I'm going to take a hiatus from posting in August, but I'd miss the community here too much if I let it go dark.
Thus, August will be pictures of your dogs/cats/horses (Melanie Sue Bowles, I'm looking at you!) or any other critter in your life.
I've gotten just the right amount now for the month of August.
Example: one of my all time fave dog pics is Miles!
I figure y'all will find something to talk about in the comment threads.
This would be a GREAT time to visit each other's websites, blogs etc.
I'll be back in September of course, so don't worry.
(I really need to catch up on my reading in August, or the next image of me will be swimming in a cauldron of boiling oil, surrounding by chanting writers with torches!)
Email to use is: jetreidliterary @ gmail
no spaces
.com of course too
59 comments:
A hiatus? Well, I suppose...if you must :)
We'll miss you and your wit and the distinct odor of chum in the morning. And I know I'll be patiently awaiting your return in September.
Wishing you the best of luck catching up on your reading. Do keep out of the cauldron—it's best if shark fin soup stays off the menu.
You will be missed, but thank you for keeping the community engaged.
Appreciate all the support this year from you and the Shark Bloggers.
My pet is busy deciding which persona suits his public presence best, so thank you for leaving us with a challenge.
All best and take care until September.
Well deserved! It will allow us time to write, in as much as I will miss opening JetReid each afternoon at 1:00 pm, (six hours ahead over here, but 20 years behind in most everything else) and hopefully give you a chance to start with a clean slate. Be well and don't worry while you're gone...Carkoon should fill up by the time you return.
Colin would you mind adding this to the directory, https://hpettersonlit.wordpress.com/
it's my newish writing site. Thanks man. I'd try but I would probably infect the files. And I know as chief liaison, we'll be in good hands.
Have a wonderful holiday! If you happen to swim past my boat, be sure to knock on the hull.
...with you as Chief Liaison....proofreiding 101
Nooooo! I sense a great disturbance in the force. As if a million voices cried out and were suddenly silence. Or however that quote goes. For reals, though, we'll miss your daily interaction. Enjoy the well-deserved break. I may largely just be a lurker most of the week, but we'll all be swimming around when you return.
Oh, and relevant to my interests being near Cape Cod and all (apparently now the 6th big hot spot for great whites, yippee), there's now an app that alerts you when a shark is near your beach. Perhaps it will start sending alarms as August draws to a close.
Oh what a great idea! The hiatus will be great for you, the pet pictures will be fun for us, and I don't doubt you're right, we can just natter along fine.
I'll look through my Elka pictures and select one, though I already have known favorites!
Awww... :-(
OK, now that Selfish Colin has had his say, I hope this will be a rewarding time away for you Janet. Sam the Cat is very excited at this opportunity for international fame. A picture will be on its way forthwith... or soonish, anyhow.
Hank: You bet! And everyone else, if you didn't catch the link at the top, you can visit commenters blogs/Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pintrest/Tumblr/whatever accounts by clicking on the List of Blog Readers and their Blogs link on the top right. Or you can click that link I just made right there.
I'll try to remember to re-post that link in the comments every day while Janet's out. If you are not on the list and would like to be, just e-mail me with your Comment Name (i.e., the name you use here so we know who you are), and the social media site(s) you want linked on the list.
My email address is in my Blogger profile (click my name). Yes, you could post your deets in the comments, but a) I might miss them, and b) 99% of the email I get is junk, so it'll be nice getting real mail from real people. :)
Oh dear! I can cope. Really. You really will come back, right?
*breathes into bag*
Ok. It...will...be...fine. It will improve our queen. This is a good thing. We will simply look after one another. Maybe write something other than comments and blog posts. It'll be good. We can do this. Ok. Good.
I'll miss the regular blog but how fun to see all the pictures. Thanks for thinking of that. I probably would have clicked over here every day in august, just in case, now I'll get to see fun pictures when I do. Now to see if the cat will sit still long enough for a photo shoot.
Two words: thank God! The maternal part of me worried about the pace you must keep to balance your work and this blog. This blog alone seems like a full-time job to me! Good for you, and try to build in a trip to a wonderful place while you're at it!
