The Green Bar

I hit it. The mythical green bar. And I even got it two days early.

I'm not done yet. Still a couple of chapters left to go before I validate.

I started the process of moving the blog last night, but it's not going very well. Something about DNS pages that I can't access, and my blogger address belonging "to another user." Who is me. But apparently Wordpress doesn't understand that and I can't figure out how to clear it up. But 11pm is really not the time to be worrying about that. It's a recipe for disaster. Suffice to say that I'm fighting with not just Google now, but also Wordpress. I just want a blog that works. Is that so much to ask?

I hope that those in the US had a good Thanksgiving, full of good food and companionship. I did actual baking for mine. From scratch. Which I don't think has happened...ever. And it turned out surprisingly well. I think I might go have seconds to celebrate my success.

Nano Progress

I blame Nanowrimo for the semi-erratic blog schedule. I've been shooting for 2,000 words a day. I haven't made it every day, but most days. If I don't think that I can hit 2k, then I go for the 1,667 that the website lists as a goal, and if I'm really not feeling it then I do whatever the number under the "you need to write this many words to finish on time" heading. Usually by the time I've hit that number, I'm on a roll and it isn't too hard to keep the momentum going long enough to reach one of the higher goals.

I haven't managed to take one of the typewriters out to a write in yet. I keep trying to, and it hasn't worked out yet. It doesn't help that the character I'm working with right now seems to be the only one who doesn't like to be written on the typewriter.

The goal of Nanowrimo is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. I suspect, however, that this story won't wrap up until around the 70,000 marker. Last year I made the mistake of stopping after I hit 50k, and that story remains unfinished on my hard drive. I want to keep this one going beyond December 1, keep it rolling until it's actually done this time. If I'm lucky, it'll be finished before Christmas.

Anticipation and a Half

If all goes well, I'll be hitting the 50% marker on my Nano draft this afternoon when I get off of work. I thought about forcing myself to write the 4,000 necessary words all in one go last night, but then my Amazon package arrived, including two books that I've been dying to get my hands on for the past month. The timing was perfect, since I finished my last read before I left work yesterday (and no, the third book in the Virals series did not disappoint. It's left me clamoring for another book, but it looks like I'll be waiting at least a year for it. In the mean time, I'll be downloading the companion short story once I get my next paycheck).

House of Hades has been all over Tumblr since it's release last month, and I've been actively trying to avoid spoilers, with little success. But now my copy is here. I might not come up for air until it's done!

Another thing that arrived yesterday that I've been looking forward to is my Netflix of the Great Gatsby--the new one. I'll be watching that on our big screen, rather than on the laptop like I usually do. Even if the story sucks as much as I remember, it should be stunning to watch. I can always put it on mute, right?

The Weekends, Where Do They Go?

If the typewriter forum is any indication, it's a miracle that anyone is getting any actual writing done this weekend.

So far I'm ahead of the curve, but I'm not getting cocky yet, especially since I'd planned to DO THINGS this weekend, and they went down the drain rather quickly.

I did get a little cleaning done though--you can see the top of my desk now! It's very exciting. Of course, the fact that it is now relatively clear means that the cat has claimed it for his own, specifically that spot between the Sterling and the laptop where my blank paper and outlines are laid out.

I had planned on doing a typecast for today's post (that's the paper, rolled into the platen and waiting), but then Missouri came home and I decided to be nice and not use the typewriter since the noise bothers her (I do not understand this phenomenon. I find it soothing, personally).

So, how was your first weekend of Nano?

Nano Training

I mentioned last week that I set up a training schedule. It’s nothing too fancy, but after writing sporadically over the summer, I knew that I needed to work up to 1,667 words, seven days a week.

This is what I came up with:

As you can see, I broke it up into blocks, each between 7-12 days long. I started with 100 words a day, before I made this list. I did that for three days, then realized how easily 500 words were coming, so I jumped right into that. I know that 1,000 words is a bit of a hurdle for me, so I gave myself longer to practice.

