Cog Cover Reveal

In a futuristic world where personalities can be
downloaded at will, who's a girl to trust? 

Today marks the cover reveal of K. Ceres Wright's new novel, Cog to be released in Summer of 2013.

Cog is an amazing first release for Dog Star and I expect even better and brighter future to come. Stay tuned....

To find out more about Cog, check out K. Ceres Wright's website or check out the publisher, Dog Star Books.

Artwork for this cover was created by Bradley Sharp - you can find more information about his art here.

I can't wait until I can get my hands on a copy!

Admitting

Admitting you can't do something can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. I have never believed that I couldn't do something. I still don't believe it. But there comes a point when you have to admit that maybe, with the limits of time and energy, you can't do something.

This is the place I find myself lodged this week.

I have several projects in my queue:

• Finish my novel before World Fantasy (Nov 1) 
• Make my Halloween Costume (Oct 27) 
• Make my fall jacket--Cream Corduroy, 3/4 sleeve with over sized collar by Colette Patterns (which I hoped to wear on Oct 31st) 
• Finish sewing buttons on my Asymmetrical Purple Pinstripe 40s dress. (Oct 31) 
• Piece and sew my Mustard 40s dress (Oct 26) 

Of those projects, only one needs to get done and that is to finish my novel. Yet I find myself completely distracted by all my sewing projects.

Last night, as I sat surrounded by little pieces of fabric, the brown tissue of the patterns and what was left of my willpower, I made the call. I will not be finishing the Halloween costume. I will not be working on the jacket. I MAY finish the Mustard dress but it's okay if I don't.

It's not okay if I don't finish the book. Just like that, priorities have been set.

Still, the unfinished projects haunt and taunt me. So know, if I can (meaning if I can do without a couple more hours of sleep here and there) I will finish the Jacket at least.....

PS: Did I mention I overslept last night? Methinks I push myself too hard....

Will I be the next big thing?

Blog Hops The Next Big Thing - Week 16

Thank you to Heidi Ruby Miller ( @HeidiRubyMiller) for tagging me in this blog hop. Heidi is an amazing inspiration to me--she challenges me to write more and write harder everyday through simple words of encouragement and through her #WordWars on twitter. Check out her post, then hop on over and visit these authors.

John Edward Lawson (@bizzaroguy) - http://www.johnlawson.org
Mike Mehalek (@MikeMehalek) - http://mikemehalek.blogspot.com
Jason Jack Miller (@JasonJackMiller) - http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com


What is the working title of your book?
Unfathomable

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was driving north for work to deliver computer training to clinic lab workers. As I drove past all these Minnesota lakes, my mind filled with thoughts about the class I'd be teaching, I suddenly had a 'what if' moment. What if there was a species of lake people? And what if they were being tested and used for experimentation because of their abilities? What if.... my mind started racing.

Of course, I was driving at the time and the great state of Minnesota frowns on typing while operating a moving vehicle. Thank goodness for Siri!

What genre does your book fall under?
Young Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy. It's a genre bender.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

  Gabby: Sarah Bolger

  Dylan: Nicolas Hoult

  Ainsley: Emilie de Ravin
  The Captain: Nathan Fillion
  Marta: Jennifer Garner

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
After being ripped from her home in the middle of the night, Gabby must discover her hidden powers in order to rescue her mom and save her friends.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
We'll see how the dice fall....

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It's still in production, though the rough draft should be completed shortly. I have a November 1 deadline for myself...we'll see if I can make it!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm not sure I know what to compare it to but it's probably a little Nicole Peeler (minus all the sex), James Dashner and maybe some C.J. Cherryh. A splash of water people mixed in with some run for your life adventure all while figuring out the conspiracy driving them. 

Yes, that pun was intended.
 
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I knew I would write this story eventually--see, I was working on something else when the idea popped into my head. John Edward Lawson slapped the gauntlet down and challenged me to finish this by November 1st. I don't like to say no to a challenge like that.

So I blame him!

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If you've never been afraid to swim in the water before, you might wonder after reading this, what is really down there?

