nothing's unconditional

Today I took a lovely jaunt to Des Moines to get some writing done. I got there around 1:45pm, and stopped first at Panera for some french onion soup. Then, I went to Borders, where I reread a significant portion of my book before writing ~3400 words. My hero and heroine went on an expedition to steal (or 'liberate') some sheep, and the adrenaline rush may lead to some lovemaking in their near future. Yay.

My heroine is a writer, and I decided that I need to read a couple of the Gothic novels that were intensely popular during her time period. Borders didn't carry any in the store, so I came home and ordered a couple via Amazon; they should be here by the end of the week. It's unfortunate that I didn't pay closer attention to the class I took on Gothic/Romantic literature at Stanford, but I made the mistake of taking the class around the same time that I was taking multiple classes for my major -- and it was also the quarter during the 2002 Winter Games, which destroyed my academic attention span. I remember reading one of the major Gothic Novels ('Romance of the Forest' by Ann Radcliffe), but I can't remember much about it. The books I ordered will be here by the end of the week, though, so that's exciting. I also got a book on the social history of the English country house, and Katie will be pleased to know that I got the newly-released fourth book in the werewolf/vampire/paranormal series I was so excited about a few weeks ago. So, I have much to look forward to!

One of the other books I read during my Gothic/Romantic class was Jane Austen's 'Northanger Abbey', which I remember liking quite a bit. I know that I have a copy somewhere in storage in California, but Borders had another copy for only $6, and one of the things I want to go back and revise in my manuscript is making sure that the dialogue sounds a little less modern. Not that I want to parody Austen, but I don't want my heroine to sound like a valley girl either. I should also dig out some Georgette Heyers from the boxes I brought back from California and have left stacked in my parents' garage -- but that's a project for another day.

Finally, on the way home, Felicia called me, which was a v. pleasurable way to spend an hour of driving through nowhere. And I didn't hit any deer, so it was quite a good evening! Now, though, I should go to bed -- I need to write tomorrow! But I'll probably read some 'Northanger Abbey' before going to sleep -- let's see if I actually make myself go to bed before two a.m....