Within each block, I gave myself challenges. The first block is “freestyle,” which meant I could write on anything, or everything, so long as it added up to 500 words at the end of the day. My 1,000 and 1,500 word blocks are also freestyle. And yes, I count blog posts towards my totals.

My 700 and 1,200 word weeks were “short story sprints.” For the first one, I worked on an existing short story. For the second, I plan on writing a new one, which will (with luck) be the final installment of the Post Club.

The final stretch before November is 1,667 words a day on a dedicated project. I don’t have to finish the project, I just have to work on the same one every day.

I'm not doing so well on my training. Not horrible, but I've missed a few days. I think it'll be easier once Nano actually starts, and I can work on the project that I'm actually excited about at the moment, instead of whatever is mildly interesting at the time. And this week I haven't much wanted to write, because of the whole "I'm not longer getting published" thing. I'm starting to get back into the swing of things now, though.

I like crossing things off my list. Having a schedule is satisfying, I think, and I’m finding it useful since I’m writing two books and knitting a bunch of samples this month.

What kind of training do you do for Nano? How early do you start?

P.S. Posted this on the typewriter thread in the Nano forums. I'm just going to leave it here. :)

CENSORED

As you all know (hopefully, anyway!) I've been working on a book of knitting patterns for the past year. I got a contract, and have been working on patterns and samples.

Until Monday night. Monday night, I was hoping to get shipping info for my yarn support (yarn provided by the publisher and a willing company to make samples, which are then used to promote both the book and the manufacturer). Instead, with no reason and no warning, I was informed that CENSORED has been cut.

That's right. The book has been dropped.

I don't think I have to tell you what a blow this is to me. I'm completely devastated. That's not just a credit I have to remove from my resume, that's the entire budget for yarn, photography, tech editing, and printing up in smoke.

I've put the last year of my life into this. I don't want it to die, but I can't do it on my own. I'm barely paying the bills from week to week; paying for everything else just isn't possible.

I've come up with a list of options here (Ravelry link). Take a look if you are so inclined, and weigh in with your opinion.

It's That Time of Year Again

I'm back!

Did you miss me?

And guess what: It's that time of year again.

The weather is getting cooler. The leaves are changing, if they haven't vanished already. Even though the Halloween decor hasn't been put up yet, the crazy's are already coming out, making their lists and planning how they will spend the last few days after Thanksgiving.

No, I'm not talking about Christmas. Nanowrimo, of course!

Around the time my Blog Break started, I began outlining a training schedule for myself. I kept saying that I wasn't going to do Nano this year, because with a book under contract, I doubt I'll have time. But...

I might as well give it a go, eh?

Once again, I'll be joining the Typewriter Brigade on the Nano forums. I'm not committing to doing an entire novel on the typewriter, just because my time is so limited and I'm faster on the computer than on the typewriter, but I did do my entire outline on the Sterling, and I'll probably work at least in part on the typewriter, now that I have two portables. If you're part of the Columbus region, you might see me at the occasional meetup with a typewriter. I'll be the one with the blue hair, if the typewriter isn't enough of a giveaway.

Inspiration ADD

My brain is still going in overdrive. In the last two weeks, I've gotten ideas for a webcomic (well, two of them, technically), a possible second run for the Post Club, a short-story-but-also-possibly-a-novel, plus I've been wanting to work on at least three existing projects.

There simply aren't enough hours in a day to do everything I want to do. Work keeps getting in the way, especially since I worked longer than usual hours last week.

The more I try to focus on one project and get it done, the more ideas I get for other things. This is how it usually works for me--I have periods of creative drought, so to speak, and then bursts where by brain won't shut up and is moving faster than my hands (or the rest of me) can keep up with. I'm trying to make as many notes as I can so that I can save the ideas for those dry spells when I have nothing (I use the phrase loosely) to work on.

The outlining process seems to be working really well for me. I used to hate writing outlines, but I've discovered that for me, writing out the entire story in outline format is useful because it helps me find weak points in the plot. Last month I was working on the third or forth draft of an outline for a story I've already rewritten five or six times. By examining the outline, I learned that the point where my stories usually go astray is when the antagonist shows up. I'm working on creating richer, more defined villians as a result. Villians are people too, so they need to have motivations that are just as strong as those of the hero(ine).