Presence



Seton Hill University - Administration Building

 I just attended the spectacular In Your Write Mind Workshop at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA this past weekend. Spectacular because I was able to reconnect with friends and fellow writers and also because I was able to build my network and schmooze with an amazing group of authors, editors and agents.


I only had one cringe worthy moment.



View of Greensburg from the Hill



It was the moment when I realized I was not being authentic to my message. That message was about creating an online presence. I am quite active on twitter and Facebook and when I have to, I'll post to Google+ (which is the most worthless of all social media, IMO). I was not making a point to keep my blog updated.

The blog should be my home base but instead, it was like my cabin. I only go there every once in a while when I have a free weekend and when the weather is nice. What I need to do is make my cabin my permanent residence. So I'll start here and hope I can keep up. In the meantime, I can be found on twitter @dlepsch and the In Your Write Mind shenanigans can be tracked there through #IYWMSHU.

Little known fact #4

When I write sex scenes, I'm constantly doing hand checks.

Close your eyes, and picture it.

Is it here? yes and his? And the left, right? Whoa, whoa, whoa, she's not that kind of girl. Or maybe she is but he's definitely not that kind of boy. And the other hand? No, not there, THERE.

You get the picture. It's quite mentally exhausting.

WHEW!

This year has been a busy one so far. Most of this "busy" stuff I'm talking about is self-imposed--I'm not happy if I'm not scrambling. I've decided I might have to cut back on sleep time again to get everything done.

Not that I sleep well. I don't.

If you recall, these are my 2012 goals.

1. Make 12 vintage reproduction dresses. I will post them here.
2. Finish the rough draft of my novel by the end of February and 2nd draft by April. Polished draft by June.
3. Learn to play guitar. I want to learn one Dave Matthews Song and one Civil Wars song. The rest is as we go.
4. Create a Places I go 2012 Quilt (which will really be more of a 2013 project, though I have to collect the memories this year).
5. Make my musical pillows (more on that later)
6. Focus on Quality of friendship not Quantity. Grow the good friends and weed out the bad.

So, up to speed....Here are my stats for 2012 so far:

1. Sewing: I am ahead in the Repro department and sewing is becoming like an addiction for me. DANGER!

• 4 dresses
• 2 skirts
• 2 baby blankets

2. Writing word count: 47,668 (and nowhere NEAR completion.) #2 is a fat fail so far, but I'm still plugging along, so that's okay, I guess.

3. Guitar. Eh.....stalled a bit on that one. I am not likely to learn a Dave Matthews song this year or maybe even next year. Damn that man and his damn spider finger chords!

4. Haven't gone anywhere yet so, I have nothing to report on number 4.

5. HA! Haven't even started this project....maybe this summer?

6. I feel like I'm heading the right direction with Quality of Friendship goal. It's been a painful process in some respects, but in the end I think I've done the right thing. More on that later.

This year has also turned into the Year of Music. The month of March kicks off a promising year of Concerts beginning with Gomez tomorrow night followed by Matt Nathanson on Sunday. I close out the month with 2 shows, The New Monarchs and Needtobreathe. This heavily music-ed month is followed by Social Distortion in April, James Morrison in May and Dave Matthews Band in July (YAY!).

My ear drums are going to be in heaven and agony all at once.

Little known fact #3

It is both crippling and liberating telling someone something you have never spoken of to anyone and never will speak of.

It is also crippling and liberating ending your sentences with prepositions.

Word.

Also....

I just wasted probably 40 minutes creating the playlist below and then blogging about it when I should have been writing. That's how I do things...

Another also....there are more songs on the playlist than that but I decided I didn't need to type out the forty Dave Matthews Band songs and the twenty O.A.R. songs I added. You're welcome.

Coffeshop Play List

I can't write without music. It inspires me, motivates me and keeps me distracted enough (and by that, I mean my attention stays on the page instead of wandering to other things nearby...)

