Book Roast Epilogue

And so we came to the end… sort of. What's an ending without a celebration?! There's no sneaking away into the darkness for the Book Roast. The lights are on, the music's high and the party's right over here. Yes, it's a surprise party for Head Chef, Chris Eldin!

Someone grab that luscious Roast Master Chris and let’s PARTY!!!!!

Koala movers and shakers

Up: JJde Goblin and Robin

Down: Blogless ('gone missing' might be more accurate)

Same: Chris (for her intention to write - I need to see actual wordcount by next week, though), Sarah (a week's grace for stress due to Prop 8).

In question...report in in 24 hours or I will drop you down anyway... Sylvia? Aerin? JC?

Now for the fun stuff...the Smacked Down. Whirl, largely healed from his scars, has actually written his 2000 word repentance, and, people, he reported that my wrath was a good incentive to write. See, see, how good I am being to all of you? Hm? Love, that's what I'm about. When Whirl fronts up with the final part of his punishment, the Link that Makes the Koala Laugh, he will be free from his enthralment in the Smacked Down Lounge. Any implication that Whirl may already have done this and The Koala may merely have lost track of the link in the chaos of her blog will result in your Going Direct To Smackdown, because The Koala is Never Wrong. Love, like I said. It's all about the lovin'.

Janey, hon...how's it going for you, babe?

Lazy Daisy

Just swanning around my desktop, checking out a few blogs. Here's a fabulous link from Janet Reid (so you know it's good stuff, right?). Toni McGee Causey - this post is a must read for anyone with children. You'll laugh, you'll cry...oh go on, just read it already.

And, as for the essentials of life, check this out. Link from Jorge Garcia. Oh, allright then from his blog.

Need a little inspiration for dinner?

There are recipes popping up all over the place at the moment. Paca is our most faithful chef, and his latest suggestion looks awsome. Plus, at the moment Ello is talking Asian food and Laughing Wolf posted a Yorkshire Pudding recipe on Susan Wingate's 'Bobby's Diner' thread over at the Book Roast.

Keep cooking!

Post WiP slough? What post-WiP slough?

Thanks to two of my regular clients, who both gave me this Friday as a deadline, my fingers have not stopped tapping on this keyboard. I'm only grateful that it wasn't last week. Editing is easier to get back to than frenzied drafting.

I'll be baaaack....

Driving Induces Vomit

Thank you for your kind thoughts on the previous post, I'm a happy Koala to have finished. Must psyche self up to do those edits, before I forget 'em though, otherwise I know it won't make sense when I pull it out of the drawer!

But let's move away from writing for a while, to the trials of everyday life. Like driving along one of Sydney's major arteries, as I did today. Parramatta Road is a two, sometimes three lane road, not a motorway or highway as such, but one of the main roads that slice up the city, running from the centre out to the suburbs. A highway does run parallel to it, and, man, I wish I had been on that highway today. I hadn't been along Parramatta Road in a while, and I vaguely remembered it being very busy and lined with shopping centres, factories and offices, of varying degrees of tattiness. That was spot on. What I had forgotten was how rough the road surface is. As I drove along it, my poor old car (note: sedan, not 4WD, alas) yawed from side to side, simultaneously plunging down into potholes, or up over dodgy pothole repairs. It was like being on a ride at Disneyland (:-)). Except it went on for much longer. I don't get travel sick, however, after 20 minutes or so of this, not only was I feeling green, but dizzy, and wondering if I needed to pull off and take a break.

There's not much point to this, other than a whinge. I survived. I was outraged. The meeting went well, thanks. I had a nice cup of tea.

And that, my friends, is bathos and your post for today.

She's out!

And I'm finished. 75,000 mostly harrowing words later, and the Woman is finally out of the Wall. Poor thing.

And, of course, in some ways the story turned out not to even be about her at all. Isn't that always the way? Just who she is, how she gets out of the wall and what the story is really about, are secrets that await the loving eyes of my beta readers. (Most of you probably know who you are...if you're in doubt, you'll find out sooner or later...)

