12 Days...

...'till my paid LJ elapses, according to a notification email I got tonight. Frankly, I think I'm fine with that, though I've certainly enjoyed the extra userpics; I can't really recall having done much else with it, per se. But I absolutely appreciate having had it thus far.;)

Today was mainly about chores (as ever), though Steve, Cal and I did also make a pilgrimage up to the Hairy Tarantula's new warehouse at Steeles to celebrate the fact that Steve just found out he'll be getting a substantial Christmas bonus--enough to let us pay off a couple of debts, clear our plate a bit for the new year, and park the rest in ING to grow. Yeah, baby! And with discounts, we only spent about $60.00 for five graphic novels and one lone comic; cool-ass, if I dare say.

Also: I'll be officially putting a push on in terms of jump-starting the first three chapters of A Rope..., since Chapter One (due by February) will now appear as extra content in the A Book of Tongues hardback; probably best, given that ferocious cliffhanger. Still, I'm happy to go for it, since I'd really intended to have it done by then anyhow. In the meantime, I finished those famous "Two Letters" for "History's Crust" on Friday, only to realize that the section itself isn't exactly finished yet--like I said, that whole file needs serious grooming. Still.

Other than that, it's all antibiotics, all the time. The blood's still there, but it's just blood. And Cal went down easy and was fairly communicative/good while awake, so...we'll call it an overall draw, I guess.;))

Okay, well--back to the pillbox, then try to wind down, then bed. Hopefully I won't get up at 3:45 AM this time, or "have to" sleep 'till 11:00, in order to make up the debt. And on, on, on, on.

The Final Tally

...though it's true that the year isn't "officially" over, I thought I might as well get this out of the way anyhow. Thus:

2009: THE NUMBERS

ACCEPTED/TO BE PUBLISHED:
A Book of Tongues, from CZP Publications
“When I’m Armoring My Belly”, in EvolVe
“Hell Friend”, in Clockwork Phoenix 3
“Strange Weight”, from Burning Effigy
“The Underneath”, in Shroud Magazine
“Fin De Siecle”, in Doorways
“Tantalus, Reaching Upwards” and “Minotaur”, on hold at ChiZine
"each thing I show you is a piece of my death" (reprint), Best Horror 2

PUBLISHED:
“Imaginary Beauties”, from Kelp Queen Press’s Loonie Dreadful line
“The Drowned Town”, in Goblin Fruit
“The Jacaranda Smile”, in Apparitions
“Marya Nox”, in Lovecraft Unbound
“Ring of Fire”, “The Speed of Pain” and “Crossing the River”, in Mighty Unclean
“each thing I show you is a piece of my death”, in Clockwork Phoenix 2

FICTION OVERALL:
Finished Novel—124,805 words
Unfinished Novel—14,576 words
Finished Stories—23,351 words
Unfinished Stories—roughly 30,000 words
Poetry—2,144 words
FearZone columns: 9,220 words

FINAL COUNT: 206,091 words for the year.

So yeah, an interesting haul. 1,000 more words' worth of poetry than last year, for one thing, though almost none of those placed anywhere. Some great coups, in terms of critical response, placement and recognition. And, of course, the BIG thing: Finally wrote that goddamn book I've been whipping myself over for the last ten years of my life. Better yet, sold it; even better yet, have an immediate sequel lined up that I'm already working on. Spent the entire year as a stay-at-home Mom and a "working" writer, ie somebody whose writing is their functional (if mainly un- or underpaid) job. Placed just about everything I have in my back-stock, actually, though I'll be interested to see if some of those placements actually come to fruition.

And no fic. None. That's different.;)

Now, if I can just manage to sell Lilim, or at least find an agent who can sell it for me...