I'm afraid that the one thing this creative deluge has been ignoring is the blog. Every time I try to sit down and write a post, it wants to be a list. A list of all of the disorganized little things I'm working on, reading, and watching. So if there's something that you want my opinion on, leave a comment and I'll happily work up a post about it!

A List of Things

1. Due to some nonsense with Yahoo, I've deleted my account. If you need to contact me, you can do so through my gmail address: knotmagickknitter (at) gmail

2. Read Recently: Haunted London by Richard Jones
While hardly the end-all-be-all of travel haunting books, this was really fun to read and includes stories of over a hundred haunted places in London. A few I've been to, a few I'd never heard of, and a few I knew more about than was mentioned in the book. If you're into that sort of thing, then it might be nice to pick up before your next trip. Each entry includes a brief overview of both the haunting and the history of the location, as well as it's location on a map and the nearest tube stations.

3. Read Recently: Sailor V manga, vol. 2
If Pacific Rim didn't restart my anime kick, then this definately did. I'm a huge Naoko Takeuchi fan, have been for years. I love her art style and I can't tell you how excited I was when I found out that not only are Sailor V and Sailor Moon getting reprints with all new (better!) translations, but there's going to be a reboot of the Sailor Moon anime starting later this year. So far details are very hush-hush, but I'm stalking a couple of the SM boards and fansites looking for details.

4. Watched Recently: Ripper Street
I love Matthew Macfadyen. He stars in this excellent Victorian-set crime drama (available on Netflix), and if you haven't seen it yet, go find it. It's wonderful. That is all.

5. Currently Watching: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
I watched the first FMA series (most of it) when it was first coming out in the US. My college roommate was completely obsessed with the series, so really it was unavoidable. It was good.

Brotherhood is so much better.

I find myself incapable of watching less than half a dozen episodes in a sitting, and I don't remember the last time I did that with an anime. 

This one is also on Netflix.

6. Caffrey continues to get a workout. Can I just say again how much I love, love, love using a typewriter for outlines? My current outline in progress is top secret, however. I might give a few details next week, if I decide to pursue it. If not, it will go into the file I've started for outlines.

7. Since he's been getting so much use, I'm starting to think that Caffrey needs a bit of a makeover. The grey 70s look just isn't me, and I've got a tube of royal blue acrylic paint that has been sitting unused for some time, not to mention several cans of spraypaint. But that is likely a project for another time, since I STILL haven't pulled out the steampunk typewriter. I've started to three or four times this week, and then gotten distracted by other things. Perhaps over the weekend. We'll see.

8. Lists happen when I am both in a funk and when I'm feeling super creative. For once, it's the later. My brain is going in about a hundred directions at once, and it wants to DO ALL THE THINGS. I'm trying to rein it in with some knitting. It may need to be tied down with something stronger than yarn.

Random Three

I keep missing my blogging deadlines.

Nothing wrong, this time around. I'm just behind on almost everything (still. Always).

Mostly, I'm just glad that last week is over. I'm just trying to make up for all of the stuff I missed because of all of the crap that was happening.

so in the mean time, you get a list of three random things, since that is all I can manage right now.

1. I've been using the Sterling to draft an outline for....version eight? of I novel I'm working on. So far it's up to eight pages and is looking more and more like a novel in and of itself.

2. Tomorrow I'm planning on finally sitting down with my steampunk typewriter. It arrived just before the convention back in April (as in, the night before we left), but with everything that's been going on I completely forgot about it until in the madness of cleaning I found it in the living room. How pathetic that I can't even remember the make and model at this point? Anyway, tomorrow it goes in for surgery and hopefully I'll be able to repair the damage to the carriage that it endured during shipping.

3. Sketches, swatches, and yarn lists are in to my editor, so the real work on the book should begin shortly. Just waiting to hear her thoughts on what I sent her.

be back on Wednesday. Let me know if you find my brain laying around between now and then....

