Busy Month

Well, this month has definitely been turbulent and busy. I finally finished Chapter Twelve of Penalty Killer and have a good idea of where Chapter Thirteen goes.

Right now, Christian is spending the weekend at my mom's so once Joe goes back to work I have the whole house to myself for the rest of the day. I plan on disconnecting from the interwebs and pounding out a chapter. I also have a box of Earl Grey Tea to help with the ambiance of working from home.

Injury!

I was wrestling around with Christian and we slipped on the kitchen floor. I put my arms around him to keep him from hitting the floor so hard but that didn't stop my knee from smashing into the metal vent. He's fine and of course he thought it was hilarious. I did too, but it was a painful hilarious; the kind of hilarious where if you don't laugh you'll cry and you don't want anyone to see you cry.

That was a week or two ago and has been swollen and sore-to-the-touch ever since, but only this morning did I notice that the slight-maybe-it-is-maybe-it-isn't bruise is a full blown, black and blue and green bruise. It looks worse than it feels, but it is so tender and painful to even graze.

It is snowy here today. We woke up to three inches of snow. Christian was hoping for a snow day but no such luck. Maybe he'll get to come home early though, because I think we're supposed to get another 2 inches. I like the snow. I don't even mind the cold. (I just don't like the wind)

I don't want to do anything but put some Icy Hot on my knee, curl up with a blanket on the couch, and fall asleep with the television on. Perhaps I'll get some writing done today. Perhaps not. Either way, I don't really mind. At least for today.

Teaser

Here is a preview of the first two pages of Chapter Twelve, Penalty Killer. I finished those yesterday and have decided that for the next hour, Chapter Twelve has my attention.



Another doctor appointment down and over with. I slid into my pregnancy capris and slipped my feet into flip flops. As much as I hated coming in for these appointments I couldn’t deny that a part of me was ecstatic to even be in the vicinity of medical tools and gadgets. How long had it been since I’d handled an ultra sound machine myself? Or written a prescription? I longed to hold a scalpel, to stand on my feet for eight hours in surgery, to be busy with something that didn’t involve macaroni portraits of myself in which my head inevitably took the shape of a pumpkin. Macaroni art made me self conscious. Did Max really think his mommy’s head was a misshapen pumpkinoid?

As I shuffled out of the exam room, purse in hand, I tried to convince myself that macaroni art was just art and, like a camera, added an extra fifteen pounds. Even that did little to make me feel better so I went to my fallback excuse; pregnancy symptom. Either I was being too hard on myself as a result of pregnancy or I had gained fifteen pounds in my face as a result of pregnancy. I chose to believe the lesser of two evils.

The nurse behind the glass partition gave a sugary sweet smile when I stepped up with my insurance card already extended. She looked new to the office, carefully thinking out each step of the check out process before she proceeded.

“Doctor Cline wants to see you back here in three weeks for an ultra sound. Don’t forget to bring a blank DVD with you. We can transfer the images onto the DVD as a keepsake.” She clacked a few hundred keys on the keyboard of her computer then handed my card back to me, sugary sweet smile still in place. I mumbled a thank you and braced myself for the waiting room.

The moment I stepped through the door, Max spotted me. A smile puffed up his cheeks and he darted for me, attaching himself to my leg as if I’d gone to war and he never thought I’d come back home. Samantha smiled and grabbed an armful of bags to join us as we walked out and into the continually sweltering daylight.

“So how’d it go?” she asked, reaching down to take Max by the hand as we crossed the parking lot to her minivan.

“Uneventful, thank god. I’ve only put on ten pounds with this pregnancy. I feel like thirty. Look at me. I’m carrying a pumpkin under my tank top and I’ve only gained ten pounds.” I almost laughed at myself and my sudden case of pumpkin-on-the-brain.

“Ten pounds is a normal range. Besides, you look so cute pregnant.” She opened the side door and buckled Max into his car seat.

