Kate Donovan's Blog

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:21:23 GMT

A belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to msbhaven!!

I hope you had a great day, Sheila. And I hope you have another one today.

Livejournal sent me a reminder but I was out of Elk Grove visiting my mom and couldn't post until today.

Anyway, yay!

Kate

Tess Gerritsen

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:02:17 GMT

I was crushed to hear that author Tess Gerritsen has decided to stop blogging for a while. As you can tell from the short list on my sidebar, hers is a blog I gladly recommend to my readers. After visiting it on a weekly-or-so basis for a couple of years (at least until recently, when my world went south), I became convinced that she is a genuinely wonderful person – intelligent, sensitive, compassionate, talented, generous, charming and honest. And pretty funny too.

Her blog posts usually served several functions: to give a glimpse of her as a person and as a writer; to chronicle the evolution of her current work in progress, from genesis to title to marketing plan; and to allow us an inside view of the publishing biz. Anyone who is an aspiring author, or a published but struggling one, or even a bestselling author like Tess, could find camaraderie, advice, and a kindred spirit. And readers could also enjoy that inside view of a different career, while also having their appetites whetted. Especially fun for readers is/was the fact that Tess tries something different with almost every book, and from reader reactions, it appears that for each one of those books, there’s a dedicated subgroup of Tess Gerritsen fans that regard that particular book as her very, very best. In other words, something for everyone.

Very cool.

I’m leaving the link up in the sidebar, partly in hopes that Tess will start blogging again soon, but also so that you can find it if you haven’t yet discovered it on your own. Take the time to read a few months’ worth of posts, and I defy you to remain unimpressed. In addition to all of the qualities I listed above, you’ll find she’s also very brave – brave enough to have put herself out there, trusting that the genuineness of her words would touch us. And they did.

So I don’t agree with those who say that closing her blog is a sign of weakness or a lack of courage. Are you kidding me?

And for those who call her thin-skinned, well, you know how I feel about that. It’s one of my favorite qualities in an author! *

So read her blog. Oh, and of course, read her books and find your own favorite!

* I ranted about the “thick-skin” issue back in June of 2006. Since then, I’ve gotten even more ranty about it because those who demand that quality of us are so truly short-sighted, and sometimes hypocritical. You want an author with a thick skin? One who doesn’t react deeply – maybe even overreact – to life’s hurts? You want our writing to be sensitive, moving, etc? So, how do you expect us to find that within ourselves if we were so tough? Sheesh… I for one don’t want to read the work of a truly thick-skinned author. Be thin-skinned, but ultimately resilient. Feel it deeply, then recover as quickly as possible. That’s the most that can be asked.

P.S. As you know, I’m not a paid member of livejournal. The free membership only offers limited links on the sidebar. At first, I was bummed about that, but I’ve come to appreciate it, because as time goes on, I find I don’t want to recommend blogs – even ones that I personally visit and enjoy daily – unless I feel comfortable with their regular commenters as well as the bloggers themselves. There’s just too much volatility and obnoxiousness in some communities, and while I can choose to visit (and leave quickly or watch with morbid fascination when it gets ugly) I would hate to refer one of my readers to a volatile blog on a day when something ugly just happens to be unfolding in the comment section. So I’m actually grateful to livejournal for limiting me (and of course, grateful that they host me for free at all!)

JOHN ADAMS the miniseries

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:20:47 GMT

JOHN ADAMS on HBO

Are any of you watching this miniseries? I had high hopes for it, since I generally like those particular actors, and I love learning about historical figures. Plus, there hasn’t been a good miniseries in a while.

Well, this one isn’t good either. I say that with regret, and I keep watching in case it improves. But instead, it keeps getting…. worse.

At this point – four installments into it – I have a basic question:

Are we supposed to like or admire John Adams as a man, a husband, a father or a statesman? At all? Because so far, I don’t on any score.

I am convinced that if this portrayal is accurate, then the man never deserved to be VP, let alone president. And certainly never deserved to be married to Abigail, although she doesn’t come off so well in this production either.

