crystal meth for writers

I'm away for the next few days but before I go I managed to write a guest post over at Mike's blog.

The subject -NaNoWriMo - but not like you've seen it before.

crystal meth for writers.

Now pop on over and visit Mike.

You might even smile...

For those of you considering doing meth.... I mean Nano - I am otherwisecat you can be my buddy - it's good to have buddies.

Be safe out there.

Cat x

It's Tuesday - that's less exciting than it could be

A couple of things this week - I'm now sitting in a whole new place in the living room. Having had a minor fit about being SICK TO DEATH of being in the middle of the dining room-living room where the kids can dump their crap ON MY DESK, and bug me constantly from the kitchen, and the dining room table.

I'm just that much further out of the way. Far enough that they can't ask me to get things for them or do things for them a hundred times a day - seems with kids it really is out of sight out of mind. And now I'm out of sight from the kitchen and dining room table... lol.

If I could just stop the damn hall door from popping open all would be well.

(It's now unusable, cos my desk occupies the corner that holds the hall door... but the freaking thing keeps popping open - enough to make a noise and look untidy!)

It's a kindy day today. It's nasty raining and cold out. Yesterday's hot sun a dim and distant memory.

I'm gearing up for a trip south on Thursday evening. Should be fun. Will be nice to get away. No cell service, no internet... peace for 4 days.

When we get back it will be frantic... the baking etc will have to be started for the release party on the 7th.

Lee is coming by for some green screen filming on Tuesday the 3rd. Might see if we can get this video interview done then too. I'd love to use the green screen and have some fun with the whole thing but the chances of it ever getting finished could be slim. (Smacks of trying to get trailers made - slow and painful, and I really can't be bothered with the stress of it all.)

Made a start on the Christmas shopping. Must send The Prodigal son's birthday and Christmas present as soon as I get back from the Sounds, as they have to fly all the way to London.

Stupidly I went to the Nanowrimo site and discovered I am indeed signed up. Bollocks. I'm doing the Backspace challenge (50k in Nov) so I can get Satellite/Pedabyte finished, and apparently Nano too. Great. It'll be the same manuscript - and I'll update the word count sometime!

November is going to be a tad busy. Not sure if I'll manage the full 50k this time around.

What with interviews, release party, release date, pre-Christmas nuttiness and the biggest time sink of all - kindergarten. Oh how I dislike it.

I might be able to get in an hour's writing today if I am very lucky. That will be equal to the total I managed over the entire labour weekend. I do not like long weekends, they're not fun. Having everyone home for an extra day is not a good thing. It in fact, sucks out loud and then some.

The characters that drive me crazy...

We made it to Thursday night -fabulous! It's not like we wouldn't but whether or not we'd all be intact was debatable. Seems like the last few weeks have been a tad rough.

Monday I realized one of my two new characters was a total pain in the ass to work with. Not a good thing to discover at all.

Don't get me wrong -I like him fine. It's just that he's so far out of my comfort zone that I flounder at times with his life style, hence it all becomes a bit of a pain in the ass. lol

Mostly I can write without stretching too many cerebral muscles. (And then my editor coughs and splutters and says things like... "That phrasing is inelegant and not like you at all." And I hang my head in shame and break out the grown-up words. She really hates when Ellie wants to slap anyone upside the head. - but damn it, it strikes at the core of who Ellie is, to be thinking and maybe even doing such a thing. - I'm so glad my editor really does like me!! lol)

Some stuff comes fairly easy to me - like Ellie for example. She's a dream character. She really is. I understand her reactions to everything. I can see her world like it's real, like I could reach out and pick up the Glock she just placed on her desk. (Rain - I see you giggling... hush now woman!)

But this guy. Holy crapdoodle.

There is so much to his life I just don't grasp at all. And I don't think it's going to matter how many rock concerts I go to. Let's face it, I've been to a lot of them over the years. Some BIG some not so big. Some stadium, some town hall, some nightclub... I used to go to everything once upon a teenage year! And since I've been to a few big names. (Been both half-drowned and frozen in the process, lol)

Trying to figure out things that I can't know, like - what can you see from the stage in the midst of a concert? How much can you hear of what's going on out in front of you? Is it possible to recognize anyone from previous gigs- from the stage, anywhere within the first say ten rows? That's one of the most important questions I need to answer.

How much security is there near the band while they're on stage? What are they looking for? How quickly do they react?

All very necessary to some really fun scenes. I can probably make it up (the joy of fiction) but - there are people out there who will jump up and down and spit tacks if us writers get something wrong. It's odd, especially for fiction but I just bet we all know one or two people like that. I'm blessed in knowing more than one or two and they'll be LOUD if I get it really wrong - for my own good! :-) It's all in the details.

Me and Rowan have been down this road before - I think as a character he fuc'n rocks... even more so now I've tweaked him a smidge. He's got a harder edge and a darker side to him.

Some parts of his lifestyle are now a lot easier - there are some things that happen because of who he is (later, folks) and they're easier to write, and the way Ellie reacts is a helluva lot of fun. Plus it's something I've researched a lot, so - easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Not so the being on stage thing.

We'll get there. :-)

Over here...

Hey guys,

I'm over at Bookland Heights at the moment... pop over say hi, ask a question... I don't often bite. :)

Right now to give Squealer a hurry up- she's in the shower... that doesn't bode well for her being on time for school. Especially as I still need to hit the shower!!

Pop into Bookland heights. :-)

Too fabulous, had to share!

I have to share this - it's a compulsion... and those of you who know me well and have (suffered?) journeyed through my Seagal movie collection -which is vast, will truly grasp the joy I feel in sharing this.

Check this out... and then tell me you don't love it. (and keep in mind my hatred of reality shows... unless they're police, and generally kiwi police shows.)

I shall be bitterly disappointed if Lawman doesn't appear on our TV's in New Zealand - get a clue scrap that Dog the bounty hunter bullshit... I want Seagal! (the program not the man, don't get all giggly on it... lol) And ya know Squealer wants to see a show with Flappy man doing his thing! She watched The Patriot with me (She's seen it more often than I have I think) the other week - and then asked why we don't have On Deadly Ground on DVD yet. (Cos I can't find it!!! sigh... oh how I love that movie.)

Such a joy to discover that trailer this morning. Makes me smile.

Onto a more serious note:

In the middle of changing location for the 3rd Conway novel - set originally in Christchurch NZ and Northern Virginia. Now set in Wellington, NZ and Northern Virginia. Big change. There is still some travel to Christchurch. But for the concert scenes - the Cake Tin works better as a venue than AMI stadium. (And there is a particularly nasty scene that I need to walk through - way easier getting to the Cake Tin than flying to CHCH and trying to access the AMI stadium.)

So far it's been a lot of fun. I'm loving the way Ellie has developed as a character - a lot happens in terrorbyte that is reflected in Exacabyte. Still struggling with the need for a couple of kick ass songs though - cos that would be a fucn awesome way to end the book.

Who'd have thunk it...?

Turns out locating a meat tenderizer (mallet) is most difficult. The damn things are as scarce as hens teeth.

So - a question - how the hell do people tenderizer schnitzel without a meat mallet thingy? hmmm?

Yeah I know you can by pre-crumbed schnitzel from the butcher... but really people have you tried to eat it?

It's chewy.

Schnitzel should melt in the mouth. Melt - I tell you!

Very little mastication required.

Hence - the meat mallet and the thorough beating each piece of schnitzel gets in our house.

Problem - well the end flew off my mallet a few too many times. I'd stuck it on as best I could over the years but nothing really worked properly.

Okay I figured it was time to get a new one and tossed mine away. It was over 10 years old and wooden... so you can imagine the cleaning of it was a pain in the ass.

Today's task was to procure a new mallet. Preferably a nice aluminium molded one, that's end won't fly off and cause damage to other parts of the kitchen or people... no likes being hit in the kisser by a flying mallet end. :)

The plan - schnitzel for dinner. The meat was already defrosting on the bench.

Easy?

Wrong!

The stupidmarket didn't have any. (None of them)

The Warehouse didn't have any. (But I did get two new pillows, The DVD of Horton hears a Who for the kids, a super cool Christmas present for Bex, and a V to stop Chris complaining about how I gave one of his V's away.)

