Melissesages

Is this really the first entry on the writing blog since New Orleans? That can’t be right. (or ‘write’ - haha. Ouch.) At any rate, there are a few small pieces of news on the writing front. First, I’ve come up with what I think is a final name for my second book - Dead Spots. It is, of course, a pun. The main character is a ‘dead spot’ in the world of the supernatural; meaning that vampires and werewolves turn back into humans when they get close to her. She’s got all kinds of issues, so she’s got ‘dead spots’ inside. And the book opens with her running into a clearing full of bodies - an actual spot full of dead people. I know it’s a little on the nose, but I’m delighted with this title. The title of my first book, “Lena’s Latest Issue,” has never sat completely well with me, but I keep it for lack of a better idea. This one, though, I really like.

In other news, I’ll once again be attending the Madison Writers Conference this spring, where I’ll be attending classes and lectures and meeting with not one, but two professional agents to pitch my book. Hopefully neither of them will break an elbow the night before and blow me off, as the New Orleans agent unfortunately did. And if one of them does, well, at least I’ve got a backup this time. This year the conference is at the end of April, a month later than usual, and I’m hoping to use the extra time to finish up “Dead Spots.” Then when I walk into the agent meetings, I can say, “I’ve got a women’s lit mystery and an urban fantasy, which would you like to hear about,” all cool as a cucumber. That’s the dream, anyway, but I’ve got a ways to go: right now “Dead Spots” is in the uncomfortable stage where I’ve got pretty much all the planning done, but still need to plod through the rest of the writing. The planning and the early writing are the most fun for me, because they’re the most creative, so I just have to keep working my way through this part.

Sadly, though, I’m going to have to do it somewhere else. This is the last blog I’ll be writing from my little writing office, the second bedroom in our house. When Husband and I moved in, I was wary of moving in with another guy (having had a not-good experience with this already), and insisted on having my own space. I painted the bedroom just how I wanted it, deep forest green and warm yellow cream (a concept which worked great in my head but turned out like Packer colors. My bad.), and decorated it with all my favorite geek stuff: a Batman the Animated Series print, my decorative Little Mermaid plates, the Godspell painting I swiped from my parents house years ago, and two giant bookshelves full of my books. (Sadly, this is only a sample of my “collection” - just like the Smithsonian artifacts, I can only display a small percentage of my books at one time.) When I was setting up this room I spent weeks on craigslist, looking for the perfect writing chair, and finally splurged on this big comfy chair I absolutely pined for. It’s extra, extra wide, thick and comfy, and kept away from the dogs. Best chair ever, and I keep it for myself.

Yes, I love this room, but I rarely get to use it. A lot has changed in the three years we’ve lived in this house. Well, one big thing in particular: a daughter. When Mattie was born it made sense to keep her in the little half-bedroom between our room and the bathroom, but as she’s grown it’s become less practical. Her sleep is often disrupted when someone goes through to get to the bathroom, and her toys basically need a room of their own at this point. And I’m too busy taking care of her out in the house to actually write. Now when I can write, it’s usually because she’s asleep, and I just plop down in the living room with my laptop.

Once I needed this room to have my own space, but now Mattie needs it so she can have hers. I get that, and I’m not bitter, but it’s still kind of sad. I’m still going to have an office, though, it’ll just be that smaller room. I’ll still get to use my special comfy chair (though measures must be taken to keep it safe from the sheddy dog), maybe more than I did before. And so, as this blog comes to a close, so does my time in my special room. Goodbye, Melissa’s office. We hardly knew ye.