Here's recent progress on my 19th century D.C. spy caper about a powerful Difference Engine that will end the Civil War - now with warhawk conspiracies, clockwork assassins, two presidents with more in common than they know, two spies with less in common than they think, a conflicted U.S. Marshal, and Bonus! not-at-all mad scientist who can save the world if someone will just give him a chance:

Project: Fiddlehead
Deadline: October 1, 2012
New words written: 5264 (meh, for 5 days of work)
Present total word count: 30,690 words





Things accomplished in fiction: President Grant drinks because you people are horrible - yes, especially you, you war criminal who's getting a free pass when there's nothing he can do about it; two powerful women (who have nonetheless been dismissed by almost everyone) quietly join forces.

Things accomplished in real life: Housebroke a puppy - I'm now reasonably confident in claiming so, anyway, as it's been twelve days (out of only sixteen!) with pottying performed 100% out-of-doors, knock on wood; helped my cousin move out of her apartment; got into the habit of getting up early with the dog and taking him on a walk, so, like, EXERCISE or something on a daily basis; cleaned house top to bottom and it already needs it again; did a crap-ton of laundry, and need to do more; managed a host of important emails; paid a bunch of bills; ran a bunch of errands; lost one of my squash plants rather inexplicably; seem to have saved most of the tomatoes; accidentally nurtured a cucumber plant to what appears to be sentience and a desire to take over the world; treated the plants/bushes for a problem with mites and grubs; dried a batch of herbs from our garden (which I still need to process, natch); took a nap because I swear to God I could not keep my eyes open for another second.

Other: Somewhat unexpectedly, I'm really enjoying writing Ulysses S. Grant's POV sections. He got a bad rap as a president, but he was a brilliant soldier who (as far as I can tell) neither liked nor understood politics very well. Say what you will about the legacy of his corrupt administration, but I think that when he was able, he tried hard to do the right thing. The more I learn about him, the more I like him - and appreciate the difficulty of his position.* [As an aside, his memoirs - which were published by Mark Twain, of all people - are fascinating, if you're in to that kind of thing.]

State of the Four-Footed Demographic: Warily tolerant. Additional LOL - while on our walk this morning, Greyson met another kitty. She was tiny (maybe 6-7 pounds) and sweet, and very interested in making friends with my 40+ pound puppy ... who hid nervously behind me until the kitty demonstrated that she wasn't going to make any awful spitty noises at him. Actually, I think it kind of helped his interaction with Spainy today; he's been less prone to barking like a maniac when he sees her, and has been better about lying down and being quiet longer when she's present. Lesson learned: If you don't chase them and bark at them, they will let you sniff their butts and lick their heads. Sometimes.

Bonus Puppy Round: I was really very proud of him today. While getting myself a cup of water, I knocked over a wine glass; it shattered on the counter right in front of him, and glass went everywhere. At first I panicked, but then I gave him a "sit"/"lie down"/"stay" set of commands, and he performed like a champ - not moving until I gave him the all-clear. His "stay" is usually pretty shaky, so I was thrilled silly that when it really mattered, I could count on him to hold it. Good dog, Greyson! Very good dog.

---

* I was raised in a very THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN sort of family, so you can guess what I was taught about him.