Farmers didn't have any.

Luckily Stevens in Lower Hutt had ONE. Yeah, a kitchen store with ONE solitary meat tenderizer. Yay.

My next stop would've been Bed, Bath, and Beyond. (Will have to think of another reason to head there next time!)

So this thing is molded aluminium, nicely weighted and not exactly cheap. On the plus side, it should well out last my old wooden one!

Thank God, cos apparently meat tenderizers are every bit as scarce as hen's teeth. And we don't like the pre-crumbed, not properly tenderized stuff.

I can hardly wait for the defrosting to be complete so the bashing can begin. :-)

So many jokes - and I ain't touching any of them.

Whoops I've done it again

Well not really, but I could've... depends what it is really, doesn't it? So I may have.

It was Saturday all day today. I've had quite enough of it.

Dex turned 7. Squealer had a minor meltdown and we had to leave the birthday party - as you'd expect really. There were kids there she didn't know.

How dare Dex have friends! The cheek of the lad!

She's been a bit hard to deal with for the last week and a half, so it wasn't unexpected.

In fact - Squealer just came down and asked for something to help her sleep. Odd.

I gave her Phenergan. Which she has sometimes to top up her daily antihistimine.

Should settle her right down.

The last few VERY minor changes to terrorbyte were approved by me this morning and sent back to my editor. It's now off to the proof readers. Here's hoping they'll pick up any oddities. If there are any. Which I doubt.

The boy wonder has rehearsals today/tonight. It's 9:30, he's not home yet. Suspect he will be quite tired by the time he does get home.

No doubt the slab of Russian fudge sitting in the fridge will perk him up. Let's hope he doesn't see it until he's eaten his dinner!

(Yes, I made Russian fudge tonight - I'm on a roll lately. Christmas cake the other day, shortbread yesterday - and now fudge! Whatever's next- I wonder.)

Breezy was a delight today -as she is most days.

We were talking about theLost Highway, in the car this morning. Lorenza came up in conversation and according to Breezy she plays the Violet.

Gotta love it.

I betcha Lorenza thought it was a violin that she played! lol

And for the first time - Breezy called Chris's guitar, a guitar, and not a Targ.

Guess she's growing up.

(Kinda like the violet thing... hope that lasts a while!)

That's about it from me tonight.

Having a migraine for three days this week has left me rather tired and not bothered!

This a piece about me that I found yesterday (in case you haven't seen it yet)

Chic Galleria

Have a good weekend!

Surprise!

I knew an ezine was supposed to be doing an interview with me... so I'd heard! But no - I have a write up in the ezine. Chic galleria

Found it a few minutes ago when I thought I'd go have a look and see what they were all about.

Groovy.

Groovacious even!

Now - an update on the 'take Cat viral' experiment that Karen was running over at Miscellaneous Yammering. The final tally was 470 views for killerbyte and 308 views for terrorbyte.

And they're still climbing!

Awesome.

A huge thank you goes out to Karen for her brilliant idea and the enthusiasm she injected into the experiment.

There will be a small tee shirt winging it's way to you next week! (Just need to get the dye... )

Wouldn't it be cool if the clicks translated to sales?

Have fun y'all.

It's Friday afternoon here.

Oh and here's a pic of my very first Christmas cake... it's pretty damn awesome. Feel free to ohhh and ahhh. :-)

Homebound train

Take Cat viral Part Two.

I just want to let you all know that I appreciate the tweeting, Facebooking, MySpacing, etc etc... awesome! And seeing the hit counter pass 300, on the killerbyte book trailer - wonderful!!

Karen and I have uncovered a bizarre phenomenon during this exercise. People are tweeting (etc) up a storm, the links to the videos are flying around the world... the strange thing is. The numbers don't match the hits on the actual videos. Looks like hundreds of people of getting behind this but have forgotten that it won't work unless everyone watches (or at least clicks on) the video links.

Seems the main step is missing. :-)

Isn't that interesting?

Now on with this morning's blog.

Which really is a bit of fun...

