Everyday Carry, Spring 2024 and Camp NaNo Progress

Everyday carry, spring 2024

Welp, it’s spring. I have the window open as I write this. My ensemble for the day is a sleeveless shift dress with an unzipped oversized hoodie over it. My home office is an absolute mess because of spring cleaning. Next week means a trip to the storage unit, to put away things we aren’t using a at the moment and get out some things we’d stashed for the winter. A couple of days ago I (finally) set up an actual bookcase to hold the vintage historical romance novels that are te focus of my current reading. I have a lot to say about the whole vintage romance thing, but that is another topic for another day.

Today is the day to share my everyday carry. It all fits in this pouch, which lives in my purse and can go out on its own.

The main pocket holds a traveler’s notebook with three inserts (agenda and two notebooks) and the zip compartment looks like this:

I am currently going with a green theme for spring. We’ll see if I want to make a change at the start of the new month. The flowered notebook has perforated pages, which makes it double as a notepad or come in handy when somebody needs a piece of paper out in the wild. There is an additional zip pocket in the back, which holds a selection of Crayola SuperTips in pastel colors.

Skinny washi tapes are from Tim Holtz. The two blue items are a correction tape runner and adhesive runner, and the tin with my favorite Golden Girl (Dorothy Zbornak is an integral part of my final form) holds ephemera, including tea tags, stickers, washi samples and miscellaneous things that catch my fancy. There is also a growing collection of enamel and pinback pins, not pictured, as I am still moving them around.

It’s not perfect (what is?) but it feels right for right now, as does this entry staying pretty much as it says on the tin (of the title, not the actual tin.) Camp NaNo is going pretty well at the halfway point. Not perfect but doing its job. Not at goal, but close enough. What I set out to do was to prove to myself that yes, I can (still) do it. So far, so good. Here, we see the puzzler in her natural habitat, dogpaddling in a sea of unset gelatin, grabbing onto floating ideas as they bob past on fickle currents, and…I like it.

I don’t know all of the story yet. Most of the characters have placeholder names. the stately home where most of the story takes place is still under construction in more ways than one but that’s fine . At this stage of the game I am shoveling sand into my sandbox with all the enthusiasm and precision of a toddler on her first day at the beach.

as always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: Eclipse Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome and this is Typing With Wet Paws. It’s been a minute, and Mama Anna is kind of busy with the actual writing thing. It was a Life Happened kind of week, but the good thing is that she is making progress with her Camp NaNo story.

Speaking of which, she is not sure what is going on with Camp seeming a lot less…camp themed this time. This probably happened in the Before Time, and she has been inactive a while. You should see the stuff she has on lists to research. I also have concerns about her musical playlist for this story. The songs are all pretty good, but a lot of the songs are from the New Romantic era of music, and she is writing historical romance, but I guess it all seems to be working out. I call that good.

Oh, and she has ugly cried to Billy Joel’s “Turn the Lights Back On” song. Like, a lot. I think that means she likes it. Anyway, she listens to it a bunch, and then she writes. Sometimes while it is still playing.

She is also back from a trip to see Aunt Mary and Uncle Brian in CT, and she went to the big bookstore that is outside. She got a bunch of vintage historical romances, and found out that she likes something called bangers and mash, which is apparently Irish food. I will stick with crunchies and gushy food.

What else? The inspector guys. Mama Anna’s anxiety does not get along well with inspector guys (though these were really nice; they even said hello to me.) She had a big anxiety night before they came, but when they did, it was only to check that our smoke alarms were okay, so they were gone in minutes. Mama Anna’s central nervous system was ready to take part in a live show of The Walking Dead. Good thing she has me and comfy pillows and lots of books.

That is kind of where I was when we had the eclipse today. Did you guys know about that? It was wild. There it is normal daytime, and then BOOM, it’s dark. Yeah, I did not like that. Like, at all. Mama Anna stayed with me and gave me cuddles and pets and then the sun came back and I was okay again. Then Papa came home. I made sure to tell him all about it. He’s a pretty understanding dude. He gave me crunchies and scritches.

