Update on the rejection deathwatch February 21, 2008
Posted by philangelus in writing.add a comment
I heard from the agent tonight. Decision time on the romantic comedy is pushed back to March 10th for various reasons having nothing to do with the acceptability or rejectability of my manuscript.
As my mom says, it gives us more time to pray. Sounds good to me. It’s not as if I can do anything about it anyhow. 
iz nah feh. February 20, 2008
Posted by philangelus in kiddos, religion.add a comment
Kiddo#3 is still little enough to have cute verbal ticks, and he tends to slur the ends of his words.
Recently he discovered that if you say “It’s not fair!” you can protest just about anything: from his brother taking his toy, to my Patient Husband saying he has to quit running in the hallway, to me stopping him from pummeling Kiddo#2 with his truck.
Kiddo#3: Momma? Aah you still sick?
Me: Yeah, sweetie.
Kiddo#3: Iz nah feh.
My Patient Husband has recently taken to walking around the house quoting Ezekiel 18:25. “You say, ‘The way of the Lord iz nah feh.’ Is it not your ways which are nah feh?”
I really, really hope God has a sense of humor, because I laugh like crazy whenever he does that.
Hey! A review! February 20, 2008
Posted by philangelus in Seven Archangels: Annihilation, writing.1 comment so far
Julie from the Catholic Media Review has reviewed my novel Seven Archangels: Annihilation! And she liked it!
One of the most wonderful things she says (non-story-wise) is that she incorporated some of the novel’s imagery into her prayers and found it helpful. That’s the kind of honor writers really appreciate, because nothing is more intimate than a soul’s commerce with God, and to be included (third-party-wise) into that kind of conversation is quite amazing.
She cross-posted the review at her weblog, Happy Catholic, and there’s some discussion going on in the comments section there too.
Overall, I’m thrilled. Thank you, Julie!
A fate worse than death February 19, 2008
Posted by philangelus in pensive, religion.5 comments
In the Garden, Adam and Eve are told not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, or they will surely die. They chow down anyway.
This morning, it occurred to me that the first person to die in the Bible isn’t Adam or Eve. You’d figure, just offhand, that since they were the ones who ate the fruit, they’d be the ones who paid the price first, except they aren’t. The first person is their son Abel.
And it’s worse than that: he’s murdered by Cain. By his brother. Their other son.
In one afternoon, they effectively lost both their sons: one to death and the other to shame and escape. And if you think about it, isn’t that exactly how God lost them, both the first humans He created…? In one afternoon, He lost them both to disobedience (and the death they’d die in the future) and to their own shame as they hid from him.
As a bereaved parent myself, I can tell you it would be easier to be the one dead than the one grieving your own child. I’ve participated in and moderated an infant loss forum for several years now, and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard bereaved mothers say “I wish I could trade places with my baby.”
The murder of Abel must have made the reality of death hit home for both Adam and Eve in a way that their own deaths wouldn’t have managed to. They probably thought, “I would have deserved it, but he didn’t!”
They’d have seen the world go from vegetarian to carnivorous. We suppose they went from climbing trees as they harvested fruit for the lions’ lunch to climbing trees to avoid being the lions’ lunch. They’d probably witnessed small animals snapped up by larger ones, dead animals, dead insects, beautiful things rendered still and then decomposing back into the ground.
Then they saw it happen to their son. At the hands of their other son, the one who should have been a comfort to them at that time when they needed to grieve.
A fate far, far worse than death to themselves.
a birth story worth reading February 18, 2008
Posted by philangelus in family.1 comment so far
This one’s amazing: check out Maya’s birth, which is a little more exciting than even Kiddo#2’s “bullet-baby” entrance to the world!
Annihilation, favorite moment for chapter seven February 18, 2008
Posted by philangelus in Seven Archangels: Annihilation, writing.add a comment
Chapter Seven is now up over at MindFlights.
I think from now on I’ll put the favorite moments behind the “more” tag because they may contain spoilers, and I don’t want to spoil my own book. (more…)
{CENSORED} on the {CENSORED} {CENSORED} February 15, 2008
Posted by philangelus in sarcasm, writing.9 comments
I’ve managed to acquire some secret documentation!
Minutes For the Second Meeting Of the Forbidden Words List of the Christian Booksellers Association (the CBA)
OVERVIEW:
Project Name: Forbidden Words List
Meeting Date: January 19th, 2008
Subject: validation of intent plus call for additions to prior list
FIRST POINT: Reviewing our mission statement. Statement amended to:
-
We God’s chosen publishers, in order to portray a more accurate vision of the world to the people who pay us fifteen bucks apiece for books, have gathered together in a spirit of shepherding our weaker brothers. Our customers consider our authors trusted friends whom they have invited into their homes. In order to prevent boycotts or the return of unsold product due to questionable language, it is necessary to codify a list of words which are so shameful that there is no way they can ever be acceptable in any CBA title.
SECOND POINT: Determining additional words for our forbidden list.
Publishing CEO: We need to avoid that word.
CEO’s Attorney: Which word?
CEO: You know…
Attorney: No, I don’t.
An Actual Editor: What does it mean?
CEO: {turns bright pink up to his ears}
Editorial Assistant: Oh! That word.
CEO’s Attorney: That word should definitely go on the list.
CEO: I can’t even stand to type it.
Actual Editor: I still don’t know what word we’re talking about.
CEO: It begins with an E.
Editorial Assistant: The one I was thinking of begins with an I.
