Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Ode to August

By Kate

Oh, August, how I've missed you! I was so looking forward to spending quality time with you, but so many things got in the way and somehow the time flew by. And now I turn around and find that you're almost gone.

Did I hurt your feelings when you first arrived and I spent the entire weekend shackled to my computer? I'm sorry, but I was trying to meet the deadline for my very first romance for Silhouette Desire. If you were hurt, I'm sorry, but it seemed important to finish the manuscript on time. First impressions and all that, you know. Did I mention that my first Desire will come out next July as Desire's Man of the Month? Isn't that fantastic?

No? What? A little too much BSP? Hee hee. Sorry.

Ah, I see you're still pouting.

You were probably really upset when I screwed up my lower back and had to spend all my spare August evenings at the chiropractor. If it makes you feel any better, I'm still in pain and walking like an old crow. I see you, trying to hide your smile. I suppose I can't blame you. After all, you've seen my chiropractor. He looks like Robert DeNiro, and his hands ... well, he has wonderful hands. Words cannot express what the man can do with his hands. But I digress.

Perhaps, dear August, I let you down when I was called for jury duty? You were probably hoping I would escape like our lucky Aunty Cindy did. But no. I was chosen to serve on a jury and had to spend weeks at the Criminal Courts building in downtown Los Angeles. Maybe you were miffed that I actually had fun with my fellow jurors, exploring the city on our long lunch breaks, shopping at the Museum of Contemporary Art, grazing the myriad food stands at the Grand Central Market, wandering around Disney Hall or scarfing up yummy Mexican food on Olvera Street. But you'll be glad to know that we did do our duty as citizens and reached a good verdict, despite all the rambling around town.

And before you judge me too harshly--if you haven't already ...

You know I got that nasty summer cold while I was on jury duty, right? You know it turned quickly into bronchitis, right? I was popping antibiotics and chugging Robitussin and hacking and snorting so badly, I sounded like an old wino. And there was no wine involved!! It was so unfair! I was a mess. I was forced to avoid other people, especially small children. Direct sunlight was not my friend. Instead, I was required to seek the more subdued pleasures of my living room couch, my pillow and the remote control.

I see you snickering!

And just when jury duty ended, and my work was finished and my cold had finally loosened its grip on my lungs, I opened my email to find ... copy edits. Due in three days. Uhh, that whimpering sound you heard right then? That wasn't me! It was, um, the baby next door. That's right. She's a little cutie, but she does tend to whimper every now and then. But me? I'm fine! No whimpering here. Really, I'm happy as a clam! Seriously. Why would I complain when all my dreams are coming true??

But alas, dear August, I do regret not seeing you all month. Let's make plans to visit next year, all rightie? We'll do lunch. :-)

Okay, that was all about me and my August! How was your August, dear Banditas and Buddies? Vacations? Deadlines? Summer colds? Jury duty? Any plans for September?

54 comments:

limecello said...

Ooo

limecello said...

Kate! A Silhouette Desire?! Congratulations - that's one of my favorite hqn lines!
Also I'm reading Homicide in Hardcover (yes finally) :X and loving it!

Heh - this post. Poor, poor you. A number of us were whining about Monday/August in general. (On twitter.) Um... August was good and bad. I won't get into the negatives because that'll upset me and I'm rather sure I won't be able to refrain from whining.

But... part of August were quite fun. Sad to be sick though! Summer colds are the worst -and I can't seem to shake mine.

Anna Campbell said...

Lime, again??!!! You're clearly right back in form with the chook!

Ah, August! I haven't seen much more of it than you have, dear Kate. Sadly, I too have a deadline and it involves a man even if not a man of the month! Actually I must say this hero is lovely - completely untortured which is kinda torturing me! Um, does this too count as BSP? We had our Aussie conference which was huge fun. And I spent the start of the month still moping around with a bad case of jet lag.

