WRITING MY WAY - Part 2 Balancing Home Life with Writing

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozasrks. I am so over the heat. However, the heat does give me a good reason to park my hiney in the office and get real work done.

Last week I talked about finding your best writing time. I suggested Sarra Cannon's videos to help in your search. I mentioned that my best 'novel' writing time is from about 4-6 p.m. So, what do I do the rest of the day?

I can manage writing shorter pieces, like this blog post, during the day when my 1950s housewife brain is focused on taking care of my home and family. I can write a blog post or outline a short story then get up and work a load of laundry, set the robot sweeper to run, prep dinner; you know, the general household duties. Since Bob retired that might also include a game of Triple Yahtzee or a card game. I'll explain why that task is important in a future post.

This is also a great time for the administrative side of my business such as posting to social media, buzzing through the email, or other tasks involved in running a successful writing business. Maybe I need to write a blurb, order a cover, line up beta and ARC readers. Am I successful? Not even close. Another topic we'll dive in to another time. But I'm learning as I go. 

Sarra's Publish & Thrive course was an eye-opener and to be honest, scared the crumbs out of me. I have so much to learn about this business and I hate the fact this is one more facet of my life other entities feel the need to get their claws in. 

The key is in KNOWING your best writing time for whatever you need to do. Writing also includes the business tasks, not just writing the book but the entire profession you have chosen. 

So how do we balance our writing business with our personal life? Sarra has some great tips in the video below.

Next week, I'll talk about deciding what is most important to me, and figuring out yours.

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - Where Hearts Heal

 Good morning, friends!

Looks like we might have gotten a spot of rain overnight and I do mean 'spot'. The map shows the rain passed through but not a bit of dampness on the concrete. I'll have to water the garden this morning.

This week, I inadvertently picked up another novella by Kathleen Ball. I do love her stories. I think she's becoming another favorite author.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Sold to settle a debt… she never chose this life.

When Willa Portman is taken to a saloon as payment for a debt she didn’t create, fear becomes her constant companion. Alone and desperate on the Texas frontier, her future seems sealed—until one man steps in and changes everything.

Justin O'Connor is a rugged cowboy determined to build a life in the growing settlement of Everheart Ridge. He never intended to interfere, but when he sees a frightened young woman being forced into a life she doesn’t deserve, he can’t walk away. In a land where survival is never guaranteed, doing the right thing may cost him everything.

Brought to Everheart Ridge, Willa is given something she hasn’t known in far too long—safety. As the small western town struggles to take root, she finds herself drawn into a world of hard work, quiet kindness, and the possibility of a new beginning.

But healing takes time… and trusting a man—no matter how gentle—may be the greatest risk of all. 

In this sweet historical western romance, love grows where it’s least expected, and two wounded hearts must learn that second chances are worth fighting for.

Kathleen Ball knows how to not just tell you a story, but put you there. 

Justin is a remarkeable human being. Atrue gentleman. Personally, I thought the author gave him too much patience with Corrine. So did Willa, for that matter. I'm pretty sure that Miss Priss would have been subjected to a bit of water just to see if she'd melt into the background. Even when presented with the facts she would never be head of Justin's household, she still kept living in her dream world. 

Willa came from a hard life. She was good at finding metals in the tunnels but she was a quick study in manners and propriety in Justin's home. That said, my only issue with this story was how she seemed to change from the Willa that Jusin and Tessa kept telling her to 'just be yourself' to sounding like she wasn't much below Miss Priss with a more refined speech. This gave me the impression of she grew up overnight. I know the author wanted us to understand that Willa was the perfect mate for Justin, I just felt as if the mannerisms were a bit rushed. I would liked to have seen that come in a bit earlier in the story or possibly an epilogue - A year later when Justin and/ or Tessa remark how much she's changed since becoming the lady of the house.

Of all my favorite parts of the story, I'm in love with Mr. Ornery. I'm not giving anything away, but you'll see. 

I'm giving Where Hearts Heal...

.8

Remember to check out the links to Kathleen Ball's pages:

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   GOODREADS   

AUDIO    BOOKBUB

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

All my best!

~ Angela

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - Kathleen Ball

Good morning, friends!

We have another returning author this week. 

When I'm looking for books, I seldom pay attention to the author. If the book fits the parameters, I put it in my Kindle and off we go. So was the case with Kathleen Ball this week.

Let's learn more about Kathleen Ball.

USA Today Best-Selling Author of Heartfelt Western Romance 

Kathleen Ball is a celebrated USA Today Best-Selling Author and Amazon Kindle All-Star, renowned for her deeply emotional and unforgettable storytelling. With a unique talent for weaving tales that capture the rugged beauty of the West and the enduring strength of the human spirit, Kathleen has become a beloved name in both Historical and Contemporary Western Romance.

Her novels transport readers to a time of simplicity, courage, and unwavering values, where love triumphs over adversity and faith carries characters through their darkest hours. Each book delivers a heart-stirring journey that will make you laugh, cry, and ultimately rejoice as love conquers all.