Meanwhile, the show commits the biggest sin of all – it makes a thrilling part of history seem a little dull. They insist on having all the big events happen off screen, which would be an interesting technique if the little events that happen ON screen weren’t so tedious. (I’m sure they do this in the name of “historical accuracy,” but slavish devotion to verifiable facts or letters or diaries, without trying to capture the underlying spirit or vitality, is simply not accurate at all. Apparently most of the scenes and dialogue are based on letters between John and Abigail, and that’s all well and good, but perhaps they didn’t write down many of the interesting tidbits, remarks, etc, and they kept their observations cryptic because letters in those war-torn days could easily be captured by the British. /rant)

Oh well… Maybe next week’s episode will be better.

P.S. The George Washington character is okay, but the actor who plays that role also played a serial killer in DISTURBIA, which I just saw for the first time a few weeks ago. So even that isn’t working for me. On the other hand, Ben Franklin is kind of fun. But honestly? There’s no one I really admire in the whole darned thing. If these guys are the fathers of our country, we’re in BIG trouble.

Side Note: The best scene by far was right after Jefferson finished writing the Declaration of Independence, and other people started editing him. He told them coolly that he had chosen each word very carefully. And that got me to thinking – this wasn’t just pre-computer, it was pre-typewriter (: - o), and yep, I’ll bet you really did choose each word with greater care when you knew what a mess it would make if you wanted to change something later. (According to this rendition, Jefferson didn’t really “hold these truths to be self-evident” – he held them to be clear and irrefutable, or words to that effect, but Franklin changed it. ) I’m with Franklin on that one, but still…..

Feuding with inanimate objects?

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:56:44 GMT

A childhood friend who visited my blog sent me an interesting observation – that she has noticed in me a lifelong tendency to (1) anthropomorphize inanimate objects like the Bunny Cake and the GPS Dominatrix, and then (2) fight with them.

Is that so wrong? Especially considering that bunnies are mammals just like us, and can have some bad intent, I’m sure. And that is a woman’s voice coming out of that GPS contraption, right?

But meanwhile, I guess my friend has a point. I do tend to have my best confrontations with non-humans. With people, not so much – not even when confrontation is absolutely needed.

My book characters, though, are another story. They can fight and confront and assert themselves quite well. Maybe that’s why I love them!

Anyway, good call. I’m going to keep an eye on this because I want to be fair, and if I’m blaming my car or my shoe or whatever for things they didn’t do, I should really apologize to them.

Kate

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:59:40 GMT

The following is a true story.

For Christmas, I bought my husband a GPS system. Our trial run was during the trip to Maui in January. We got a huge laugh out of it/her, because the canned (female) voice that came with the system had something of an edge to it, especially when we made a wrong turn – or worse, when we had the audacity to interrupt the scheduled trip for gas or food (in that order, hopefully). She got a little testy with us during such deviations from the route, but in the end, she got us safely to our destination.

Yes, everything was fun and games in Maui.

Now we’re home, and she’s getting on my nerves. I’ve never gotten so much attitude from an inanimate object! I see now that androids are not the answer for the future of humans. In fact, the Terminator movies might just be dead-on right. We cannot trust these mechanized demons.

Back to the dominatrix. Here’s a quick rundown on how GPS systems for those of you who aren’t fortunate enough to have one (I’m kidding – save yourselves!)

On the touchscreen of the device, you enter the destination address. The dominatrix announces: “Calculating route.” Then she starts to boss you around, but nicely at first. “Left turn in 2 miles” – that sort of thing.

But God help you if there’s a traffic jam ahead, so you have to detour; or you need to use the restroom at a service station by the side of the road. Then she announce again: “Calculating route,” but there’s a bit of an edge.

She’s pissed that you didn’t do EXACTLY as she commanded.

Now imagine doing that two or three times during the same trip, for valid reasons, but trust me, this woman is not accustomed to being disobeyed. Now when she says “calculating route” she means “how dare you disregard my wishes”!

It’s really rather frightening.

And this is with my husband in the car! But today, I braved it alone. That was a mistake.

Background: yesterday my husband and I went to visit my mother. Mom’s in a facility. She is in the same facility today.

We used the GPS yesterday, and asked the device to send us on the fastest route. The dominatrix sent us south on I-5, then west on CA-160. That’s not our traditional route, but it worked so well, I decided to do it again today when I visited Mom.

Inexplicably, the GPS decided to send me NORTH on I-5, then west of I-80 (our former route). Undeterred, I went south, knowing/assuming that the GPS would/should adjust to the new route.

