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I staggered into the kitchen this morning to make some toast, and found Lorenzo IV, Supermouse, had fallen to the trap I set on the kitchen counter. HAPPY SATURDAY MORNING.

I really should have put down some newspaper under the trap...

So, I've been avoiding the kitchen, because I'm going to have to clean and bleach it. Instead I've been cleaning the living room, setting aside stuff for charity, throwing stuff out. I've cleaned out one box completely, which is satisfying. Now I'm going through the handful of cassette tapes that have survived the various purges, trying to find the songs on them on MP3. I forgot how much I love Angel From Montgomery. I ain't done nothin' since I woke up today...

At some point I'm going to have to post a playlist of the music I've acquired recently, and it's going to be a bizarre mix of big band, club pop, and bluesy country-western. Neil Young's been searching for a heart of gold, guys, but Lady Gaga just wants him to show her his teeth.

True facts: because I don't really listen to the radio -- well, or pay attention to the world around me -- for a long time I thought Lady Gaga was an internet meme, some kind of wacky YouTube star. I didn't know that she was actual true-facts famous until I heard her on the radio in my doctor's office. I didn't really listen to any of her music, either, until I was doing research for It's Not The Violin.

Why yes, I did get into Lady Gaga via Sherlock fandom. I'm not proud. (Or normal.)

(no subject)

I was going to say I've spent the day alternately doped up on decongestants and buried in writing, but really they were concurrent. This may explain why I did things like type "claim" when I meant "complain" and "idly" when I meant "absently". Idly and absently are two of my favourite adverbs, it's true, which says a lot about me.

But I am writing again, so that's nice -- I worked on two fanfics today, plus did a back-of-cover blurb for Trace and worked on a cover image and title. It seems premature, drastically premature, but I'm finding that the cover is often more of a frustration than writing the damn book. I've spent three days meditating on what the title should be (Trace is compelling but irrelevant) and no joy there, so I'll keep plugging along, I guess. Incidentally, Trace will be going up for public beta in January; a short, creepy little novella to kick off 2011 properly.

I also did a little writeup for, of all things, the Lulu.com newsletter. I've been chattering back and forth with the guy who emailed me to let me know I'd won the sales contest, and he said they'd like to have me do a piece about readership-building and successful marketing, so I said sure. I talked a bit about how things are different in the internet age, and how a blog is such a great thing for a writer to have, because it allows you to build relationships with readers and attract the kind of person who wants to read your stories. Not to mention I learn a great deal about what kind of stories to tell by listening to all of you.

Actually, okay, LET'S HAVE A SATURDAY NIGHT MEME.

What is a story you want to hear?

Not necessarily to do with any of my stories, just any story. What is the story you like best? What's the one you want but can't find or the one there isn't enough of? I'm curious to know, and maybe some of you will get book reccs out of it. IP logging is off, anonymous comments are welcome (play nice!), knock yourselves out.