I also helped Mama Anna take pictures of the stuff that is in her stationery pouches and everyday carry planner. I will let her share those on her own, because when I try to get near them, it’s all “stop clawing that” and “what’s in your mouth?” and my personal favorite, “get out of that pie.” Not that she always has coconut creme pie but I think it is super interesting smelling but she says it is Not For Kitties.

Anyway, Mama Anna is currently shoveling sand into her metaphorical story sandbox, and having a pretty good time oing so. Updates to follow.

How’s your week going?

Typing With Wet Paws: Marching Toward Spring Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Right now, there is a sunbeam that lands exactly on the printer, and yet I am here talking to you, so take that with the honor it deserves.

Things have been all right around here. This is the first day in five days Mama Anna has had the apartment to herself (and me) which has her admittedly giddy. She is going through her to-do list for the day, which includes fun things like putting away laundry and getting trash ready for trash day (and getting me to leave said trash alone, which is not an easy task. They have really interesting trash in this family.) She is also blocking out stuff for her Camp NaNo story in a junky old notebook. She is having a fine time doing that. I have a fine time sitting on it if she leaves it unattended. The very picture of an attractive nuisance.

Speaking of me, Mama Anna insisted that I share this image:

My bowl, with crunchies and washi roll

Aunt Linda noticed that there was a special guest star in my crunchies bowl. She wondered how that got there. It is not that complicated, really. There are a few reasons. First, I might have put it there because it is a safe space for me to find it when I want to play with it later. Second I might have been playing and have cat-specific reasons you hoomans would not understand. Third, and maybe most likely, I probably got excited about the food and forgot I had one of the best toys ever (seriously. They are SUPER fun. You should try one.) in my mouth and started eating and it fell into the crunchies and then I did something else and that’s why the awesome ring of cardboard was still in my dish.

Also, I know absolutely nothing about the crack on the casing of Mama Anna’s laptop. It definitely doesn’t come from me walking across the keyboard or sitting on it. Or laying on it. Or any other activities that a cat not unlike myself might do when upon a keyboard. Like standing. She only noticed it today, and will point it out to Papa when he gets home. They have been talking about a gaming computer, so maybe this is even a step in that direction. Either that or Mama Anna will slap some pink Duck tape on it (yes, she has some) and call it a day.

What’s on your agenda? Is it a cat?

Blabbity Blab Blab

We are currently calling the lobster, “Thermidor,” though we are fairly certain that is only his surname and his first and middle names will be taken from an appropriate eighteenth-century military source. I needed a starting point for this very blabbery blog, and the lobster pillow was as good a place as any. For those who are interested in acquiring any of his siblings, they come from the Mart of Walls, in the seasonal section when we found each other, so they have likely skittered over to clearance if they are still in the stores.

Apologies for the radio silence, though I would be the first to tell someone else not to apologize, but eh. It is what it is. Storm and I both plan to be more active on here (unless there is a sunbeam, in which case, she will nap in it.) She does have her birthday (observed) to recount, among other things, and there has been no history in the entire interwebs, as far as I know, where cat pictures were a deterrent.

Regular readers know by now how this sort of entry goes: Anna blabbers for a random amount of time and checks “blog” off her list, then feels better. Fair enough. Things have been relatively snow-free here in NYS, which was not what I had requested, but apparently, I am not in charge of weather. Go figure. Still putting in a request for cool and rainy summer in advance, just in case. I watched the series premiere of The Ones Who Live, the newest entry in The Walking Dead franchise, and I am already wanting to classify it as a romance first. That’s an interesting lens, and one I am wholeheartedly behind, because, well, Rick and Michonne. ‘Nuff said. Also, I am here for the cities and the lore and the whole darned franchise. I love how the whole thing is framed around Rick and Michonne’s bond and determination to get back to each other. I will be watching this one for sure. Also the dream sequences are lovely, a quiet reflection of the chaos of their everyday world. I will have stuff to say about this show.

Reading is still a sludge at times, but that’s a me thing, not a book thing. One step (page) at a time, like anything else. I did start a tentative Goodreads goal of forty books for this year. So far, I am four books in, and will be updating my progress here. Besides a reread of Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell, I am also re-reading Rapture, by Rosamund Royal, who is also Valerie Sherwood, who is also Jeanne Hines, who, besides epic historical romances, wrote gothics in the 60s and 70s. I’m not sure if the reviews are going to post here as well as on Goodreads, but I do intend to talk more about the books I’m reading because that’s an extrovert thing, and a me thing. Talking about X is vital to my thinking process.

Which comes to writing. Melva and I are going full steam ahead on finding the best path to bring Drama King and Queen of Hearts to readers in the coming year. The special talking people vet thinks Camp NaNo is a great idea, so I will be doing that. The question now is, shoot for a new novella and punt that out into the world before the Hypercritical Gremlins get a peek at it, or focus on something already in the works? The one thing I know for sure is that it will be historical romance. I have time before I need to know if I am prepping or pantsing the whole thing. Doesn’t have to be perfect; just has to be written. I may need to make a sign for that.

greatest hits Storm pic because cat

What’s going on in your world?

as always, Anna

Random Valentine Blather

current everyday carry

Hello, all. Happy Valentine’s Day, or it’s Wednesday, depending on any number of things. Feeling very rusty about blogging at the moment, but there is no time like the present to jump back into the swing of things, so hi.

Above, we have my current everyday carry of planning whatnot. I like being able to pick up one thing (or two) and go, especially since I am still using a backpack and knee brace. Technically, I could fit the contents of the leather cover inside the Delfonics pouch, but I like it this way, with my cover, and a small box of ephemera inside the pouch. There’s something special about pen and paper that have a quicker route to the place where my brain keeps fiction, specifically the kind I create myself.

Valentine’s Day is an interesting one for romance writers. It’s the big romantic love day. People who do not normally engage with the romance genre might be tempted to try one in honor of the holiday (yay, welcome, grab a book and stay a while) and hopefully find something they like. It’s also when other people sometimes detract from the romance genre without engaging with it. Okay I don’t have time for that right now. I love the romance genre and have ever since I stole The Kadin by Bertrice Small from my mother’s nightstand when I was eleven. Right then, I knew I had found what I wanted to read and write for the rest of my life. So far, so good.

Sometimes, there are pauses. This latest one seems big and it seems long and it seems oddly misplaced, as things are pretty stable. That’s…curious. Once again, okay. It is what it is. One foot in front of the other from where I actually am, and at some point, I’ll be back on track. Right now, I am fewer than one hundred pages away from the end of a vintage historical romance I have wanted to read for literally decades. Yes, it is worth the wait. Also, Roger de Mortimer was not a nice man. (Stuff like this is one reason I love medievals.) I am eyeing Camp NaNo in April (it is April, right? Anybody want to make a cabin?)

This is feeling babbly, so I will wrap, after a mention of how Valentine’s Day is always interesting around here, as Real Life Romance Hero is in the restaurant business, which means the big date holiday means he is working. We will celebrate later. I kind of like it that way. Storm, of course, will get her due amount of attention, a wee sniff of the nip, and, fingers (and paws) crossed, her own entry by the end of the week.

How are you doing?

as always, Anna

2024 Roadmap, Maybe

Photo by Nadi Lindsay on Pexels.com

2023 was the worst reading year of my adult life. I’m still puzzled about that, as it was worse than the year I was homeless and worse than the years before and after. Ah, trauma, you are a strange one. I have not yet set a Goodreads goal, but I probably will. I don’t know when. Probably when the time feels right. How will I know? I just will, most likely. That’s the working theory.

Today, my contemporary co-writer, Melva Michaelian, sent Drama King off on query to an agent, so time will tell on that one. My job on that book is to get on the indie side of things, as well as pursuing a similar venture for my two out of print historicals. Melva and I want to get the next two Love by the Book books out in 2024, and we are each pursuing solo projects as well. Last year wasn’t as great for publishing as we had hoped, so once again, the bar is low. That’s a good thing.

