![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Back, Worn but Happy
Feb. 21st, 2012 10:27 amTraveling has become so much easier, from a financial standpoint, because my sister now works for an airline. That means I'm able to get really inexpensive flights. The downside is that I'll be the first bumped off that flight if a full-fare customer wants my seat. That makes perfect sense on all sides, but kinda sucks when I'm trying to get home.
So after spending the day at LAX hoping to get an flight, I ended up spending the night at a hotel, flying to Chicago quite early the next day, then driving from Chicago to the Indy airport (had to drop off the rental and pick up my car) and finally to home. Gah. After talking to my sis, I now know how I can avoid that happening again by airport-hopping my way home. It might have meant four flights instead of two, but it certainly would have been the better option.
Anyway.
The trip was fantastic. Patricia and I spent every available moment filling each other in on our lives over the last five years. We talked until we were nodding off to sleep, and got up early on my last day to talk some more. In between, I made some excellent contacts with some folks in the wellness field, and identified businesses I need to contact for future meetings. Patricia also helped me talk through the specifics of my goals--the essential element of planning and success. With work, and a little luck, I'm hoping to have workshops set up in the area 12 to 18 months from now.
But before all that happened, I took a little drive through parts of the Santa Ynez Valley I hadn't seen when Dev and I were there in December. While standing at the base of Nojoqui Falls (which should be named Nojoqui Trickle this time year...), I made two decisions.
First, I will indeed write a SY Valley tale set before the Indy tale. Considering the amount of backstory I was building for the Indy novel, and how interested I was in that backstory, this won't be a big stretch of new creation. My two visits to the valley stirred up all sorts of memories of places and incidents and little local stories that can be woven in.
Second, I'll be writing these with an eye to self-publishing. That doesn't mean I won't pursue traditional publishing with Chant and related novels. But the SYV/Indy novels are present-day paranormal while the others are quite firmly other-world fantasy. They are different enough that I feel comfortable placing them on different paths.
Alas, as much as I'd like to run back to Santa Ynez this week, it'll be three months before I can swing it. In the meantime, I've a story to write.
So after spending the day at LAX hoping to get an flight, I ended up spending the night at a hotel, flying to Chicago quite early the next day, then driving from Chicago to the Indy airport (had to drop off the rental and pick up my car) and finally to home. Gah. After talking to my sis, I now know how I can avoid that happening again by airport-hopping my way home. It might have meant four flights instead of two, but it certainly would have been the better option.
Anyway.
The trip was fantastic. Patricia and I spent every available moment filling each other in on our lives over the last five years. We talked until we were nodding off to sleep, and got up early on my last day to talk some more. In between, I made some excellent contacts with some folks in the wellness field, and identified businesses I need to contact for future meetings. Patricia also helped me talk through the specifics of my goals--the essential element of planning and success. With work, and a little luck, I'm hoping to have workshops set up in the area 12 to 18 months from now.
But before all that happened, I took a little drive through parts of the Santa Ynez Valley I hadn't seen when Dev and I were there in December. While standing at the base of Nojoqui Falls (which should be named Nojoqui Trickle this time year...), I made two decisions.
First, I will indeed write a SY Valley tale set before the Indy tale. Considering the amount of backstory I was building for the Indy novel, and how interested I was in that backstory, this won't be a big stretch of new creation. My two visits to the valley stirred up all sorts of memories of places and incidents and little local stories that can be woven in.
Second, I'll be writing these with an eye to self-publishing. That doesn't mean I won't pursue traditional publishing with Chant and related novels. But the SYV/Indy novels are present-day paranormal while the others are quite firmly other-world fantasy. They are different enough that I feel comfortable placing them on different paths.
Alas, as much as I'd like to run back to Santa Ynez this week, it'll be three months before I can swing it. In the meantime, I've a story to write.
