The hunt for an agent has begun! I've spent a couple of hours on the internet tonight looking at the websites of Little Black Dress authors and a few other authors whose books I love reading looking for the names of their agents. Names found, I visited the agents websites and have been printing pages and taking notes. So far I have a list of seven agents, which is a good starting point.
But I have so many questions!
The first question...
Is it OK to submit to more than one agent at a time? Most of them seem to suggest that they won't read your query/proposal/first 10 pages if you've sent it to more than one agent at a time. Some say they'll get back to you in seven days/two weeks/eight weeks. If I was to send my query/proposal/first 10 pages to one agent at a time this could take a while!
The second question...
Do I mention this ms is with a publisher? I sent the first seven chapters into a publisher after a brief email conversation with an editor in September.
The third question...
Do I mention the ideas I have for other mss or that I have already completed a few other mss?
I'm sure I have other questions but that's enough for now!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
rejection
The title says it all really - I got a rejection letter in the post from M&B today. I knew it (well, a letter) was coming because I gave in to temptation yesterday and emailed the office to ask for an update on my ms since I sent it into them in September 2006 and got a reply saying a letter had been written the day before.
As rejections go, I guess it was one of the "good" ones because the editor said I have a lively contemporary voice and then went on to explain what didn't work about my ms for her. She also mentioned my past submissions and told me what I should focus on in my writing, and she also gave me a comps slip to send in with my next submission.
I'm not sure that there's going to be another submission. I feel like I'm back at a crossroads that I know I've been at before. I started submitting to M&B in June 2003. The same editor has read all of my submissions and every time she's sent me a rejection letter she's also sent me a comps slip asking me to send her something else.
My M&B history has gone like this:
June 2003 - sent in The Wrong Brother which got a revisions request on the partial followed by a full request but was eventually rejected in October 2003. I know, it all happened very fast! I still love this story and haven't given up on it just yet.
December 2003 - sent in Sea of Dreams which was rejected in March 2004.
March 2004 - sent in The Italian's City Bride which got a revisions request on the partial but was then rejected in October 2004. I definitely still love this one!
December 2004 - M&B asked to see The Wrong Brother again because I mentioned I'd revised it so I sent the revised full in. It was rejected in April 2005.
July 2005 - sent in Tarts Inc. All my previous submissions had been aimed at the M&B Tender line but an announcement about the line changing was made just before my last rejection and I didn't think my voice fitted the new direction so I decided to try something a little different. Tarts Inc was aimed at the new Modern Extra line. It got a revisions request and a full request but was eventually rejected in September 2006.
September 2006 - sent in Heaven Sent, which has just been rejected.
So why am I at a crossroads? The editor's advice in this rejection and the one before was to keep reading the current books as this gives the best idea of what they want. My problem? Apart from Kelly Hunter's books, I'm really not reading M&Bs much.
I do have one other submission that I could send in but it doesn't have any Modern X elements (those that read Modern X's will know what I mean by that!) and I have recently come to the conclusion that I'm not actually a Modern X writer because I don't feel comfortable writing those scenes!
Aside from that, I simply don't think I have any more M&B material in me. I have ideas but they're not M&B style.
I'm currently polishing up Rules - the seven first chapters of which are at Little Black Dress - with the intention of sending it to an agent or two. I have three previous mss which, having been left sitting for some time, I'm now keen to drag back out and polish up also with the intention of looking for an agent. I've got the baby idea and the allotment idea that have been running around in my head for many, many months, and I've got two partially written mss originally aimed at M&B that haven't been completed or sent anywhere that I could do something with, although they're not suitable for M&B anymore.
Don't think I'm looking for sympathy here because I'm not. I admit to feeling slightly offended by the content of my rejection letter and bemused at the same time (why keep sending me those comps slips when my writing clearly isn't going in the right direction for them?) but the underlying feeling here is that it's time for a change of direction.
As I said earlier, this isn't a new feeling. I was at this place when I was writing Tarts. I'd sent M&B the partial and while I waited to hear back the ms turn a look that I wasn't expecting - it wanted to be written in first person as a mainstream book - so I thought long and hard before deciding what to do when the full request came. In the end I wrote it as a M&B and it eventually got rejected. But it didn't die there because I went back to the beginning and finished the first person, mainstream version, which become known as Breaking the Rules.