You're such a brave soul to allow the commenters to play for a while. Hmmm.
A vacation from anything is like breathing deeply, you forget how good it feels and wonder why you don't do it more often. Have a nice break Janet, you deserve it!
However...withdrawals loom...I love the smell of Coffee and Shark (at 5am) in the morning. I'm on the west coast...3 hours difference here; It's my routine...
One question though; if the woodland creatures are going to play while the shark's away won't this comment stream get awfully big?? Or maybe the intent is to make us visit each other's blog and not just comment here. But we will miss all the interconnected, almost familial comments...
Or maybe we get to comment here as pet pictures are posted?
.... if QOTKU is on hiatus...who will be posting the perfect pet poses?
I sure it will all work out.
....need coffee...
Kate: I think QOTKU is hoping we will be restrained by:
a) Remembering that if the comment thread gets too long, people will skim it, and your witty comments might be overlooked.
b) You will want to save some of your wit and wisdom for other people's blogs.
We'll see (says the chief offender)... :)
Janet - I hope your hiatus is productive and enjoyable!
I really need to get my butt in gear and finish my WIP. Who else is going to see how much they can get done during the hiatus? We should check in with each other!
I'm with Sherry on this! THANK GOD. I too would fuss, and cluck (no, I won't be sending you pics of a chicken...Mabel will have to do. MOO!)about the pace you were keeping. WELL DESERVED BREAK.
I've started on my next project - or I'm trying to. My goal whilst your lounging about is to get *some* idea of the story, and maybe even the synopsis (EEEK) completed.
Here's to August! (already?)
Bet you John Frain's manuscript it takes less than a week for Colin to start running his own flash fiction contests (and entering them).
Noooooo. But.
A very well deserved break, Janet. Enjoy it, soak in as much fresh air as you can alongside the reading and promoting and publicizing and marketing and safeguarding that you do for your authors.
I'm going to miss your sharp shark humor here. But we wee woodland critters will get along and there are tons of blogs to visit from Colin's list.
*sigh* I'll miss the daily eviscerations. But pet pics!
Does anyone else peer at people's bookcases in their pictures?
Thanks Colin. Hey, good luck with your house hunting. Stopped by your blog...funny photo!
Janet, enjoy your R and R.
Hey...happy soon-to-be-August to everyone.
This means we all have time to FTF's we are working on.
We're finally moving TODAY, in the pouring rail.
See y'all on the other side of summer or at least until I'm back up and running.
Checking in from vacation and wishing the Queen godspeed. So well deserved!
Brigid, I'll finalize that ms (again!) and get it to you early in August cuz you'll likely win that bet early in the month.
This is certainly more than well deserved... I wish you a peaceful and productive break from the blog. Thank you for all you do. But, we may only submit ONE photo? There are over fifty fabulously fotogenic furry faces here. Picking just one will be more difficult than writing a synopsis. GAH!
I wish I could find one (ONE!!) pic of Gossamer TEC and Penelope the Publishing Pup being all adorable together, but they do not do cockle-warming poses. Though there was one at Christmas ...
Janet, blessings and good reading to you for a much-deserved break from us'ns. Enjoy the cool breezes of not-Carkoon, and let there be readful magic.
Selfishly, I'm sitting here all "oh good, she's taking a break at a time when my own ability to keep up around these parts is going to be compromised a bit!" I'm a lucky spud.
And yes. I am aware I seem to be a linguistic peculiarity today. Aren't y'all glad I WILL have a hard time here and there, contributing all my pester-ation?
Melanie Sue Bowles, you are the exception to the one-pic rule. Given the amazing work you do, I think you should send at least four.
Thanks for all your hard work, Janet. Happy reading!
(This is roadkills-r-us, BTW)
Years ago, some new friends (Steve & Loyce) were visiting some mutual friends (Jeff & Amy) they had also just met.
As Amy let them in, the following conversation ensued.
Amy: Miles is out back.
Loyce: What's he doing out there?
Amy: I chased him out.
Loyce: What? Why?
Amy: He gets overly excited and wets the floor.
Loyce (indignantly): What? Miles would never do that!