She did not. Instead, she categorically refused to speak to me, and so there I was, speeding south on I-5 with no recollection of the correct turnoff. I’m not much of an adventuress, so this was scary territory for me.

Finally, I pulled over and coaxed her into talking to me again. But there was a snarly tone to her voice the rest of the trip.

Sheesh!

I know this is not just my imagination. This chick has control issues.

Kate

BUNNY CAKE report: it's all over except for the dieting

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:11:40 GMT

As I mentioned in my comment to mizkit , it went pretty well this time, although it got off to a scary start. Before I even commenced making the frosting, I removed the cooled, white layer cakes from the pans, and on the bottom of one pan, the residue formed -- I'm not kidding -- the face and ears of a bunny.

And a scowling one, no less.

It was intimidating, but I forged onward, and the frosting came out as close to "right" as it has so far. Not quite stiff and voluminous enough, but once spread on the cake and covered with coconut, it looked and tasted perfect.

Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Kate

BUNNY CAKE

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:17:54 GMT

Can you believe it's that time of year already? The bunny and I do battle in the kitchen.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I try every year to make luscious 7-minute frosting for a bunny cake for Easter. Every year, disaster strikes, whether in the form of a spoon stuck in a solid ball of sugar-water mixture that I boiled too long, or sometimes, the mixture just doesn't ever form a ball at all.

My battle with the bunny has become a huge family tradition. It originated in my husband's family -- his mom used to make it every year, with fabulous foolproof results.

For me, it's been a challenge. But every year, I try again. Last year I even bought a candy thermometer! (FYI, it didn't help)

My results are never perfect -- at least not yet -- but I always manage to make a decent batch of frosting eventually, after two or three trys. And once it goes on the cake and is covered with coconut, it actually looks pretty good, and tastes wonderful.

Some day, though, I will achieve complete success. And when I do, I hope I can remember what the heck I did differently.

Wish me luck!

Kate

There's nothing like Saint Patrick's Day

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:33:33 GMT

It was beautiful in Northern California today, once the wind died down. Cold but sunny. Brisk, I suppose you'd call it. Or bracing? Anyway, it was the perfect day for the wearing of the you-know-what.

I was raised to love Saint Patrick's Day. Literally (almost). Not only were my parents wild about it, but I went to a parochial school where all the teachers were nuns who had come -- fairly recently -- from Ireland. Part of my love for learning probably came from the fact that my teachers had glorious brogues. What a way to learn.

We wore maroon and white uniforms, but on Saint Patrick's Day, we (the girls) wore green skirts and white blouses. The boys wore green ties with black pants. And we all went to the cafeteria and did a jig. It was so much fun -- the nuns taught us and they were adorable about it. All those stories you hear about mean nuns? Not at my school! They spoiled us rotten and taught us well.

I have no idea how the day is celebrated in Ireland, but in Rhode Island, with the influence of Boston nearby and the spirit of Ireland even closer, we thought it was The Best. The songs, the dancing... everything.

But has it ever been this close to Easter? It's freaking me out.

I hope you had a great day.

Kate

not ready yet

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:25:16 GMT

Well, I lost my dad on February 29th. We'll have the memorial mass this weekend to accommodate the out-of-towners, since he and mom were from NJ, and most of the grandkids are from other states too.

You would have loved my father -- he was such a great guy. Funny, charming, warm, brilliant, loving, sentimental... I suggested playing Danny Boy at the service, but now I'm regretting it, because I sob during that on the best of days, and this of course is the worst.

Anyway, I just wanted to post an update.

Thanks,

Kate

still in crisis

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:49:45 GMT

Hi, just a quick note to share that I still have too much going on with family emergencies to write a real blog entry (or anything else). Suffice it to say that the situation has worsened, despite our hopes that we'd be making progress by now.

I'll be back when I can. Thanks for the good thoughts. Take care out there.

Kate

Happy birthday!

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:14:45 GMT

Hey wuggienorple, they say it's your birthday! I hope you have a great one.

Kate

WINNER WINNER WINNER!

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:28:08 GMT

I'm so pleased to announce that Carol from South Africa is the winner of my New Year's Resolution contest. Carol has entered every one of my contests over the last few years, and she feels like an old friend, so I'm doubly delighted.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I'll undoubtedly be holding another contest soon.

