!

Next week I will be free to do my thing at home again. I have 25k words left to go and I’m not sure if it will end short of that. It very well may be a novella, which is fine by me. I just want it done and out of the way.