New Author Study!

Hoorah, hoorah! I finally have my new author study in good order and can share it with all of you! I've been wanting to share glimpses for a few months now, but it just seemed a shame when we were so close to having actually finished. Then this last weekend, Rohan spent a while framing and hanging up works of art, and it all looks so pretty.

So I'm going share.

Pretend you are at the door of my study and stepping inside. This is what you would see!

My big bear, Nelson Teddy, is very kindly sitting in for me at the desk. Doesn't he look professional?

 

And now you are through the door! You see my Thinking Couch (aka: my Napping Couch) to your left, and my curtains on the right, and all sorts of fun other things to explore!

First, let us consider the curtains. They are as you see them:

 

And if I am very lucky, they will remain this way for another hour or so. Then they will inevitably be pulled down by one or the other of my gaggle of kitty cats. And I will either re-hang them (again), or stuff them into the cupboard for a few days until I can be bothered. But in the meanwhile, don't they look pretty?

And under the curtains, you see this little table:

 

Rohan found this for me, It's a beautiful little golden elephant, very Sri Lankan in style (Rohan is from Sri Lanka, so I tend to love all things Sri Lankan these days). And it's the perfect size to hold our wedding album, which had been floating unsettled about the house for months until this table came along. Minerva Louise, of course, thinks that the table and the album make the perfect pedestal for her to sit on while she gazes out the window.

Speaking of the window . . .

This is my view when I sit on the Thinking Couch. Notice the beautiful tapestry? That was the Honorable Mention for last year's fan art contest, and it is a FABULOUS work of art! My dear friend Paula made it for me and, after the contest, sent it to Rooglewood. I didn't have anywhere to put it for a long while. So pleased to now display it in a place of prominence!

 

Another little detail:

 

 

This charming fellow sits on my antique table beside the couch. Isn't he wonderful? He was one of Rohan's Christmas gifts to me this year. I mean, who doesn't want a dragon mug?

 

And here is the view from sitting at my desk.

 



And what is that on the computer screen? Might it be the manuscript of my latest, Top Secret work-in-progress? Why yes . . . yes, it is . . . .

 

Here I want to point out one of the cleverest aspects of this study. You see, we had to put the litter boxes in here somewhere. And as you know, a litter box can quickly destroy the mood of an entire room!

 

 

But not my Author Study! You see that little bitty flap door on the left? That leads to the walk-in closet, which we have converted to the Litter Box room. So I can keep the litter boxes in here, but they remain out of the way and never interrupt the peace and loveliness of my work space! (You can also admire my fun little book-ends on the top of the bookshelf there. And see all my piles of notebooks and research tomes?)

 

Here is one of my favorite parts of the study:

Under duress, Rohan bought this sign for over my door. He says it is incredibly cheesy, but I say, "Hey! I write Fairy Tales! If Happily Ever After isn't appropriate here, where is it appropriate?"

 

And finally, my gorgeous dragon goblets from Kirsten and Laz have a display! And can you see the little bitty pewter dragon hatching from an egg in front of them there? It's a whole family of dragons!

(Yes, I know. Cheesy. But what can you do?)

 

Another common sight I see while sitting at my desk:

 

All the kitties LOVE that blanket. Magrat is feeling smug that she got it this time!

 

And now for the desk itself! It used to be Rohan's, but he didn't like it much. I, however, LOVE it! It's so convenient! That arm there swings out, so I can put my laptop on it. But if I want to close it all up, I can!

 

Nelson Teddy is reading my manuscript . . . Even though it's still Top Secret.

 

Here you can see it opened up.

 



Lots of space for everything I need! My printer, a lamp, my Bible and any other books and notebooks I'm currently using. Tissues! (Always a necessity if you're a crazy cat lady and allergic to cats.) My calendar hangs to the left, and I put up sticky-note-reminders on the right, which I SOMETIMES remember to check. So many convenient nooks in which to fit everything! It's amazing how fast it fills up.

And here you see me in my element!

 

Because, of course, I am always this fixed up for work. Always. (Okay, maybe not. But you have to maintain the illusion for blog posts, right?)

 

Hard at work here:

 

We are always our own worst critics . . . .

 

See the book-covers framed up on the wall there? Rohan did that!

Actually, he framed all the pictures in the room! Including my illustrations.

 

I drew this back in 2009, but didn't get it framed until this last weekend. SO glad to finally have it protected properly! And Rohan did such a great job on it.

 

He also framed the Moonblood painting for me.

 

This one took him (I kid you not) three hours to do. It was a complicated framing job. But I just love how it turned out. We got the frames and matting all from thrift stores in the area, so we saved a bundle as well.

 

Thinking Couch time!

 

I do a lot of my first drafts with a notebook and pen. So this is a very common sight in  this study (sans the styled hair and makeup). I always have one or two furry-friends to help!

 

Monster wants me to end this post with a feature of him and all his fluffy.

So there you have it, my friends! The new Author Study! What do you think? Does it look inspiring? Might I write better books as a result of this environment?

Okay, I need to get to work on some edits now . . . See you again soon!