CURRENT PROJECT - October 13- 19

Although this is a morgue file pic, you could just as easily be looking at my morning routine. However, today my desk location is the oversized lapboard with the built in mouse pad. I'm comfy on the couch with my feet up on the hassock and toes tucked into the fleece Pooh Bear blankie for warmth. But the laptop and the coffee mug are a matched set. Especially when I am behind on work as I am today. I doubt I'll catch up until hubby has gone back to work a week from today. I have two routines - one for when Bob is home and one for the twenty-one days he is gone.

Aside from him being home the past two weeks, I have been gone both of those weekends. The first for a ORA writer's meeting in Springfield then the OCW conference last weekend. This weekend Bob and I will scoot away for a couple days to celebrate our birthdays. He was gone for mine in September and will be gone for his next week.

After Bob leaves on Tuesday morning, my life will become 10-hr work days subsidized by 2-hr fiction shifts. At least until Nov. 1st. Then I strive to do a 6 and 6 shift on Fridays and full Nano days on the weekend.

While I had hoped for 1K per day, I fell horribly short. