tamboblog

Thu - June 30, 2005

Busy Day

Actually feel like I've accomplished something for a change.

Finished cutting the initial pieces for five Threads Tour Quilts and have pinned enough for two quilts, which I'll start sewing tomorrow. Took my daughter and the Part Time Kid to lunch and to the mall. Read about 1/3 of Cold Granite , did some catalog shopping , made story notes for the book with no name, and tried a new recipe for supper.

All in all, a pretty decent day.

This will be the last double-posted blog entry. Sorry, folks, but it's just easier (and less problematic) to have everything in one place.

Please continue to visit tamboblog at its new home at http://www.tamarasilerjones.com/blog/index.html .

Posted at 11:37 PM |

Birds 6 (plus a Ghost)

Here are June's 4 blocks, all 18 fabrics are new additions.

That brings totals to 78 fabrics, 28 blocks. Sorry I'm not showing them all this month - my dining room table is covered with black and red fabric bits for the Threads of Malice quilts.

As an added pic, tho, I've attached one of Ghost. He likes boxes. A LOT.

Posted at 09:52 AM |

Wed - June 29, 2005

It's Evil! Eeeeeevil, I say!

Damn you Stuart , and damn you PBW for mailing me the flipping book when you both know I'm up to my eyeballs with sewing and my own writing and everything else.

I did manage to sew the block of the month blocks today (after The Eeeeevil Book arrived). And go to a movie. But it wants me to read it, not cut two thousand one inch triangles or let Dubric learn why the dogs are dying...

Damn evil book.

Posted at 11:50 PM |

I wanna be a workhorse

I'm blog skimming as I have a late night email conversation with Sam. It's after midnight here, something like 3pm tomorrow there... A typical night at Tambo's.

A month or two ago, someone sent me to Tess Gerritsen's blog. I want to say it was PBW, but it might have been Gail or Linda. Anyway, she's in my bookmarks, but not the blog list because, well, she only posts to her blog about once a month. Maybe.

Anyway, while waiting for the next Sam-email (we're currently discussing the differences between granola and museli, such vital, earth shattering conversations we have these late nights but, golly, they're fun), I go see if Tess has added anything new. She has .

I've never been to BEA, so far my exposure to such events has mostly been fan cons and SFF pro cons, but I'm intrigued by the concept of freebie books, just for a signing. Wow. Do authors supply those, or do publishers? At all the con's I've been to the books are For Sale and I usually don't buy because, well, I have to eat while I'm At Con, and if I bought all these cool books I'd be chewing airline seats on the way home. Not pretty or nutritious.

But I digress.

I've seen, and met, some hot properties while at professional events. Sure it looks like fun to be the toast of the town and have a bazillion screaming fans, but, after the fans have gone home... What's next? Can the author even write a decent followup? Can anyone say Robert J. Waller? Can Dan Brown adequately match the success of DaVinci Code? Think of all the authors that had their blast through the stratosphere moment, then were never seen again.

That's not the kind of writing career I want. I'm not a get rich quick and disappear kind of person. Long haul, far reaching plans, steady progress, that's me. My Sophomore Effort will be at a bookstore near you in early November. It's better than my first book. By a lot. If you're the least bit squeamish, you might want to skip it. If you're easily offended and have delicate sensibilities... you might want to spend your hard earned cash on something else. But it's better than Ghosts. I promise. I intend for The Unnamed WIP to be better still. And the next, and the next... and maybe, just maybe, around book seven or twelve or twenty three I too can have a best seller and give books away with a signature. That would be cool. But I'd much rather work my way there, earn my way there, than blast there. Just like Tess.

Posted at 09:10 AM |

My Buddy Steve

No, we've never met, but I've been a Stephen King fan since I was 12 or 13 and read my aunt's paperback copy of Carrie while babysitting my cousin. The Stand is my absolute favorite book of all time (original version, like with Star Wars, I'm a purist) even before my own work, and I surely own more of his books than any other author, living or dead.

A couple of years ago (four actually, it seems) he addressed the students of U of Maine at Orono. I'd read a transcript of the address, and it brought tears to my eyes. Regardless of his preferred literary subject matter, his religion, or his politics, Mr. King is a wise and thoughtful man.

Last month, he addressed the U of Maine students again, this time for commencement. You can read it, or listen to it , or, as I did, both at the same time.

Thanks, Steve.

Posted at 09:08 AM |

A man's home is his castle... until a business wants it.

Moving right along.

Forty One

A few quick things...

It's like a torte, only without chocolate