Kate

family emergencies

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:35:45 GMT

I've been missing in action due to several family emergencies. One parent rushed to the hospital, the other not well enough to stay alone in the house, and failing quickly also. And from what the doctors tell us, they may not be able to stay there even when this crisis is over, at least not without substantial help around the house. So we're looking at alternatives, and it's just... well it's tough on everyone, as you can imagine.

I'll check back when possible.

And I won't forget to do the drawing, so if you entered the New Year's Resolution Contest, it's still a go. And if you haven't entered yet, there's still time.

Love,
Kate

SUPERNATURAL

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:09:36 GMT

Just popping in to note how FANTASTIC Supernatural was last night. Great dialogue, great plot, great demons! Dean was his usual sexy self, and we were basically assured that Sam's crying days are over, so I'm in heaven.

Kate

MEN -- who can resist them?

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:41:10 GMT

During one of the blog debates that have raged recently, a commenter made an observation that cracked me up, saying that the heated remarks during some romance issues are reminiscent of sports talk radio.

I love that ‘cause it’s true!

My husband and I listen to sports talk radio on the way to work some mornings. We’re Sacramento Kings fans, although not of the rabid variety. It’s really fun to listen to the show’s hosts, who are hilarious (immature, but pretty funny). And then there are the callers – holy cow, they’re usually fanatics of the first order. Passionate, loyal, and worked into a frenzy – it’s great entertainment. For every guy who wants the coach’s head on a plate, there’s another guy who is so defensive of the coach, you’d think they were blood relations. And the same thing goes, player by player. They love ‘em or the hate ‘em.

Then there are the callers who clearly believe themselves to be open-minded, objective, and destined to bring order to the chaos. These are the ones who really make me laugh. If they only knew how pompous they sound. Full of pseudo-insights and hackneyed observations, yet they’re so sure they’re adding intelligence and objectivity to the mix.

It’s good fun. And even though they’re all crazy, you can occasionally learn something while listening to them, so all’s well.

But the point the commenter made on the blog was this – why does everyone single out the romance community as being too defensive, too nicey-nice, unable to take criticism, thin-skinned, overly-identifying with the books, characters, authors. When you see this discussed, it’s always assumed by many that it’s because it’s women. Men – we’re told – do not behave this way.

Hmmm? Have you actually met a man?

Even when you meet a guy who claims to have no interest in sports, he doesn’t put down the ones who do (in contrast to the way we put down romance). And he will probably admit he harbors a secret love for the Red Sox or some such. Why else do these goofs always talk about Brian’s Song? And how else do you explain Kevin Costner? Sheesh. They're all that way, and not a bit ashamed of it.

It's so refreshing! I love how men are so goofy about sports, and submarines/airplanes, and war movies. They can scoff at women for falling for romantic or sentimental plots, but they can watch THE BIG RED ONE again and again without getting tired of it.

I’ve always threatened to write a submarine screenplay and submit it under a guy’s name. How hard can it be? You need the clash between the new commander and the second-in-command (the one the crew loves). You need the suspicious guy – he’s either a spy or something akin. You need a long lecture up front about the depth the submarine can withstand before it starts to break apart from water pressure (write that number down, you’ll be seeing it on the BIG DIAL about 2/3 of the way into the movie – and yes, the boat will start to break apart, and they’ll have to seal off segments, always trapping a beloved seaman who then drowns). You need the big scene where the two commanders have to cooperate – they each have a key, see? And to stop the detonation sequence that will start WWIII, they have to turn their keys simultaneously.) And you need the depth charges scene – this is where a boat on the surface drops barrels of dynamite right down on the sub.

And they say romance has a formula? Yet guys eat this stuff up.

I don’t really have a point. It just makes me smile.

Men -- you gotta love 'em.

Kate

bargain books!!

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:19:02 GMT

For some reason, Amazon is selling CHARADE brand new for $2.69. I noticed it last week but thought it was an error. But it's still there. (edited to add: now they're actually hurting my feelings. They lowered it again yesterday to $2.57, and now today, it's $2.43. I hope none of you bought it at $2.69! I bought two -- sheesh! What's going on? Is it linked to the stock market or something?)