I guess I'm putting everything I've got on Rules right now. Ultimately, if it doesn't go anywhere, I'm going to put the writing to one side until I've finished my masters in procurement.
Yes, you heard me right. Even though I still have seven exams to sit this year before I complete my graduate diploma, I've already decided that having finished it, I will go on and do my masters. Then I can be Monica Cole, MCIPS, MSc. Surely all those letters will make me feel good!
Right now, the only thing that could possibly make me feel better is chocolate so I'm off to eat lots of it!
As rejections go, I guess it was one of the "good" ones because the editor said I have a lively contemporary voice and then went on to explain what didn't work about my ms for her. She also mentioned my past submissions and told me what I should focus on in my writing, and she also gave me a comps slip to send in with my next submission.
I'm not sure that there's going to be another submission. I feel like I'm back at a crossroads that I know I've been at before. I started submitting to M&B in June 2003. The same editor has read all of my submissions and every time she's sent me a rejection letter she's also sent me a comps slip asking me to send her something else.
My M&B history has gone like this:
June 2003 - sent in The Wrong Brother which got a revisions request on the partial followed by a full request but was eventually rejected in October 2003. I know, it all happened very fast! I still love this story and haven't given up on it just yet.
December 2003 - sent in Sea of Dreams which was rejected in March 2004.
March 2004 - sent in The Italian's City Bride which got a revisions request on the partial but was then rejected in October 2004. I definitely still love this one!
December 2004 - M&B asked to see The Wrong Brother again because I mentioned I'd revised it so I sent the revised full in. It was rejected in April 2005.
July 2005 - sent in Tarts Inc. All my previous submissions had been aimed at the M&B Tender line but an announcement about the line changing was made just before my last rejection and I didn't think my voice fitted the new direction so I decided to try something a little different. Tarts Inc was aimed at the new Modern Extra line. It got a revisions request and a full request but was eventually rejected in September 2006.
September 2006 - sent in Heaven Sent, which has just been rejected.
So why am I at a crossroads? The editor's advice in this rejection and the one before was to keep reading the current books as this gives the best idea of what they want. My problem? Apart from Kelly Hunter's books, I'm really not reading M&Bs much.
I do have one other submission that I could send in but it doesn't have any Modern X elements (those that read Modern X's will know what I mean by that!) and I have recently come to the conclusion that I'm not actually a Modern X writer because I don't feel comfortable writing those scenes!
Aside from that, I simply don't think I have any more M&B material in me. I have ideas but they're not M&B style.
I'm currently polishing up Rules - the seven first chapters of which are at Little Black Dress - with the intention of sending it to an agent or two. I have three previous mss which, having been left sitting for some time, I'm now keen to drag back out and polish up also with the intention of looking for an agent. I've got the baby idea and the allotment idea that have been running around in my head for many, many months, and I've got two partially written mss originally aimed at M&B that haven't been completed or sent anywhere that I could do something with, although they're not suitable for M&B anymore.
Don't think I'm looking for sympathy here because I'm not. I admit to feeling slightly offended by the content of my rejection letter and bemused at the same time (why keep sending me those comps slips when my writing clearly isn't going in the right direction for them?) but the underlying feeling here is that it's time for a change of direction.
As I said earlier, this isn't a new feeling. I was at this place when I was writing Tarts. I'd sent M&B the partial and while I waited to hear back the ms turn a look that I wasn't expecting - it wanted to be written in first person as a mainstream book - so I thought long and hard before deciding what to do when the full request came. In the end I wrote it as a M&B and it eventually got rejected. But it didn't die there because I went back to the beginning and finished the first person, mainstream version, which become known as Breaking the Rules.
I guess I'm putting everything I've got on Rules right now. Ultimately, if it doesn't go anywhere, I'm going to put the writing to one side until I've finished my masters in procurement.
Yes, you heard me right. Even though I still have seven exams to sit this year before I complete my graduate diploma, I've already decided that having finished it, I will go on and do my masters. Then I can be Monica Cole, MCIPS, MSc. Surely all those letters will make me feel good!
Right now, the only thing that could possibly make me feel better is chocolate so I'm off to eat lots of it!
Monday, February 12, 2007
700 words!