So, over the next week or so I'll work on a few edits I know I need to make, then the Woman Finally out of the Wall, will become the Woman Stuffed in the Bottom Drawer For a Few Weeks, so I can re-read in a month or six weeks with something of a fresh eye, before she's allowed out of there and into the world. Of Loving Betas.

I've had a pretty ferocious week of writing this week - check the Koala's stats! I'm going straight back to fully approved and stamped with love come check in time. I'm somewhat drained. Still, I'll dive into the edits in a day or so and then I'll claim a post-WIP break to read something that will make somebody in pink stripy socks jump for joy.

Something sweet-smelling on the barbecue today...

Check out the Book Roast. You'll find somebody I'm very close to hanging round there today... Well, later today, once she arises from her slumbers.

Welcome to Koala Smackdown!

Believe it or not I have showed restraint over the past four or five months. I have attempted to be understanding; I have, in my benevolent Koala-like manner, occasionally offered writers a slightly longer piece of rope with which to hang themselves. Now, at last, the time has come. My claws are unsheathed and sinking into not one, but two, miscreants...

I invite you to view the bloody remains of:

Whirlochre
and
Janey

Not only must these two now display the butt-kicked badge prominently on their blog, they must feature underneath it the following message:

Dear All

Alas, I have not met the Koala's kind, generous and loving challenge of writing a mere 100 words six days a week. You may not see me for some time, because the depth of the clawmarks in my butt make it impossible for me to sit in a computer chair.

I understand that the only way to be free of the humiliating stain of displaying my 'The Koala Kicked My Butt' badge, and to placate the enraged Koala, is to write a minimum of 2000 words in a single week and also to direct the Koala to some highly witty web site or YouTube video where she may laugh off her disappointment in me. That modest target has been set by the Koala while in a relatively good mood. Further infringements will incur further challenges of increasing complexity.

I also understand that a Goblin, disguised as JJdeBenedictis, will shortly appear and pull out all my toenails.

Yours sincerely

Whirlochre/Janey

PS Other, more successful, participants in the Koala's challenge may also feel free to mock me

Koala Threat Level: Extreme

You know who you are. Smackdown approaches. 48 hours to produce some wordage or you will wear the badge of humiliation.

You have been warned.

The Koala is grumpy. She may have to take it out on you.

What a week

Just completely manic. A full day on canteen, plus bits and pieces of other volunteering (I'm such a sucker for help requests), a faraway specialist appointment for Soccer Boy, a new client meeting, a full day at the Athletics Carnival (SB just missed the 200 metre final, came equal fourth in 100 metre final and seventh in 800 metres, he's very smug; Princess, um, last in her one and only race, but still smiling); not to mention all the other things I have now managed to completely forget about. The dog has not been walked for days, the library books are beyond overdue and we have raided the freezer down to the very last meal.

So, today, with a lovely empty day ahead of me to catch up with work, domestic admin, walk the dog, make some more food, do the washing etc, what did I do?

I went to sleep for four hours and then added 500 words to my much neglected WIP.

Beware of your dreams

I read a sign today that said: Beware of your dreams, for they may come true. The dark streak inside me loved that thought. Then I re-read it and, alas, the real message was 'Be aware of your dreams, for they may come true'. Which I should have known as the shop was one of those fluffy-pillowed, candle-scented visions of tat that contains nothing of any use whatsoever.

But...to get back to my first, much better, reading of the sign. My life is full of examples of the danger of dreams. Take Mr Koala, who, while we lived in London, dreamed of returning to his sun-blessed homeland where everybody knocked off work at 5pm to go surfing and all the trains had functional aircon. When we rocked up at the doors of Oz, he discovered that he'd completely forgotten about the fact that, although winter is brief, it's darn cold without heating in the houses, that Aussies now have the longest working hours in the world and that the aircon on most trains had broken down during his twelve-year absence.

It's just another version of 'be careful what you wish for', I suppose - but I like it.

Beware the awesome power of Find and Replace

For some reason, no doubt incredibly important at the time, I decided change the name of a supporting character in WIW/WIP from Chris to Jason. It was less than thirty seconds work with Find and Replace.

And that is how I ended up with another character suddenly renamed 'Jasontine' and the festive season newly dubbed 'Jasontmas'.