Sadly, September has been earmarked for doing the things I missed out in August so I think Sept will be giving me the cold shoulder too. Blogging and tax (bleuch!) and housework (double bleuch) and trying to tame the jungle that has somehow grown up while I've been flirting with the Earl of Ashcroft.

Um, did I mention the Earl of Ashcroft?

Tawny said...

LOL Kate- love the ode to August. You're so clever.

I spent the month unpacking, settling into the new house and obsessing over paint chips. I figure I'll spend September painting, writing and promoting the new release. And then there's back to school. We start next Monday so a lot of my time right now is split between the promoting and lesson planning and paint obsessing.

Nothing as exciting as a cold and jury duty, but I have discovered that I abhor mint green *g*

Lime- congrats onthe rooster!!!

Kate Carlisle said...

Hey Lime! Looks like your August is looking up! You snagged the handsome feathered one again. Enjoy!

LOL...yes, poor me! Snork! I'm seriously not so bad off, you know? And I'm so thrilled to be writing for Desire! And very excited that you've got HIH. I hope you enjoy it!

Sorry you've been sick. I do hate summer colds and feel your pain. :-(

Kate Carlisle said...

LOL Anna! Really, you shouldn't be so shy. Tell us about the Earl of Ashcroft, please!! He sounds yummy, if I may use that word to describe an Earl. :-)

Blogging and taxes and housework, OH MY!! September sounds positively grueling! I just hope we'll be hearing more about this Earl fellow!

Kate Carlisle said...

Oh Tawny, getting settled and painting your new house sounds like so much fun! But no mint green works for me, too. :-)

And school's back already? You must be going crazy, getting ready for the new school year! And promoting the book at the same time? You are my hero! And I can't wait to pick up your newest Blaze!

Unknown said...

Congrat lime!

Well I spent the month trying to get everything ready for my son to go back to college. We moved him into his dorm this weekend and I will have to spend the rest of the month cleaning out his room. Its like a pig pen. Are all boys this way? Do they not care what their rooms look like or is it just my boy? I think I may just have to rent a bull dozer and take care of the problem real quick!

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Virginia! Sounds like you've had a very busy month! I'm not sure if every boy is like your son but I know my nephew is. It's always such a shock to see his room. I really don't know how he survives in there! It needs a HazMat team to clear it out, not a housekeeper. :-)

Jane said...

Hi Kate,
Ooh, your first Desire. I can't wait to hear more about the book.
It's been a slow August. We actually had some 90 degree weather for the first time since April. July was a complete washout. Vacation plans fell through, but I'm hoping we'll get to go somewhere fun soon.

Congrats on the GR, Limecello.

Helen said...

Congrats Limecello have fun with him

Oh Kate what a month you have had I am glad you are feeling better now and I am looking forward to next July another Kate book YAY you gotta love that.

My August has been busy as usual work grandkids more work and I haven't had much time for reading but I am still reading about 4 to 5 books a month and that makes me happy I really wish I had more time I would love to retire.

Great to "see" you Kate stay well and of course have fun

Helen

hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna said...

I have been down for the count since Thursday myself with a virus and that in turn always messes up my back. Don't ask me why but it always happens that way. Hopefully I can get back to work tomorrow. The end of the month is always a spastic time at work.
Tawny I got my postcard for Feels Like the First Time. I am anxiously awaiting the day it comes out.

Anna Sugden said...

You mean I've missed August? (looks around frantically!) You're kidding! Arrgh!

Poor you on the ickies and jury duty (been there and got that t-shirt - though not this summer!), Kate. But, yay on us getting more books from you.

What have I been up to? Training for my next 5k run, trying to get back into a proper writing routine (and reminding those around me - hubby excepted - that I have a proper writing routine ... and that it is important!), helping hubby harvest the veggies from his allotment, weeding and more weeding (which means I can avoid housework!).

I didn't manage to sort out the remaining boxes from our move or the piles of junk in my office, nor do the tax forms, nor do the filing, nor lose any weight ... but, what's September for?!