Here's what I'm listening to right now:

#27 - Dave Matthews Band

Set Fire to the Rain - Adele

Colors - Amos Lee

Every Subway Car - Bare Naked Ladies

Stuttering - Ben's Brother

Piano Man - Billy Joel

Calling You - Blue October

Glycerine - Bush

20 Years - The Civil Wars

Swallowed by the Sea - Coldplay

Lonelily - Damien Rice

Dodo - Dave Matthews

Kill the King - Dave Matthew Band

Different Names for the Same Thing - Death Cab for Cutie

Bennie and the Jets - Elton John

She Is - The Fray

Something Else - Gary Jules

Airstream Driver - Gomez

Don't Explain - Herbie Hancock (with Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan)

Chicago - Ingram Hill

City Beneath the Sea - Harry Connick Jr.

Wonderful World - James Morrison

Fire and Rain - James Taylor

Perfectly Lonely - John Mayer

Industry - Jon McLaughlin

Sunshine - Keane

Modern Love - Matt Nathanson

Back 2 Good - Matchbox Twenty

Boys with Girlfriends - Meiko

Dream a little Dream - Michael Buble

Starlight - Muse

More Time - Needtobreathe

Come Away with Me - Norah Jones

King of the Thing - O.A.R.

The never ending search through my starred tutorials on Google Reader....

...Or, why Pinterest is better.

I used to be a die hard Reader junkie. I got all my next and best ideas for the feeds I had pouring into my reader. Then, Google stopped allowing me to share articles. It's no secret that I am strongly opposed to the strong arm tactics Google is using to try and force me into their Google+ social platform. To that, I say no. I don't have to, down want to, and Google can't make me.

Yes, I know I sound like a six year old.

Rather than let this become a rant as to why I hate what Google has done to its users (and I mainly mean me), The Point: Google Reader is inefficient. Pinterest is efficient.

Reader has no organization to it whatsoever. I can star something I like but there is no way to further organize it in order make it easier to find (and make) later. Pinterest, on the other hand, allows you to organize it and gives you a nice visual to go with it.

So as I've been fruitlessly searching my reader for this top, if I see something that I truly want to access again, I've been pinning it.

Slowly, I am bringing myself one step closer to Google independence...

PS: this was the tutorial: Joyful Ruffle Neck Top. I decided to try and do a search instead of sifting through my hundreds of articles. On the second search, four links down, there it was.

Happy Friend-mas!

Tonight, I celebrate Christmas with some of my friends...hence forth, it shall be called Friend-mas. I have about 20 pounds of meat crock-potting upstairs and I'm wearing my new handmade blue dress (future post coming). It should be a good night!

Plus we have enough liquor to fight an army of zombies with Molotov cocktails (or drink ourselves into a stupor and not care that zombies are coming for us.) not that I'm expecting zombies....but isn't that the point? You never EXPECT zombies (or the Spanish Inquisition....)

The phone dilemma...

After several months of procrastination and putting up with a failing cell phone, the time has come when I need to make a decision.

Do I get an iPhone or stick with a Droid?

I've been resistant to the iPhone simply because it's what EVERYONE is doing and I've never really thought of myself as a lemming. However, Android OS is owned by Google who, for the past year, has essentially done everything it could to piss me (and probably others) off with it's high-handed assumptions that I want to use Google+. As a result of this assumption, I have stopped using Reader, will likely be forced to stop using Chat and no doubt other Google products will follow. I have stopped using products I love simply because I don't want to funnel everything through a lackluster social platform.

Android OS (and there for Droid) lives and breathes Google.

So the question is, how far to I take my anger with Google? Do I stop using Android based phones simply because it is so integrated with Google? I still use Gmail, Google Maps, Google Calendar and Google Docs (well....and Blogger). But how long will it be before the next Android upgrade forces me to use all G+ all the time?

That said, is Apple really any different? Is it because with Apple there has never been any doubt that you were buying into an exclusive product/lifestyle? Sure, I can get Apps for other things like Gmail etc. but it is entirely reliant on Apple saying, 'Okay, you can buy/have that."

Is my anger with Google off base? Maybe.