I wrote 700 new words tonight! I know it's not a lot but it's a start and I'm happy with every single one of them because they form the foundation for my new chapter eight, which I need to write because I deleted the original chapter eight when I edited.
With a little luck I'll have this chapter finished by the end of the week. Then I'm going to print a copy of the entire ms and do another polish before I start hunting for an agent.
I forgot to mention something really cool earlier - Waterstones have a buy one get one free on Little Black Dress books this week!
With a little luck I'll have this chapter finished by the end of the week. Then I'm going to print a copy of the entire ms and do another polish before I start hunting for an agent.
I forgot to mention something really cool earlier - Waterstones have a buy one get one free on Little Black Dress books this week!
catching up
I'm bored with being sick. I think I might be well again. I didn't have any painkillers today, which is the first time for about two weeks. Or did I? I might have taken some first thing but none since. Fingers crossed I'm well again.
I did manage to get all the Spanish CDs last week. Have listened to the first two but probably didn't take much in because on both occassions I found myself drifting off into a conversation my current characters are having! Still, I'm not seriously learning Spanish right now. I just wanted to get those CDs since learning Spanish is on my list of things to do.
I spent most of the last week sleeping. When I wasn't sleeping I was either working or playing computer games! I got through all five rounds of the first CSI disk. Then at the weekend dh and I played a really cool game called The Ship. Unlike CSI, which is just me and the computer, The Ship is an online game so you're playing against other people.
The dh had talked about The Ship before but didn't think I was really into computer games. But after I got the CSI games he said the next time The Ship had a free weekend we could play and if I liked it, I could buy it. Of course, he wasn't expecting the free weekend to be the following weekend!
Because it was free to play, we played for hours and hour on Saturday and Sunday. I was rubbish at it but I loved it so I bought the game last night.
However, I'm not playing it tonight because I'm writing. Jane and Adam are demanding that I write a new chapter to replace the one I deleted and I'm happy to do so because they have worked out exactly what they want to say to each other.
I also started reading a LBD book today called She'll Take It. I can't remember the author's name right now, which is terrible of me but I'll report back on that later. All I'll say for now is that I'm loving it!
And I'm also thrilled to report that M&B author Kelly Hunter has been on my blog! Kelly, I loved Wife for a Week! It was the best M&B I've read in a long time. I still pick it up every now and then to have a flick through a page or two, and before I sent my last partial to Richmond in September I reread the entire book to remind myself of what I was aspiring too! So, of course I was going to love Priceless! I'm glad you didn't put it in the too risky bin because it was great. I love your voice. Can't wait for your next book.
Phew! I think I've covered everything.
I did manage to get all the Spanish CDs last week. Have listened to the first two but probably didn't take much in because on both occassions I found myself drifting off into a conversation my current characters are having! Still, I'm not seriously learning Spanish right now. I just wanted to get those CDs since learning Spanish is on my list of things to do.
I spent most of the last week sleeping. When I wasn't sleeping I was either working or playing computer games! I got through all five rounds of the first CSI disk. Then at the weekend dh and I played a really cool game called The Ship. Unlike CSI, which is just me and the computer, The Ship is an online game so you're playing against other people.
The dh had talked about The Ship before but didn't think I was really into computer games. But after I got the CSI games he said the next time The Ship had a free weekend we could play and if I liked it, I could buy it. Of course, he wasn't expecting the free weekend to be the following weekend!
Because it was free to play, we played for hours and hour on Saturday and Sunday. I was rubbish at it but I loved it so I bought the game last night.
However, I'm not playing it tonight because I'm writing. Jane and Adam are demanding that I write a new chapter to replace the one I deleted and I'm happy to do so because they have worked out exactly what they want to say to each other.
I also started reading a LBD book today called She'll Take It. I can't remember the author's name right now, which is terrible of me but I'll report back on that later. All I'll say for now is that I'm loving it!
And I'm also thrilled to report that M&B author Kelly Hunter has been on my blog! Kelly, I loved Wife for a Week! It was the best M&B I've read in a long time. I still pick it up every now and then to have a flick through a page or two, and before I sent my last partial to Richmond in September I reread the entire book to remind myself of what I was aspiring too! So, of course I was going to love Priceless! I'm glad you didn't put it in the too risky bin because it was great. I love your voice. Can't wait for your next book.
