Money concerns

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.11.2005

Counting the hours until I'm done with work. Tomorrow is my last day. Yay!

On the flip side, I balanced the checkbook today and paid our credit card bill. We pay in full every month, so we're not in debt, but the size of the bill made me stop breathing for a second. Or two. I haven't even paid Marilyn for our RWA hotel bill yet.

Several amounts were for clothes for RWA--did I really spend that much to look pretty? No new outfits for ACFW conference, that's for sure. And I just paid for my plane ticket to Nashville.

Can we really do this? Can we afford to cut our income in half? I need to stop buying books, even if they are for research and market trends. I need to really see if I can rake in some extra cash doing developmental editing, like Marilyn suggested.

(Did I blog about that yet? Marilyn mentioned that I have a good feel for story structure, and I should go freelance as a developmental fiction editor. I have no idea if this would work since I have no copyediting training, journalism experience, or even an English major. But I do have a couple endorsements from friends who are published, I guess. I have to check out Christian PEN today.)

Lord God, there is no way I can do this except by your grace. Help me to trust you and be faithful in my writing.

The San Jose group of ACFWers met at my house last night, it was so much fun. I love meeting and chatting with these women of God. Shelley brought her RITA award so we could all rub her head. :) MaryLu shared the exciting news that she has a "handshake" deal with an agent, one of the agents who will be at the ACFW conference in Nashville, and her manuscript finaled in a contest, too. Marilyn's Momlit manuscript is in committee at several houses--let's hope for a bidding war.

Writing: I am feeling so dry creatively, when the opposite should be true--I should be writing up a storm because I'll be done with work soon. Why can't I go anywhere on this manuscript? I really want to finish it and start the next one, which I'm already thinking and planning. Is this spiritual warfare or just plain laziness? Lord God, please help me. I am at the end of myself, I'm too weak to do this on my own strength and discipline.

The San Jose ACFW group encouraged me to keep praying, keep striving, and not beat myself up over this. Marilyn suggested a writing "vacation" away from my WIP. I do still want to fast a day this month, and I was planning on Sunday but I have a bridal shower for one of my youth group staff workers. I'll have to think about it.

Diet: Wonder of wonders, I hopped on the scale this morning and I'm the same weight as before I went on vacation, despite the lack of exercise and gorge-fests. That doesn't mean I'll stay that way, however, so I pushed myself to do Taebo this morning. It felt good and made the ache in my back go away.

Comments

Anonymous said…

You'll do fine Camy... it won't be long til you have a post on here titled "I SOLD!!!"

Sat Aug 13, 11:15:00 PM 2005

Anonymous said…

Camy, praying for you. It'll work out.

Mon Aug 15, 03:31:00 PM 2005

Bethany House Publishers Cover Survey Invitation

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just got this from Bethany House Publishers: Hello Reader, We at Bethany House Publishers appreciate our readers opinions about the books we publish. Occasionally, we seek your input about upcoming products. Currently, we are conducting a survey about the cover image for an upcoming novel. For your time, we are offering a giveaway in conjunction with this survey. You will be able to choose from ten recent Bethany House novels, and there will be ten winners. Winners will be notified within two weeks. Click here to take the survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation, and feel free to forward this email on to your friends or link the survey on your website. The survey will be available through Monday, September 17. Thanks for your time and your opinions. We value your feedback. Sincerely, Jim Hart Internet Marketing Manager Bethany House Publishers

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

「戌年」連載小説第8章

キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか？しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか？過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類『みんな仲良くできないのかな？』マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう？もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア

Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28-30 Dear God, Thank you so much that we can come to you for help and rest. Help us to learn from you so that all we do is for you. Thank you for helping us with our burdens and that you ask so little in return. In you we can truly find rest in the midst of troubles and worries. Amen マタイによる福音書11章28-30節親愛なる神よ、私たちがあなたに助けを求め、休むことができることを心から感謝します。私たちのすることがすべてあなたのためになるように、あなたから学ぶことができるようにしてください。私たちの重荷を助けてくださりありがとうございます。あなたのおかげで、私たちは悩みや心配の中にあっても、心から安らぎを見出すことができるのです。アーメン

Save the Date - Camy's Patreon launch

My Patreon will launch in 2 weeks! I took all the results of the poll and I have hopefully created fun and appealing tiers. About my Patreon: I'm trying something new for the next 6-7 months. If it works, I'll continue, but if I end up not liking it, I'll stop it in September or October. I will be starting a monthly subscription membership on a new Patreon account. I will be posting the chapters of my current book ( Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7 ) so you can read ahead of when the ebook will be edited and published. My current plan is to post 1-2 chapters weekly. One reason I’m switching things up is that I want to get closer to my readers and build a tighter, more intimate community with you. You can comment on each chapter of my book, give a reaction, ask a question, or even correct mistakes. My books will become a dialogue with you. If you subscribe to my Patreon, you'll be charged monthly and have access to all the benefits for the tier you subscribe to. Th

I GOT A 3-BOOK CONTRACT WITH ZONDERVAN!

Captain's Log, Supplemental My agent called me today with the great news! Zondervan has contracted me for another three books! Right now, they’re all stand alone books—not a series. The first book is slated to release May 2010 and is tentatively titled The Year of the Dog (they’ll probably change it). It’s a women’s contemporary novel. Here’s the back cover blurb from my proposal: Tessa Ota, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While moving ahead with renovation plans for her new dog kenneling and training facility, Tessa needs to move in with her disapproving mother and her antagonist sister. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate engineer whose car she rammed a few weeks earlier. Charles Bretton has enough problems. His mama has just shown up on his doorstep all the way from Louisiana, and his brother has to move in with him after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

ICRS, part 4

Captain’s Log, Stardate 07.18.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is TANGLED MEMORIES by Marta Perry . My Monday book giveaway is DIVINE STORIES OF THE YAHWEH SISTERHOOD edited by Michelle Medlock Adams and Gena Maselli . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for TANGLED MEMORIES and post the title for another book I'm giving away. ICRS, part 4 (continued from part 3 ): My dear friend and writing mentor Sharon Hinck writes for Bethany House, owned by Baker Publishing, and she invited me to the Baker dinner as her “date.” Yes, in my other life, I am an escort service. Sharon, on the other hand, insists I was snuck in as a Zondervan spy. Due to my infamous sieve-head, I forgot Sharon's hotel and so I didn’t meet her to get a ride to the dinner. Instead, I paid an exhorbitant amount to catch a taxi to the Denver Center for Performing Arts. After wandering around the massive place

Movie review - Reign of Fire

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.10.2008 I just saw the movie Reign of Fire . Originally I wanted to see it because: (a) dragons (b) Matthew McConaughey (c) Gerard Butler (d) Christian Bale See, I have my priorities straight. :) It’s an Apocalyptic speculative fiction movie, and I was very surprised at how solid the storyline was. It had a great premise—dragons are real, and in fact feed on the ash from burnt organic material. They are the ones who destroyed the dinosaurs and caused the first ice age. When they started to starve from burning the earth up, they went into hibernation under the ground until the earth recovered. The movie opens in present day London, where a boy’s mother is in charge of an underground tunneling project. They hit a pocket and awaken the first dragon. Over the years, the dragons overran humanity until only a few small communities live scattered over the world, trying to survive. Then Matthew McConaughey comes, an American ex-military leader, who knows how to k

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Save the Date - Camy's Patreon Launch