A Word…

Quote 2014-10-23 Miss Poison Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Power, Words Margaret Atwood, Power, Quotes, Words

“A word after a word after a word is power.” -Margaret Atwood

New Moon In Scorpio

2014-10-232014-10-23 Miss Poison Astrology, Images/Photos/Quotes, New Moon, October, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Scorpio New Moon, October, Pieces Of Me, Rebirth, Scorpio, Transformation

October’s New Moon is upon us and this one promises to be extremely potent. Some deep transformations are under way, new incarnations, new pathways beckoning. Like with every New Moon it is a time for new starts, after today the Moon will start waxing until it becomes full, it is a time to start new projects.

To all my fellow Scorpios, it’s time to raise hell during our rebirth!

The Little Things

2014-10-212014-10-21 Miss Poison Being Real, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Unfiltered, Work, Writing Honesty, Laptops, Musings, Poison In Lethal Doses, Reading, Work, Writing

You know you’re a writer who lives and dies by her laptop when replacing your laptop battery is a big deal. What’s worse, you’re excited about the fact that you got it for a good price and it should be here sooner rather than later. The fact that I considered getting a second one “just in case”, is probably just a sickness.

The next thing I will have to replace on my “not even old laptop” is some of the keys. They’re all still firmly attached, but if you didn’t know where all the letters are on the keyboard naturally, you wouldn’t be able to read E, R, T, I, O, A, S, H, L, N, M, the period key, or half of the space bar. HP and I disagree on the pricing, so I’m definitely not replacing the keys through them.

One of my best friends and I would always laugh about this, because with longer nails, we both had to take Sharpies and write what key was what on our old desktop computer keyboards. Hers was a nightmare. I tried using it once and after Sharpie-ing all of the letters in, never touched it again. She came home one day and laughed hysterically at what I’d done, but it was necessary. Her keyboard was different from mine, but apparently we’re both rampant keyboard abusers. We won’t discuss how many times the tip of one of my nails gets stuck between the keys, which is always a sign for me to file them down to a more desirable length. This time, it’s happening Friday or Saturday. I want nice nails for my birthday, even though I have no plans. (Yes Riley, I’m being ever-so subtle here. You’d better be bringing me chocolate, diamonds, or chocolate covered diamonds, but I will also settle for chocolate covered strawberries. 😛 ) However, no matter what the plans entail, I will be watching The Good Wife. That’s definite.

I made it through a few more chapters on that read-through yesterday, but not before calling the intermediary to make sure I was protected in case this guy acts like a douche bag again and I am forced to back out of the job. I am protected, which gives me a sense of calm. I messaged him a chapter update and he seemed like a totally different person, but later sent me revisions to a chapter I have not yet read. Yeah, I know, I had the exact same thought. I did a little research and discovered that this guy likes to hire women to read his work. In nearly two years, I don’t think he’s hired a single man to read his manuscript. I have a theory on that, and it’s not because every woman I’ve ever met is thorough, has great attention to detail, and gives solid feedback. I honestly think I’m being misjudged here, AGAIN, but since I probably don’t have a lot more work to really do, I am going to try and stick it out. In the meantime, I am actively looking to line up something more challenging. I nearly fell asleep during chapter four. That doesn’t bode well, but it could just be the lingering whatever I have in my system that caused me to pass out yesterday afternoon. Even now, since I’ve been up since about 4:00 a.m., I am feeling exhausted. It helps that, thus far, it is dreary outside.

For now, I am going into my own work for the second time in two days. Yesterday I revised my acknowledgements, today I’m going to re-read the big fight sequence and see how it plays out in my mind. I am certain there’s more that can be added, but I don’t want to force it. When I don’t feel at my best health wise, it’s always okay to back off a bit on the external shit.

Sick & Tired

2014-10-20 Miss Poison Cats, Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, Honesty, Images/Photos/Quotes, Inspiration, Kittens, Life, Mondays, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Stress, Work, Writing Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, Honesty, Mondays, Poison In Lethal Doses, Reading, Rest, Sleep, Stress, TV, Weekends, Writing

I am sick & tired. Mostly of being both of the aforementioned. Because I have Fibromyalgia, my body responds differently to the weather and a lot of other external things that I, personally, cannot control. I have heightened senses, so a lot of smells make me sick and I often have to retreat to my bedroom, with the blinds drawn tight, because the sun and most sources of light just plain kill me. If you ever see me coming home at 2:00 a.m., it’s almost certain you will see me wearing sunglasses. This disturbs a lot of people, but it is a necessity for me. Most people I know that have light eyes also have the same issue, but it depends. Fibro, Chronic Pain, and/or migraines can affect anyone to this degree. And yes, I do have light eyes.