Excerpts from opening chapters: (for the full excerpt see -Red Room)

1.

"Are you home?"

I detected an angry tone and stifled the urge to reply in kind. Instead, I returned to the kitchen. The silhouette appeared to be talking into something.

"Yes, I am home."

"Then open the goddamn door." Yep, I was getting tone, not something I appreciated at this time of night. I recognized the voice but still had no idea how he came by keys to my home.

"Why are you out here?"

"Ellie, open the fucking door."

"How about ‘no'? How about you fuck off and never come back?" My mind groaned: way to be a grown-up, Ellie! My heart rate was climbing and my trigger finger itchy. He was the last person on earth I would ever give a key. He was pond scum.

2.

I pulled the hair tie from my ponytail, then scraped my hair back off my face, and retied it higher and tighter. I felt a prickling sensation in the pit of my stomach. Adrenaline surged.

"Ready to rock?"

"Right with you, Ellie."

I stepped into the deep shade of the brick buildings that surrounded the alley, took a breath of cool air and decided it might be a pleasant place to spend an hour. Then a blast of strong urine odor hit the back of my throat and I changed my mind.

Lee flipped out his notebook and scanned a few pages. "The girl, Rose Van den Berg, said she looked back and saw a blue door with chipped peeling paint."

3.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Wondering how long it will be before you show me how big and scary you are," I replied beckoning to him. "Come on dickhead, God knows I could use the laugh."

He closed the distance between us in two strides.

The blade pressed against my throat.

"You're smart mouthed for someone who is my prisoner," he growled.

"Don't hold back. Smack me about. Slit my throat." I lowered my voice. "But make it fuc'n good because you do not want me coming after you, ever," I said, pushing his hand away.

4.

It was my first Wednesday morning in my new office. We'd opened the doors bright and early on Monday to Conway PI. Since then the phone hadn't exactly rung off the hook, but it had rung.

The whole Conway PI thing was causing me some amusement. It was all too Magnum PI for me to leave alone. I threatened to change Sam's name to TC and Lee's to Rick. Neither was impressed and said this time they would mutiny. Of course, if they're not actually working with me, they can't. I leaned back in my chair and amused myself with thoughts of TC and Rick trying to mutiny. I'd already decided Higgins job would be to get them back in line.

As if on cue my father's graying hair came into view first, as he poked his head around the edge of the glossy oak door.

5.

"Bird poop."

"Pardon?"

Lee sighed his shoulders slumped as if it was hard work. "The rangers found bird shit on the body."

"We're in the woods." I failed to see any relevance to bird poop. From what I could tell by the state of the roof of my car there were many birds in the woods. Many pooping squawking dive bombing car dirtying birds.

He nodded. "They also noted hair pulled from the back of the scalp."

"Okay, so a bird shit on the woman and pulled out some hair... you might want to put a BOLO out." I knew there was smirk lurking on my lips but was powerless to control it. There it was, the image of Lee asking law enforcement in the area to Be on the Look Out for a bird. "Do they know what sort of bird? Catbird? Sparrow? Cocka-fucn-too?"

"I hate delivering messages," Lee grumbled.

"Is the bird a witness or an accomplice? Are we looking at a bird for murder?"

Wasn't that fun?

Now here's the titles that belong to the excerpts:

1. Killerbyte

2. Terrorbyte

3. Exacabyte

4. Satellite

5. Ethernet

And I now have to run - or we'll be late from school. Seems I have WAY WAY too many versions of my work. When I get back from school I shall do something I should've done AGES ago.

Kill everything except the current files and the actual original file.

Here's a little something to amuse. Killerbyte started life as a third person novel and Aidan (Ellie's brother) was the original killer.

Too much of a good thing...

Howdy folks,

It's been a VERY busy week. Ending with a super busy weekend, as the final edits (tweaks) of terrorbyte needed to be back to my gorgeous editor A-sap. She's going away, I'm going away - so everything has to be finished before we both take a break!

It's done!

Woot.

Now most of you know that my nobtastic friend Karen has been doing her damnedest to get my video's to go viral - leading a fabulous campaign from her blog.

