Just a quick update again, because I'm still getting used to the extra workload of this higher level course.

It's been a while since I posted anything about Harvey the Hamster. He's 'middle aged' now, or so the vet said to explain why our fur-ball had decided to suddenly let his nails grow much longer than normal. It took three of us to clip them in the end, and Harvey clearly got very stressed in the process, because a couple of days later we noticed he was losing his fur.

Fortunately it only went in a couple of places and is now growing back, which is why I've ruled out causes other than stress, particularly as he never acted like he felt itchy or ill. He does still look rather 'moth eaten', though, so I'm not going to embarrass him by posting any pictures.

Big Brother had a job interview this morning and came back feeling confident, we'll know for sure tomorrow, in the mean time it's fingers crossed.

Writing wise I'm still trying to put together some ideas for a new story I hope to write in the New Year, once I've settled into a routine with my course, CSI is officially back on TV here and my brother is (hopefully) out at work during the day. However things aren't quite slotting into place yet, so I'm also turning my thoughts to possible ideas for another (and probably my last) sequel to Cottonwood House. If anyone has any requests or suggestions this may be your last chance to influence my decisions about the story, so please respond to this post or PM me with any ideas. I'd particularly like feedback on whose POV I could use this time.

Finally, if you're making lists of gifts to give or receive, or just considering treating yourself I have recently bought the following items, none of which turned out to be quite as I expected, in some ways better, in others worse:
CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk (Graphic novel); CSI: Deadly Intent, The Hidden Files (Nintendo DS version); CSI: The Interactive Mystery (book).
If you want to know my 'umble opinion of any of them let me know and I'll put up a mini review and answer any specific questions too, although I won't give away any spoilers unless it's by PM.

Thanks for letting me clutter up your lives again!

EDIT 6/11/09 - He got the job!

I just realised how long it's been since I posted - although I'm still very chuffed about my award - although maybe I should stop bringing that up quite so often now. :)

Anyway, I haven't much to report, to be honest. I'm just getting back to normal after a bad week with my usual pain problems, which is frustrating because it means I'm already behind with my new studies so soon after the course began. I'm really going to have to get stuck in after writing this because the first assignment is due in on Friday. Thank goodness for electronic submission, especially as the postal service is so disrupted right now.

Of course this catch up game is something that may well happen a lot over the next few months, so please take this as a warning that there will be an effect both on how often I post here and whether I produce any new fics. That doesn't mean I dont want to write more CSI stuff, just that sometimes it has to drop down my list of priorities. That said my brain occassionally nudges me and I'm considering setting my next story sometime in season three, but that's really as far as it's got so far.

In the meantime I'm relieved that the new series of "Most Haunted" has launched at last on Living so I've got something to amuse me on Tuesdays until CSI: season 10 finally arrives over here in January.

( click for more CSI: rambling and discussion with v. minor season 10 spoilers )

Bye for now.

Look what I got!



I didn't know it was possible to be both gob-smacked and flabberghasted at the same time until last night when I saw the results list.

I'd like to thank whoever nominated me, anyone who voted for me and all those involved in running the awards.

Most of all I'd like to thank all the people who encouraged me during the writing of Prisoner 4929, I couldn't have done it without you guys.

Thank You!

Well, I half promised something new before the new season kicks off so here it is!

Grissom's Grand Tour is my first attempt at writing something using spoilers as a prompt, so obviously it contains spoilers, you have been warned! I have spent most of the last few months trying to work out how on Earth the writers are going to dig themselves out of the big hole I think they're in which is why it was a bit mad of me to attempt this story at all, but it's finished now. Whether the show writer's manage to pull their attempt off some of you will know on Thursday, I will have to wait a while longer.

I wasn't altogether surprised to see that the last three digits of the page address it's on are 666, it's been the devil of a story to write, at least until I had a major mood crash on Saturday night and decided I just had to go back and write it more evil. As it turned out it didn't need to be as dark as I'd started to think, just not as saccharine sweet as it had started to look. In fact I decided it's not worthy of being described as angst so I called it "general" over on FFnet.

Anyway, please take a look and tell me what you think on Geekfiction, or here if you prefer.

Moonstarer Passes Forensics Course!
For those who weren't already aware, earlier this year I took a short introductory forensics course with the UK's Open University. Today the results came out and I passed. These short courses don't have a grading system so I don't have a specific grade to give you beyond the pass. I don't intend to study forensics in any more depth, I'm too squeamish for that and my only real use for studying the subject is the hope that it will be of use for some future fan fics. Speaking of which...

New Story in Progress
For the first time I am trying to write a story based on spoilers for the upcoming new season. I'm not promising that it will be any good, (at the moment it's kind of a PWP without any of the first P) but I am aiming to have it posted before the new season starts in the United States, even though it probably won't be officially screened in the UK for some months yet.

Moonstarer takes final opportunity to nag
Don't forget that the poll for the CSI: Fan Fiction Awards closes on September 20th, so if you haven't voted please do so ASAP. Whether you want to support my stories, (and I'd be very flattered if you did), or someone else's, please support the Awards themselves.