That's when Jeff & Amy realized Steve & Loyce had no idea they had a dog named Miles. For a while after hearing this story, every time I saw Loyce I would hug her and say, "I'm so excited I could pee!"
Miles (in Tony Stark voice):Janet, thanks for starting the hiatus with more... me!
Colin Smith, You are officially in charge of August. You are now master of ceremonies, and everything else. Don't even think about taking any time off, or doing any personal writing. Topics, we need topics.
Ms. Reid, I'll echo the sentiments of all who say your hiatus is well deserved.
Have a great, great August, Janet.
I'm looking forward to the pet photos.
Colin, thanks for yesterday's link about word count and page numbers.
Your matter of fact self-care is a inspiring. We could all join you in finding one self-care/sustainability thing we're going to do for August (not that we have to share).
I may have to stop reading - I've been picking books so good I am compelled to finish them in one day/night. Wonderful, but sleep-depriving.
Last night was Marcelo and the Real World, if anyone needs a YA about neuro-diversity, loyalty, finding out parents are right and imperfect (sometimes at the same time), sex (the MC is trying to figure out what people mean when they talk about different aspects of it, and what it means existentially), moral awareness and ambiguity...I could go on.
Sorry, those are the themes... the Story is about a young man with Asperger's whose father makes him work in the mailroom at his father's law firm for a summer, to learn about 'the real world.' (is off-topic babble allowed if it's a book recommendation?)
Honestly I don't know how you do everything, Janet. Hopefully you get lots of good reading done this next month! I feel like we'll get some good animal pics.
Cheryl - haha. I like to peek at the background details, too. Sometimes I look at the stuff of the person in front of me at the grocery store and try to figure out what kind of life they lead. I'm kind of a creeper! (mostly harmless one tho).
Lucie Witt: I'm with you! I have two WIPs currently competing for attention so I'm really hoping I can buckle down and finish a draft of one of them in August.
Lennon Farris: Just saying: All writers are creepers. We have to observe in overdrive.
I'm with you too, Lucie. It would be sweet to get a solid draft of my WIP completed. Then soon after our queen returns, I can query her. Maybe. Possibly.
And, yes, Colin, you are now the master of ceremonies. Carkoon will have to wait.
Happy vacationing, Janet! I hope you find relaxation and a refreshing beverage (or two) of your choice :-)
Happy hiatus!
Ashes and EM:
Yes! I'm glad others are in drafting mode. I'll be stopping by and cheering y'all on next month. I'm at just a hair under 55k for my YA, and would LOVE to at least get close-ish to finishing the draft.
EM, I think you should change that maybe/possibility to DEFINITELY.
Blog hiatuses are great--and often necessary. I've often gone dark on my blog when buried in other tasks--and I don't have a tenth of the readership you do.
Enjoy August!
Have a great blog break, Janet. Well deserved.
Many months ago you took a few days off from your blog while you were "editing." Now it's a whole month for "reading." Maybe during the month of August you'll have some time for "query responding" and you might even get around to some "pitch letter drafting" for a few editors.
I hope you have a great time doing all of them.
Janet, have a good time. Don't forget your sunscreen. She thinks she'll be able to escape writers if she just lounges around in the reef. Hahahahaha They're everywhere.
Ah, well. Let's not disillusion her.
A picture of a critter. This will be tough. Horse butts or Gage the Wonder Dog. If we do horse butts we can search for the six on one butt. You know your mare is a demon spawn when she's sporting the number six. That or her daddy is Peppy Pavo.
Have fun on your hiatus. I'm not going to call it a vacation because I know you're going to be working.
Enjoy the break. I've been reading a lot this year. Really changed my lifestyle and interests.
One picture will be hard. I haven't taken a picture of Brigada the Miracle Kitten since the week she came into my life. I'm so afraid the best pictures of my best friend ever, Poinciana, have been lost in computer hard drive crashes. I took a picture of a three toed sloth when I went to the Amazon to research my novel that I hope will grace the back cover of my novel (instead of my or Colin's picture). I could use that unless we're limited to actual pets who are excited when we come home. I'm curious to see which I pick.
This will be fun! Picture sent!
I think we'll keep things moving here - and probably entertaining.
