Earworms, and Freedom

Earworms: we all get them, and I don’t think there’s an immediate cure for them.

I have been listening to Rihanna’s song ‘Stay’ – over and over on the computer, and also (conveniently or not) in my head.  Probably because it puts me in the mood for re-reading and editing Book 2.  The sequel to Every Breath is a bit more angsty, so it’s very appropriate.

My brain has decided to focus on the sequel now that Every Breath is so near completion.  And also – hey, that’s my job now, to be thinking about a new book every year (omg, I can’t believe I get to say that!)

But it got me thinking that my music choices have become very eclectic in the last few years.  I was not a pop girl in high school – the complete opposite.  I was into Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon (god) and also my dad’s old records, so I listened to a lot of Santana and Eric Clapton and Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder and blues.  Later I got into the Beatles and Joplin and Aretha.  But never any top-40 stuff – I just wasn’t really up with it.

But I think the influence of my son’s iPod selection is creeping in, in a big way.  My current favourites include LMFAO and Adele and Taylor Swift (actually I found that one on my own), and it’s kind of freaking me out that as I’m getting older, my music taste seems to be getting younger and younger.  At this rate I’ll be listening to the Wiggles in my sixties.

One of the benefits of living in a rural area is that no one can hear you play the same crazy song over…and over…and over…

But anyway.  Peoples - I am free!  Yes, the copyedits are done.  Well, mostly.  Well, for the time being.

I mean, I’m sure there will be another pass, wherein queries are cleared up and suggestions are taken, and finally there will be a document without any of those annoying Track Changes bubbles in the margin.  But at the moment the bulk of the work is done.  All that’s left are the fiddly bits.

So basically…I’m tired.  Copyedits wore me out.  I have a new and infinitely greater respect for Hilary, my copyeditor – that chick is ama-zing.

In celebration of the fact that WE MADE IT, and that is pretty much all that’s left to do before the book goes to the printers, and my brain is kind of limping, saying Oh-god-please-no-not-another-line-of-dialogue…  I am thinking of launching into a TEXT-FREE WEEK.

Cath Crowley introduced me to the concept – it’s kind of writer’s recovery mode for your head.  So, no writing, no emails, no Facebook, no (gasp) reading.  Just talking to people (omg!  I still have friends!  And a family!), and walking, and exercising, and watching tv, and looking at stuff.  Experiential stuff.  Art galleries and nice food and conversation, and spending time with my kids.

When I first heard of it I was kind of horrified (not at the idea of spending time with my kids – I like to do that), but now I totally see the sense in it. Because I've been outputting for a long time, and I think I really need some inputs.  Nice food, talk, visuals, hugs - yeah, I could really handle some of those inputs right now.

Of course, I may just use the time to pig-out on other people's books - that's inputs, right?  And a week without books is kind of torturous for me.  But I could do with some writing down-time.  So if I go dark for a few days, don't worry - I'll be back, with lots of weird stuff to blog about.

Speaking of Cath Crowley - she is a fantastic writer, and I'm so incredibly excited that she's offered to blurb Every Breath!  Yes, that is amazing, and I can't believe one of my favourite Australian writers has actually read my book, and enjoyed it enough to blurb it.  I am over the moon! (the Graffiti Moon, heh)

And I can't believe that Every Breath is going to be have a cover, and a blurb, and be out on an actual bookshelf somewhere, in just a few months...

Dream

Come

True