Phew! I think I've covered everything.
Monday, February 05, 2007
i'm learning spanish
I should be studying but instead I'm playing CSI and learning how to speak Spanish! At least, I would be if The Sun had delivered today's free CD to the WH Smith on Fleet St.
I admit to being a Sun reader - but only on Saturday's when I buy it for the TV Mag. Having been a journalist on a daily paper in a previous life (ie New Zealand) I used to buy The Sun when I first moved to the UK because I couldn't believe a newspaper would publish such stories!!!!
Then I got over the humour and only started buying it on Saturdays - for the TV Mag. We like Spain. I've been there twice. The dh has been there numerous times. Plus they speak Spanish in Cuba, which we visited last year. We intend to go back to Spain, many times. So after Cuba I decided I was going to learn to speak Spanish...after completing my graduate diploma at the end of this year.
Then in The Sun on Saturday they give away a Spanish language CD along with the promise of more each day for the coming week. All you have to do is take your voucher into WH Smith each day to exchange it.
I figure, what the heck. Let's learn a little Spanish now. Get a head start. I bought The Sun on my way to work today, filled in the voucher and headed to WH Smith on Fleet St at lunchtime only to find no CDs had been delivered. WH Smith said to complain to The Sun. Which I did.
The response? Collect all the vouchers this week and send them to the address listed to get the CDs. The cost? £4.50. But I don't want to pay £4.50, I replied. Not when I should be able to get my CDs for free from WH Smith. The response? NOTHING.
I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow they'll deliver Monday and Tuesday's CDs. On the up side, I did get to listen to part of Saturday's CD as I made my way home from work tonight.
By May I should be able to speak some Spanish. Not sure how that will help with my exams though! I'll worry about that another day. Right now I'm off to help Sara Siddle from CSI with a tough arson case that kept me up until midnight last night!
I admit to being a Sun reader - but only on Saturday's when I buy it for the TV Mag. Having been a journalist on a daily paper in a previous life (ie New Zealand) I used to buy The Sun when I first moved to the UK because I couldn't believe a newspaper would publish such stories!!!!
Then I got over the humour and only started buying it on Saturdays - for the TV Mag. We like Spain. I've been there twice. The dh has been there numerous times. Plus they speak Spanish in Cuba, which we visited last year. We intend to go back to Spain, many times. So after Cuba I decided I was going to learn to speak Spanish...after completing my graduate diploma at the end of this year.
Then in The Sun on Saturday they give away a Spanish language CD along with the promise of more each day for the coming week. All you have to do is take your voucher into WH Smith each day to exchange it.
I figure, what the heck. Let's learn a little Spanish now. Get a head start. I bought The Sun on my way to work today, filled in the voucher and headed to WH Smith on Fleet St at lunchtime only to find no CDs had been delivered. WH Smith said to complain to The Sun. Which I did.
The response? Collect all the vouchers this week and send them to the address listed to get the CDs. The cost? £4.50. But I don't want to pay £4.50, I replied. Not when I should be able to get my CDs for free from WH Smith. The response? NOTHING.
I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow they'll deliver Monday and Tuesday's CDs. On the up side, I did get to listen to part of Saturday's CD as I made my way home from work tonight.
By May I should be able to speak some Spanish. Not sure how that will help with my exams though! I'll worry about that another day. Right now I'm off to help Sara Siddle from CSI with a tough arson case that kept me up until midnight last night!
Sunday, February 04, 2007
it's my birthday!
It's my birthday so I don't have to study today! Yay! I did actually go to the library for a couple of hours yesterday morning for an intensive session so I don't feel bad at all about slacking off today. We've been to Tesco and got a finest Indian meal for two for dinner tonight - my choice since it's my birthday! And the dh got me some computer games which he has just installed on my laptop so I'm off to play CSI!!!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
jessica hart's new website
Jessica Hart has a new website - http://www.jessicahart.co.uk/ - go check it out!
Friday, February 02, 2007
i passed!
