Greetings from Ontario - long

Ok, so I've been hiding behind my avatar for a while now, and I don't post often, but I read the boards almost every day for advice.

Since we're all in a new neighbourhood, I've decided to introduce myself.

My real name is Karen, and I live in Kitchener, Ontario (home of Oktoberfest, the largest Bavarian celebration outside of Germany, which means for 10 days each October, everyone drinks copious amounts of beer, and we worry who will attack the trees on our street at 1 am when the festhalls close. I digress...). :Cheers:

I was born in Hamilton and still consider myself a Ti-Cat fan. I'm married for four years, with no kids. On Monday I go for an interview for a job I have been trying to get for over a year, off and on. They keep posting the position, I keep applying. We do this dance every so often.

I write traditional fantasy, Elves and dragons and magic, but I don't use apostrophes in anyone's name. I'm looking for an agent at present for the two books I have finished and trying to figure out just what does happen in book #3 (yes, a dreaded series). That task is about as much fun as it sounds. I hate writing a synopsis.

I've also figured out that the book I've been writing off and on (plain old fiction, no magic in it) needs to have a different beginning. So there goes about 20K worth of work, but it's for the best. Now, to just sit and do the deed.

The avatar name comes from a novel that I started years ago, now safe in a drawer. Allion is an archer minstrel spellcaster orphan. Yep, definitely keeping that book away from prying eyes.

And I just want to say that I love this place. I can come here and see that I'm not the only one who recoils at grammar errors and who loves pens and paper to a degree one could call obsessive.

What can I say? It's home here.

Karen

Thanks all! I know you guys are the best. Uncle Jim is one special guy. I think we are all so freaking lucky to have him here dispensing advice for FREE.

I am determined to do well tomorrow. I think it will be a testing interview, where they throw some proofreading at me and see if I know the rules. I usually find more errors than they originally list. Messy serial commas get me going.

It's usually the second interview where I get all twisted up and forget my name and what I've done. Sheesh, when I called the HR person back to make an appointment, I forgot my phone number. She didn't seem to have noticed when I spoke to her after. I made notes this time to the favourite interview questions so I'll feel more prepared. Going to do more practice tonight.

And wouldn't you know it - they're calling for a snowstorm tomorrow here. Hope it starts after I get to the interview.

I'll keep the happy thoughts with me. Third time's a charm, right?

RIGHT!

Hello everybody,

The interview went well, I think...I have discovered that this company must have two different writing tests they use, as this was the third time I was there and I saw test #1 again. So I sat there trying to think of the brilliant things I wrote the first time around so that I get called back for another interview...

At least I don't recall saying anything outright embarrassing or dorky or not having an answer that sounded coherent. I rehearsed this time, so that helped a lot.

What a FUN process the job search is. (NOT!)

I need to find something in the next few months, though, as my contract is over in June, which isn't that far away, and I'm not sure what is going on in the company I'm at. There is going to be a name change for sure, and they have started firing some managers (always a good sign of instability - even if the managers were doofuses to begin with).

Yeah, sure, I LOVE change. Thrive on it. Sheesh...

Good news, though - I WROTE SOMETHING LAST NIGHT!!

I have to say that this place is a refuge for me. A place where people actually know grammar rules and how to spell.

Of course, work provides a lot a fodder for future writing work. My fave comment recently was when someone mentioned that turkey will make you sleepy because of the chemical in it. The bonehead reply was:

"I thought turkey was all natural! How could it have chemicals in it?"



Thanks for being here, guys.

(And the Diet Ginger Ale in the frig is for me - it's in the back, near the salsa.)

Karen