Attorney: I’ve taken the liberty of jotting down the two most egregious words.
Actual Editor: Do you really think you should have written them on a pad
that has ‘Things To Do Today’ imprinted across the top?
Attorney: {gasp!} Dear me!
CEO: Hey, watch your mouth!
Legal Secretary: Before we get too far afield, let me read back the list we’ve compiled so far.
General Outcry: NO!!!!!!
[There was a fifteen minute break while the CEO was revived with smelling salts and two editorial assistants treated for trauma-induced deafness.]
THIRD POINT: The current list of forbidden words:
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored} even if used in prayer
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored} because it rhymes with {censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
{censored}
ACTION ITEMS:
• Read widely to find as many objectionable things as possible (by next meeting)
• Ban said things (by next meeting)
• Provide example of sterilized fiction that thrills and excites non-Christians (pending)
nonupdate on novel series February 14, 2008
Posted by philangelus in writing.add a comment
I hereby end the rejection deathwatch for two reasons.
The first is simple, and users of Common Household Magic will understand completely. Just as the magic for making a friend call is to go do yardwork, and the magic for making your mother come into the house with groceries is to sit down to eat lunch, similarly the magic for making your agent contact you is to decide you aren’t going to hear from him until a week from now.
The second reason, though, is I am going to listen to that inner voice saying the publishing board didn’t meet. That when I was told this publisher only had one publishing board, it was in error. After all, last year, they had two. When I asked whether the book had gone to “the little board or the big board,” I was told, “This is ####, and they only have one.”
Except last year, my books passed the first board with great enthusiasm and got shot down in the interim between the big board and the little board. I also remember that in the past, this publisher seems to believe no news is good news, but we heard within 24 hours when the book got rejected.
Therefore, here are my assumptions (keeping in mind what an assumption makes):
- it passed the big board
- they saw no reason to update us, as if #1 were a given
- we’ll hear after the “big board.”
I could look through last year’s emails to determine the schedule by induction, but I recall they generally had little-board/big-board meetings a week apart. Possibly two.
So I’ll resume the Rejection Deathwatch at that point in time. Carry on with your lives. All is well.
jealous Kiddos February 14, 2008
Posted by philangelus in kiddos.add a comment
Kiddo#3 has radar. He knows when Daddy and I hug.It could be in the middle of cooking, with the radio playing in the kitchen and the kids wrestling clear across the house. Doesn’t matter. My Patient Husband hugs me, and within four seconds, someone small is pushing us apart in order to get between. “I need a hug too!”How he knows is anyone’s guess. That’s why I figure radar. His little alarm goes off: something is wrong! Mommy and Daddy are paying attention to one another and not to HIM! Heavens to betsy — we can’t have that.And then, one day, it happened. Kiddo#3 was watching TV, and while hypnotized in this fashion, he didn’t respond to his inner radar. My Patient Husband hugged me, and Kiddo#3 did not shove us apart.This created a yawning gap in the fabric of the universe. So Kiddo#4 kicked him instead.Later on, it was impossible to explain to the Kiddos why we were laughing. But clearly, even at the tender age of 32 weeks gestation, #4 is already idolizing #3 and learning the Ways of the World.
Kiddo#3 learns surprises are tough February 13, 2008
Posted by philangelus in kiddos.1 comment so far
pre-entry update: still no word from the publisher.
–
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, as a ton of incoming spam informs me. Consequently, after my Boring Prenatal Appointment yesterday (boring = good) I stopped with Kiddo#3 on the way home to get something special for my Patient Husband, who reads this weblog. (Hint: no guessing what it was.)
I instructed Kiddo#3 several times that this was a surprise, and we mustn’t tell Daddy until Valentine’s Day, when he would be happy to hear about his surprise.
I have to say, I hate the current climate. My mom would have told me it was a “secret” and I’d have kept it. But nowadays, unscrupulous people harm kids and tell them it’s a secret, so secrets are Bad. Surprises are Good. I had to correct myself several times.
Kiddo#1 helped reinforce this: “It’s a surprise! You can’t tell him!”
Kiddo#3 was distressed. “Can I tell Kiddo#2?” And he did, about a nanosecond after she walked in the door.
There’s no way, I thought. He’s going to tell Daddy the instant he sees him.
Lo these many years ago, for my Patient Husband’s birthday, I made a special trip to Trader Joe’s to pick up Virgil’s Rootbeer. It’s a special treat for him (microbrewed rootbeer!) and we seldom got it. Kiddo#3 was only three at the time, and he participated in the process with interest. At home, we hid it carefully in my sock drawer.
As we cleaned up after dinner that fateful night seven years ago, Kiddo#1 was trying (and failing) to recite a book. Whenever he got to a part he didn’t know, he’d start over at the beginning. I was losing my mind. I said, “Kiddo, why don’t you say something you thought of yourself, in your own words?”
He promptly turned to my Patient Husband and chirped, “Daddy! We bought you rootbeer and hid it in a drawer!”
See, I never told him birthday presents should be a surprise, and therefore I was the one who got surprised. We’re trying to prevent a repeat.
At one point last night, my Patient Husband came to me and said, “You’ll be pleased to know it’s a surprise.”
I looked up, startled. He added, “All he said to me was, ‘Daddy, it’s a surprise.’”
Poor Kiddo#3, working so hard. He’s so excited.
This morning, his first words were, “We can tell Daddy the surprise?” and I told him no, not today. Tomorrow. His face fell. Very, very tough for him.