And Finally...
Just for a change of pace I've signed myself up for another OU course starting next month. It's one of their longer courses, valued 60 points compared to the forensic courses 10, so it will be far more intensive than the forensics course, but I do hope still to fit in some fanfic writing. As for what makes it different - I've chosen to study "An Introduction to the Classics", as in Greek and Roman literature and history - bet you weren't expecting that one were you?

OK, this is probably a blatant excuse to post this;


again, but I wanted to remind people that voting for the awards has started and will continue until 20th September. You can find out everything you need at the Awards Page.

Please vote for your favourites, the more people who take part the more the awards mean.

You don't have to be registered with LJ to vote!

Lost for Words is nominated in the CSI:Vegas Angst category and Prisoner 4929 is nominated in the Character study: Gil Grissom section if I hadn't mentioned that already. :p

More seriously, I know there are great writers out there, I nominated a few myself and the more votes that are cast the more likely it is that a good story will win rather than just the one whose writer has the most on-line friends.

OK, the lecture's over, thanks for listening, now go check out the nominations.

I just found out that I am entitled to this for Lost for Words;



Once again I'm over the moon! (It's in the angst category if you hadn't already guessed.)

P.S. I just went back for another look, Prisoner 4929 is also up it's in the Character study: Gil Grissom section!

:D

...must come to an end; Chapter 7 of Lost for Words is now posted.

So it's done, for now anyway, all that I need to do now is wait to see what people think.

Speaking of what people think I hope you're all geared up for the 2009 CSI Fan Fiction Awards; nominations will be closing soon and then there's the all important voting to be done. Clearly they're quite busy this year, I entered my nominations last Monday and they haven't made it to the WIP Nominations list yet!

Please check out the Awards home site here for the latest updates and details.

P.S. Just been back to check the noms list, the stories I put up are now on there, so the back log is clearly being worked on as I type!

Yes I'm here again to let you know that Chapter 6 of Lost for Words is now posted.

Well, one person has already told me they sometimes want to punch me for my chapter endings, maybe this time they'll want to thump someone else. ;)

Personally I don't believe in personal violence (especially not when I'm the person), whatever my stories may have led you to believe.

Read and (I hope) enjoy.

Chapter 5 of Lost for Words is now up.

The reaction to chapter 4 was amazing, I'll be interested to find what people make of this one. It's a little shorter than previous chapters, as is the next, but the decision to split the story into a multi chapter piece came late in the day and this was the best way I could find to divide it up without a major rewrite, and those of you who have been following my trials and tribulations regarding this story will know why I wanted to avoid that. :)

Some people may find that the "cliffhanger" for this chapter is a bit samey, but is it my fault if Grissom has a one track mind where Sara is concerned? (No, not that track - if you're thinking along those lines then you haven't been paying attention to what kind of fics I write, have you?)

Still motoring on; Chapter 4 is now up.

It's really nice to be getting so much feedback on a story, thank you to everyone who has contributed on either of my posting sites.

Well, things seem to be a little nearer getting back to normal, but FFnet, although accepting reviews, is doing wierd and (not so) wonderful things to them afterwards, so this time I've posted Chapter 3 here first.

OK, now that that's done I'm off to try my luck with FFnet. At least people can read and review at the moment (or last time I looked anyway) it's just that, although they arrive in my email, they don't turn up on the story reviews page and when I try to use the review reply option the site denies all knowledge of that review, even though my review count has gone up. Anyway, what I'm saying is, if you did write me a review over there I've almost certainly seen it and I apologise if I haven't PMed to say thanks yet.

...due to the attack headaches LJ is having at the moment.

Here's Chapter 2 of Lost for Words.

The feedback I got for chapter 1 was amazing and gave me a real boost. Unfortunately, as well as the problems with posting the new chapter on Geekfiction, FFnet allowed me to post but then promptly stopped people logging in or leaving any reviews. I finally got in this morning and found that my hit rate is still good, but I wouldn't expect people to go back just to leave feedback if they couldn't do it at the time of reading. To top it all, when I switched my PC on this morning it claimed there was a fault with the memory stick that the Lost for Words files are on. Thankfully the old unplug/replug method solved the issue, now I'm off to make sure that the back up on my hard drive is up to date in case it happens again.

Oh well, fingers crossed that the gremlins leave chapter 3 alone!

OK, I finally posted the first chapter on Geekfiction, click here to read Lost for Words. I hope people enjoy it and find it worth the wait.

Please review, you know how it helps my poor miniscule ego. :)

For those of you who are still vaguely interested after all the delays and messing around, my sequel to Cottonwood House now officially titled Lost for Words is almost ready for posting (look, I've even done the little story user pic).

Currently the text, having been medically betaed, is with ELM22 hopefully for a quick read through checking for standaloneability and to seek, locate and destroy any glaring Anglicisms. As soon as she gets back to me with that it will be a fast turn around tweak 'n' go for posting the first chapter. *says Moonstarer optimistically*

Anyway that's the current plan, we'll soon see what will actually happen.