This all feels like I’ve been over it a thousand times before, which gives me the mental issue of treading water for eternity. That feels pretty accurate for the last year or so. Still figuring things out, and moving forward while I do. Poopy first drafts for the win.

I am a big believer in “story in, story out,” and I need to work on that for this year. My best and easiest writing has been when I am involved in a fandom. I am speaking of commercial fiction here, not fanworks read/created within said fandom. The two feed each other. Part of that comes from community. Talking about things I love fills my well as much as engaging with those things.

Social media, in general, was not a big priority for me in 2023. Not thrilled with that, so it’s a priority to pick up in the year ahead. The platform formerly known as Twitter, meh. Might let that one go. I like Instagram. I have pretty stationery, a cute cat, and live across the street from a park. I can take pictures. There is also blogging. Big thanks to those who have stuck with this blog during the dry season. I’m not sure what I want to talk about right now, so expect a bunch of babble, and we will both trust that it’s going somewhere. If all else fails, cat pics.

Speaking of which, I am coming to capacity on the images in my current WordPress account, so there’s the decision to upgrade or move to the MelvaandAnna site, which has sat fallow for far too long, even though we do have an upgraded account there. Melva and I are planning some fun stuff over there in the months to come, including some giveaways.

It’s funny to look at the year ahead when the year behind was the way that it was. The hypercritical gremlins would say “well, that’s it, you failed. Shut it down and go dust something.” I am not going to listen to them this time. Right now, it’s acting as if, and the very loose, general plan :salute: (if you know, you know) is to become the mask somewhere along the way. I have stories, and they are worth telling.

How’s your year looking?

as always, Anna

Typing With Wet Paws: No Closed Doors Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. We have a very important topic this week, and that is that Mama Anna cannot close doors when I am on the wrong side of them.

In case you are wondering, the wrong side means that I would not be on the same side of the door as Mama Anna. I am her girl. She is my mama. That means I need to be with her. Preferably on her, but near is still good. That did not happen this week, on Wednesday.

I will say up front that I am semi-okay with Mama Anna having to take her calls with Aunt Melva on the landing if the other hoomans are home and there is really no other place to have a private conversation. I don’t like it like it, but I can deal, and they usually keep it to about an hour. That was not the case this Wednesday.

Wednesdays are the days Mama Anna talks with Aunt Mary. I should say Mama Anna and I talk to Aunt Mary. They do that on Mama Anna’s tablet, usually, and Mama Anna turns the tablet so Aunt Mary can see me. When the camera is on me, Aunt Mary talks directly to me, and Mama Anna translates for me into hooman talk to Aunt Mary. It is a system that works. It does not work, however, when Mama Anna is on the other side of the door and I cannot be there. I can hear Aunt Mary but I am not near Mama Anna or the camera, and I made my opinions on that known.

By that, I mean crying. I mean scratching at the door. I mean swiping a long white cat arm under the door crack and shoving my face in the door when Mama Anna opened it a tiny smidge so that I could see she was okay. By my estimation, about thirty percent of that call was Mama Anna trying to calm me. All the other hoomans were home and so the landing was the only place Mama Anna could go in order to have a semiprivate conversation. Next time, she will remember that semi part, because it includes me.

Current plan is that the next time this happens, (this is Aunt Linda’s idea) Mama Anna should close the air lock (stairway door) and let me come on the landing with her. Mama Anna is concerned about me learning what stairs are (I have never been on stairs before) but Aunt Linda says that I will probably be too concerned with staying with Mama Anna to care about stairs. Especially if Mama Anna brings my fleecy cave out there with us. There may also be a baby gate involved, even though I can 100% jump higher than baby gates are. Maybe she should bring treats or toys. What do you think?

Typing With Wet Paws: Welcome, 2024 Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is the very first Typing With Wet Paws of 2024. So far, so good. Well, there was the time Mama Anna faceplanted on the hardwood and did the same thing to her left foot that she did when she tripped over my food dish frame. She’s okay, but she says this does not count for starting as one means to go on, whatever that means. Anyway, here we are.

