There is an end to Hell...I think
Sep. 23rd, 2004 08:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinghorseThe past three months have been, well, hell. 'Way too much crap. Stress levels over the moon. Main player was the Refinance From Hell. It absolutely, truly was blessed by Murphy. Every single thing that could go wrong, did--right down to the wire this morning when I went to pick up the cashout check so I could pay off the one credit card I could get cash for (bottom line: Do not try to refinance a manufactured home at this particular time, and above all do not try it if you are self-employed)...and it wasn't there. It had somehow got lost between last night and this morning. They had to cut a new one. We shall now see if the check clears by Monday as promised, or if there is Yet Another gift of Murphy still to come.
On the bright side, the monthly mortgage payment is down quite a bit, the rest of the plastic can be paid off in a reasonable amount of time, and I now know every single freaking thing that can go wrong with a mortgage application. Also, I have a great new tax guy, who is doing great work (thanks so much for the referral,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
janni!). I may never leave this place despite wanting more land for the horses--I don't know if I can go through this again. Then again, maybe I've earned Perfect Mortgage Karma for the next round? Or I'll write a huge bestseller and just buy the next place outright?
A further bright side is that thanks to the lockdown on financing for mobile homes, I have an awesome amount of equity on the place. Can't touch it unless I sell, but it's there.
All the while I was going through this--and I do not handle financial stress well. At all. Not even slightly--I was pushing through imminent burnout to finish the sequel to Rite of Conquest. I've been writing historicals or historical fantasy since 1980 (first publication 1985), with a few high fantasies thrown in. The mile-high stack of reviews says I do it pretty well. But I'm ready for a change. Rather interestingly, so is the market--and it appears I can do this romantic-fantasy thing. The request for the past couple of books has been for More Romance, which I have tried to do. Apparently managed it for RoC. The sequel, working-titled King's Blood, was a major case of History Does Cooperate, and I hope reads as a whole lotta fun, but writing it was Not Easy At All. Burnout, anyone?
Wherein lies a disquisition on the author's job, which is to make the book work for the reader no matter how hard it was to write. It's got to look effortless. Add in the stricture of writing historicals, where the research has to stay constantly under control and every invention or departure has to work logically within the framework of history, and, well, I'm ready to do straight fantasy for a while.
And--lucky me, and I'm not being sarcastic--the next couple of contracts are for invented-world fantasy with a romantic slant. Fun! Adventure! Too much sex! Plus a very important point in terms of artistic development and overall burnout avoidance: they're fresh and different from what I've been doing for so long, and they're a chance to recharge the batteries, have a great time, and make some readers happy. I hope my loyal readers who love my historicals will love these--they're still me, I'm just having myself some fun. The Mountain's Call is the first of the batch, and there are more to come in that world, plus another world that I'm working on for Tor that should be a gas to play in. I'm really excited about doing it, and really looking forward to it.
Meanwhile I'm taking a couple of days off before I get back into blitz mode; I have to finish Song of Unmaking, sequel to TMC, by Thanksgiving. I'm so stressed my whole middle is a huge knot, and that needs to get de-knotted realsoonnow. I'm always a mess right after I finish a book anyway. The end is always this mad gallop after which I go like totally Thud for a few days.
Horses are just fine. I took a week, between Weather (enough rain to slop up the arena) and book-completion blitz, to just let them hang out, but it's time to get back to work. They're all doing well. Pook has the trot down fairly solid now, and Capria is the Queen of Ground Poles. Keed is still a pool noodle but his back muscles are starting to come back--ahh, growth phases. I was hoping to refi for enough to get a truck and trailer for Pooka so he can make trips to the spa for breeding, but that didn't happen. I've spoken sternly to the Mother Ship. We'll see what it does about this, because Pook is attracting attention and he really does need to be able to act on it.
As my brain cells start working again, I should show up more on lj. It's a new world: new books, new subgenre, elimination of some major, longterm stressors. New season, too, appropriately enough. It was in the 100s last week but fall has arrived quite suddenly (and rather early for us) with mornings in the 50s and afternoons in the high 80s--very nice indeed. Horses are getting furry; I have to check the blanket supply and make sure the Girlz have some that fit, because winter storms aren't far away.
I'm ready.