Have a great blog holiday, Janet! You definitely deserve it.
Enjoy your break, Janet. You deserve it!
So wait, what should be put in our email subject when sending our pet pictures? Blog Hiatus Pet Picture (this is not a query)? ;)
Miles,
During the Civil War Col John Singleton Mosby (The Gray Ghost) was very popular with the south, not so much with the north. There was a hefty bounty on his head and all his rangers.
There were frequent sweeps of contested territory to flush out Mosby's raiders who would often break up and stay with locals and then form up again for another raid. In one such sweep a patrol surrounded a farmhouse and pounded on the door. A frightened black woman answered the door and was met with drawn guns and threats. "Tell us the truth. Is anyone else in the house."
"Yes, sir. Mosby's sleeping in the bedroom."
They mad her stay there while they sent for reinforcements, not wanting to take any chances of losing Mosby again. When they had everyone in position, they stormed into the bedroom to find a baby sleeping in a cradle.
"I thought you said Mosby was here!"
"He is! He's there in the cradle."
Another time Mosby was slipping by a farm with his men in the middle of the night, trying not to be noticed when a dog started barking. The farmer walked out on the porch and called out. "Mosby, come here."
Mosby rode over, thinking the man might have some information. The farmer was completely astounded to see Col Mosby there and asked him what he was doing.
"You called me over."
"I was calling my dog."
As it turned out the farmer did have information, so it wasn't all for naught. Apparently everything from frogs to children got named after Mosby for a while.
I hope you hiatus is both productive and enjoyable!
Hiatus? What a slacker!
*looks at her own blog*
Er, I mean, what a great idea! In fact my July internet hiatus was so successful, I'm tempted to try again in August just to see whether I can get it right. I honestly don't know how you manage to post over here daily. Let alone consistently generate the quality content you do. Enjoy the break from it and good luck getting caught up on reading.
Uhhh... thanks for the vote of confidence, but unless QOTKU explicitly asks, I'm not MC-ing nuthin. I don't have special privs or rights here. You guys can run the discussion as well as me--probably better, in fact.
Though I wouldn't say no to a little flash challenge. At least a couple of times... :D
I don't want to say it on twitter or on my blog, but I get the feeling I'll be okay saying it here. I just got my first rejection on my novel. It was a requested full.
I feel...elated? Like I've passed a milestone. Also, like I've crossed a line and I'm never going back. Especially because it's a no-from-one-is-a-no-from-all agency.
Miss Janet, enjoy your reading time. We'll know you're done when you tweet 'up-to-date' to rub all other agents' noses in it.
Will send my fur-person's photo forthwith.
I have conference this month and am doing a writing retreat for a few days with my peeps first, so at least now I won't fret about what I'm missing on the reef =)
Congrats, Claire! On both the full request and the first rejection. :)
I tell people to celebrate their rejections. It's proof you had the courage to submit! You survived your first battle. You're strong. Eye of the tiger, and all that. :)
Good for you, Claire! Keep going. You only need one yes.
Janet, enjoy your blog break.
Does my pet have to be alive? Oh, doesn't matter, you're getting the pic anyway. Uh, let me rephrase that... I'm sending a pic of my dog who passed away in February.
The pic of Miles sticking his head out the car window worries me. You wouldn't let a kid stick his head out the window, and for the same reason. When I see dogs do this on tv commercials (Febreeze is one example) it drives me nuts.
Barbara-
Your first comment about a 'pet alive' picture gave me the laugh I needed today.
Thank you for your sense of humor.
And if I've misconstrued, apologies.
It's been a very, very, very long week.
A hiatus is good. It's when your atus falls you have a problem.
Julie, thanks for the laugh. Mosby is legend, of course, but I never heard these stories. Those are great.
Claire, congratulations! I remember that feeling- only my rejection came very soon after the full request (under an hour). I just laughed. Still... someone requested it! I just hoped it wasn't an error.
Joseph, isn't Uratus a planet?
roadkills
No, Uratus is a customer feedback program used in the service industry (plumbers, electricians, etc)
By the way, say "Hi" to Atus for me.
Good on you, Janet! Enjoy! :)
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