We haven’t had any snow yet. There may be some on Sunday. Mama Anna has not had the apartment to herself (ahem, ourselves) since before Christmas. Today is the first day it’s just us during the day, and I have to say its kind of nice. Mama Anna is working on her own blog for next week. She is also getting her planners in order and everybody is in organization mode. As you might imagine, this is both frustrating (nobody said the hoomans could change things) and exciting (so many smells! So much exploration!) As long as I can still park myself in Mama Anna’s sock drawer while she is working, I am good with whatever they do.

The holidays were pretty good around here. I got more gushy food than usual. No people food, but that’s okay. , The only people food I am allowed to have is people tuna. Mama D, my first hoomom, said I could also have people chicken, but so far, I haven’t wanted anything to do with that particular delicacy since I came to this family. Either Mama D was playing these guys, or people chicken is a me and Mama D thing. Either way, I’m not telling. But yeah, gushy food, and enough presents that Papa and Mama Anna decided it’s best to spread them out for a while. I am good with that. Especially because I got two, yes, two scratchy things. In case you are new, scratchy things are cardboard things that go on the floor and I can scratch. I also like sitting on them. Do not hang them from the doorknob, even though that is an option, because I am not inot all that. Floor or nothing, baby.

Mama Anna is still thinking about her reading goal for this year. I don’t have much news to report on that front though she mostly wants to focus on vintage historical romance, and modern historicals with similar vibes. The big plus for me, though is that Mama Anna has rediscovered how comfy it is to read when cozied up on a big pile of pillows, which means that is prime time for me to climb on top of her and make with the purrs. I call that a win-win situation.

Also, there is the backpack. I will have to ask a hooman to take a picture of it. Mama Anna thinks it is for her to carry stuff around while she needs to use the walker (not the Walking Dead kind, thankfully) but there is a problem. The problem is that it is mine. I love it. It is one of my many beds. She does not understand this. How much plainer can it be? It is me sized and me shaped, an if somebody were to leave the big part’s zipper unzipped while it is on the bed instead of hanging it up promptly upon returning home, I could probably get inside the big part. You know what happens if I do, right? I call it death in the shadows. POUNCE! On what, you might ask? On everything, obviously. I am a predator, after all. A cuddly, cuddly predator.

How’s your 2024 so far?

Typing With Wet Paws: End of 2023 Edition

Tails up, Storm Troopers! I’m Storm, you’re awesome, and this is Typing With Wet Paws. Mama Anna says she is taking the rest of the year off (it’s a day and a half, but still….) and plans to crawl out from under her rock in the new year. We had a good Christmas here, except for the part where she and Aunt Linda abandoned me for the 27th and 28th. Mama Anna says “visiting Aunt Mary and Uncle Brian,” and I had Papa all to myself, but she came back smelling like dog. Also with lots of books, which I love to sniff and sit on, so okay, maybe not entirely a loss. Still, she’s not allowed to Go Away like that for quite a long time.

When the hoomans opened Christmas presents, they put all of the crinkly paper and bags in a bo so that it would become a present for me. I call that a win. Super satisfying. Of course, I had to scent everything that they unwrapped, because things aren’t really here unless they smell like kitty. Specifically, me. This is Storm’s world. They’re just living in it.

Mama Anna always comes back from Aunt Mary’s with lots of books. Apparently there is a place with books in lots of tiny buildings and then another place that has books but is in a different house. Mama Anna got a bunch of historical romances to read and a bunch of history books to read to help her write more historical romances. She is planning her writing year for 2024. It seems to be going pretty well.

the portrait is AI generated. Maybe a character?

This is the cover page for the 2024 section of Mama Anna’s media journal. She has found that she super-duper likes making AI images to use in her journals. she has been going kind of medieval with that. I mean that literally and figuratively, because some of the images she makes are reated to A Heart Most Errant and possible sequels. I told yo, she has plans.

