Words, Words, Words, Words

I am really not very good at marketing myself. A shame, really, because 'Marketing' as a career was something I always thought I'd like and be good at. Although I guess if I did it for a living I'd a) be doing it for someone else and b) have the funds to pay for the stuff that one needs to actually market.

I did pay for a few services, but some of the things are just SO expensive I can't bring myself to do it. Even if it is tax-deductible.

At any rate, one of the things I did do is book a table for the Collingswood Book Festival in my old town of Collingswood NJ. It's a big deal, thousands of people come, and book sellers and authors of all levels of professionalism show up. It's pretty nifty.

My publisher sent me some pens with their logo as a giveaway, as well as coupons for 25% off books in their 'garden'.

And my Brilliant Friend kirathaune is going to be making me a banner.


If anyone lives in the vicinity of Collingswood NJ (Just over the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philadelphia) please do stop by.

I got a lovely review from 'Night Owl Reviews' on my book. That was exciting.

And a friend of mine wrote a review on Amazon with the best line ever: 'Threads of Twilight and 50 Shades but I thought much better in that this book focuses more on the fantasy, plot, and characters rather than abusive romantic relationships.'

I Lol'd.

The good news is, I'd been totally blocked trying to write something new, but I think I hit on a decent plot, and got about 2,000 or so words written yesterday so yay me.

In other news, Charlie seems to be enjoying college so far. It's still weird for me - it probably will be for awhile - that he's in college. He goes 3 days a week, driving himself in, of course, and it's just, well, weird. For the first time since 2001 or so I had no idea when public school started.

Did I mention Charlie had his 18th birthday this past Saturday? We took him out to eat at the place where he works, and everyone came over to wish him a happy birthday and we got a really good discount because he's an employee.

I remember talking about Charlie's 8th birthday on this very blog. He wanted a Spiderman theme, I think it was.

He's still so young in many ways, with his Autism, he's socially a bit behind, and is currently a bit fixated on all things video games, but at the same time he's behaving very much like a responsible adult. I'm very proud of him.

Still feeling terribly guilty for woefully neglecting LJ all these years, but since here is where I posted so many of Charlie's milestone moments, I felt I really ought to write something.

Today is the day Charlie starts his first day of college. He's staying home and commuting, so he's not officially left home or anything, but he's starting college, which is a big, giant step into adulthood. I hope he has as much fun as I did in college. And, you know, learns stuff.

He currently is an accounting major. Okay, not strictly true - he went in as a Computer major, because what he thought he wanted to do was design video games. However, he took a computer class in high school and didn't like it much, so we talked about it, and Dave and I pointed out that maybe he should focus on something he KNOWS he likes doing, so he's going to change to accounting. Made my dad a bit proud, that, as he too was an accounting major. So was Dave, come to that.

So. First day of college. On Saturday he turns 18. 2015 is a busy year for Charlie.

In case anyone sees this, I just wanted to let you know, that my book, Strange Business, is going to be released 'worldwide' on 17 July!

Best place to go would be http://wildrosepress.com/

It's not up there yet - I don't think there's any pre-order dealy.

It's mostly e-book, but you can order a print copy if you want.

I'm very excited about this, as you can well imagine. Maybe it isn't Bloomsbury Publishing or anything, but it's a legit publishing house, albeit a small one, and I really feel like I actually accomplished something in my life that I drempt of in my youth.

Yesterday Charlie got his driving license.

9 years ago I had a post about Charlie learning to ride a 2-wheeler.

He's graduating high school in June!

This is being a very emotional Spring for me!

I opened my email to see a message from 'Penguin Books' with a subject that said 'Announcement: Terry Pratchett'. When I opened it, I let out such an anguished wail, my husband, who is currently working from home, ran upstairs to see what was wrong.

We knew, I guess, it was coming. He made no bones about dying on his own terms, and his last few Discworld books seemed to me to be saying good-bye, but I still felt like I was punched in the gut. I'm crying like I lost a treasured friend, and in many ways, he was.

I don't knwo why his books meant so much to me; there might be some psychological reason, or maybe it was just part and parcel of my anglophelia, but every time I got a new book of his, I was happy, even in the midst of my sadder life moments.

I'm glad to hear it seems like he did go out the way he wanted to, peacefully, amongst family and friends.

Terry Pratchett was a brilliant, funny and interesting man, and the world is richer for having known him, and sadder for having lost him.

I just signed a contract for The Wild Rose Press for my book, Strange Business (originally titled Working Over Time).

I'm very excited. It's a small press, but it's legit, and they have a good reputation. I have an editor and everything.

I'd sent in sample chapters and the editor turned it down, with suggestions for edits. She said I could make the changes and send it back, so I did - her edits really made it better too. I hadn't realised how 'passive voice' it was.

I came up with the idea for the book on this very journal, years ago. I'm really happy that I stuck with it.

I unlocked another life achievement!

I haven't posted in ages. And I noticed people posted on my June entry (sheesh) but I don't think I ever got a notice on it, so I thought, probably, that no one was interested in what I had to say.

Facebook. Eating everything up.

Well...my life, an update. It's still good. Husband2.0 is great. Really great. Like end of a happy movie great. Not sure how I got so lucky, but there you go.

Charllie is 17, and has his driving permit. Guys...17! I started this journal when he was 6. He's an amazing young man. He wants to study computer programing/game design. He's almost 6 feet tall now.

I sent a book I wrote to a small publisher called Wild Rose Press. They mostly liked it, but the editor rejected it because of reasons, but she told me I could do some revising and send it back so I'm working on that. Fingers crossed, okay?

Went to the 2nd annual Doctor Who convention this past weekend. It was ever so much fun. The highlight for me was telling Colin Baker my idea for a tv series that I think he, Sylvester Mccoy, and Peter Davidson should do. I said the world needs a show where the three of them play guys travelling around the country in a caravan solving mysteries. He really liked the idea. He really did. I just hope he says something to Peter Davidson and they share a laugh at le.ast

So how are you, LJ?

And here's Charlie. Remember when he was blond? And little?

You know those times when you realised that you haven't spoken to a friend in awhile, and you think 'I should really call that person' but then you don't, and then days go by and you start feeling guilty that you didn't call, and then it just gets harder and harder to pick up the phone because you can't help but start to think that friend probably doesn't even want to talk to you by that point?

That's how I feel about LJ. I have defected to FB for the most part, and I post stuff there - nothing near as interesting as the conversations we used to get up to here, and the longer I went without posting anything here, the more I thought that no one would really want to read it anyway. And my paid account ran out and I didn't re-up it, so I don't have all my user icons or anything.

And I do have things to talk about, really. Good things. Maybe that's why I haven't posted. My life, in start contrast to some of my older posts here, is pretty darn good. My new marriage is good, my son is good. I went to England which was super good, but that was over a year ago now, and I just don't know if anyone wants to hear about it.

I did go to a Doctor Who convention in October. I could share those photos. That was pretty awesome.

Charlie - who was six when I opened this account - is now sixteen going on seventeen, a junior in High School, and doing fairly well. He likes his new school, he's getting decent grades, and he seems to have friends to hang out with at school.

In fact, just today I got an email about some parental seminar regarding selecting his course schedule for next year. I started to say to Charlie 'You'll be picking out your classes for the last year of high school,' but I couldn't get the words out because I started to cry just a little bit.

So this is me, picking up the phone. Hopefully some of you still want to talk to me.