Friday, January 2, 2009

Bear Necessities


Finally got home after delivering my mum back Up North, and all that driving has made my eyes spin like Nookie Bear's. Does anyone remember that crazed animal?? (You don't have to answer.) He was operated by a rather suave gentleman with a borderline handle-bar moustache, by the name of Roger de Courcy. I went to see them live, once, at The Futurist theatre in Scarborough. I was clearly a troubled child.

'Pon my return, I discovered via my Story a Fortnight blog that I apparently have not one, but TWO stories in the February edition of Fiction Feast (out now at all good newsagents). I'm very thrilled indeed, but it's typical that I'm the last to know. Even my friend said, 'Oh yeah, I've got a copy here, I thought you knew,' when I rang her. She might as well have added 'blah, blah, blah, so what, I'm not even going to read them.' I think she's getting sick of my girlish excitement. I wonder when the novelty of it all will wear off? I squealed like a tiny piglet when I found out, even though I knew they were going to be published sometime. It's hardly dignified behaviour for a woman my age. Twenty-two for those of you who've forgotten.

The glory days of morning-in-bed-writing are over though. Back to normal next week. Shame as, bizzarely, I managed to do more writing during what is, traditionally, the busiest time of the year than I normally do. And that was despite our boiler breaking down on Monday, just as the temperature outside plunged to -5000. I kept on typing with frozen fingers and managed to churn out 800 words every day for a week, as promised (to myself.) My mum took to creeping along the landing for her shower every morning so as not to disturb me, making much more noise than normal, bless her. "Did you do it?" she demanded every day, when I finally surfaced glazed of eye and wild of hair. I think she liked being caught up in the madness.

Now, I'm afraid that I won't be able to write at all without a duvet wrapped round me, a flask of tea to drink, a tin of Quality Street to hand, Christmas decorations everywhere, turkey piled high in the fridge, crackers being pulled in the background, Emmerdale on the telly, a family game of rummy every night, and my mother in an armchair playing Tetris on her mobile phone. (She's bloody obsessed with that game.)

Must pull myself together...

23 comments:

Lane Mathias said...

I remember that bear and I'm only twenty seven:-)

Big congratulations on your double whammy. I will go out to buy it toot sweet. You've every right to be squealing with glee. That's some accomplishment m'dear.

Glad you had a lovely Christmas. I'm quite sad it's all over. For all my humbug before, it was jolly nice:-)

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

Well done. Will buy a copy as soon as I can get to WH Smith.

Tamsyn Murray said...

Squeal!! Well done, you :-)

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

I'll be writing soon...tonight I'm just exhausted. Family left today. Did I say I'm exhausted?

Anna Scott Graham said...

excellent work there!!

what a way to start the year... :)))

Jenny Beattie said...

Wow, congrats on the double strike. I shall ring a relative and ask that they send me a copy.

You are all making me want to write short stories... I want to have a go; I do, I do...

Honeysuckle said...

Two in one issue is brilliant - not surprised you squealed. Can we have a whole post on the secret of selling to Norah please?

Dumdad said...

I remember that bear and, like Lane, I'm only 27.

I remember one gag in particular.

Nookie: "Do you know why Winnie the Pooh is called that?"

Roger: "No."

Nookie: "Because he smells!"

Boom, boom, as Basil might add.

HelenMWalters said...

We'll be calling you Theresa soon ...

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Blimey, two stories in one magazine! Two stories in one year would be thrilling for me.

Congrats, what a brilliant start to the year.

Henry the Dog said...

Congrats to you - two good reasons to be excited & a great start to 2009:) Mum remembers the bear - don't think she was keen though.

Yvonne said...

Well done on your good news and your amazing word count over the holiday!

Lorna F said...

Congratulations, Karen, and well done too for managing to write in such circumstances! By the way, Roger de Courcy (minus Nookie) featured in the dramatisation of 'The 39 Steps' the other day - although I have to say it was Rupert Penry-Jones I was watching it for. That man has to take his shirt off in every programme he stars in! :-)

Lorna F said...

I meant Rupert has to take his shirt off - not Roger, of course!

Ayr Writers' Club said...

Congrats on the two stories. I picked up TaB today but I haven't got round to reading it yet. I'll go and make a coffee and settle down for a good read right now!

♥ Boomer ♥ said...

Now that I've had a little time to really READ and DIGEST your post, I think it's awesome! TWO! That's amazing!

Congratulations!!

DAB said...

Well done m'dear. Keep up the good work. :) Tommox.

That bear was spooky - it was on drugs me reckons, very strange glassy eyes

Colette McCormick said...

Conratulations. What an excellent start to the year.
And yes, I remember the bear.

Kath McGurl said...

I remember the bear too and I'm not a day over 21. Ahem.

Brilliant start to the year. May there be many more doubles to come!

Michelle said...

I remember Nookie (now has a Carry on association with the name, although that bypassed me as a kid of course).
Great way to begin 2009, well done.
Michelle
x
word verification was nonstyk !!

Leon1234 said...

That is a lovely post!!!

Karen said...

lane - Yes our Christmas was lovely after all m'moaning! Better than the other way round I suppose :o)

suzanne - That's so lovely! Hope you like them (cringes)

Thanks Tam!

bfs - It's a really tiring time isn't it? Lovely, but tiring :o)

anna - Let's hope it carries on that way :o)

jj - Go for it! Using prompts is what got me started. Gets the brain ticking over :o)

honeysuckle - I wish I knew what the secret was! She just rejected two that I thought were right for the mag, so it's impossible to tell :o)

dumdad - He was very much ruder live, if I remember rightly. Naughty bear.

helenmh - I've a way to go yet, methinks :o))

debs - It wouldn't have happened without the Story a Fortnight blog Cally set up...having prompts and a deadline, not the mention the brilliant feedback really spurred me on :o)

henry the dog - Not many people were keen on the bear. At least Orville was cute!

yvonne - Thanks - I surprised myself actually :o))

lorna f - Was he really?? How funny. I recorded it but haven't got round to watching it yet :o)

sky blue - How lovely, I hope you enjoy them :o)

bfs - Why thank you m'dear :o)

tommo - One of them probably was, I'm not sure which :o))

gonna be a writer - It's not a bad start - just hope I can keep it up :o)

womagwriter - Thanks :o) Funny how many twenty-somethings there are on here!!

mickmouse - Word verification is quite apt sometimes! Thanks for the good wishes, the same to you :o))

leon basin - Thank you :o))

Janette said...

Congrats on the stories. PS I still have my Nookie the bear - what does that make me??