For anyone needing quick access to the trailers. (please watch and insist everyone you know does the same!)

The killerbyte trailer

The terrorbyte trailer

What else? Well - here's the link to my latest interview... just in case you haven't yet enjoyed it!

I've had a shitty fuc'n week - Breezy has now been sick for 4 weeks. School goes back tomorrow. Kindy goes back tomorrow. I don't know yet if Breezy will be back at kindy. She really wants to - but I suspect it will just open her up to another attack from whatever bugs are now going around. I don't think she's well enough, the only thing I do know -is that she's not contagious -not after two lots of antibiotics.

The entire school holidays were a major waste of time. We couldn't do anything due to dreadful weather and a very sick Breezy.

The last week has been hellish.

Squealer cannot cope with having a visitor all week. It's way too much for her. Funnily enough she was super excited about having Tink here - but it seems that three days is all she can tolerate. Being followed around (even to the toilet) helped the excitement wear off pretty damn fast. When a kid doesn't like being around people to start with, it makes it harder to cope with someone who needs to be around people all the time.

Squealer has withdrawn into herself more than usual - she's going to need to spend a LOT of time alone to find her balance again. It's been a blast - so far - we've been lucky and she hasn't has a full-blown meltdown. It's a coming though, I can feel it.

Next weekend is Dex birthday. Let's hope Squealer gets her balance back before then - or it will be unpleasant!!

I now need to go put the veges in the oven - or it'll be roast beef without veges... so not going to work for me.

be good y'all.

Go watch the trailers -pass em around.

The butterfly effect

Hi folks!

This is something that's great fun - my very sweet and VERY funny friend Karen Schindler has started a campaign to take my book trailers viral.

It's a hell of a challenge. Are you up for it?

Drop by Karen's blog for instructions... let's prove what social media can really do!

http://miscellaneousyammering.blogspot.com/2009/10/butterfly-effect.html

And don't forget my interview over at Blazing Trailers... http://blazingtrailers.blogspot.com/2009/10/meet-cat-connor.html

Latest interview with little ol' me

Yes that's right folks there is a fresh and fabulous interview up over here at Blazing Trailers this morning.

I'm expecting you all to rush right over and revel in the joy.

No, I really am.

Seriously.

Get thee asses to Blazing Trailers.

Go now.

Why are you still here?

Hmm where to begin...

This is a bit of a follow up to a recent post regarding chat room behavior, fans, stalkers, and other such disturbing types. Okay mostly stalkers.

Today has been rather annoying. One of those days that hasn't really taken shape. I haven't left the house in three weeks apart from one trip into Trollville and doctors visits.

None of which were in the least bit satisfying as jaunts.

I have however had all this extra time to research the hell out of a new characters behavior. (she's not staying - no point introducing her yet -well I don't think she's staying.) So I've been working - burying myself in research and writing. Turns out this chick is so far out of my comfort zone that it makes my skin crawl. Researching the kinda stuff she does, thinking it's okay - or just because she wants to and doesn't admit to herself how wrong it is, is quite vomit inducing.

In case you haven't guessed - the character is a stalker. Which at first glance amuses Ellie. (as it would) But after a few days of constant interference, harassment, having a picnic in the park ruined, some pretty convincing pictures arrive, phone calls, being followed, and having someone show up announcing they were someone's wife.

Ellie blows a fuse.

If we stop right here.

Now that was only after a few days of intense scrutiny by a stalker who had enlisted the help of others to further disrupt Ellie's life. A FEW DAYS.

Imagine how she'd react after years of such crap behavior?

Picking it right up again-

And this is Ellie -she's fairly stable. (Well as stable as any other armed special agent) She has an awesome sense of humor. If anyone can find something to laugh at in the midst of shite it's Ellie. She's got all the support in the world at her fingertips. She's not famous as such, but she is known.

She did something that garnered attention (The poetry book she wrote with Mac), and tried very hard to make sure it didn't encroach on her ability to do her job. Being recognized occasionally doesn't.

BUT being stalked does.

It makes it almost impossible for her to carry on working. Her fear is that she'll inadvertently get the stalker involved in a dangerous situation - just because this chick is following her everywhere. Ellie doesn't want to be responsible for the woman suddenly being in the line of fire.