So if you're an Athena Force fan, here's a chance to buy one of the books for a good price. And we'll keep an eye on the others to see if they discount one or more of those (or if I'm just special ;-) )

I'm going to buy a few copies myself. I think it's cheaper than the author price I can get through H/S.

The price is back to $5.50 now. Must have been a mistake and they finally caught it. I hope someone got a bargain!

Kate

Oh, and P.S. the CONTEST is going very well. I've received lots of entries, and each New Year's resolution is different from the next. All good ones, too. It's inspiring.

Keep entering. It goes til Feb 15. Check the sidebar for details!

Back From Maui

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:46:15 GMT

I love my house, my friends, my family, and even (sometimes) my job, but oh, I did not want to come home. I wanted to buy the condo unit that we rented and just stay forever. Luckily, cooler heads and empty wallets prevailed.

I did come home to a bit of wonderful news. My Athena Force book CHARADE has been awarded a Reviewer's Choice Award by cataromance.com! What a thrill. I'm so grateful to the folks at cataromance, not just for the award, but for promoting category romance in general the way they do.

As for Maui, well, what can I say? We saw whales -- lots and lots of them. Right up close and personal, thanks to some very "crafty" sailors who took us right to the legal limit. The star of the show was a humpback who swam right up to our boat and jumped out of the water, giving us a show and more. Wow.

These whales were so plentiful, we could spot them from the balcony of our hotel!

I didn't snorkel. I love to swim, but with the fishes? Get real. I'm with Lucca Brazzi on that one. But the water was so clear, I could see a lot of what the snorkelers saw -- pretty fish, lovely coral, and some of the ugliest and most scary sea turtles you can imagine. Why anyone would want to be in the water with them is beyond me.

I had a great time. I'll try to post some whale pictures soon.

Kate

a dose of reality

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:36:52 GMT

I’ve been in Maui for a week of fun, nature and relaxation. I have no desire to plunge back into stress.

But meanwhile, there’s a new scandal about plagiarism. Since it’s an important topic, I feel the need to weigh in with a tiny rant.

Copyright Infringement = illegal. It’s stealing. It takes money out of the starving artist’s pocket. (And even if the artist isn’t starving, or even if the artist is recently deceased and left a family behind, they are entitled to make a living from those precious, creative words. Right? Who dares take that from them? Our entire culture is based on allowing artists to make a living, lest art go by the wayside or underground.) In that sense, it is unethical too, of course, as is any theft offense.

How is Copyright Infringement different from plagiarism? The big difference, besides being illegal, is that it doesn’t necessarily involve plagiarism at all. If someone makes fifty photocopies of IDENTITY CRISIS and sells them on eBay as “Kate Donovan’s IDENTITY CRISIS” – giving me full credit for having written the words – that person is still infringing my copyright because I am the only person who can give permission for reprints of my words. I gave that permission to my publisher, no one else.

Plagiarism = unethical. It’s passing someone else’s words off as your own by failure to attribute (if paraphrased) or failure to use quote marks and attribute, if using someone else’s wording. It’s stealing, obviously, but it’s also akin to impersonation. Theft based on false pretenses. Pretending that you wrote those words, when another author really did. It’s despicable.

Plagiarizing copyrighted material = the perfect storm of illegal and unethical.

And then there’s FRAUD (cue music is you’re over 47). This is where the reader comes in. You buy a book, or read a work, and you think you know what you’re getting. You read a phrase and it resonates with you, and for that moment, you are so grateful to the author, but – um, someone else wrote it. Yikes. And meanwhile, thanks to the lack of attribution, you can’t go out to the bookstore and find more of that resonating material. You have been ripped off. Hoodwinked.

All of these behaviors are unethical, immoral, despicable. But what is the remedy? In some cases, a lawsuit. In others, re-education, or if egregious, shunning, I suppose.

An author/publisher can sue for copyright infringement. For plagiarism, the plagiarist’s publisher could sue the plagiarist based on contract. And I think a reader who paid money for the work could sue for fraud, but it’s outside my area of practice, so I can’t say for sure.

It’s interesting that so many authors are worried about accidental plagiarism. I say, relax. If you don’t use someone else words, you’re okay. If you do – well, a little worrying is a good idea. Find out what the parameters are. There are times when it’s okay – especially when it’s an allusion to a well-known source, e.g. “to be or not to be” – but if you’re unsure, go ahead and ask an editor or agent. And if it’s a lot of words, chances are, you’re wrong.