Typecast #11: Health Benefits of the Typewriter

Sent from my Smith Corona Sterling

Typecast #10

Have I really only done ten of these? It's been way too long!

Click to make them bigger.

And as an added bonus, a photo of Hermes and his "guilty" face for unplugging my monitor.

You can see he feels about as much guilt as any cat ever does. Which is to say, none.

Last but not least, the winners of the Birthday Contest! Random.org drew numbers 20 and 4, which means that AuroraSelene will be getting the yarn and pattern, and Asteride will be getting the pattern! (you should be getting a Ravelry PM from me within the next day or so to get your details and to get the code for the download).Congratulations!

Knitter's Weekend Part II: TNNA Designer's Lunch Meetup

One of the things I've been wanting to save up to get for a while are a couple of professional memberships/certification programs. It hasn't happened yet, but this weekend while The National Needlearts Association trade show (TNNA) was in Columbus I crashed the party for an informal lunch meetup with a bunch of fellow designers and writers in the industry. There were so many people that I got a bit of sensory overload trying to listen to four conversations at once. I bounced around from one group to another, listening mostly, but still made some great contacts with other designers and industry professionals.

Next year, I should be able to get into the show itself. Technically, I could have this year, but I didn't get my contract for CENSORED until just before the show, and I didn't want to be asking my publisher for badges when nothing had been signed yet. I caught a few glimpses through the doors as people came and went, and it looked amazing! A few years ago when I was an intern for a yarn company part of my job was setting up the booth and trolling the show floor to take in the competition, and it was the most incredible collection of yarn, publishers, and designers I've ever seen. Between Pride and TNNA, this weekend made me happy to live in Columbus--not an easy feat!

Some of you might have gathered that with all of my out and about over the weekend, I missed Typewriter day, which is true, but in a nice coincidence, one of the conversations I was listening to turned to typewriters at one point! A couple of designers were reminiscing to their early days in the industry, when their submissions were done on a typewriter and some of the challenges it posed. I think that by and large most of them are very pleased to have things like Microsoft Word and Photoshop to make patterns and charts easier to put together!

Hopefully, I will have a typecast up for next week, but I need to get the house to myself first. I also injured my hand last week (nothing serious, just a really bad bruise) so it's somewhat difficult for me to lift all 40 pounds of Prince Henry (the KMM) onto my desk right now. I could use Caffrey, the Sterling, but I need to type up the next installment of the Post Club and Henry produces neater text. Although, his keys are a little stiffer and I'm not sure I could manage them right now, at least not for several pages of text anyway. Hopefully in a few days it will be back to normal or near enough that I can get back to work. Just using the computer keyboard/mouse aggravates it (though knitting doesn't seem to be much of a problem, provided I'm not working cables. I wonder why?).

Oh, and in brighter news, the laptop has finally found it's way home, after two weeks away. According to the tech, there's nothing wrong with it. How accurate that statement is, however, remains to be seen.

Don't forget, you've still got a few days to enter the Birthday Contest!

Finishing Friday

It's getting to be crunch time. Seven days from now, I'll be in Cincinnati for Steampunk Symposium.

Wednesday I spent all day sewing, attempting to get our costumes finished. Missouri has a lovely skirt, and the bulk for my Victorian walking dress is done, it's just waiting on buttons and trim--which my end up hand sewn on Friday night in the hotel room. (Is it scary or just sad that I'm contemplating bringing my sewing  machine to a convention?)

This year, I will remember my camera. And the charger. And a spare battery. And the cord. No repeats of last year, when I got to take one picture and then my battery died on me. I want pictures, dammit!

I'll have more details on the costumes once we get back. I also finished a knitting project, but I can't show it off just yet because it's for CENSORED. I'm a sketch and a photo shoot away from a finished book proposal. If I'm very, very lucky I'll be able to send it off before we got to Symposium, but with everything on my plate right now I kind of doubt it.

Lastly: I declare the week of April 28 to be Steampunk Week. that's when you'll get the rundown on the costumes, the con, and probably some tea, so stick around!