Exam results posted online today. Passed both. Hopefully now I'll be able to settle into study for May exams, which I need to enroll for on Monday. Have spent most of the day in bed so far. Planning to watch a couple of Harry Potter movies this afternoon. Will eat more ice cream for dinner and then go to bed.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
sick
The bug that has been chasing me for the last couple of weeks finally caught up with me this week. I am now officially ill and probably won't make it to work tomorrow. In the last three days I've probably been unbearable at work and have been through several packets of painkillers, a whole load of strepsils, drunk gallons of Night Nurse, eaten ice cream for dinner and filled the freezer with ice lollies. I've also done very little study but I'm too tired to be bothered about it right now. No exam results yet. Maybe tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to do a little bit of work to make up for the guilty feeling I'll have when I don't go in tomorrow, I'll eat some more ice cream, drink more Night Nurse, have another ice lollie, watch an episode of CSI and fall asleep on the sofa. And spare a thought for my poor dh who is also ill with a slightly different bug than the one I've got - or at least it's affecting him differently to how it's affecting me - because he's got to put up with me being at home tomorrow! Of course, I may wake up tomorrow feeling 100% fit and go into work. Here's hoping!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
study
Why, oh why, am I not better organised? I seem to revel in leaving things until the last minute or agreeing to do a million things at once. I wish I was more organised! I also seem to revel in putting pressure on myself to reach unrealistic targets then I get stressed when I don't achieve them.
For example, I'm studying again now and I worked out I need to do four units a week in order to get through the full course before attending a related seminar at the end of February. It's the end of week one and I'm only part way through unit two. That means I have to study six units in the coming week...a week in which I have a day trip to Cambridge to see my sister one final time before she returns home to the other side of the world, I will be away all day Thursday as I'm working out of another office for the day, and I will also be stressing madly about my exam results which are due on either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (I'm not organised enough to know exactly which day to expect them).
I know from experience that there is no point studying on Mondays because I'm tired after the first day of the working week. Note: I also know that this particular week is going to be frantic as I have back to back appointments in my diary all week.
I know that Tuesdays are out because I have something I have to do on Tuesdays.
I'd be freaking out if it wasn't for the fact that I should be able to get in a few hours study on the train on Wednesday!
I guess it's not going to be a writing week!
For example, I'm studying again now and I worked out I need to do four units a week in order to get through the full course before attending a related seminar at the end of February. It's the end of week one and I'm only part way through unit two. That means I have to study six units in the coming week...a week in which I have a day trip to Cambridge to see my sister one final time before she returns home to the other side of the world, I will be away all day Thursday as I'm working out of another office for the day, and I will also be stressing madly about my exam results which are due on either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (I'm not organised enough to know exactly which day to expect them).
I know from experience that there is no point studying on Mondays because I'm tired after the first day of the working week. Note: I also know that this particular week is going to be frantic as I have back to back appointments in my diary all week.
I know that Tuesdays are out because I have something I have to do on Tuesdays.
I'd be freaking out if it wasn't for the fact that I should be able to get in a few hours study on the train on Wednesday!
I guess it's not going to be a writing week!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
little black dress
Asda are selling box sets of four Little Black Dress books for £5. I'm only telling everyone this because I already have mine! Got it this afternoon while on the way to Staples to look at office chairs. Of course, the only problem is that now I'm desperate to read them, especially Decent Exposure by Phillipa Ashley, when I really should be doing other things!
things
Where to start? What to say? It's been so long since I blogged and I've been so busy! I'm also mindful of the fact that I haven't posted about Cuba yet. Nor have I emailed my patiently waiting family with details - although they have seen the holiday pix!
I've thought about blogging and have even logged in a couple of times but then I've sat here thinking "but I've got nothing interesting to say".
Quite simply, I've been busy just getting on with life. Work obviously takes up a fair chunk of my day. After work I've been putting the finishing touches on a new website I've created for a Harlequin Romance author, I've continued with the editing of Rules in preparation for a much hoped for full request from LBD (fingers crossed!), I've been ice skating at Somerset House (I won free tickets!) and I've been catching up with family.
I've also watched the first four hours of series six of 24, tried to fight off a cold that was desperate to knock me out for a few days, read Kelly Hunter's Priceless (fantastic!) and generally not had enough sleep because I've been staying up too late.
What I haven't managed to do is study. I know, I know, I should be studying by now because I'm intending to sit three exams in May. However, I've been waiting for work to approve my study sponsorship agreement so I don't have to pay for it all myself. But in desperation I did order the course book for one of my courses on Thursday, expecting it to arrive yesterday so I could start studying this weekend. It didn't arrive so that's my excuse for not studying this weekend.
