If it's Tuesday, this must be...

So this is how the whole of September has felt: me as Durga with at least eighteen arms and too much to do and people standing in my way who need a good poke with a sharp stick.

Where's my lion? Or tiger! I will take either.

Part of it is the normal start to the semester: the first week of classes hits like a steam engine out of nowhere even though I know exactly when it will arrive. Somehow I always seem to find myself standing on the tracks. While this is supposed to be my "pseudo-sabbatical," administrative tasks for myself and for others (writing tenure letters for two folks today) have taken up an awful lot of time. The hope is that October and November will actually be writing intensive times for the non-fiction project, but argh! So far there's been no progress on that.

Not that I haven't got writing done: just not what I planned. And there's editing to do, too. Fortunately, the editing for Kit Marlowe's first publication -- the novella "The Big Splash" -- went swiftly. My editor had few changes and a couple of questions re: period slang (it takes place in 1929 London) -- she also said it was "hilarious" which made my day! The big editing job is getting to The Mangrove Legacy, Kit's next publication. I haven't had much time to work on that comic Gothic novel, but I have to make it a priority now.

I do have a new publication, though it will be of interest to fewer of you: a review of Women and Medieval Epic: Gender, Genre and the Limits of Epic Masculinity in the latest issue of The Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures. Oh, and Stephanie wrote nice things about me over at WLoAD: the journal looks like it will be fabulous!

All right: back to work!

Revisiting the Past

I'm not generally someone who looks back, but sometimes it's unavoidable. At present the impetus to revisit the past comes from the need to make revisions to Pelzmantel that my editor has suggested. I must admit I winced a bit at the thought of having to look at something I wrote so long ago; would it be too painful?

Fortunately, it's not. My editor has pointed to a number of useful improvements which will definitely strengthen the story, but it remains something of which I can be proud. I know it will be a frustrating process because I am impatient with things that I consider "done" but it's also true that this will be a much better and more engaging story. Not that it was bad before -- I am still proud of this tale penned while I was writing my dissertation (and got done first, too!). However, I am a much better writer now that I was then.

Kind of give you hope, right? It's good to know that improvement happens.

Hectic times: not only is the semester drawing to a close (not quite counting the hours, but definitely the days) but there are a number of administrative things I have to attend to while juggling all the writing, grading and revisions needed before the end of the month. Somehow it will all get done, my ever present mantra. Let us repeat it together.

Proofs

Here's the final cover for Jane Quiet. Elena got the proofs and inevitably, we noticed a few things that we need to change. Argh -- editing is not my strength. Gene, of course, has a careful eye and spotted a few things that could be improved. The process of publishing is a lot of hurry up and wait; at least comics publishing is a little faster than book publishing.

Nonetheless, it's exciting to have it so near to hand. I can't wait to see the actual comic in front of me. We're already looking into signings at local places. Of course, we'll let you all know when the details are firmed up.

I can't wait to see what Jane does out in the real world!