I did get some rest over the weekend, but really, the entire weekend itself was a blur. Reading, writing, sleeping, laundry, cats, hot chocolate, TV, and not necessarily in that order. My DVR wants me to play “catch up”. I think I’m secretly trying to see if it REALLY holds 200 hours of Hi-Def TV or if Verizon is just screwing with me. Of course, I have NO IDEA what the hell one does with 200 hours of television. I’m not sure anything is that interesting. I deleted a show off my queue entirely and deleted the two episodes I had not seen. Once you lose me, you lose me, there’s no sense in me watching the ship sink. There are far superior shows I will be VERY sad to see go, like Sons of Anarchy. The fact that I missed a few seasons and need to catch up on those doesn’t take away from how hooked I’ve become. Others I’ve been with since day one and I’m sure I will be much sadder to say good-bye to. Alas, nothing lasts forever. Except, apparently, Supernatural. I missed a lot of last season, so I’m glad this one is holding my interest and making me laugh. I have a twisted sense of humor, sue me.

Today I am going to attempt to finish Bones Never Lie. I openly admit to being hooked to these books, even when on the rare occasion, they scare the crap out of me. It’s only happened once or twice. Patricia Cornwell is much more apt to terrify me and make me double-check that I’ve locked all the doors. Her books have also made me think someone was hiding in my trees, but that’s a story for another morning. We’ll blame that moment on cold medicine I may, or may not, have been taking at the time. 😉

I want to take a moment and thank Nicholas C. Rossis for sending me a copy of one of his books. Go over to his blog and let him know I sent you. 🙂 It’s important for writers to support one another.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled “stuff” for the day. Happy Monday.

Sometimes People Ask For Way Too Much

2014-10-19 Miss Poison Authors, Boundaries, Idiots, Poison In Lethal Doses, Respect, Stress, Things That Enrage Me, Unbelievable Crap, Unnecessary Drama, Work, Writers, Writing Editing, Idiots, Reading, Work, Writing

Here’s something important you all need to know about me. Above all else, I am supremely professional. However, if you’re antagonistic and you push my buttons right out of the gate, I will remain professional until the job is done, but I won’t ever be anywhere in the vicinity of nice ever again.

Some clients, generally the ones I don’t work with, want a LOT for NOTHING. I am doing a read-through. I was asked to make notes of corrections that need to be made, and I did that, in red. Since I wasn’t asked to edit, I simply provided notes. They were detailed. “This is missing a comma.”, “There is a spelling error.”, “Revise this for grammatical errors.”, “Look this over and add some necessary material. The sentence and/or thought is just hanging.”, stuff like that. Unless you’re a moron, that means you re-read the fucking paragraph and make the corrections. There are children that can follow these very simple instructions, why can’t you?!

I respectfully asked the client if he’d like the work back as I go through each file, and he said yes. I sent back the first file, which contained one chapter. ONE. I then receive a message hours later saying my notes were “cryptic” and that he’d like a “higher level of feedback”. Mind you, I’d only sent back the first chapter. It was fine and I provided feedback, but how much needs to be said about 6,000 words unless it’s really bad?

This was enough to make me want to say something vile and unprofessional. This made me want to say “You’re not paying me to do anything more than a read-through, yet I provided notes. Find your own fucking errors!” If I had submitted the entire book back and only gave 2-3 lines of feedback, that would be one thing, but I’d only submitted back a chapter, which he’d asked for. I included notes at the end and my thoughts. Sometimes, when you’re reading something new, you don’t have a lot of thoughts after a prologue or even after reading that and chapter one. Sometimes it takes 3-5 chapters before you feel like you know the characters and have a feel for the story. I don’t know a single author/writer that will disagree with me.