Beth Andrews said...

Hugs on the summer cold, Kate! Although I won't send you hugs about the jury duty since it sounds as if you managed to have some fun *g*

I just met a deadline on Friday so most of August was spent getting to know my newest hero and heroine (I have to admit, I'm having way too much fun with this story *g*) and now I'm working on proposals. A few August days were spent back-to-school shopping and today...

Is THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Whoo Hoo!

September looks to be filled with attending various youth sporting events, picking and canning tomatoes and looking into colleges with my son :-)

Susan Sey said...

Good morning, Kate! I hear you about August. Only for us here in the upper midwest, it was us that showed up & August that failed to make an appearance. Heck, the whole summer failed to make an appearance. I took my kids to the beach yesterday & it was the first time all summer. Not because we were too busy to go but because it just hasn't been warm enough.

Not that I'm complaining. Give me mid seventies & sunny any day. But the kiddoes? Well, they do like the beach.

Today, though? Stormy.

Come on, August. You can do better.

Oh, but hey, congrats on finishing up your first Silhouette! That's awesome!

Lynz Pickles said...

If I were to write a letter to August, it'd make me sound like a nasty ex-husband/fiancé/boyfriend. Seriously, behold: *ahem*

Dear August,
Sorry I cancelled our camping trip. It's not my fault, though... you were just too cold. I tried my hardest to get you to warm up, but nothing I did worked. And I know you're mad I was flirting with September, but if you hadn't been so frosty, I wouldn't have had to look somewhere else in the first place.


See? Nasty ex! And September makes me sound just as bad:

Hey! September! I've been looking everywhere for you! Yeah... about our date. I know I promised that we'd go to a nice restaurant and everything, but... I'm a bit short on cash this month, so that's not going to work. Would you settle for burgers and hot dogs at my place? Yeah? Oh, thanks so much. No, no, nothing's wrong, really, it's just that... well, I'm planning a vacation with February. We're going to Mexico together - it's going to be so romantic! But the thing is that I need to save up for it starting now so we can really enjoy ourselves down - hey, where are you going?

I feel like such a bad person.

Abrupt change of topic: congrats on the Desire, Kate. I love that line and can't wait to read yours! And awesome job snagging Man of the Month!

EilisFlynn said...

The wonderful thing about August is that it comes back. Even if you don't want it to. And besides, September can be pretty darn wonderful too!

Kate Carlisle said...

Jane, it sounds like your summer has been a slow one. Did it rain where you are? I heard it was raining a lot in NYC. I hope September picks up for you!

Kate Carlisle said...

Hello, Helen! I hear you about retiring! That is a dream for so many of us, right? I know you'd be able to spend more time with those darling grandkids, plus more time for reading, yay! For me, retirement from the day job would mean writing full time. That's a huge dream!

Hmm, August means that you all are heading into Spring very soon. That must be a lovely time of year in your part of the world. :-)

Kate Carlisle said...

Oh, Dianna, that virus sounds miserable! I know if I spend too much time on my couch, my back goes out, so it's sort of a vicious circle. I get a bad cold, I'm sick, just want to lie on the couch, and that hurts my back after a while. *sigh* Hope you're feeling better soon.

Doesn't Tawny's latest book sound fabulous? I love a reunion story, and if it's Tawny's, it's got to have a naughty twist to it! *g* Can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Blodeuedd said...

Worked, got one lovely week, well week and a half of vacation. The sun was up and I was happy. The back to uni and a crazy 2 weeks. In September I will relax and read

Kate Carlisle said...

Anna, I'm so envious of your ability to run those 5K's! You go, girl! *g*

Sounds like you've been having a wonderful August so go ahead and save all that boring stuff -- lose weight, unpack, file taxes, blah blah blah -- for September!

Kate Carlisle said...

Wooohooooo, Beth!!!!! The first day of school!! Yeah, baby, yeah!!

