I don't often dream about writing

[ksmith]

...except when I do.

Strange dream last night. I know I hadn't had contact with my editor for a while, but had turned in a Jani book some time before. I forget if I was in a store or what, but someone shows me the latest Jani book, and the cover...looked like something from chick lit hell--peppermint stripe, swirly lettering, spindly-legged partial figures.

To make matters worse, they had split the book in two, so I had two Chick Lit Hell covers to deal with.

In other news, had the last of three self-defense classes today. They were offered by the day job, and run by the Tae Kwan Do club. I did learn a few things. Today, we practiced what to do if grabbed from behind, and I will say that the sensation of an arm in a stranglehold around your neck stays with you.

Comments

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

What's freaking me out is that I work on both kaygo's books and chick-lit!

I shall endeavor to make sure that the insides, at least, are not confused with each other.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Jani tucked her shooter into the pocket of her coverall, taking care as always to avoid her reflection in the mirror.

Oh hell--just get it over with. She took a deep breath, another, then turned to Lucien, who sat on the bed pulling on his boots. "I want you to tell me the truth." She held her arms out from her sides. "Does this outfit make me look fat?"

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

Lucien told her she looked great. "I can't imagine why you worry about that sort of stuff, honey. You always look great." [1]

"Well, okay, if you say so," Jani said. "Now I'm off to that job interview at the magazine. When they hire me, my life will be oh so glamorous, filled with Beautiful People and glitzy parties, wherein I am certain to meet a Famous Manly Man who is tired of all the fakery and just wants to settle down. Of course, he'll have to wait until I realize for myself that it's all fakery. It's great to be an assistant copyeditor at a fashion magazine!"

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Dammit! Here I sit, dealing with the ever-expanding ball of cr*p that is my day, when it hits me that if I had just made Jani Kilian an assistant copyeditor of a fashion magazine instead of a hybridizing, crime-fighting, justice-seeking, socially inept middle-aged woman with no clothes sense, I could have retired years ago to a life of leisure on Cape Cod, surrounded by photos of myself taken from the pages of W and lovingly framed by one of my army of well-muscled proteges.

Do you think it's too late to tweak the series a little? I don't think my editor would mind, do you?

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

I'm sure if you point out to her that Certain Romance Editors around here get all the respect and promotions, she would be happy to go along with it! Of course, she would have to get rid of the Tacky Dragon Fountain Of Doom in her office, and replace it with fresh-cut flowers every day. I'm not sure you could convince her to do that. Let's not get extreme, here.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Ah, but I think if I promised that one of my well-muscled proteges would deliver said flowers each day, she might go along.

(Tacky Dragon Fountain of Doom? I hadn't heard of this.)

[barbarienne.livejournal.com]

If you get a chance to come to NY, ask to see her office. She has an enormous fountain with a most tacky Chinese dragon, with red light-up eyes. I don't think it actually blows smoke, but if it did, I wouldn't be surprised.

And yes, she bought it for the tacky factor. It is a marvellous thing.

And she won't take you up on the well-muscled proteges, I sure will.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

AAARRGGGHHH!!!

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

One of the things I thought about as I wrote that scene was how different Jani's concerns were from those on the laundry lists you usually see in fashion mags.

It's kinda refreshing.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Jani's view on such things would be...amusing....