However, this son of a bitch pushed my buttons. I am sick, so I probably should wait until I feel better to deal with douche bags, but man, I hate idiots. If you’re asking me to do a job, I will do it thoroughly. It is certain that our styles may or may not mesh, but don’t disrespect me or act superior. You’re not paying me enough to give me attitude, and I will never take it, because I don’t give a fuck who you think you are.

Treat your editors, beta readers, and agents with respect. Don’t expect them to do every single thing for you, because it doesn’t work that way. The first time you treat me like your professional toilet cleaner will probably be the last time I ever work for you again, and you can put that in a pipe and smoke it!

Dark Clouds

2014-10-18 Miss Poison Blessings, Honesty, Pain, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Quotes, Stress, Thoughts, Work, Writing Blessings, Bryant McGill, Burn Out, Clouds, Coffee, Exhaustion, Friendship, Getting Sick, Images/Photos/Quotes, Musings, Quality Friends, Storms, Writing

I’d love to say I’m up early and writing. The truth is, I was woken from a migraine by the smell of brewing coffee. At 12:30 a.m. Strictly speaking, the smell of coffee is really pleasant to me. I breathe deeply, it evokes memories, but when I’m sick, there is a very long list of smells that bother me. Coffee is sometimes one of them.

Apparently it wasn’t just bothering me, because fuzzy people came to alert me to the fact that something was going on in the kitchen that should not have been happening. They’re trying to curry favor with me because I’ve had to yell at their antics over the past two days. Is it wrong not to want something belonging to your Grandmother NOT to be eaten by an animal clearly lacking common sense? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

I’m burned out. I’ve come down with something, and I just plain don’t feel right. The thought of doing a read-through or an edit right now has about as much appeal to me as maggots. Yes, that’s how bad I feel.

If I logged in to my frequent flyer miles right now, I’d find that I have enough miles acquired over the past 14 years to get me the hell out of here for a good three months. That’s as long as you can be away on certain visas. If I didn’t have responsibilities, my ass would be packed in a few hours and off I’d be. I’m that worn out, I need a break.

Where would I go? I have some ideas, but the truth is, there aren’t a lot of people that would appreciate me showing up at the last minute. Therein lies the problem.

Alas, I shall take the next 2-3 days and “vacation inside my head”. Next weekend is kind of a big deal for me, but I’m already upset, so I’m downplaying it quite a bit. One person’s milestone is another person’s way of harming that person and turning something happy into something negative. I don’t need that.

All I can do in this very moment is thank my friends for being so incredibly kind, caring, loving, and supportive. One friend in particular basically yelled at me this past week, telling me to get over myself, and it really is helping me learn things about myself, so thank you my dear. What you said holds water, and I appreciate it. It’s nice to know someone has my back, as opposed to standing behind me with a knife, poised to strike at a moment’s notice. In life, it’s absolutely crucial to know who the right friends are. I am blessed.

Enjoy your weekend everyone. Take stock of your blessings and realize how lucky you are.

A Job Well Done

2014-10-162014-10-16 Miss Poison Editing, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Writers, Writing Authors, Editing, Experience, Half-Assing Work, Inner Critic, Poison In Lethal Doses, Quality, Skill, Talent, Writers, Writing

I feel good. I have completed editing over 94,000 words in less than three weeks, way ahead of schedule. I was invited to submit a proposal on an “invitation only” job and got it in a matter of an hour or so. It’s a read-through with notes, it won’t take me very long. I just have to stifle my urge to edit it. I refuse to do something I’m not being paid or asked to do in the job description. If you’re asking for a read-through, you’ll get it, but I won’t kill myself to give you more than what you’ve asked for. That’s only fair.

It’s also one of the reasons I keep my best work to myself until it is submitted for publication. I don’t need 100 opinions or thoughts, I know myself and I know what works. It’s not ego, it’s skill and experience. Not everything I write is for every single person on the planet, nor does it need to be. Know thy audience, but please yourself as the first person reading it.

Many writers deal with an “inner critic”. Basically, mine knows when I’m writing “filler”. In turn, I have no problem deleting it. It could be pages of crap, but I encourage you, as a writer, to know when it’s crap and remove it. It helps to avoid the “This is being cut.” remarks from an editor in the future. Know yourself, know when you’re putting your absolute best work forward, and know when to step back from it for a little while. Return with fresh eyes and a clear mind. If you agonize, it will always show in your work. If you were pushing yourself to meet a deadline, it will show and any reader with a lick of sense will pick up on it immediately.