Oops, did I shriek too loudly? Hope the kids didn't hear! LOL

Congrats on meeting your deadline! Isn't it fun when we love our characters that much? I know this book will be another fabulous Beth read! Yay, can't wait!!

Kate Carlisle said...

Susan, I love the mid-seventies, too, but how weird that it's been cold all month where you are! And stormy? Wow. The kids must be bummed. :-(

Bad August! Bad month! Bad! Ah well, I hope September is lovely for you!

Kate Carlisle said...

LOL, Lynz!! Yes, that's exactly how I felt about missing out on August! But I love that you're cheating on September and holding out for February! Too funny!

But ooh, a romantic vacation in Mexico sounds wonderful! Yes, start saving now. September will just have to understand. *g*

And thanks for the congrats on the Desire! It's my favorite line, too. I'm so lucky to be writing for them!

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi, Eilis! Yes, I'm counting on August coming back around again *g* and I'm really hoping and praying I can schedule my time better in September. Of course, I've been saying that every month this year. Hmm........ :-)

Kate Carlisle said...

Blodeuedd, I'm so happy to hear you had a vacation with sunshine and everything! It's nice when they coincide. :-)

And your September sounds like a dream. Relaxing and reading is my plan, too, sometime in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed!

Becke Davis said...

Kate - what a great post! I loved reading about your hot chiropractor and your fun jury duty.

I did jury duty about two years ago -- a federal case that went on for two weeks. It was related to equal opportunity employment and a medical condition and it mostly consisted of people describing the layout of a workplace in minute detail, over and over and over again.

The jury was made up of a hugely diverse group of people, but we all really hit it off. We weren't allowed to leave the building, so we packed lunches and ate in the jury room. We got so rowdy (mainly with hysterical laughter) that we were reprimanded by security, who told us to keep it down. (Seriously, we weren't that noisy but apparently we disturbed the judge in his private room across the hall.) Good memories. Why do people try so hard to avoid jury duty? At the very least, it's a fascinating experience.

Ah, August. My question is, why did you wait until the last week of the month to turn into summer? It bodes well for fall, but I really don't like cold weather and I can already feel it sniffing around the edges of the season, trying to slip inside.

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Hey! Lime snagged the bird! Go you, Limecello!

Kate, you crack me up. Bless your heart though, with jury duty AND a cold! Wow. That's a load right there.

The copy edits and deadlines, yeah, got those too...thank heavens! Heehee.

With all the "oh it's just a quick weekend" trips, kid stuff and all that, August hasn't seen much of me either! Sorry August!

Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse) said...

Beth! I am so darn jealous! Our kids don't go back till 8/31. Sigh. At least we're staying busy PLANNING for school! Ha!

Lynz, I was LOL about your "date" w/ August, September and February. Wow on Mexico, and have big fun! :>

I have a friend who's off to Vegas in 10 days and I found myself wishing I could go. How weird is that? (Well, not go with THEM - that would be weird!)

We were at the lake this weekend with friends, which was great fun. Now I really have to buckle down and get the "job" done!

Jennifer Lyon said...

Kate, hope you're feeling better! You finished your book with all that going on? Girl, you rock!

I spent my August writing and finishing my book. Not much else...I'm so boring. Great, now I need an Appletini because I depressed about being boring...where are the Appletinis?

Cassondra said...

Oh, poor Kate!

I missed August too, but not for all the rotten reasons you did.

The cold sounds like the suckiest part. August here has been less hot than usual, which I suppose is a good thing, but it feels sort of like fall already, and I don't like that, as I'm not prepared for fall. Hell. I'm not prepared for summer. Where did it go?

Maureen Child said...

Oh, Kate....my August slipped by in a haze of family hospital visits, texting, phoning, visits to yet more doctors and copious amounts of wine to compensate....

I'm thinking when August rolls around again next year...I'm going into hiding!

congrats on meeting the deadline and sympathies on the copy edits!