Instead, I'll be working hard to put the finishing touches on the author's website, continuing with more editing of Rules and visiting Staples to buy a new office chair for my husband. The studying begins on Monday.
I've thought about blogging and have even logged in a couple of times but then I've sat here thinking "but I've got nothing interesting to say".
Quite simply, I've been busy just getting on with life. Work obviously takes up a fair chunk of my day. After work I've been putting the finishing touches on a new website I've created for a Harlequin Romance author, I've continued with the editing of Rules in preparation for a much hoped for full request from LBD (fingers crossed!), I've been ice skating at Somerset House (I won free tickets!) and I've been catching up with family.
I've also watched the first four hours of series six of 24, tried to fight off a cold that was desperate to knock me out for a few days, read Kelly Hunter's Priceless (fantastic!) and generally not had enough sleep because I've been staying up too late.
What I haven't managed to do is study. I know, I know, I should be studying by now because I'm intending to sit three exams in May. However, I've been waiting for work to approve my study sponsorship agreement so I don't have to pay for it all myself. But in desperation I did order the course book for one of my courses on Thursday, expecting it to arrive yesterday so I could start studying this weekend. It didn't arrive so that's my excuse for not studying this weekend.
Instead, I'll be working hard to put the finishing touches on the author's website, continuing with more editing of Rules and visiting Staples to buy a new office chair for my husband. The studying begins on Monday.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
i'm writing again!
I've edited two whole chapters of Rules today! It feels good. Thinking back, I realised I haven't done any writing since late September when I sent the partial of Rules, the partial of The Husband Hunt and the full of Sea of Dreams into various editors. I had exactly a month until exams so I studied hard. Then after exams we went on holiday. After the holiday was Christmas. And now here I am. Chapters nine and ten are duly edited. Of course, we won't mention chapter eight which I've skipped over for now because it needs a complete rewrite. Get the rest polished up and then go back - that's my plan.
Tomorrow I'm going sale shopping!
Tomorrow I'm going sale shopping!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
one month and three days later...
We have broadband! Yippee! I can finally get on the internet and check my emails again from home! It only took one month and three days longer than it should. Now I am going to take great delight in writing to BT to let them know how I found the returning customer experience.
And I ended the writing year with a rejection from DCT for Sea of Dreams. Nevermind. I still have two partials out there and thanks to Janet Evanovich's How I Write (which I read in Cuba) I have a plan for 2007 which I intend to start working on as soon as I've had a long soak in a tub full of bubbles. I might even drink a glass of bubbles too!
2007 is going to be a busy year - I have seven exams to sit as well as writing and working full time. Bring it on!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And I ended the writing year with a rejection from DCT for Sea of Dreams. Nevermind. I still have two partials out there and thanks to Janet Evanovich's How I Write (which I read in Cuba) I have a plan for 2007 which I intend to start working on as soon as I've had a long soak in a tub full of bubbles. I might even drink a glass of bubbles too!
2007 is going to be a busy year - I have seven exams to sit as well as writing and working full time. Bring it on!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Friday, December 29, 2006
happy new year!
Happy New Year everyone! Blogging from work again because we still don't have broadband at home... It's gone past annoying. We are beginning to think we'll never have broadband again. Our provider says they are at the mercy of BT. Still, I don't need broadband to write so I'm going to use my time over the next four days to begin editing the rest of Rules. Hopefully I'll also get around to writing about the holiday as well. All going well (ie IF our broadband starts working) I'll post about Cuba next week.
Friday, December 22, 2006
merry christmas!
Back from Cuba. However, in their usual style, BT managed to completely mess up moving my phone line back from my old provider so I haven't been able to blog because I didn't have a phone for several days and now I have a phone but no broadband. Grrrr! Once it's all resolved I am definitely going to send them a letter telling them how I didn't really get the impression that they wanted my business. Of course, all this wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the fact that my husband works from home. No phone, no internet, no work - and one very grumpy and bored husband. Not good after he's already taken more than two weeks off work to go to Cuba, which was fantastic, by the way! Will blog all about after I get back from where I'm heading for Christmas. Merry Christmas!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
cuba!
