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True Blood

Atomic Books, Vegan Cake, and YA…

by Corinne on October 22, 2009

Oct-22

On my way to pick up a delicious piece of vegan cake (and get some fresh air!), I decided to take a detour and check out Atomic Books this evening. Even though the fiction section is tiny, the shelves are packed with my favorite writers! It’s such a joy to stand in front of one bookshelf and be overwhelmed by how many you want to pull down to read. Even the minuscule YA section (yes, I love YA) was packed with gems.

I picked up The Uglies by Scott Westerfield, which I’ve wanted to read for months! I love that is part of a four book series. Starting a new book is like beginning a new relationship. I’m in the honeymoon phase right now. I’ll keep you posted. I hope it’s true love.

A slice of vegan pumpkin spice cake with cream “cheese” frosting and a cup of ginger-peppermint tea topped off the perfect evening. Now it’s time to dive back into my manuscript. There is a monster of a section that hasn’t been written and I’ve been hiding in revision land a little too long…

ps-I could procrastinate all night long watching True Blood behind-the-scenes clips and interviews with Alan Ball on iTunes. Did you know you can watch tv series on iTunes? This is dangerous. Alan Ball is pure genius. The characters on that show (and most importantly Charlaine’s books) and phenomenal. They inspire me to take my characters to the next level. And since I’ve watched all the specials out there, I will now open that word document and get down to business.

Tagged as: Alan Ball, baltimore, books, bookstore, charlaine harris, editing, novel, sookie stackhouse, True Blood, vegan, YA

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Cream Ale, True Blood, and Writing in the Car…

by Corinne on August 18, 2009

August-18

I need to start out by saying that the Genny Cream Ale pictured above was not mine. Steve has a lot of hometown pride, thus the chance to drink Cream Ale from a can is not often passed up when we’re in Charm City. While we’re on the subject of my super cool husband, I’d also like to point out that he went out of his way after his short trip to NYC to meet me in Rhinecliff on Friday after my week in Woodstock.

I met up him with him in town, we had dinner, stopped at an amazing bookstore and then he took the wheel. It’s moments like these that make me realize how darn lucky I got when I snagged him. He was actually happy to see me after sitting on a park bench all day waiting for me to get out of work! He drove us all the way home and let me use the time to work on my novel.

We spent the weekend wandering around Baltimore and checking out our favorite places to get grub (Rocket to Venus, Liquid Earth, One World Cafe). I also got a lot more writing done. I’m pretty happy with the progress I’ve made on my second draft. I’m about 1/4 through. For the first time, I’ve given it to a couple of people to read (other than Steve). It’s a relief to know he isn’t the only person that likes where it’s going, which gives me the boost of confidence I need to push forward! I hope to make some decent progress while writing in the car this weekend, since we’re driving to Michigan for a wedding. This marks the first of four weddings we’ll be attending over the next two months. Lotta love.

On a completely different note, I met up with some friends on Sunday to watch True Blood, then watched it again last night with Steve (not that I minded). It just keeps getting better! I can’t get those characters out of my head! I’ll say it again, Alan Ball is a genius. Can’t wait til this Sunday! Only three episodes left…hopefully Charlaine will have another book out by then. She’s got three more to go!

Tagged as: Alan Ball, baltimore, charlaine harris, editing, love, marriage, novel, sookie stackhouse, Steve, traveling, True Blood, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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Small Notes on Little Things that Matter

by Corinne on July 27, 2009

Baltimore-to-Woodstock

It’s quiet in Woodstock this week, at least around the office. The town is packed with tourists though. I took a couple of walks tonight and shot some of the pictures above along the way. Every chance I get, I’m listening to Sookie Stackhouse on my iPhone. She came with me on my walks today, to the post office, and the grocery store. I’m envious of Charlaine Harris’ ability to entertain me for hours at a time. I’m completely consumed by that world. I’ve been speaking in a southern accent in my head. This happened during my last True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse craze. Even as I type these words, each one echoes in my mind in a deep southern drawl.