Not that long ago I read a book from an author I read consistently. From beginning to end, the book felt forced, it felt repetitive, it felt unimaginative and about as unique as a paper bag, and getting to the end was like pulling teeth with your bare hands. The book went straight to #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List. I wish you could have seen my face when I saw it. The book lacked quality, substance, a real plot, and damn near bored me to tears. It was the same old shit, in a different fucking book. It was, in all honesty, not that much different from a different series that the author writes, only the names and characters are slightly different. At the core of both, is the author’s pain, and she pours that pain into both of her lead characters. I respect her right for creative control and creative license, but that book made me lose a ton of respect for her as a person. When you’ve read all of a person’s work for closing in on 12 years, it is perfectly okay to be disappointed by even just one highly touted novel in a series, or in the series itself. I will pretty much NEVER publicly disrespect another female author, because I know how hard we work (Yes, male authors work hard too, but I lack the necessary equipment guys.), and I’m a girl’s girl to the core. For an author that once inspired me, I felt like she’d let her readers down. I read the reviews and while it remains at about a 4 star rating on many web-sites, pretty much every review was filled with anger, disappointment, and disgust. People were offended that they’d wasted $15-$30 on crap, depending on where and how they had purchased it and in which format, and that’s putting many reviews mildly.

Half-assing it shows. Maybe not to a new reader, but for people who have been with you from the very beginning, they will remember. They will determine whether or not the next book sells, and exactly how well it does. So, lesson to be learned? Don’t cheat your readers, but most importantly, don’t cheat yourself.

The Journey

2014-10-15 Miss Poison Gifts, Images/Photos/Quotes, Inspiration, Life, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thoughts, Work, Writing Blessings, Deborah Harkness, Editing, Honesty, Inspiration, Kathy Reichs, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Reading, Writing

I am coming up on the end of my most recent editing job, and I’m really pleased with myself. Pleased because I’ve worked my ass off and I know I am providing the client with solid material, solid notes, and that she will have a lot to work with moving forward because I have provided her with additional knowledge to incorporate into her work. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of your gifts, or feeling blessed for having them.

I am working hard to line up additional clients, and will re-focus my attention on my own work during the Samhain break. Yes, I take off for Halloween and the two days thereafter. It helps ground me. Don’t judge. 😛

It will be a little odd returning to my own written world, but I love getting lost there, and it’s familiar. That which lives in your mind is sometimes more “home” to you than any other place in the world. Being able to fully immerse oneself in their own creativity is a powerful gift. I often say “I can only write facts.”, but I have proven myself wrong for years now and it gives me cause to smile and celebrate. I’ve allowed my writing to grow and take on a new direction, thus empowering myself to achieve something that might not have been possible a few short years ago. “Write what you know.” is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given (Thank you Mom.), and it still holds true all these years later.

Since starting this platform, I have been infinitely happier and more at home in my own skin, and as a writer. It’s nice to attract positive people to me. It’s healthier, calmer, freeing. I thank each and every one of you for being a part of that and for accepting me.

Now, tell me what you’re all reading. Are you deep into your own work or are you reading something specific book wise? I am currently reading Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs (I’ve read all of the books in the Temperance Brennan series and according to my bookshelves, I own most of them too. I’m missing a box with some of them though, which is making me OCD to find them.) and The Book Of Life by Deborah Harkness.

Before truly deciding to write, I fully intended to become an NYPD detective. I grew up around police officers and it felt extremely natural to me. I studied forensics and my knowledge on the subject is scary, even for me. Perhaps that is why I love Kathy’s books so much and look forward to them each year. She’s one of the best.

I was introduced to Deborah Harkness via my Aunt. She sent me the first two All Souls Triology books, A Discovery Of Witches and Shadow Of Night. It took me a little while to read them both because they weren’t originally books I’d planned to read, but it turns out they’re worth it. I’m not that far into the new book, but so far, so good. I have a few other books lined up to read after that, and will probably receive a new box chock full of books from my Aunt soon, which means there will be other books that I will talk about.