Penalty Killer ... Chapter Twelve

Brainstorm

1.) Tallulah is 15 weeks pregnant and while she enjoys being home with her children, there is a part of her that misses the hospital and being a surgeon. Starts to wonder if she has done the right thing by walking away from her career. I think this is a perfect opportunity to show how she interacts with Marina and Max.

2.) Grace and Burt have come to some kind of understanding. It makes Tallulah wonder if Grace actually wants to go back to Burt or if she feels a little guilty abandoning an old man. Still no word from Audrey. I'm also realizing that Samantha and Tony have been mentioned very little in previous chapters. Perhaps it is time Tallulah sits down with one of them. That would be a perfect way for her to vent.

3.) We've already met Kip. He is back in Arizona with Audrey, or so everyone thinks. Perhaps while Kozlov is in training camp, preparing to go overseas for the season opener, one more California guy makes an appearance, scared to death that the copy of the disc left on his doorstep will be leaked to the police.

4.) Olga still wants to come to Rockport and Kozlov fumbles around excuses to keep her away, at least for a couple more months. Of course this should be mentioned before #3, or possibly it's an internal dialogue for Tallulah right after #3 happens.

Okay, there are four plot points for this chapter. I'm not sure if they will all make it in or that I won't go off on some tangent once I get writing, but that's the tentative plan.

Show Me Yours Blogfest

Just stumbled onto this blogfest. Check it out HERE. And stop by HERE to show fellow blogfester, Misha, some love.

So if I'm understanding this blogfest correctly, we simply post 500 words of our NaNoWriMo work. Simple enough.

Some background information:

Zarya is a mermaid and Queen of the Oceans
Arion is a merman and King of the Oceans
Ronan is a selkie (a seal with the power to shed his skin and become human and totally seductive)
Abellona is a rogue mermaid with a desire for revenge on Zarya and the gods

This is a fantasy genre short story ... or so I am guessing as it is far beyond my normal genre of writing.

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Once Upon an Ocean Nightmare (Chapter 17)


“Kiss me,” I said breathlessly. I wanted so much more than just a mere kiss, but I would settle for just a kiss. His fingertips played against my back, traveling down my spine to the place where my hips were still sheathed in scales. His mouth covered mine, pressing against my lips, and I could taste the salt that barely flavored his skin. It was beautiful, and I felt my body draw into him, my hands against his chest as he pulled me tighter against him. He took a few half steps backwards and I felt my toes graze over that warm selkie skin.

“Aye, my queen, I should resist,” he murmured, but there was no hesitation in his touch. I ran my fingertips over his chest. I was hungry for him.

“Not this time. You should kiss me, touch me, need me,” I whispered back. I felt him stumble on the rocks and he slid down until he was seated on the floor. I crawled over him, kissing at his bare flesh, letting my tongue trail over the curve of his jaw.

“Are you sure you are not a selkie? You have fully and completely seduced me, my queen, my love,” he said. I could almost see his eyes and the selkie skin was still so close to my toes. It was so warm, so inviting.

I sat up, gently putting weight on the hand that hovered over his chest so he would not sit up.

“I love you so much. That’s why I must do this. I must protect you because you will risk too much to protect me,” I whispered, feeling the tears start to pour again. They lit my cheeks, probably enough for Ronan to see my eyes for an instant. I pulled back, grabbed his selkie skin, and pressed against the wall, focusing all my magic on melting outwards. I could hear him shouting, scrambling to grab me, but he was too late.

My heart was pounding, blood rushing through my body as my fin returned. The selkie skin was still so warm. I waited, hovering there in front of the rock as if I expected one of the other selkies to find me and attack, for fear I’d just done the same to Ronan, but Arion and the selkies were busy making sure the waters were safe for travel. I called for more magic, put my hands on the rock as the selkie skin slid over my shoulder, and watched as the cavern Ronan was locked in moved effortlessly, another league lower in the ocean. When it was still again, I marked it with an almost invisible magic. It would help me find him when this was over. When we reached Atlantis, I would tell the selkies how to find him, just in case I didn’t make it out of battle alive.