So Many Books!

It feels good to bring books and reading back into this blog. Last year, I was so stressed that reading was difficult. I had trouble finding the head space to sit down; I'd get bored, or distracted, or anxious, feeling like I was wasting my time by not working on something productive. I might read a chapter, but when I closed the book I couldn't have told you what happened in it. I tried audio books, but I'm not an aural learner by nature and found those even harder to concentrate on.

So I did a lot of knitting and watched a lot of movies, and tried to write when I could.

I still haven't done a lot of reading this year; not even a quarter of what I would like. but it's coming back. I'm hoping that once I get Censored off of my desk, I'll be ready to start working on fiction full time again, since I have way too many of those projects waiting to be completed.

One step at a time.
-----
It's started to warm up a little around here. We've opened the windows once or twice to let things air out. I've even seen the sun a few times, which lends a sense of optimism to any situation. It feels like things are finally starting to look up. I don't know how far up they're going to go, but right now I'll settle for baby steps.

Just a little at a time.

Chocolate, Writing, and a Cat.

I'm starting to think that the hardest part of writing a book is writing the proposal. Getting the manuscript out in such a way isn't so much of a challenge as convincing other people that they should care about it. My natural shyness doesn't help--I was raised to be humble, play off my accomplishments. "So I wrote this book, maybe you'll read it, if you want?...Why? Oh, well, no reason..."

This is the first time I've ever written a book proposal (I'm only just starting to get the hang of the query letter and the cover letter is still a mysterious beast for me), so I constantly feel like I'm doing it wrong. Is there enough information? Too much? Is it the right information? Is my wording professional enough? If I make it more formal, will it still convey the feel of the book accurately? How many images should I include? What size should they be? Do I sound arrogant when listing my meager credentials? Or just stupid?

I do have a book on the subject--which was, in fact, written by the owner of one of the publishers I'll be sending it to--and that is helpful, but not as helpful as I would like. But then, I'm cautious by nature and seldom like to move forward unless I have a green light glaring down at me.
 
As a form of procrastination, I've resorted to organizing my desk (don't all writers do that?). I did have a legitimate reason. I had to make room for the necessities, which are pictured at the center of the drawer there. 

Yes. Chocolate is ESSENTIAL to my creative process.

Besides, where else would I keep my stash so that the cat doesn't get into it?


You can see how intent he is. He's lately renewed his obsession with whatever I am drinking (usually water, thankfully) and has been knocking over my glasses again. I've taken to keeping bottled water by the bed and using a juice glass the rest of the time because it's low enough that I can stick it in my desk drawer when I'm working. The last time he dumped my drink, it was all over my desk. Thankfully, my laptop was on the pull out tray at the time and was spared, but it came dangerously close to an important notebook and a new book. I don't think he'd eat the chocolate, but I can see him using the Cadbury eggs as a toy because of the way they spin.

Don't let the cuteness fool you. He's trouble, nothing but.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go cuddle my fuzzy little demon.

Long Time, No See

I took a break from my writing break and have been working on a couple of stories that have been running through my head. The first is a sequel to "Birds of a Feather." I had another sequel written, but was very unhappy with it. We'll see if try number two is any better, or if seconds in a series are doomed to be the poorest.

The second is also a sequel, but due to where it falls in the timeline, it reads as a stand alone. I think I mentioned it before--Part Deux of the Nanowrimo story I did last November, only rather than taking place in Victorian England, this one is set in 1925 in New York. I suppose it's not so much a sequel as a book set in the same world, but about 30 years later.

This story has got all kinds of fun stuff going on in my brain, so I declare next week to be 1920s week! If you want to join me, feel free to blog about all things 1920s related. Yes, I'll be throwing in a typewriter or three, but I'm saving those for Friday. Fashion, movies, music, art--whatever inspires you, feel free to post about it.

I'm still focusing on my designing--more on that coming soon--but sometimes it's good to take a break. Keeps the creative juices flowing.