So again, what are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments section. 🙂

My Immortal

Video 2014-10-14 Miss Poison Honesty, Music, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses Evanescence, Music, My Immortal

I’m having an emotional day. I didn’t know it would turn as it has, but I’m not going to pretend things are sunny and perfect.

The Power Of Social Media

2014-10-11 Miss Poison Honesty, People Helping People, Poison In Lethal Doses, Respect, Social Media, Writing Arrow, Honesty, Poison In Lethal Doses, Social Media, Stephen Amell, Writing

I openly admit that social media annoys me. You can pretty much guarantee you will never see me using Twitter. I adamantly refuse. If you cannot read and follow it here, you don’t need to see it in an alternate place.

I have a minor addiction to Pinterest, which has waned a bit in the past year, but it’s still a fun form of social media that’s harmless, kind of like Candy Crush Saga, which I play on three different devices- because I’m a nut job! This platform has a Facebook presence, as do I, but that’s as far as I am personally willing to take the madness, outside of Goodreads, which I have been a part of since 2008. Aside from four utter whack jobs on Facebook, I find it all pretty tame, and oftentimes, quite boring and uninteresting.

One of the key issues I have with social media is that it takes away from the time I could spend writing. I don’t just mean writing here, but writing on a whole. Like any other artist, I don’t like being distracted. I can’t always listen to a person talking or even listen to music when I am writing, because I am so focused on what my brain needs me to type, that I cannot divide my attention, nor should I.

I think there’s great power in social media if used correctly. If you take away the cyber-bullying, hate mongers, and negativity, there are a lot of very positive things accomplished via social media. My absolute BEST example would be Stephen Amell.

If you don’t know who Stephen is, you’re probably living under a rock, don’t own a television, and have never picked up a magazine in which he is featured for one good thing or another. For those of you who fall into all three categories, Stephen is the star of the CW’s hit show Arrow, which just premiered its 3rd season this past Wednesday in the U.S.

Stephen is that rare person in the public eye (I’m not going to use the word celebrity, it reeks of douche-baggery.) who uses his position for wonderful things. He runs his own Facebook page entirely, and you can tell because there is an accessibility to him that says so much about the kind of man he is. He, through the power of social media, has helped raise funds for Prayers For Sophie, Saving Jojo, and Fuck Cancer. He auctions all sorts of things off personally on eBay. Don’t believe me? Go and check out his auction listings, they are legit. He takes the time to communicate with his fans via video updates, does Q&A’s, comments on MemeMonday, promotes FanArt Friday, and he does all of this in his downtime while filming, as well as in between seasons. He is a genuine power for good, and I truly respect him as a person for how hilarious and real he is. He’s very clearly not putting on a persona or spewing garbage, he’s simply a man that was blessed with a dream job for any actor, and pays it forward with an immense amount of kindness, courtesy, and respect.

He is the rare social media genius that is more than meets the eye. In truth, he could rest on his laurels, film Arrow, and not extend himself any further, but he is constantly in touch with his fan base, clearly reads what people post, and I think that speaks accolades for him. No, he doesn’t know me and he didn’t pay me to say any of this, it’s all stuff I’ve been thinking for over a year now. He is, 100%, a class act.

Even if you don’t watch the show, which would be terrible indeed, give Stephen a follow on Facebook (Stephen Amell), Twitter (@amellywood), or whatever form of social media you happen to like and feel comfortable with. He has a YouTube page, follow that and allow yourself to laugh. If you love wine and want to try some interesting, affordable bottles, I suggest following Nocking Point Wines. If you don’t see what I see by following him for two months, then I strongly suggest getting your eyes checked and your I.Q. tested.

I do follow other people, like many of us do, but I’m not seeing any of the positivity, warmth, or light that Stephen exudes. I am not seeing the openness of spirit and kindness, and in a lot of ways, I’m glad it’s not universal because it allows me to respect him more.

I write stories, and I write facts and opinions. I’ve done that for 27 years. Stephen tells stories weekly on Arrow as the lead character, doing damn near all of his own stunts, and his reach in that position stretches further than my writing and editing experience does. And yet, I will not deny watching the show, enjoying it, and respecting him as a person when the make-up and the Arrow suit come off.

When a person does good things, they very easily earn your respect. He has earned mine, and he’s also shown me that social media isn’t always an ugly, vicious thing. However, I still refuse to use Twitter.