Whether set on a sun-drenched ranch or amidst the untamed frontier, Kathleen’s stories are rich with vivid imagery, compelling characters, and the hope of a happy ending. Her heartfelt narratives resonate with readers who cherish tales of redemption, second chances, and unbreakable bonds.

When you pick up a Kathleen Ball novel, prepare for a page-turning experience that will leave you inspired and longing for more. Explore her works today and discover why she is one of the most celebrated voices in Western Romance.

Her website lists seventy-nine books to her credit. Tomorrow, I'll be sharing one of the stories from her three-book box set - Mail Order Brides of Pine Crossing.  In the mean time, click on any of the links below to learn more about this week's author.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   GOODREADS   

AUDIO    BOOKBUB

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

All my best!

~ Angela

 

THOUGHTFUL MONDAY

 Good morning, friends!

All my best!

~ Angela

FRIDAY PHOTO

 Good morning!

Courtesy of Pixabay

All my best!

~ Angela

WRITING MY WAY - Part 1

 Good morning, friends!

I'm trying to get back into sharing my process. In return, I'd love to hear yours in the comments.

I've always been a writer. When I first wrote An Ozarks Christmas, (almost 30 years ago), I raised our daughter, had an in-home daycare, was a leader to multiple Girl Scout troups, and managed our home. After closing the daycare I worked at our local Girl Scout council, helping to design the Talking With TJ (an anti-violence educational program) for National. For a side-hustle, I would enter up to one hundred categories in each of five county fairs. I also led a weekly writing group on AOL called The Writer's Zone. I networked with some amazing and talented authors. I kept busy. Maybe that's why I needed all of those years to write Book 1 in the Planned to Perfection series.

After we moved to south east Missouri, I found a yahoo group using writing sprints as our medium. The core group of six, met every day. I did okay with the on again, off again, sprint times as I was reworking the then titled Ozarks Angel. Then I found Sara Cannon and my whole writing process changed.

Through her series about the Pomodoro method and how to find your best writing time was a lightbulb moment for me. Here are links to the 5-part series in order.

DAY 1 - Pep Talk

DAY 2 -  Live Writing Sprints

DAY 3 - Night Owl Sprints with Sarra

DAY 4 - Your Choice

DAY 5 - Sprint Boss!

The idea is to take each day's challenge. By the end of Day 5 you should have a feel of when the words flow best for you.

Prior to taking Sarra's challenge, I dedicated an entire day to sprint with my group. What I discovered is that for long pieces, such as my novel, the word counts escalated after about 4 p.m. My word counts were much higher in the time frame of between 4-6 p.m I've sinced backed that up to begin writing around 3 p.m. That gives me a chance to settle in and the word count climbs from there.

So why, is this time frame best for me? We'll talk about that more next week. In the mean time, I suggest you check out Sarra's challenge. The workbook is available in her Google Docs. Signing up for her newsletter will give you access to everything including the workbook and so much more.

Until next week..

All my best!

~ Angela

REVIEW WEDNESDAY - The Cowboy's Second Chance

 Good morning!

Another hot day in the Ozarks. May I reinterate, I'm so ready for fall.

This week's novella is The Cowboy's Second chance. The title caught my attention immediately because 'second chance' stories are my favorite to read and what I write.

AMAZON

BLURB:

Will the billionaire philanthropist get a second chance to win the lady of his heart?

He's a billionaire that's supposed to be dead.

She's the woman who chose his best friend over him.

They've forged a strong online friendship over two decades as she's raised her eight kids alone, and he kept the promise he made to her husband.

She doesn't know who he really is - the entire town of Sweet Water attended his memorial service.

When they finally meet, will the friendship they've forged be strong enough to weather the deception and the explosive secrets he's hiding?

I was not a fan of the blurb. Did you notice we aren't introduced to the characters by name? The blurb reads more like a 'will they - won't they' than using basic etiquette to introduce us. I do get this from the point of we don't have the hero's actual name in the beginning... just Oilman. That lends an air of mystery. However, this isn't a mystery. It's a small-town, sweet, contemporary romance between a couple in their possibly mid-to-late fifties forging a path to their forever.

I loved how the couple find their way back to one another. After twenty years of emails, they know one another pretty well, though Oilman knows a lot more about the younger version of Bonnie than he can let on. 

There are other books in this series - the Sweet Water Ranch Western Cowboy Romance-  and I hope one will bring Bonnie's errant son back to the fold. I get the feeling he was young when her husband past and being angry is a valid feeling for someone young who's lost a parent.

You'll find out more about Jessie Gussman and her books by following any of the links below. For a direct link to this story, you'll find that below the cover.

WEBSITE   FACEBOOK   INSTAGRAM   YOUTUBE

GOODREADS   NEWSLETTER

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

I'm giving The Cowboy's Second Chance...

All my best!

~ Angela