Tuesday 23 April 2013

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Okay, so I come home from a weekend of Jive dancing on Hayling Island to find I have two more stories accepted by the lovey People's Friend (the good) but then my computer breaks (the bad). As writers need computers I have no option but to empty my piggy bank and buy a new one.

How do I do this? Do I read reviews to find out which is the most reliable, easy to use computer or do I drive to Curry's and try out all the keyboards before making a decision based on the fact that I rather like it's snazzy blue colour?

Anyone who knows me, will know that I did the latter. What worried me, though, is the words I tapped out on each keyboard... There are two things that you should know. I am at a loss as to why I wrote this on every computer screen - any psychiatrists out there?

My new computer is lovely, blue and shiny... it also has Windows 8 (the ugly). Please could someone tell me what is going on there. I am in an alien territory of weird Apps more suited to an iphone. Why is it that Microsoft feels the need to fix something that isn't broken only to make it unusable! Luckily my clever husband has found some software that can be put on to turn it back into something that resembles Windows 7... phew! Oh and after struggling with the new computer, my old computer decided to work again!

Now that rant is out the way, I can tell you all that we had a fantastic weekend of dancing. The event took place at the Warner Village on Hayling Island. There were dances Friday, Saturday and Sunday night and dance workshops every day. The food was fabulous - so much so that despite the exercise, my husband and I have both put on weight!

It seems strange that my dance weekend coincided with the publication of my dance weekend story It Takes Two to Tango in Fiction Feast this month. For anyone that has read it - no, there was no sultry dance teacher called Mateo Sanches!

26 comments:

  1. You are on a roll, Wendy - well done! and now you have TWO computers, and that can't be bad, either!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, at least when the old one gives up the ghost for good (which I'm sure it will do soon) I will have the other.

      Delete
  2. Your Jive w/e sounds terrific Wendy. Have to say if I were to take up dancing it would be jive that would tempt me. Read your TAB Tango story yesterday - excellent story arc and where can I find a dance teacher called Mateo?
    Re computer - yes the colour IS important, you are not alone. New operating systems terrify me so I'm praying my laptop stays with me for sometime! Well done on PF sales - you must be in it every week now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We actually managed to dance our tango routine (even though it was a jive weekend) as they played some tango music at one of the dances. It was great as we don't have much opportunity to practise it. Re the PF stories - there seems to be quite a gap between sale and publication so have no idea when my others will be in at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations on the sales.

    Hope you waved to me as you went to Hayling Island.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello Wendy
    I`m sorry but I am getting so many emails etc., could you please take me off your list.
    Thank you.
    They were very interesting but as I am not interested in writing anymore - into painting now - I have to take a lot of blogs off/
    Thank you for all the past blogs
    Take care

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course, Little French Owl, that is no problem and I quite understand. Enjoy your painting and your lovely life in France and please feel free to pop by again any time.

      Delete
  6. Congratulations on the story sales!

    xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well done on your sales - you are really in the zone! Judging by the calm tone of your blog, I guess you had all your work backed up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Maggie. Yes - we have all our stuff backed up on Sky Drive so that means one less panic if something goes wrong with the computer.

      Delete
  8. Sounds a fantastic weekend, Wendy - and congrats on yet more success! I have the F.F. and looking forward to reading the story. Good luck with new computer - wish they wouldn't keep changing versions of programmes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rosemary. Yes, it is so frustrating when things get changed when they don't need to be... I don't like change!

      Delete
  9. Congrats on the sales, and sympathy re the computer. I dropped my laptop last year and lost a lot of work on the damaged hard drive - hence I'm now a convert to "Dropbox" - so if anything happens to my laptop again, I can still access my stories and novels-in-progress via another computer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think this type of storage is brilliant - I had everything backed up on sky drive so could simply download everything back onto new computer.

      Delete
  10. Brillant news with selling more stories, well done. It's awful when your computer goes kaput so I hope you new computer's going well and you're writing lots on it. Have a lovely weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations on the stories! I dread getting a new computer but then when it gets old and has to go I dread getting rid of it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. My husband has, rather brilliantly, added something on to make Window 8 look and act like Windows 7... phew! I obviously don't like change, Cara.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congratulations on the stories, Wendy. I'll keep a look out for them in the newsagents. Your dance weekend sounds amazing! I've just had to buy a new vacuum and that was bad enough, but a computer is far worse. Sorry to hear about yours. Have a good weekend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sharon - I hope you enjoy them. I've been going to dance weekends for years now both jive and salsa but we want to do a ballroom one next.

      Delete
  14. Congratulations, Wendy. I bought Fiction Feast today and look forward to reading your story :-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. You're obviously doing well with your stories. I sent one to People's Friend but they sent it back, obviously thinking I needed it more than they did ... Thanks for signing up to my blog and being Number 300 for me!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ha ha, they are very generous like that! Thank you for being magic number 61!

    ReplyDelete