Right now, those plans are to finish listening to an audio book so she can meet this year’s (amended) Goodreads reading goal. She is disappointed that her original goal of 52 books didn’t happen, but 40 is still pretty good. She is trying a new thing this year with her reading journal, with a bunch of mini goals that kind of feel like a game that could be fun. Some of those are:

• Reread one book by twelve favorite authors
• Four trilogies + twelve months = one book per month
• Try one new author per month
• “about dang time” TBR of books she’s been meaning to read

Plus other stuff. That could mean history books, art books, YA, maybe books about cats, that kind of thing. She’s not sure yet how she is going to track the whole media consumption thing in general, but I can promise the pages of the media tracker are going to be fun. Also crinkly. Trust me, I have sat on it. Very crinkly.

That’s about it for now. Mama Anna needs my help to change the sheets on the bed. Feline assistance is essential to that process, and a gal does have to supervise. After that, I will do my best to convince her to test out those sheets with a long winter’s nap. She owes me for leaving me with only Papa for about thirty-six hours. Stay safe for the rest of the year, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. (There’s really not much of that, actually.)

Headbonks!

Dressing Gown Days

Yes, I am American, and I call them dressing gowns. Real Life Romance Hero calls them “enchanted robes of comfort.” His is a lovely smokey grey. Mine is burgundy or oxblood, depending on my whim. They are both fuzzy and warm and perfect for today. We are both having rest days, which for me means I finally get to sneak a blog in for this week. I’ve missed blogging and plan to be more regular in the coming year. Our tree is green this year, with white lights and minimal ornaments, because the rose gold tree is inaccessible at the moment, and I Had To Have A Tree. Worked out pretty well.

My most-played Christmas song this year is “Fairy Tale of New York,” in several different versions, including one all in Gaelic. Yeah, there is some kind of story brewing. I am more than okay with that. .;ppppppppppppppppp (that last bit is from Storm, even though she will get her own blog post tomorrow. She has to be in on everything. Only fair, as it *is* her home.)               b She is in the mood today to remind me that this is a dressing gown day, and that means I have things on my list like “read,” and “watch TV” and “do journal things.” I am trying to tell her that blogging is like journaling, but I don’t think she’s accepting my argument. Ah well.

Housemate purchased this year’s tree at her place of employment, and far overbought both lights and ornaments, which are both tiny and glass, but this is fine for a couple of reasons:

1. there are no such things as too many ornaments; if we aren’t using them now, we will be using them later, perhaps when we have a house and multiple trees.
2. Storm can’t get to the tree anyway. If she could, she would have by now.
3. It goes really well with the fun family stories we already have, like the time I blindly picked out a far too tall for our apartment tree because it was dark and raining and it ended up being Christmas trees, plural, as Real Life Romance Hero sawed it in half and gave the other half to our neighbor.

For those keeping track from last year, that brings our tree count to five. We have the green tree above, the rose gold tree in storage, my pink bottle brush tree, and my pink ceramic tree. Tree number five, I am calling our foster tree, as we are holding onto it for a friend in transit.

I love last year’s A5 rings so much, I am keeping the same setup, only changing the pages for this year’s

The current planner lineup for 2024 is approaching its final form and looks quite different than what I had expected. That seems to be a theme around here these days. I am even going out of town for what is shaping up to be an annual trip to the two coolest places in CT, namely The Book Barn and my friends, Mary and Brian’s house. Obviously, The Book Barn is the number two coolest place. Yes, it has a seemingly endless array of books to buy, but my friends are there only some of the time but they are in their home every day, so that makes it the #1 coolest place. Plus there is a dog.

This year’s Book Barn jaunt is going to be different, because I will be using either crutches or walker (looks like a torn meniscus but healing well) and that will be an adventure. I acquired a backpack to make toting stuff easier, but Storm seems to think I brought home a(nother) cat bed. She is in love with it, to the point of abandoning Real Life Romance Hero feeding her to settle on it. She has priorities. Everything is a cat bed if the cat is comfy enough.

No real point to this post other than the above, which is exactly what one needs on a dressing gown day. How is your day going?

as always, Anna