Twofer Tuesday - Dust Bitten

I finished the second pass corrections of my vampire western the other day. My husband was away so I didn't have to stop and take care of any of that regular meal nonsense. I still ate as I've got a vague recollection of commercial pizza and some sort of accompanying dip in the fridge.
He was gone for four nights. It got progressively easier to be alone at night although I wonder as to the wisdom of fixing vampire prose before bed.
Today the husband is back and I'm letting my mind wander around on its own for a bit until it's ready to tackle the third manuscript and Mrs. Ingetuckle et al.
Meanwhile, the recently corrected manuscript is resting comfortable in a dark, soothing corner of the hard drive. It needs its time alone.

Here's a bit from Biting the Dust:
"A woman's scream shattered his thoughts. The hard laugh that followed it excited him."

Yesterday I finally cracked the cover on All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (this edition Ballantine Books 1982).

"What's more important still is the issue of a double ration of smokes. Ten cigars, twenty cigarettes, and two quids of chew per man; now that is decent."

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It's Tuesday! Yay! Sentences!

Scary-ish cattail photo. Sort of related in that the tale I'm reading features a cat.

I've taken a bit of a break from the Two Sentences Tuesdays, but I'm pleased to say I haven't taken a break from writing. Well, editing really. I'm nearly finished fixing the obvious errors in my vampire western. Soon I'll run out a hard copy and find what else is wrong with it.
It should be fun.

I'm currently reading a fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey from her Elemental Masters series. It's No. five. I haven't read the other four, but I may have to now.
Here are two sentences from it.
In this scene the main character, and her maid, and the creature that lives in her kitchen have trapped a homunculus.

"Limping slightly, the cat leaped out the window, leaving the two young women and the brownie staring at one another.
'Well,' Ninette said, finally. 'Do you think we ought to put more heavy things on top of the pot?'

-Reserved for the Cat, Mercedes Lackey (Daw Books, Inc. 2007)

Here's a bit from my recent foray into correcting.
From Biting the Dust:

"Part of her wanted to hold Jemima Clayton and the other longed to sink her fangs into the beautiful slender neck and drink. Holding Jemima meant she'd be consumed by her. The other way meant she'd consume Jemima. Desire and death.
'Kiss or bite,' she muttered. She turned Hades to the valley and rode."

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Thanks for reading.

The Boots Worked

The North Saskatchewan River at Preacher's Point. The photo has nothing to do with the post. I just like it.

I finished my vampire western yesterday.
I put my boots on for the final push and wrote the final scene just before 11:30 a.m. The manuscript came in at just under 56,000 words. I’d thought at first it would be around 60,000, but toward the end I realized it would be closer to 55,000.
It felt good.
I haven’t written “The End” nor have I used the editing symbol -30- on that last page yet. That glorious moment will come in its own good time.
About a week ago I got an idea for a third book. It grabbed hold of my imagination and it would not let go.
Originally, the vampire western was meant to keep me occupied while my first novel’s first draft cooled off.
I was going to get after editing it. Instead I took a few hours off in the afternoon and then cracked open a fresh file and began working on the third book.
I’ll get the editing done on the first one, and the second one, but for now I’ve got to get something done on the third.