Busy mind = no sleep = befuddled brain

.
.
There is something wonderful about being abuzz with ideas, the post-it notes stacking up beside the bed, a writer-is-cooking state.

But it often equals little sleep, unfortunately, so I'll pay for it today, no doubt — and likely, no doubt, when I'm at my most brain-befuddled and meeting with my agent this afternoon to discuss The Next Novel.

Here are some of my notes:

Buy bug dope (for our trip up north this coming weekend).

Look for the novel Vagabond by Colette (in English, please): this novel is about her being part of an acting troupe, and thus of relevance for The Next Novel.

"Many would wonder how a woman can get to the age of xxx and still be a virgin." A possible opening sentence of The Next Novel? ("xxx" means Look it up.)

"The End of Magic" -- possible book title?

Plus the thought of pairing that title with the scull painting shown -- I know, dismal, but I love it. You can see the problem my editors have. (Not to mention that the novel is not even begun much less written.)

Plus a number of notes on a wonderful new novel I'm reading (in manuscript) for Mary Sharratt, a novel I'm "blurbing."

The sun is up now as I write this, and so is the world. My husband is singing "Rhinestone Cowboy" and cooking breakfast. A day begins.

German edition

.
.
I was pleased to learn this morning (through a Yahoo group!) the title of the German edition of Mistress of the Sun: Die Sonne des Königs, which I'm told translates as Sun of the King, a title I like. When I googled that title I got 46 hits — all showing the novel available for pre-order. At last I found what I was seeking: an image of the cover, which I rather like. (Although with one concern: the image of the King, from what I can tell — it doesn't enlarge well — might be from a portrait of him as an old man. I hope not.)

In the process, I discovered a simply hideous cover of Joséphine. (I wonder which of the Trilogy that title would be.) In general, the translated editions have been gorgeous, but this one? Not!

And so: to work. Today I've a "guest blog" post to pull together, as well as on-going work on the plot of The Next Novel. It's the usual push-pull between fact and fiction. I develop a storyline, and then discover a fact that unravels it completely, sending me back to the drawing board. It's always a puzzle to work out a story within a framework of fact — but it's a puzzle I enjoy.