Feast or Famine

One of the reasons I decided to take a break from creative writing is because it wasn't where my headspace was. Not only do I have things to accomplish on my self-imposed deadline, but right now knitting and designing is where my brain is at. When you're thinking in terms of K2TOG v. SSK, sometimes it's hard to transition into eloquent descriptions and engaging dialogue. Seriously, try it. Write a technical page using every possible abbreviation, making it as concise as possible with as few words, then write another page of flowery description. I bet you that either one is better than the other, or neither comes out because you're trying too hard to shift gears. I know that for me, at least, the neurological version of a transmission doesn't like it. Since those are expensive to replace, I'll stick with knitting for a while.

Which is great, since I've got an awesome book I'm writing. I've also got two more waiting in the wings.

And then this morning, I thought up a fourth.

Sometimes, it's great to have all of this creativity coming at you. Other times, it's frustrating, since we've already established that I can't Do All The Things!! much as I would like to. For starters, I only have one set of hands, and until medicine or evolution gives me at least three more, and the brain power to use them, there's no way I can work on all of these projects at once.

But, it's good to have options. See, each of these books has a different feel or theme to them. Censored is a little vulgar, but funny. It's also sarcastic. The patterns are mostly beginner level.

Knitting on the Road, which is on deck, contains slightly more complicated patterns. It's wistful, and fun, but lacks actual humor. It's more creative, I think, in terms of construction techniques and the combination of knitting and crochet.

The Yarnpocolypse, returns to witty, sarcastic humor, and combines knitting, crochet, and sewing with short stories and comics. Unlike Censored, though, it's got a PG rating.

This new book is untitled (hey, I just woke up!) and it's a departure from all three. It would be classic, "traditional" patterns--cardigans, socks, etc--that would have a broader appeal than any of the other books. There might be lace in it, if I could ever figure out how to do it. The idea is that there be a pattern named after and inspired by each of the women in my family. I've got designs running around in my head that need to be put on paper.

In addition, I'm collecting designs for a geek-themed collection, steampunk, and litterary inspired patterns.

I think I'm going to be knitting for a long while, yet.

Shuffling

It occurred to me this week that it was a bit insane for me to finish three large knitting projects, write a knitting book, and write two novels and at least three short stories in the next twelve months while holding down a full time job. And also blogging and you know, having a life. It sounds dumb, but it really did take me taht long to realize that the reason nothing was getting done was because I was trying to Do All The Things...and doing them at the same time!

So, I've reshuffled a little bit. Since I have outlines for the novels, but am currently a bit bored with them (these being versions 2.0 and....6.0? respectively), I've decided to set them aside. The post club stories are complete, but will probably be revised at some point. I would like to do some more short stories this year, but they will likely not be for publication, rather for character development purposes on the novels. I guess they're more writing exercises than anything else.

I've jotted down notes and the beginnings of two or three potential novels since the beginning of the year, but I'm not sure they will go anywhere. For the moment, my creative writing is either parked or idling, inching forward when I need a break from knitting.

I'm focusing all of my efforts into "Censored." About 50% of the patterns are written at this point, and most of them have been test knit. I'm working on putting together a submission packet as we speak, and will probably send it out in June, goddess willing. There is a possibility that I'll have to hire someone to do some sample knitting, or perhaps find someone willing to loan me one of their test knits. I'm keeping Kickstarter in the back of my mind for this reason.

In the coming weeks you'll probably see a lot more knitting on this blog than previously--not just what I'm working on, but also inspiration shots. I'm open to answering questions or posting tutorials, as well, so if there's something you'd like to see, drop me a line. I've also got some book reviews lined up, as well as some posts related to textile history and conservation.

The writing and typewriters aren't going to go away, they're just going to be set aside, for a little while. They'll still pop up from time to time, but if I'm going to get anything done this year, I need to narrow my focus a bit before I go completely mental. Considering I'm already halfway there, I don't need any encouragement.

P.S. Speaking of test knits, there is currently one running on Ravelry for "Charlotte." If you're not on Rav and would still like to take part, please email me. 

Novel Preview!

Wait, it's Tuesday? How did that happen?

