Juggling

I suppose the holidays are extra-busy for everyone, and I'm no exception. I'm making progress with the Christmas chores; I only have two more presents to get (and I'm not telling whose, just in case Eugene reads this ;) ) and about six more cards to write. Eugene and I haven't sent out all of our cookies yet, but we need more boxes. Plus we're still dealing with Night of the Living Album as we cope with the torture of deciding which photos make the final cut and how to lay them out. But what really keeps me busy are the reviews. I think my regular critters must conspire; several of them posted all within a short span, and I've been scrambling to clear my crits. I think I'm making progress, but if I say that too loudly, the review gods will punish me still further. ;)

Progress on my own writing is slow but steady. I'm undecided on how I want to end the current scene I'm writing in Day, so I've been working on Key for a couple of days. I doubt I'll post it by the end of the year, but I would like to get it done eventually. I also got a review today on Chapter Two of Day that gives me a lot to think about. I need to reread it and mull it over so I can get back to the reviewer with a thank you.

I just finished reading John, Cynthia Lennon's latest book. I never got around to reading her first one about John, but this one is more complete because she's more open about some of the cruel things John did to her and Julian. None of it is completely new to me, but it does make the portrait of John a bit darker. It is pretty sad reading about the breakup of her marriage and the problems she and Julian have had since John's death. But I wanted to read it in case I decide to use any of this information when I revise Lennon's Line. Based on Cyn's book, I may shade how I portray John's Aunt Mimi, for instance. I may also give Cyn a brief appearance when Jo hears John play at the Cavern, but that could complicate the plot, since I don't think John would want to talk to his "American cousin" when he could spend some time with his then-girlfriend instead. Maybe I can have Cyn have to go directly home for some reason. I'll still stand by having Joanna and the rest of her side of the family be descended from Yoko and Sean, however. One of the reasons I didn't use Julian is that I doubt he plans to become a father anytime soon. Sean's still single in this world, but I intend to present this book as taking place in a universe where Sean marries his first girlfriend and then divorces her. Granted, I could set up a world where Julian has a child, but I also like being able to use New York for some of the scenes and to give these fictional descendants more money; it fits in with what I have planned better.

I told myself that after I finish Cyn's book, it's time for me to start revising Lennon's Line. Of course I need another ball to juggle--not! But I would like to finish this one and see if I can do anything with it. What I plan to do next is put it all in one big file and re-read it start to finish to get my own impressions of it. Then I'll have to plow into the pile of reviews I have stashed somewhere on my desk. I have some ideas for revising the first part, but I don't want to start with that until I've gone through everything and am sure that it's the right way to go.

Speaking of going, it's time for me to do so. Shall I go work on Day or go play? I guess if I want to keep all of my books in the air, then I'd better be good. Now if only Santa would bring me some good news about the anthology I'm supposed to be in, that would be a nice reward. But I digress.