Kate Can Babble on my Blog Any Time She Likes

Yes, she can.

It was Thanksgiving up here in Canada - long weekend. So I was away from the computer for a while.

There was eating. Some drinking. Okay, quite a bit of drinking. But at least I was sober on Sunday night, while the guy had a bit too much. So Monday was Veeeewy Quiet at our house.

I'm never sick, but last week I got a cold that hit me like a ton of bricks, and it completely derailed my writing. So, there's my little peek into life as a writer - you get sick, too bad, you either work or you don't get paid. The day job may suck, but at least I called in sick for two days and still made money. Not a bad deal in that case. Try writing with a fever: You just sit there and stare at the screen, and your thoughts go round and round, and you go to type something but you can't remember what it was. Then you stare some more. Then you go lie down, but you have this terrible feeling of guilt because you really should be working. It's horrible.

So, full-time writers, hats off to you this one time.

It's almost NaNoWriMo time but just thinking about it makes me tired. Maybe some year.

The only thing that got me through my cold: Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart.



Once again, I did not have the edition with this really kick-ass creepy cover. I had an old yellowed nearly-disintegrated library paperback with an old-fashioned line drawing on the cover. It was nice, but this is better.

This book was awesome. Governess works for mysterious employer in large, old castle? Check. It's a Gothic cliche, but this is the way you're supposed to do it. You're supposed to plot, not just rely on atmosphere. You're supposed to draw your characters unforgettably. You're supposed to leave your reader actually hanging about what's going to happen. You're supposed to have a heroine who does not whine, shiver, act too stupid to live, or generally annoy your reader. You're supposed to actually have some shit happen.

Highly recommend it, especially if you're sick. Great book!