Checking in one last time before a) our broadband is disconnected and b) we go to Cuba!
The broadband is being switched off tomorrow. Won't have new broadband until a few days before Christmas. Leaving home on Wednesday straight after work to go to the airport to take advantage of twilight check in. Staying in a hotel at the airport overnight and flying early Thursday morning. Back in the UK on December 15th - but as I said, won't have broadband for a few days. I promise to post as soon as I can!
Really, really, really looking forward to Cuba.
A little exhausted right now though. Exams really took it out of me and I've had so much to do since (and still have to do) right up until Wednesday that I have hardly had time to think.
I had a really funny story to post about the vacuum cleaner (trust me, it's hilarious!) but I'm too tired to even think about it right now, other than remembering that I probably shouldn't tell it because it will show just how bad my housewife skills are!
Have three JD Robb books, Janet Evanovich's How I Write book and Kelly Hunter's latest Modern X to read while I'm away.
Fingers crossed I return to good news writing wise!
Happy festive season!
The broadband is being switched off tomorrow. Won't have new broadband until a few days before Christmas. Leaving home on Wednesday straight after work to go to the airport to take advantage of twilight check in. Staying in a hotel at the airport overnight and flying early Thursday morning. Back in the UK on December 15th - but as I said, won't have broadband for a few days. I promise to post as soon as I can!
Really, really, really looking forward to Cuba.
A little exhausted right now though. Exams really took it out of me and I've had so much to do since (and still have to do) right up until Wednesday that I have hardly had time to think.
I had a really funny story to post about the vacuum cleaner (trust me, it's hilarious!) but I'm too tired to even think about it right now, other than remembering that I probably shouldn't tell it because it will show just how bad my housewife skills are!
Have three JD Robb books, Janet Evanovich's How I Write book and Kelly Hunter's latest Modern X to read while I'm away.
Fingers crossed I return to good news writing wise!
Happy festive season!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
still here
Still here. Just busy. Exam this afternoon. Another tomorrow. Holiday next week. So much to do before we go. Will catch up with everyone's blogs after tomorrow's exam.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
phones
This whole phone business is starting to get me down.
I got my new phone on Friday November 3rd. It wasn't as I expected it to be so I called customer services. They said take it to a shop.
I took it to a shop on Monday November 6th. They agreed it wasn't right but said to try to fix it myself (and risk breaking it) or send it back. So I called the company and arranged for a new one to be sent out and the old one taken back.
So the new one arrives on Tuesday November 7th. It has the same problem as the original one. I emailed customer services (because this time I wanted my question to go to someone technical rather than speaking to the first person to answer the phone).
On Friday November 10th I speak to a customer services person twice; he's read my email so the first call is just to understand what I'm talking about and the second call is after he's spoken to the technical people.
The result: they don't know the answer! They suggest it's either a change the manufacturer has made that they haven't been told about or the manufacturer is sending out faulty phones.
The answer: I have to send my phone in so the technical people can look at it! I received a replacement phone today (different from the one I am using so I have to get used to another phone for a few days) and I have to go to the Post Office on Monday to post my phone back. Thankfully they sent a prepaid special delivery envelope so I don't have to pay anything.
In fairness, they are being very helpful in resolving the problem but I'm getting sick of this. I didn't programme numbers into the second phone and I won't be programming them into the temporary phone which means it's effectively useless. I am almost tempted to say I don't want the phone and cancel my contract. Only that would mean I need to search for another phone. Grrrr!
Ok, enough grumbling. I'm off to do a little bit of study now.
Hopefully we are going to the Lord Mayor's fireworks display tonight. And hopefully that means picking up fish and chips for dinner on the way home!
I got my new phone on Friday November 3rd. It wasn't as I expected it to be so I called customer services. They said take it to a shop.
I took it to a shop on Monday November 6th. They agreed it wasn't right but said to try to fix it myself (and risk breaking it) or send it back. So I called the company and arranged for a new one to be sent out and the old one taken back.
So the new one arrives on Tuesday November 7th. It has the same problem as the original one. I emailed customer services (because this time I wanted my question to go to someone technical rather than speaking to the first person to answer the phone).
On Friday November 10th I speak to a customer services person twice; he's read my email so the first call is just to understand what I'm talking about and the second call is after he's spoken to the technical people.
