Nov 17 2009
One Storm Down
I’m sitting at my internet computer in my office, staring out over the Pacific Ocean, watching the huge waves left from yesterday’s big wind storm. As far as storms go here on the Oregon Coast, it wasn’t that bad for us.
What’s not bad in a storm with winds gusting over 90 mph? The power only went off for a short time and then just dimmed a few dozen times as the evening went on, so both Kris and I got a lot of work done. With the wind really pounding, we finally gave up the writing at midnight and retreated to watch the new Castle.
Kris’s new office is on the north side of the building, away from the wind, so her office remained pretty quiet. My office overlooks the ocean and my window was getting pounded by the rain and top winds, since we live on the top of a hill. It got noisy at times, I’ll tell you.
This morning, the damage was light around our compound. We lost the tops of three trees that came down across the driveway, and it took me some exercise to clear the driveway so we could get out for lunch. But today turned sunny and beautiful. Not a day for a walk on the beach, though. Really high tides and huge surf, cresting over 30 feet. Stunning to watch from a distance.
Last night during the storm I got up the start of a new web site for a pen name I just mailed a novel off under. The book hasn’t sold, but I figured I might as well start the site and have it ready. If you want to take a look, it’s Dee W. Schofield and I even put up a blurb I wrote for the book under that name. A science fiction romance called Subway Martians. I’ll shout if it sells. I have a second book written under that pen name I’ll be mailing out shortly as well. When I do, I’ll put up a sample chapter of the book on that sight.
Now, the news is telling us that a second storm is headed our way, as bad if not worse than the one yesterday. It’s due on Thursday. We can only hope they are wrong.
Is it worth living here overlooking the wild Pacific Ocean? Right now, the sky is bright pink, the huge waves pink with the sunset colors. Yeah, it’s worth it, even with the high winds in November every year.
The following picture is out my window, taken from my writing desk, just after I moved into this office, one beautiful night this last summer. The white cat is Walter White Kitty, a lost cat I rescued about a week before this photo and who now stays right with me most of the time. (He’s on my lap as I type this, actually.) Today, the colors are pink, not orange as in the picture, and the waves huge instead of calm as in the picture. But you get the idea.
Cheers, Dean
Beautiful spot, Dean!
Good luck with your submission!
Wow, 90 mile an hour wind. We don’t get anywhere near that around here. But the sights there do sound amazing. Almost as good as around here.
Pardon me for a stupid question, I may have missed something in one of your blogs but what is your new Castle. It sounds like your house but if so how do you watch it?
And your new feline friend looks fat. Hard to tell for sure but that is what it looks like to me.
Louis
Castle, the television show about a writer following around a detective, that some lucky writer (not me) actually got to write a novel for. Great show about writing.
He wasn’t fat at the time, but he’s gained some since then. Just very, very long white hair with gold tones. He’s a Burman. And very sweet. How anyone could lose him is beyond me, but we searched for an owner and couldn’t find one. He’s my cat now. (grin)
Cheers,
Dean
Dean, you’ll be happy to know that Castle is now a top 20 show, and one of ABC’s best performers. Best TV chemistry since Moonlighting.
Would love to know who ghosted the book by the fictional lead of the show, as it’s a top seller. (Unless, of course, it’s you Dean, and then we know you’re sworn to secrecy and are simply trying to throw us off.)
Not me, but I sure wish it were. I could have written the book and would have had a blast. I don’t know who did it, but there are rumors out there.
(sigh) My office-to-be is a basement affair. No glorious sunsets for me.
Not yet, anyway.
It’s nice to be back in fly-over country. But goodness, there are times when I do miss the Pacific, especially in the summertime.
Beautiful, Dean!
Wow, with wind and waves like that, no wonder people get sucked off the beach in OR.
Also had to say that the pic from your desk is wonderfully inspiring…I want to be a writer who has a view like that!
Hi Dean,
Even with that absolutely gorgeous view out the window, my first thought was what a sweet kitty! LOL
Can you post another picture of the huge waves and pink sky?
Totally love Castle. Great show.
Deborah
He is totally sweet. And I didn’t think to take a picture of it. Next time I will. Three more storms headed at the west coast. Rocking and rolling here.
Cheers, Dean
Freakin’ great shot, Dean. Just spectacular.
I think I read the proposal for Subway Martians in the Marketing Workshop! Good luck with that one! I liked it!
I’ve seen Patterson and Butcher thrown around as possible Castle ghost writers, but I think it’s more likely someone like you.
In fact, I did suspect you for a bit. My wife has it on her Kindle, but I haven’t read it yet. She doesn’t put her Kindle down that often…
Not that I could tell if it was you by reading it. You morph too easily. I just remember you talking about a movie star ghosting opportunity last year, so I suspect at a minimum you were in a position to be the ghost writer.
I know. deny deny. I am curious and I suspect we’ll all find out a couple years after the series is over, but I think it has legs and will be around a while.
So, what is it, one book per season? Is that what your contract says?
Oh, don’t I wish I had written that one, and I would write it if they offered, but they didn’t, sadly. It wasn’t me. And it wasn’t Patterson or Butcher either. You are right, it’s a writer like me, someone who can hit a voice and a deadline. Just not me, sadly.
Yeah, I liked Subway Martians a lot as well, and when I got writing the sample chapters, I had a blast writing them, so I have a hunch if a publisher/editor jumps at it, I’m going to have fun.
Cheers
Dean