What I do know is that I am no closer to making a decision on which corporation I'm going to sell my soul to  . Though, I suppose Google already owns a part of me.


UPDATE: I have made a decision. I choose Apple.

And the damn sock gnomes....

...have struck a wicked blow to my sock force. Left socks are missing right gloves have joined them.....casualties everywhere.

Not sure I'm going to be able to recover from this nasty battle with the little klepto bastards.

The proof is in the pudding....er, socks.

Proof that I have too many socks. And I have more in my dresser.

Little known Fact #2

I have an ungodly number of socks. Approximately half of them are of the Christmas variety. I have not counted, therefore, this is not scientifically (or mathematically) proven.

I guessed.

Little known fact...

When I clean my house, I do myself up Donna Reed style. If I have to get dirty, I might as well look pretty while I'm up to my elbows in dog hair and muck.

Write Every Day

I write every day. Some days, I only write a paragraph or two before calling it a day. But on a good day, I can write pages and pages of solid gold prose. Usually I write these priceless words at my favorite Caribou Coffee where I not only enjoy their delicious coffee and friendly baristas (no, this is not an advertisement, though Caribou is WAY better than Starbucks) but they also seem to enjoy seeing me on a weekly basis. I can people watch in between my word count sprints and I can stay fueled up on hot caffeinated paradise in a cup.

Getting back to the writing every day....Last June, I attended the In Your Write Mind Writing Workshop hosted by Seton Hill University and the Writing Popular Fiction Alumni. One of the workshops I attended focused on writing every day to accomplish your writing goals.

At the time, I had no intention of writing every day. Not only was I not pursuing a writing career, publication or anything that comes along with the type of writing this workshop promoted, I wasn't even pursuing putting words on a page at all. So I thought, this is a great idea, but it is not for me.

Then inspiration sneaked into my room one night, dug itself into my brain like an earwig and multiplied. A week later my friend Judi insisted I send her pages every day and I agreed. For the most part I have lived up to this agreement with her (except December. Thank you, Christmas!) and I don't regret it one bit.

Practice really does make perfect. I'm not saying I'm a perfect writer--far from it. Have you read my blog posts? But I am a better writer for having written every day. The words flow better from my brain to the page and what ends up on the page seems smarter, wittier, and more well written than the day before.

That said, I'd best be getting my words laid down instead of blogging about it.

Because I don't give myself enough to do...

Dear 2012,

I don't believe in resolutions, so please don't ask me to make them. Resolutions do nothing but set us all up for massive, soul damaging failure. How about we just rename January as Janu-fail-y. Resolutions are in a word, dumb.

I have goals. So stop getting in my face, 2012.

Goals are promises to yourself that you want to keep and work toward but don't necessarily have a time or end date associated with them. I think that's much better.

My goals for 2012 (and beyond):

1. Make 12 vintage reproduction dresses. I will post them here.
2. Finish the rough draft of my novel by the end of February and 2nd draft by April. Polished draft by June.
3. Learn to play guitar. I want to learn one Dave Matthews Song and one Civil Wars song. The rest is as we go.
4. Create a Places I go 2012 Quilt (which will really be more of a 2013 project, though I have to collect the memories this year).
5. Make my musical pillows (more on that later)
6. Focus on Quality of friendship not Quantity. Grow the good friends and weed out the bad.

So 2012. Let's see if we can kick a little ass together. 

Thanks and huggles, 

D

PS: It would be really great if you would stick around after Winter Solstice.....At least give 2013 a shot.

It's 3am...

...and all I can think of is the MatchboxTwenty song. However, I am not lonely. I am awake, have a raging sinus headache and a burning desire  to sleep it off. Except that's not how sinus headaches work.

Since I am wide awake in the middle of the night I figured I should use the time to do something useful rather than lie in bed pissy because I can't sleep. Yet, instead of work on my book, I find myself puttering around on Pinterest.

SIGH.

And now, to add to this random collection of words....

Platypus.

That is all. (Did I mention it was 3am?)