Thanks for putting up with the waiting so far!

PS. Yes I have changed the layout of my journal page, I finally succumbed and treated myself to a paid account (for the extra userpics) and thought I'd celebrate. :)

Firstly, considering it's been a while since I posted I'd just like to point out that I am still alive!

Also still alive are my forensics course and the sequel to Cottonwood House. :)

In fact I'm at the editing stage of both my end of course assignment and the story, although as far as the latter is concerned that doesn't necessarily mean I'm near the end. I cut out a few things because CHII was getting far to long, but I may end up deciding to put them back in and, equally, I know I have some areas of duplication I need to tidy up.

And then I need to divide it into chapters. Originally it was meant to be a one shot in the same format as the CHI but at 15,500+ words it's way too long to serve up as a single portion.
Once that's all done I have one person to beta and another lined up to read it through to check its "standaloneness". As my prospective beta is still working her way through Prisoner 4929 I am a little concerned about time scale so I'll see what the situation is once I'm ready to pass it on and maybe change my plans, you guys have been so patient waiting for this that I don't want to leave posting any longer than strictly necessary.

I'm home!

I'm a little sore and a little bloody but otherwise OK, I've even had a little nap.

Thanks for all your good wishes, I know there are far worse things that can happen than having a tooth pulled but my anxiety issues tend to make these kind of things more difficult to deal with than they should be, so I appreciated knowing you guys were behind me. :)

I'm going to go now, the sedative is still in my system and I don't want to come back later and discover I said something I really shouldn't have!

...And nothing but the tooth. At least I hope that's all the dentist will be extracting on Monday.

Sorry it's been a while since I posted, mainly it's because there's not been much to report, but also because a little less than two weeks ago I saw my dentist. I had a tooth crowned a couple of years back and it hasn't felt right since. I've kept mentioning it to my dentist and the guy who stood in for her while she was away and even saw my GP about it a few times and none of them spotted that there was an infection until I managed to time my last check up perfectly with the recurrence of a swelling on my gum. So now it's coming out on Monday morning. I'm not the biggest fan of dentists and this is a molar, so I'm going to be sedated. This should mean that I'm not worried about the procedure. FAT CHANCE!

Still, less than forty-eight hours from now it should all be over and hopefully a lot of painful symptoms should go with it, so I'll just have to hang on in there and 'suck it up' as the Americans apparently say. By Tuesday I'll be wondering what I was worried about, possibly quite literally, because I usually forget entirely everything that happens while I'm sedated.

On a lighter note, I'm well on with the DNA analysis section of my course, although it beats me how Greg would have the patience to plough through all that stuff in the kind of depth he should have, so it's just as well he's just a character in a TV show. (Should I have said that? I hope I didn't disillusion anyone.)

Cottonwood House II should be on the last stretch now, at least for the initial draft. I say 'should' because I'm having problems, not just because my anxiety about the stuff above is making it difficult to concentrate, but also because I'm having to swap POVs in my head. I'm trying to think about one person speaking, trying to get inside their head so I get their mood and words right, while telling the story from the POV of the listener. I guess the best way will be to write the speech first and then go back and do the reactions afterwards. It's probably the most important section of the story so I want to be sure it's right. I just hope you guys all think it's worth the wait when I finally get there.

Needless to say, there won't be much work done on anything on Monday, not if I want it to make logical sense anyway!

Well, just when things were going smoothly and I was getting smug about keeping up with my studies and making plans to enjoy my brother's temporary absence my health problems hit back with a vengeance. In fact I'm only just getting back to normal now.

I need to spend this afternoon studying to make up for lost time but first I wanted to share the one thing I did manage to complete in Big Bruv's absence.

( Grissom Album )

PS. Cottonwood House II now has the provisional title "Lost for Words".

PPS. Thanks to everyone who sent me delayed birthday greetings and my own apologies for not responding individually or sooner!

It's been a while since I last posted, so here's an update.

First, let me thank everyone who sent me birthday wishes whether they were on time or belated, it was nice to hear from you all and I had a very good day too, even though the British weather wasn't as pleasant as it might have been.

Thanks also to everyone who has shown an interest in my course. I have already completed the first overview section and will be moving onto fingerprints next. So far I seem to be going fast enough to manage to catch the July 30th final submission date, but knowing how I can be with deadlines I don't rule out having to swap to aiming for the October 29th alternate. I'm also interested enough in the subject matter not to want to end up rushing things. The great thing is, although this is an introductory level course with relatively limited coverage, the text that comes with it is one that universities use at up to Masters degree level, so I can dip into other topics if and when my writing requires it.

Speaking of writing, I have still got two half days a week in my schedule for writing, so Cottonwood House II is still ticking over. I just wish I could come up with a proper title :).

In the mean time I'm following a few good Grissom angst stories over on FFnet, (yes, that includes yours Becky,) as Geekfiction seems overly quiet these days. Maybe it's about time for another ficathon...