I remember the Copely from Stones tours, but that was 35 years ago, and I can't even trust the Plaza in NY - they're closing for a 5-year massive renovation project. I think I'll put the band at the Four Seasons - I've never stayed in a bad or even mediocre one.

The number of maladjusted people (of all ages) on an editorial staff should not be underestimated. Why, look at me.

Bebe, I would let you edit or copy-edit me in a heartbeat. I might write "stet" over half the suggestions (or I might agree), but I'd expect your points to be important, not anal. This guy - no.

In point of fact, he shouldn't have been looking for tiny little things to dick with at all. The copy edits, the real live copy edits, were done. Anne's - and Ruth's - were what I went over on that plane ride to NYC in April. They were handed over to SMP, in person F2F in my editor's office, on 10 April or thereabouts. They were approved - something to remember - and sent to layout.

The pass pages - in layout for the final version - were sent to me and returned to SMP with (counting) 17 days to spare before deadline; they had a series of intelligent questions and some excellent catches - all which I addressed on the accompanying notes I sent back. Who this person is, dicking with it less than a week before it goes final, I have no clue.

He/she doesn't differentiate between between typesetting questions (I'm the author - I have no say on the typesize to be used on the source materials used as chapter leadins, you know?), and/or questions of grammar, syntax, etc. And suggested rephrasings to make it "read better" - no. If I'm supposed to have some sympathy for this poor overworked yutz, aint gonna happen.

And I can't even write "stet" across the page because he's written nothing on the page itself. It's all on these post-it notes.

I would like to batter him with rocks.

And what's the hot hotel in Boston, these days? Where a top-flight rock band without destructive tendencies or any interest in throwing sharks out of windows might stay?

Four Seasons is fine. Nine Zero or Fifteen Beacon, if they're feeling trendy.

Excellent. Four Seasons it shall be.

I finished the detailed yea or nay notes to this nonsense for SMP. Six typewritten pages. The deadline is Monday. They can kiss ever inch of my splendiferous MS-ridden middle-aged arse. I'm not spending twenty bucks I don't have to Fed Ex it to them.

I also note that all this crap managed to hit me when Ruth was unavailable; it's BEA and it's in NY this year.

No, Deb, wouldn't shoot you for that...I know you can read, you know. Send him one big post it, with "Please don't be an idiot. Thank you." on it.

Any of my Rock & Roll Never Forgets WIP readers want to take a look at the first section of Chapter 7? Scary moments.

Up to 33,400 words. Two weeks of work. Meep.

OK, more writing contest scores back. The most variation I've ever had--an 87, a 77, and a (gulp) 55 (out of 100). This was an all-Regency contest, also judged by Regency writers, which I thought would be the best showcase for my kind of writing.

Turns out, NSM.

The person who gave me an 87 mentioned repeatedly that she just couldn't believe in a romance between an earl's niece and an innkeeper's son, and would I consider making him an officer and have the starcrossed aspect be from a family quarrel (at least I think that's what she said--I had trouble with her handwriting in spots)? The person who gave me a 77 thinks that the story should really begin when they're both back in England, and that the Peninsula section of the story is backstory (um, that would be 3/4 of the plot!). And the low scorer said it didn't really have a Regency feel, and that the storyline just didn't grab her, but she repeatedly praised my voice (fresh, well-written, strong characterization).

Live and learn. And I probably should've expected this. I've been describing the wip as a "Napoleonic War romance" rather than a Regency myself--I guess where I went wrong was expecting every other Regency writer to be as enthused about the concept as I am!

Susan, I have no clue how these contests work, but that's a very broad span, yes?

WIP: 35,000 words. 170 pages. Two weeks old today.

Why does this feel all milestone-ish?

Very broad span. But I think it may be that the low-scoring judge was using a different scale than the other two. She wrote her key on the scoresheet, saying that 5-6 equaled a C, 7-8 a B, etc. While that's logical, I think the others were doing more of a letter grade equivalent where a 7 was a C.

Anyway, I just talked to a friend who had an even wider variance than I did--and just missed finaling. We're going to get together later and compare notes on our feedback, see if any of the negatives ring a bell.

And I'm purely amazed at your pace on your wip--can you spare a little productivity this way? I've been having trouble getting back into the swing of things now that I'm over the worst of back spasm hell.

I'd love to, but I don't think this is productivity. This is me, midlife, scraped raw, and the story and the history I've been hiding and repressing because it bloody hurts so much.

So this is bleeding. It happens to be bleeding in the form of what I think is a kickass story, about loyalty and protectiveness and a few other big issues between human beings, but it's still my blood.

I doubt you want to bleed.

If I did, it wouldn't be the first time, but my tap's a little dry...I've just made it on to page 3.Seriously, if I had something better to do, I wouldn't, either.