Blog About Your Dog Monday

Today is Blog About Your Dog Monday which is something right up my alley. I heard about this on Mflick1's blog so be sure to check out her post too.

Currently, I own 3 dogs and 2 cats.  My dogs are all Siberian Huskies: Kiara, Kovu and Lyra. Since Kiara is the oldest I will start with her today.

Kiara turns 2 next week and she is honestly my superdog. In October she was hit by a car and the vet said that she would most likely be paralysed in her back legs. Within 24 hours Kiara made a miraculous recovery. She is now in perfect health - what a trooper! I am also quite certain that Kiara coined the term "puppy dog eyes". She is incredibly good at getting her way just with a mere glance!

Please feel free to share your doggy stories or link me to the post on your blog :)

Coffee Shop vs In the Privacy of Your Own Home

As I type this blog entry I am, in fact, sitting in Borders in their cafe area upstairs. This is the first time I have ever been to a cafe to work on my story and it's an interesting experience. (I haven't had any coffee. Yet.)

I hear a lot about writers sitting at a coffee shop/cafes working on their next bestseller as they casually sip on a latte while being inspired by their surroundings (I mean, honestly, what could be more inspiring than a bookstore? It's a great place to research and peruse books that we wish we'd written and outline books that we know will be sitting on a Borders bookshelf one day).

Uh oh. I hear a baby crying in the background. There goes my train of thought.

I have to admit, it is pretty quiet here - except for the guy talking on his phone - and you feel like you have to write something because everyone is waching you (Ok, so no one is watching me, but still).

However, I miss my sofa. Nothing beats lounging around at home in - mainly - peace and quiet. I also have all my research books at home and I can't really be lugging those around with me. I had enough trouble carrying around my laptop bag - yes, I am ridiculously weak.

Did I mention that I had to travel 40-50 minutes by train just to get here? I'm sure there are cafes closer to where I live but this was the closest and quietest one I knew of inside a bookstore.

I guess I'm not cut out for this "writing in a cafe" business. Give me my PJ's, sofa and bowl of fruit any day!

Question: Do you prefer writing at home or writing in a coffee shop/cafe?

Where Does the Time Go?

No, really. Where does it go?

You get up early in the morning. You have breakfast. You manage the menagerie. You then retire to your den - AKA the sofa - to work on your brilliant YA novel.

You then proceed to check your email. Go on facebook. Visit the blogs of witty authors-to-be. Check your email. Wonder if your own blog needs a little more work. Do "research". Try and think of a funny yet meaningful blog post. Check your email.

I have good intentions. Truly, I do. But the internet is so distracting and before I know it, hours have passed. Darkness has fallen and I am still sitting here with little or no progress. My saboteur insists on making sure I procrastinate to the max. But tomorrow, I will write. I must write.

Question: Do you suffer from these ailments or any of your own?

The Writer's Diet

I have always been a self-proclaimed health freak but ever since I started taking my writing seriously, I have given in to the dark side. I need plenty of energy when I write and a glass of water coupled with a bowl of salad just doesn't do it for me anymore.

I crave copious amounts of sugar and am content to munch on Krispy Kreme donuts rather than prepare something healthy for myself. I am also very close to losing the epic battle with my coffee addiction. But my strong will must prevail (or at least I hope so).

There was a time when I absolutely could not get any writing done without:

A) V energy drink

B) Iced Coffee

C) Coffee

Question: What is your writer's diet?

To edit or not to edit?

While working on the Serena Merchant series I used to edit each chapter after I'd finished writing it. The good thing was that I had near-perfect chapters. The bad thing was that it took me one month to write one chapter.

Now I know you're probably thinking why it took me so long to realise that it's best to write a first draft and then revise. But I am a perfectionist. I find one little thing I want to fix and before I know it I am fixing little mistakes all over the place.

It actually took me a long time to just accept my first draft for what it was: A FIRST DRAFT. Not my final draft, not the end of the world. Needless to say, I am happily working through the Kat Lyrille series without worrying about silly mistakes.

Question: What do you prefer? Edit as you go or edit after the first draft is done?

A new blog, a new day

I can't hide it any longer. I have become addicted to blogging.

I have a blog over on Livejournal but I felt the need to create one on Blogger because there is a great community of writers here and I want in. :)

I feel the need to do an embarrassing intro:

- On most days I am a 20 year old female
- Everyone refers to my house as "the menagerie" (you will understand why soon enough)
- I enjoy anything related to books - reading, writing, reviewing, even blogging, I guess.
- I am a recovering coffee addict. I have been clean for 7 days which is a huge achievement for me.
- When I am not busy being an aspiring writer, I enjoy cooking and dancing.
- I work in the PR/entertainment industry.
- I have a long-time boyfriend of 5 years, recently turned fiance, who somehow manages to put up with my endless "writer talk" and temper tantrums I throw when I have reached the cliffhanger in a much-loved series and have to wait months for the next book to come out.

I am currently working on:

- The Kat Lyrille series which is a paranormal YA series about angels, demons, wiccan artefacts and all that goodness.

I have put on hold:

- The Serena Merchant series which is a paranormal Adult series about a siren with amnesia.

That's all you need to know about me for now and the rest you'll discover soon enough.

Ciao!