Edited to add: I just read an opinion piece suggesting that “old-school” writing permits fiction writers to rip off nonfiction writers, especially if the work is out of copyright. Ugh. My reaction is just the opposite. The taboo against plagiarism was drilled into me as a child by everyone --- teachers, parents, and frankly, my own instincts – and I was educated in the 60’s and 70’s. Pretty old-school, right?

If I thought any age group might be more likely to think copyright-infringement is okay, it would be the people who got caught up in the music wars, and have some passionate (mis)conceptions about public ownership of art. But new-school, old-school, or even ancient-school – I think everyone with a conscience knows that misrepresenting someone else’s art as your own is wrong, wrong, wrong. Right to the core. Or at least, I hope that’s true.

Kate

off to the islands

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:31:08 GMT

We're leaving tonight for a week in Maui. Given how cold it is in Northern CA right now, and how busy my office is, this is especially good timing. According to the weather site, it's going to be 74'ish degrees during the day in Hawaii -- not as toasty as I was hoping, but still, it sounds wonderful.

Have a good week! Keep sending those contest entries in. I won't be blogging on vacation, but I'll be checking my hotmail because -- well, what can I say? I'm an addict!

Kate

E-bay

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:06:55 GMT

Okay, it's official. I hate losing on Ebay, but I also hate winning. When I win, it tells me I paid too much. Sheesh...

I need another time-waster. Ebay just isn't working for me. (although I did get some lovely parting gifts! Maybe I'll try to post some pictures of my pretty stuff.)

Kate

2008!!!!

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:36:15 GMT

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!! I hope you have a great 08!

CHARADE is nominated!

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:08:11 GMT

My editor just emailed me the news that CHARADE is nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice award for Best Continuity for 2007. I'm thrilled. Another Athena book was nominated too -- yay Rachel! I think I'm going to read the other two nominees too, they sound like fun. Good luck to all of us and to the nominees in the other categories as well!

NOMINEES FOR BEST CONTINUITY

UNMASKED
Ingrid Weaver Harlequin (January 2007)

SCENT OF A WOMAN
Joanne Rock Harlequin (July 2007)

LINE OF SIGHT
Rachel Caine Silhouette (August 2007)

CHARADE
Kate Donovan Silhouette (October 2007)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS and NEW CONTEST

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 19:12:25 GMT

Hi everyone, happy holidays!!

In honor of the new year, I'm having a little contest. It will give you a chance to win a free book, and give me a chance to learn what your writing-related New Year's resolutions are.

So send me an email at katedonovan at hotmail.com, or leave a comment here to enter. The details will be on the website January 1, 2008, but you can also view the rules in the sidebar to the right of this blog.

Good luck!

Kate

Back in business

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 23:34:00 GMT

Hi everyone,

I’m back, more or less. The brace is off, but I’m under orders not to overdo it with the typing.

Thanks for all the emails and good wishes! I love sympathy more than just about anything else. (I’m kidding, of course. Sort of.)

I hope this holiday month has been fun for you all. I’ve managed to get all my shopping done, so now it’s all about the wrapping, cooking, and baking. We’ve never gotten this close to Christmas without baking our first batch of cookies, but the rolling and cutting will be a lot easier with two hands, so we waited. Looks like tonight’s the night. Yay!

I’ll be back with a writing-related post tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to say Hi, and thanks to the well-wishers!

Kate

p.s. I finally tried eBay, and have already bought FOUR items over the past two weeks. I guess this is what happens when one’s hand(s) become idle! Now that I can type again, I’m hoping this new addiction will fade and the old one will take over again.

the silence of the hand

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:20:50 GMT

Just a quick note to say the surgery went well, but they insist that I mustn’t use my right hand/fingers for a while. They’ve attached me to a contraption to ensure compliance – ugh.

So I can’t type with any sort of speed or accuracy. I’m reduced to short emails at work and lots of handwritten pages at home.

NTS, I won’t be blogging until Dec 18 at the earliest.

Hope you’re all having happy holidays.

And I hope you check back with me in a couple of weeks. See you then!

Kate