The result: they don't know the answer! They suggest it's either a change the manufacturer has made that they haven't been told about or the manufacturer is sending out faulty phones.
The answer: I have to send my phone in so the technical people can look at it! I received a replacement phone today (different from the one I am using so I have to get used to another phone for a few days) and I have to go to the Post Office on Monday to post my phone back. Thankfully they sent a prepaid special delivery envelope so I don't have to pay anything.
In fairness, they are being very helpful in resolving the problem but I'm getting sick of this. I didn't programme numbers into the second phone and I won't be programming them into the temporary phone which means it's effectively useless. I am almost tempted to say I don't want the phone and cancel my contract. Only that would mean I need to search for another phone. Grrrr!
Ok, enough grumbling. I'm off to do a little bit of study now.
Hopefully we are going to the Lord Mayor's fireworks display tonight. And hopefully that means picking up fish and chips for dinner on the way home!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
the whole world is against me..
...at least, it's felt like that today. I have lost count of the number of times I have said I would like my job a lot better if I didn't have to deal with people.
I didn't mean it. I love my job. I'm just really really really busy and had a second day full of meetings today which meant I had to clear two days of voicemail messages this afternoon and catch up with emails, which meant I didn't really get a lot of actual real work done. And with the end of the year fast approaching - and three weeks off before then - I'm feeling the pressure as I try to complete as many of my active projects as possible.
The last thing I need is people ringing me up constantly asking when the items I've ordered for them are going to arrive. I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. They will get here when they get here. Live with it.
In other news, I got a new phone (an MDA Pro) on Friday and had to have a courier collect it and exchange it for a replacement this afternoon, only to find the repalcement has the same issue as the original. Maybe it's meant to be like that but the customer services person I called on Friday said it wasn't, the people in the shop I visited on Monday said it wasn't and the customer services person I spoke to on Monday who arranged the exchange said it wasn't. So why is my replacement the same?
Then the Tesco man was late. When he finally called he told me he was standing in our carpark as he couldn't find us, so I popped out onto the balcony and...no Tesco man. He was in the carpark next door. He grumbled so much about how hard we were to find that I took the groceries off him in the foyer and brought them up stairs myself. I hasten to add that we have had groceries delivered by Tesco here for nearly four years and don't usually have this problem.
Grumble, grumble.
Thankfully, I have the day off tomorrow. Study leave. Will be going to the library first thing to get in a couple of hours of quality study.
Then again, I could really do with being at work so I can get some of that work done!
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Thursday morning, I'm going to work via the Cuban consulate as I need to get a tourist visa. Yay! And the holiday is fast approaching!
I didn't mean it. I love my job. I'm just really really really busy and had a second day full of meetings today which meant I had to clear two days of voicemail messages this afternoon and catch up with emails, which meant I didn't really get a lot of actual real work done. And with the end of the year fast approaching - and three weeks off before then - I'm feeling the pressure as I try to complete as many of my active projects as possible.
The last thing I need is people ringing me up constantly asking when the items I've ordered for them are going to arrive. I don't know and quite frankly I don't care. They will get here when they get here. Live with it.
In other news, I got a new phone (an MDA Pro) on Friday and had to have a courier collect it and exchange it for a replacement this afternoon, only to find the repalcement has the same issue as the original. Maybe it's meant to be like that but the customer services person I called on Friday said it wasn't, the people in the shop I visited on Monday said it wasn't and the customer services person I spoke to on Monday who arranged the exchange said it wasn't. So why is my replacement the same?
Then the Tesco man was late. When he finally called he told me he was standing in our carpark as he couldn't find us, so I popped out onto the balcony and...no Tesco man. He was in the carpark next door. He grumbled so much about how hard we were to find that I took the groceries off him in the foyer and brought them up stairs myself. I hasten to add that we have had groceries delivered by Tesco here for nearly four years and don't usually have this problem.
Grumble, grumble.
Thankfully, I have the day off tomorrow. Study leave. Will be going to the library first thing to get in a couple of hours of quality study.
Then again, I could really do with being at work so I can get some of that work done!
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Thursday morning, I'm going to work via the Cuban consulate as I need to get a tourist visa. Yay! And the holiday is fast approaching!
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