Sorry about the delay. I had some technical issues on Monday and spend the entire day trying to fix them. Turns out it was an easy fix once I had some help, but since I'm still re-learning Windows, I was lost and thought I'd completely screwed things up.

But, as promised, here is the second preview installment for the KnotMagick Post Club. Below is the prologue for the novel (which kind of still needs a title...):

Prolgue: Theo

Picadilly was busy, filled with people on their way here or there. Street vendors pushed carts through the crowd, calling out their wares of meat of questionable origin on a stick or baked into a bun. The smoke of London and general stink of city streets made my nose itch. I held back a sneeze, but kept my eye on the target: an unassuming looking man in a jacket and top hat, a deceptively decorative walking stick at his side.

                I glanced across the street at Thomas and nodded once. He nodded back, moving in the direction of the man. Further up the road, three others from our unit mobilized. He might not have looked like anything special, but it was a well known fact that the unassuming man in the top hat was running half of the illegal trade in dragon eggs in the city, and who knew what else.

                Wes, my partner, had suspicions that he was tied to the Rhinoceros Brigade, which had once been the largest crime organization in London. I’d known Wes most of my life, and when he had a suspicion, you could almost bet it was fact.

                As I passed a ratty looking man with a wheelbarrow full of fish, the sneeze won. It bent me double and left me searching for my handkerchief, even as Thomas and our quarry moved further north. I blew my nose and tried to catch up even though my eyes were still watering a little.

                That was when it hit me.

                Like a punch in the stomach, or trying to walk away from a coach only to realize your sleeve is caught in the door as the horses take off at a gallop, the scent made me stop. My knees went wobbly with disbelief.

                It can’t be, I thought. It was impossible. I hadn’t smelled that scent in seven years; I never thought I would again.

                I turned.

                And there she was.

                She wasn’t at all like I remembered. Seven years ago she’d been a playful eleven-year-old with pigtails, freckles, and a singing voice that would make angels cry, who hugged everyone and frequently fell asleep with her head on my shoulder or in my lap.

                Now though, her own mother wouldn’t have recognized her if they’d met on the street. Or if she did, she’d faint from shock.

                She was pretty in the way a burlesque dancer might be; the kind of beauty that made respectable women give her wide birth as they passed, whispering behind their hands at how scandalously short her skirt was, baring her ankles in broad daylight. It was the kind of beauty that made good men blush and turn away, and not so good med follow, come what may.

                Lace gloves covered her from fingertip to above the elbow, and the low, plunging neck of her dress wasn’t disguised by the matching lace shawl, which didn’t do much to cover the bareness of her white shoulders, either.

                Her hair was darker than when she was  a child; auburn now instead of ginger, and twisted and curled over her shoulder in something almost ladylike. Her face was too sweet for the expression she gave me, which turned her red lips up coyly.

                Her eyes were the same gray I remembered, but were so heavily lined that I could hardly tell she’d gotten them from her mother. The look they held didn’t help.

                She opened her mouth once, then closed it. She raised her finger to point at me. “I know you,” She said at last, tapping me on the chest. I was so flabbergasted at seeing her again, I couldn’t speak.

                She turned a slow circle around me, trailing her hand across my shoulders, looking me up and down.

                I shouldn’t have, but I allowed my appearance to return to it’s natural state. Instead of hiding my eyes—wolf’s eyes, with a light blue center and dark blue ring—I allowed them to show. People found it unnerving, so I usually used my talent as a shapeshifter to turn them brown. I could change the color, but not the pattern. Brown made them less noticeable. I always tried to be less noticeable. It helped, in my line of work.

                She seemed to be considering something. Then she slid one gloved hand to the back of my neck, pulled me down and kissed me, right there on the street.

                I took a deep breath of her, tasted her. And there was no doubt in my mind. Despite changed appearance, she was one and the same.

                “Felicia…”

                She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. She looked confused. Not the reaction I normally get after kissing a woman.

                A shout from behind me.  I turned to see Thomas chasing after our suspect. When I glanced back, Felicia was gone.