“I am sorry, my love. I must protect you,” I whispered, pressing the selkie skin against the rock. Magic flowed from my fingertips and watched as rock surrounded the selkie skin.

Penalty Killer ... Chapter Eleven

Okay, so I have not been into my writing since before NaNoWriMo and the rapid pace of NaNoWriMo made my stomach twist into tense knots. I completed it, but not with any real faith in what I've written. Anyway, I've been hiding behind the excuse of NaNo and the holidays and other family drama to excuse why I wasn't writing.

What did I do today? I told myself, something had to be done and that something was Chapter Eleven of Penalty Killer. Since Joe was off of work and had plans that would keep him away from the house, I decided it was a good time for me to get away too. So he took Christian with him and I went to Borders; to my favorite table, ordered my favorite drink, listened to my favorite THINKING playlist, and pushed through the chapter.

It turned out different than I thought it would. I went in yet another direction, but I think it was important, and it wasn't until I sat down to really look at my notes that I realized it was Doc and King Kozlov's anniversary. So of course the chapter had to solidify not only that they are still strong as a couple, but that they need to embrace and celebrate six happy and blessed years together.

I then brainstormed ideas and directions for chapter twelve. I think I've decided a way to go and thought I'd come home and get some writing done after dinner. Instead, I spent the entire evening (from 6:30pm to 10:00pm) playing various card and board games with my family. It was so nice. No television, no computer, no cell phones, no thinking about anything except laughing and having a good time.

Tomorrow is Christian's first day back to school since winter break. I have some plans but hope to get some writing in, even if it is only 250 words.

Right now I need to get offline and watch this movie with my husband before we go to bed.

CHAPTER ELEVEN SPECIFICS

1st Line: That all important milestone was just around the bend; twelve weeks pregnant and lingering in the last few days of the first trimester.

Last Line: I could have laughed at the irony of making love at the end of the ice, where I was certain the goal would usually have been, but the only thought in my brain was the hunger I had for my husband, even after six long years and all the recent hell.

2011 Crash and Burn

I started out so excited for 2011, or perhaps more precisely, January 1st of this year. After all, it is the annual date of the Winter Classic. What could be better than an outdoor hockey game? Well, the Penguins playing at Heinz Field for their 2nd Winter Classic was a pretty good start.

More icing on the cake? The rain of the afternoon delayed the game until 8pm. What could be better than an outdoor hockey game featuring the Penguins at Heinz Field under the stars?

Even more icing on the cake? Jordan Staal's return for his first game of the season after foot/hand injuries. I was a little concerned with his return for this game. After all, he hasn't played since the playoffs last season. I was concerned with how comfortable he would feel out on the ice again, especially on such a big stage with less than stellar playing conditions, but I had to admit it was a glorious feeling to know that Staal is up to par and healthy.

So, I'm all pumped for the game and at my mom's because watching hockey with her is one of my favorite things in the world. I told her on the phone, long before the game started, that if the Pens lost I wouldn't watch another game there this season. Why such a brutal threat? It's all my hockey superstitions. So far this season I've tried to watch three games at my mom's. The Pens have lost all three. Obviously my fanatic karma is meant to cheer from home this season.

Anyway, back to the game, it begins with an 0-0 first period and a slight rain. During the second period, Malkin (my favorite player in the world...after Lemieux anyway) scores the first goal of the game. Beautiful stuff. But then the game just kinda goes down hill after that. I won't blame the referees, although that would be easy considering some big non-calls (on both sides) during the game and a recalled goal by the Pens that would have tied the game. The Pens just looked defeated from the start, half asleep.

And even still, even knowing that the Pens lost, I still wish I could go find Doc Brown, jump in the Delorean and somehow teleport myself to 7:59 pm with a Winter Classic ticket in my hand. I still would have loved to have been there, surrounded by 70,000 hockey fans, cheering through the rain, screaming at the top of my lungs about every heated offensive zone battle and every near scuffle.

Even though my 2011 hockey year hasn't started off great, I still feel euphorically high with hockey dreams and literary hope.