I've been terribly lax about posting Thursday Thirteens lately, but there's a reason for it. Honest!

Now I'm back to work for the language school, it turns out I'm working every Thursday. So, my normal routine of getting up in the morning on Thursday and putting out a T13 has been altered considerably. Also, I've been writing like crazy to get 27 Stages completed, so that's taken up a lot of time.

I've felt rather guilty, so I've made an effort to do a quick post this week - and next week I'll be posting because I've got Thursday off from work (woot!)

So, with that out of the way, please allow me to share with you:

13 Events from the Last Two Weeks

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1) On April 1st, I watched the Tour of Flanders.

Alas, my favorite rider (Fabian Cancellara, for the two of you who might be unaware of this fact) suffered a fall which broke his collarbone in four places.

Yes. Four.

Yes, I was disappointed - but of course, not nearly as much as he was.
The only upside of this was that I actually found inspiration for another cycling story. We'll see if I write it.

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Luckily for Fabian, chicks dig scars. Not that it matters in his case. (He's married, y'all.)
2) The next day, I had an intensive writing session in which I ironed out a few wrinkles in the final chapters of 27 Stages.

In other words, I finished the first draft.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


3) Having finished the first draft, I needed to take a little time off from the project. I felt antsy for the next couple of days.

4) On Thursday, I had a guest post on Women's Fiction Writers. It went over pretty well, and I'm reasonably sure I got a few sales as a result of it.

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5) On Saturday, I cooked. Sort of.

I used a pre-made Korma sauce with chicken for our lunch. One day I'll be bold enough to make it from scratch.

Maybe.

6) For Easter Sunday, we had lunch at my father-in-law's house. Naturally, this means eating lots more food than I normally eat, and then I have to evade having my drinking glass filled with wine (which I can't drink). It's always an adventure, and the conversation is always lively. Heh.

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7) Also on Easter Sunday, while eating lunch, we watched Paris-Roubaix. Tom Boonen's rather epic win was something to see, for sure, but we couldn't help wondering how things might have gone if my boy could have been there.

...sigh...

8) On Monday we had another lunch at my father-in-law's house. The Monday after Easter Sunday is called Pasquetta (literally, "Little Easter") in Italy, and we opted to stay in town (like many other Italians did this year) for more family time. My not-quite-four-year-old niece got my camera and took this photo of my hubby.

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I like to think she has talent, but she keeps putting her finger in front of the flash. Heh.
9) On Tuesday I sold one paperback copy each of Ask Me if I'm Happy and Alternate Rialto to a former student of mine.

10) That same day, I also donated a number of books to my language school's lending library. I cleared off a shelf to do so - it felt good. Now I have more space for my books at home.
*ahem*

11) I also found out that I'd sold four paperback copies of Ask Me if I'm Happy on the same day - naturally, I was pleased to learn this.

12) On Wednesday I was able to find several people to help me with the translations of German, Dutch and Polish I needed for 27 Stages. To say this is/was a relief is an understatement.
Now, the revisions/rewrites/hatcheting edits can begin in earnest.


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13) And, last but not least:

I got my first one-star review. Finally.
Alternate Rialto was the victim, on Amazon.com.

I'm not kidding when I say that this actually helped cheer me up a bit this week. I was having a great day on Wednesday, and when I spotted this, I had a good laugh. There's a part of me which was worried I'd never be taken seriously because I've had so many positive reviews. (Only in the writing world is this possible, I reckon.) Now, I've had a proper bad review. I have arrived!







And there you go,







13 Events from the Last Two Weeks.





















I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into my busy(?) little world.
















I hope to have something better for you next week.



























In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this musical interlude:










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I'm telling ya - the boy's got TALENT!!!
Ciao for now!
 


Comments

12/04/2012 19:47

Yes, that counts as cooking. And, yes that counts as a piano lesson :O


Have a great Thursday!
http://harrietandfriends.com/2012/04/earth-day-is-april-22nd/

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12/04/2012 20:38

*whew!* Good to know - on both counts. (No pun intended.) :)

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12/04/2012 20:31

Kimberly,

I'm sorry about your one review, but I have another friend who says she doesn't trust reviews unless there are some scores lower than 3--so hopefully, the negative rating will make the other more accurate, great scores shine. :)

http://otherworlddiner.blogspot.com/2012/04/luncheon-not-soon-forgotten-barbara.html


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12/04/2012 20:39

That's precisely what I'm hoping for - that people will see the lower score and realize that the reviews are not "ringers" at all. How sad is it, though, that we have to hope for people to dislike something in order for it to have credibility?

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12/04/2012 20:34

You've been incredibly busy. No wonder you've skipped a few.

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12/04/2012 20:45

I've never heard of that Uncle Ben's stuff! Sounds yummy! Love the eye candy!

*hugs*
Paige

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13/04/2012 12:48

Neither had I, until I got to Europe. I'll be looking for it in the US, though - it's not always easy to fix my Indian cravings when I'm in Tennessee. LOL!

Glad you enjoyed the eyecandy, too. :)

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13/04/2012 09:04

Of course Uncle Bens is cooking! If I'm in a hurry that's what I use!

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13/04/2012 12:49

I know - but I feel guilty for not making something from scratch. Which I never do, so the guilt never ends. AUGH!!!!

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Lisa Reid
13/04/2012 17:06

I finished Alternate Rialto last week, but between slinging drinks at 40k feet and planning our Italy trip (3 more days!) I haven't had a chance to sit down and write a proper review. I don't think 1 star is accurate, but I'll get on Goodreads as soon as I have a chance to sit down and accurately express what a tool I think Jacopo is. Haha!

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13/04/2012 17:20

Lisa, I have to say I'm looking forward to seeing what you thought of the book - and of Jacopo. LOL! (Of course, you have the benefit of having read Ask Me if I'm Happy, too.)

I'm also excited for your impending trip to Italy! Woo-hoo! I hope you'll enjoy your visit and that you'll enjoy Bologna, too. :)

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Jeane
29/04/2012 22:11

Sorry but I can't help you with low scores for your books. I finally managed to find the book version of Alternate Rialto available and read it today. I gave it four stars. Not five on five because I wished it was as long as any regular book (positive meant) and because I know about Jacopo too!
Thanks for another great story! Wish I didn't ahve Aks me if I'm happy in Italy but here, oterwise I would have started it now.
I dont like watching cycling but if it is written anything near to your other two books I might even read it! Thanks!!!

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