Donna MacMeans said...

I can't believe August has come to an end already! Weren't we just in DC schmoozing?

Let's see..had some speaking engagments, did some accounting type training, but mostly what I did was eat - and not the good stuff. (Well, I suppose "good stuff" is a matter for debate.) My daughter, the cook of the family, has put us all on a vegetarian type diet. I've lost 10 pounds so far. The food for the most part has been really tasty, but I'm missing chocolate and sweet, sweet desserts. Hopefully this is getting me in shape for next month when I'm out of town every weekend for various reasons.

Otherwise, having fun with the latest WIP. I love it when the characters stand up and take over.

Genella deGrey said...

How funny, Kate! I did the exact same thing last summer at jury duty! Perhaps we'll be juror mates sometime. LOL

My favorite part of jury duty was at the end of the day when we'd high-tail it over to watch the USC football team practice.

:)
G.

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Becke! I think you're right. Everyone goes to so much trouble to avoid jury duty, but it is always an interesting experience. And the people on my jury were so much fun, I hated leaving them!

I'm hoping the weather stays warm for you to enjoy for a while longer!

Minna said...

Hope the following month will be easier for you!
No jury duty here, that's one thing we don't have in Finland. This month I looked after my brother's dog and I managed to trade those Barbie clothes and bags I had made. I got some stuff I can felt. And I've already made some more Barbie stuff.

Kate Carlisle said...

Hey Jeanne! How lucky you are! You have another full week of your little darlings around the house! hee hee hee...

And I must remind everyone (including myself!) to rush over and visit our brilliant Jeanne Adams at the Barnes & Noble mystery book club forum! This is her last week as Author of the Month and the conversation is fascinating!

Kate Carlisle said...

Jennifer, my favorite appletini-soaked witch friend!! Lovely to see you here! But you're so silly--you know you're the least boring person I know! I thrill to hear your latest adventures in witching. :-)

And please keep writing. I can't wait for the next Wing Slayer Hunter book!!

Terri Osburn said...

I can sum up my August in one word. GONE. Same word describes my summer. For nearly ten weeks, I've been on my own. Just me and the cat and the hamster (lost the parakeet a few weeks ago :( ). I always have such big plans of what

I'm going to do while kiddo is gone. And as always, I didn't do half of it. Now she comes back in three days. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic she's coming back, but where did the time go?!

Whoohoo for the new book! Goodluck on the copy edits and I hope you get to enjoy the last few days of August.

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Cassondra! I feel like I haven't seen you in soooo long! I hope you've missed August for all good reasons. :-)

The weather here has felt like autumn for weeks now. I know what you're thinking--we don't have changes of seasons in Southern California. But we do! It drops down into the high 60's and there are clouds and stuff! LOL

Kate Carlisle said...

Maureen, hi!! My sympathies on the hospital visits, my friends. I know you've really been through it this month. Wine helps. I know that, too. ;-)

Kate Carlisle said...

Hey, Donna! Yes, it was just yesterday we were schmoozing in DC. What happened???

You've lost 10 pounds?? Congrats!! But can't someone come up with a compromise between healthy and yummy. Seems so unfair! *grumble grumble*

September sounds hectic for you, too! You've got me beat, though. I'm only travel three weekends! But we're living the dream, right? Right!

And how nice that your characters are doing the heavy lifting for you! Gotta love it when that happens. :-)

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Genella! My goodness, you're so close by. We must coordinate our jury summons times next year! *g*

Oh darn, I totally missed out on watching the USC football team! Next time for sure. :-)

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Minna! Looks like you've been busy this month, too! But your reasons for being busy sound much more fun than mine. :-)

Minna said...