It’s cooled down now and the tourists are gone. That’s the thing about Woodstock, everything closes at 7 or 8pm at the latest except for a few restaurants. I still hear high schoolers roaming the street late at night though. They sit in packs on the sidewalks and I have to admit that I favor the other side of the street to avoid them. It’s just a leftover habit I have from when I was a kid. Even though I’m probably ten years older than them, I still have a teensy fear that they’ll pick on me. It seems ridiculous now that I’m writing it down, but I’ll resist the urge to erase it.

Although I miss Baltimore, my house, my husband, my cats, I feel at home here too. It’s an easy town to get used to because there is only one main street and you see the same people all the time. I often wonder what it would have been like to grow up here. You probably would take the beauty of the place for granted. I’m sure most kids are bored. I’m glad I get to enjoy it now, when I look forward to being nestled in the mountains and left to my own devices. Of course I still find ways to procrastinate editing my first draft. It pains me to cut thousands of words at a time, but I know it has to be done. Time to get to it. But tonight, I will not stay up until 1:00am listening to Sookie’s adventures. I was beat today. It’s time for a good night’s sleep.

I guess these are just a series of little thoughts on the small things that matter in my life. They come together to make something that I feel simply joyful and thankful for right now. There is nothing better than sitting in a place of gratitude (much better than a place of fear). I am content sinking into my desk chair, listening to the occasional car pass by in my right ear and crickets singing in my left and typing away. I’m happy to record these moments here, even if it’s just for me. Because it helps me remember later, when I’m in the middle of a not so nice place, that I need to remember that things never stay just one way and I’ll always make it back to this peaceful space.

Just for fun, I’m posting a picture I just found on Facebook of Steve and me at his (junior?) prom. This was ten years ago…

Steve and Corinne Prom

Tagged as: baltimore, cats, charlaine harris, editing, sookie stackhouse, Steve, Thomas, traveling, True Blood, walking, woodstock, Writing & Editing

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Treasure Walks

by Corinne on July 26, 2009

Our-Walk

Every time I take a walk with Steve, we find unique nooks and crannies in our little neighborhood. Above are some of the gems we came across this afternoon. I love recording them here, so that I’ll never forget them, but I don’t have to clutter my brain (or home) with every charming memory. The image I created above too small to do it justice, but I’m too tuckered out to re-size it. Maybe later…

The mural is painted under someone’s porch on a quiet, hidden street that we hadn’t yet discovered in our three years living in Hampden. It’s creepy and fascinating and totally unexpected. Seeing this art amongst plastic pink flamingos, dead flattened rats on the asphalt, and foul-mouthed kindergartners was refreshing. The peace sign is something that Steve insisted I snap a picture of and include here. At this point of our walk I was sweaty, crabby, and ready to crank our A/C window unit. He was relentless though and as always I’m happy he forced me to take the damn picture.

I’m back in Woodstock for the week! The drive here was very enjoyable because I had the latest Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead and Gone on audiobook. I barely noticed the time go by and now I’m speaking in a southern accent in my head. This always happens when I watch True Blood or listen to one of Charlaine Harris’ audiobooks. I also watched the True Blood panel from Comic-con 2009. I hope someday to be in Charlaine Harris’ shoes, sitting amongst the actors that have brought my characters to life. I have Alan Ball on my vision board because frankly he is a genius and who wouldn’t want him to adapt your writing into television series? If you haven’t seen Six Feet Under, run, buy, watch, now.

It’s always revitalizing to be in Woodstock. I’m surrounded with two of the most creative people I know and I live in the middle of the Catskills. Fresh air, green everywhere, and mountains in every direction. This town has very little in common with Baltimore, but it is bustling with it’s own flavor of quirkiness and charm. I’ll be sure to snap lots of photos.

Tagged as: Alan Ball, baltimore, Catskill Mountains, charlaine harris, Comic-con, Hampden, neighborhood, Six Feet Under, sookie stackhouse, True Blood, walks, woodstock

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