On the bright side, the monthly mortgage payment is down quite a bit, the rest of the plastic can be paid off in a reasonable amount of time, and I now know every single freaking thing that can go wrong with a mortgage application. Also, I have a great new tax guy, who is doing great work (thanks so much for the referral,
janni!). I may never leave this place despite wanting more land for the horses--I don't know if I can go through this again. Then again, maybe I've earned Perfect Mortgage Karma for the next round? Or I'll write a huge bestseller and just buy the next place outright?A further bright side is that thanks to the lockdown on financing for mobile homes, I have an awesome amount of equity on the place. Can't touch it unless I sell, but it's there.
All the while I was going through this--and I do not handle financial stress well. At all. Not even slightly--I was pushing through imminent burnout to finish the sequel to Rite of Conquest. I've been writing historicals or historical fantasy since 1980 (first publication 1985), with a few high fantasies thrown in. The mile-high stack of reviews says I do it pretty well. But I'm ready for a change. Rather interestingly, so is the market--and it appears I can do this romantic-fantasy thing. The request for the past couple of books has been for More Romance, which I have tried to do. Apparently managed it for RoC. The sequel, working-titled King's Blood, was a major case of History Does Cooperate, and I hope reads as a whole lotta fun, but writing it was Not Easy At All. Burnout, anyone?
Wherein lies a disquisition on the author's job, which is to make the book work for the reader no matter how hard it was to write. It's got to look effortless. Add in the stricture of writing historicals, where the research has to stay constantly under control and every invention or departure has to work logically within the framework of history, and, well, I'm ready to do straight fantasy for a while.
And--lucky me, and I'm not being sarcastic--the next couple of contracts are for invented-world fantasy with a romantic slant. Fun! Adventure! Too much sex! Plus a very important point in terms of artistic development and overall burnout avoidance: they're fresh and different from what I've been doing for so long, and they're a chance to recharge the batteries, have a great time, and make some readers happy. I hope my loyal readers who love my historicals will love these--they're still me, I'm just having myself some fun. The Mountain's Call is the first of the batch, and there are more to come in that world, plus another world that I'm working on for Tor that should be a gas to play in. I'm really excited about doing it, and really looking forward to it.
Meanwhile I'm taking a couple of days off before I get back into blitz mode; I have to finish Song of Unmaking, sequel to TMC, by Thanksgiving. I'm so stressed my whole middle is a huge knot, and that needs to get de-knotted realsoonnow. I'm always a mess right after I finish a book anyway. The end is always this mad gallop after which I go like totally Thud for a few days.
Horses are just fine. I took a week, between Weather (enough rain to slop up the arena) and book-completion blitz, to just let them hang out, but it's time to get back to work. They're all doing well. Pook has the trot down fairly solid now, and Capria is the Queen of Ground Poles. Keed is still a pool noodle but his back muscles are starting to come back--ahh, growth phases. I was hoping to refi for enough to get a truck and trailer for Pooka so he can make trips to the spa for breeding, but that didn't happen. I've spoken sternly to the Mother Ship. We'll see what it does about this, because Pook is attracting attention and he really does need to be able to act on it.
As my brain cells start working again, I should show up more on lj. It's a new world: new books, new subgenre, elimination of some major, longterm stressors. New season, too, appropriately enough. It was in the 100s last week but fall has arrived quite suddenly (and rather early for us) with mornings in the 50s and afternoons in the high 80s--very nice indeed. Horses are getting furry; I have to check the blanket supply and make sure the Girlz have some that fit, because winter storms aren't far away.
I'm ready.
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 08:56 pm (UTC)It really does feel like autumn, the past couple days. Lovely, lovely stuff.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 10:11 pm (UTC){{{hugs}}}... because I think it sounds like you need them.
I am glad your horses are doing well. Pooka is starting to 'attract attention' - does this mean what I think it means?
no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 09:49 pm (UTC)Yes, Pook is starting to get "I want to breed my mare" inquiries even though he's not being advertised outside of the website. He's the poster child for the new SW Lipizzan group's recruitment flyer (anyone in the region can join, no need to own one, just be a lover of the breed) and he's on their website. And he is awfuldamnpretty.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 10:21 pm (UTC):D
no subject
Date: 2004-09-23 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 07:55 am (UTC)---L.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 09:10 am (UTC)I am certain the "Powers That Be" will relent soon.
Karen, due to circumstances beyond my control (heh heh) I have an extra copy of The Mountain's Call. Will temporarily swap it for the Howard Mss.
As for Pooks, somehow a truck and trailer will happen. Dunno how, or when, but it has to.
no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 09:31 am (UTC)The stars will align, because such is as it must be.
The check will clear. Congrats on getting through it!
no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 11:51 am (UTC)Does he only work within Arizona?
no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-24 09:51 pm (UTC)