Yeah, I can laugh about this now that the dog is with my brother again:
Eve is nice enough dog, most of the time. But when she decides something, the word "no" falls to deaf ears. I think she must have been a cat in previous life. Or maybe a donkey. One day she suddenly decided not to fetch the ball I had thrown for her in the lake, and she ran around the lake instead and chased the birds. And I had to fetch HER from the neighbours' summer cottage where she had stopped by to make friends with the neighbours. At least they knew where to return the dog if she decided to drop by again. That ball is still in the lake. And the next day Eve did it again. Only that time -fortunately- the neighbours weren't at their cottage. But does she come back to me when I call? Of course not. Instead, when she's almost run around the lake, she starts going back. As I didn't want her to go around the lake all over again, I did something that usually works and yelled "look who's coming!" It worked. Sort of. Instead of going around the lake she rushed to my cousins' summer cottage which is by another lake. I eventually managed to get Eve to fetch the second ball in the lake. Which she hadn't even tried to fetch earlier. Then, a couple of days later, Eve ran off to my cousins cottage twice, chased after birds around a pond for hours and then came back as if nothing had happened. Too bad for her I could hear her splashing around and the noises the birds made when she chased them in the pond. Eve took an early start there. It wasn't hunting season just yet. And it wasn't the last time she did that, but after she had chased birds in both lakes and in the pond between them one more time, she was too sore and too exhausted to do much chasing for a couple of days, but after that little swimming session I kept her on a leash all the time, even when I took her swimming. But she sure was glad when my brother finally came back. She has kept very close eye on him since then.

Hellie Sinclair said...

I've spent August: vacationing (saw the Harry Potter exhibit in Chicago) and adoring a new baby and some adorable children; furniture shopping (still waiting for it to arrive); writing (I've written more this month than probably the last 6 months combined); and doing my regular job.

I plan to spend September writing...and babying my car because it needs new struts and shocks and 2 back tires. Gah. And I have to buy a wedding gift..

Minna said...

And I was relieved when I FINALLY found someone who would want all that Barbie stuff. They are fun to make (and I get rid of all those tiny balls of yarn), but I don't want to keep them myself.

Kate Carlisle said...

Hi Terry! I can so relate to having lots of big plans and not getting around to doing anything I set out to do. I'm always doing that! Ah well...

I bet it'll be nice to have your kiddo back finally!

Thanks for the whoohoo on the book! And ouch, sorry about your parakeet. :-(

Kate Carlisle said...

LOL Minna! That dog certainly has a mind of its own! I'm sure you had a fun time dogsitting but I'll bet you're relieved to hand him back to your brother. :-)

And that's great that you found someone to take the Barbie clothes. My mom used to sew Barbie clothes for me!

Kate Carlisle said...

Ms. Hellion, congrats on all the writing!! That's so great. It must give you a nice warm feeling of accomplishment!

I didn't know about the Harry Potter exhibit. Cool!!

Pat Cochran said...

Let me see, August, hmmm... Well,
let's start with six birthdays
scattered throughout the month with
three in the first week! Then it's school shopping & doctor visits for
all the school immunizations. In
the third week of the month, it was
babysitting for 5 days while our
eldest grandchild was driven to
Indiana where she will attend
college. Did I mention 5 days
with 5 children and a dog? Thank
you, Honey, for taking the time
off to help me!

Pat Cochran

Jo Lewis said...

What a cute post, Kate! Thanks for sharing your not-so-relaxing August.

Honestly, summers here are so hot usually, we just lie around and try to avoid all exertion!

Nancy said...

Limecello, congrats on the rooster!

Kate, I thought about your August post as I drove home from the campus today wearing my black suit, including jacket,in 94-degree heat. It is definitely August here. And muggy.

We once went to the beach in August. Never again. Apparently everyone who'd intended to go all summer but hadn't gotten there went in August. We couldn't get dinner, except fast food, without waiting an hour. The heat was wretched. No, no, never again. Nev-er!

This August has been fairly peaceful, though. Languid, one might say, except for the requisite seasonal mosquito-swatting.

I envy you shopping during your jury breaks--and congrats on finishing up that book! Can't wait to read it.