Someone and Ellie both assume the stalking is to do with him. Which leads to them considering calling their friendship quits. Seems a shame that a friendship could end because of one persons obsession. That's the reality though. Ellie is faced with distancing herself from potential trouble so she can carry on working. It seems wrong that an outsider carries that much power. Especially one that's obviously a lunatic!

Let's take Ellie out of the equation and in her place let's put a TV star, movie star, sports star, or Rock star.

How much of an impact does bullshit behavior from fans have on their lives?

How would you like it if you couldn't pop down to the corner store for a carton of milk without some morons snapping a hundred pictures of you? And then LYING about what you're doing? And the very next day there you are 'Leaving your wife/husband after huge fight' according to the glossy crap filled magazines! But - the picture - it's you popping out for milk.

Why do people believe what they read in magazines?

I think I've determined that I do not like this new character. Even though Ellie finds her amusing to start with - I don't. I find her,what's the word.. oh yes...pathetic. I gotta feeling she's gonna be pathetic and bleeding when Ellie finds her in her hotel room searching through her clothes!

Oh and just a note here: To my stalkers. I heart you. :-) - and that's only for the two I know about... any others out there... you're on your own!

We got it going on, actually, I don't know if you do... but I certainly do!

This is not the best time to be writing a bloggity blog. For starters I said bloggity. Big clue there. Yep, I've been guzzling back Dolcetto tonight while doing an interview.

Oh dear I hear you say.

More like fuc'n hell, in actual fact.

Well in all fairness it was impromptu. I was already drinking. So what's a girl to do, say no? Well that ain't gonna happen kids. Books like CD's don't sell themselves. There is stiff competition out yonder and it's all about keeping ones name out there without resorting to Amy Winehouse tactics.

(Not even after a full bottle, I'm just not going to sink that low folks.)

So yeah interview night. Pretty awesome. Perhaps.

Now - some of you know I have lost all my log in info for my gmail account. Which is no great loss except I can't read my list emails. I need them. So I'm going to have to get the email address changed probably to Yahell as Hotmail has issues with the List emails.

Meanwhile - for this interview I needed a gmail account. Now after signing up for a new one I remembered why gmail sucks more than a whirl pool. For starters it's ugly. Yes it is. AND it's not easy to see stuff. AND THIS IS THE BIG ONE. It tries to take over your world.

It wouldn't let me sign into this blog - oh no. Kept trying to make me sign in with my gmail account. Which quite frankly is unhelpful. Three times now I've had to tell it to piss off. My guess is that it'll try and take over all my google things now. And I'll never be able to get into anything again. Especially when I keep telling it NOT to stay logged in, and it logs itself in. To gmail I say -fuck the hell off.

I'd sooner deal with Yahell. And you all know how much I love Yahell.

I might be over the trauma of Gmail about now - maybe a half glass more will make damn sure.

Writing wise... worked well today until Breezy had a melt down and stole my computer to play nickjr.com games.

Uncovered some total coolness in the 4th book. Really enjoyed writing the two scenes I wrote today. They were big fun. Damn it was good! Yup. Exceptional in fact.

Nope not telling ya what it was.

Had to ask Eric a question. I tried to get around it but I really needed a geographical area. Not a fuc'n discussion on why he chose it, or how far from DC it was. I'm quite clever at working out that stuff myself. I just wanted to know area Ellie would be heading to.

Turns out what I needed to know was Clifton. Which meant the Manassas field office was the closest. That's all I needed. I could take it from there. Ya know how hard it was to ask the question? Knowing that I was opening a whole can of worms!

There was a moment - after the second phone call from Eric that I truly despaired. But it was just a quick question about using OneNote. Whew.

He dropped by on his way to work - giving me another spacer. As the spare is now Breezy's and that meant there was no spare! I brandished a spatula in his direction when he said, "I have an idea" - I swear he took a step back. It was great. I did let him into a little secret and broke my own rule by telling him why Ellie was going to Clifton with Lee and Misha and the UN.

Ha! That's all ya get.

:-)