Two chapters left to rewrite. To tell you the truth, this is where it gets fast. Things start happening too fast and I need to slow it down, describe it more, come up with more scenes. I’m probably going to put it aside and take one chapter at a time to flesh it out.  Chapter ten starts, “For the next couple of weeks…” I need to come up with a timeline. I was thinking of doing it for the chapter headings, but I don’t think that’s a good idea.

In my rewrite journal, I have a calendar. I need to write down what the dates are, when the chapters are, and how long has passed until “For the next couple of weeks…” shows up.

I went to the Association of Rhode Island Authors’ meeting. I was going to pay for my membership then but I realized they didn’t take cash. So I’ll send them a check or money order when I get a chance.

They had an editor there. She was nice but nervous. She suggested the Chicago manual of style, which I believe Laureen uses when she edits. (I don’t think that Paper Angel has its own style guide other than “anything but courier.”) I asked a question about semicolons. It seems that no one is using them these days anymore. I was told that the semicolon has been replaced with the em-dash.

Well, that pissed me off. I like the semicolon for two reasons. One: it’s a pregnant pause, something to connect two ideas but makes the person take a breath and absorb the first half of the sentence before continuing on the second idea. Two: It’s a mental health symbol. There are semicolon tattoos that mean something like, “My story isn’t finished yet.” It’s a fad, not something I would do. But, dammit, it’s there to be used.It’s more than just a blinky smile-face. So to hell with modern fiction; I’m using it.

Another thing about ARIA is that they’re out to make money. I have to pay $35 in dues. Then I have to pay upwards of $35 for a spot at their table. I mean, really?  REALLY? I have to shell out $35 for some spots, $50 for others. $250 for RI Comicon and $100 for the Big E.Paper Angel has asked if I could represent the press, too. I’m going to try, at least for some of the smaller venues; I only have one book, and it’s not necessarily going to be a big seller.

Also, there was a cute guy at the meeting. He sat behind me. Part of me wishes I could have talked to him, but the part of me that won out was “I have to get home.” I hope to see him again and I hope I have the balls to talk to him. He’s doing RIComicon. I’m not. I’ll never make that money back – I’ll need to sell 25 copies at least. And although I have Marc Durrow as my artist, I’m not sure how much pull that will be in the arena. And then…there’s people. So. Many. People.

Went shopping also for a tablecloth. You know, they don’t have the camo pattern I’m looking for? Desert pixel; how hard is that? I found something like it, but it had swirls and leaves. I might go back and get some – it will match my book as it is. However, I have to get something that will match Grimalkin’s book, too.

That book cover I’m trying to design in my head. I was thinking of having it look like a composition notebook, purple, with a hand-drawn gold pentacle in the center of it, the title beneath it, handwritten. The other option is having the entire thing be a light purple with the title written diagonally along the right side, the gold pentacle on a chain, and the sigils for Belial and Andromalius somewhere on it in silver or black,floating in space.  Not sure how that would look, or if it looks too busy.

I’ll need to see it. I’ll have Marc draw a sketch. I was supposed to have him draw Jake, but I changed my mind since I’m going to put my name on the second and third books.

So plans are: Finish the paper markup today of War Mage. Work on the computer updates between today and tomorrow.. Submit to the editor on Tuesday; print out a copy for my beta reader on Tuesday also. Start the rewrite of Grimalkin tomorrow.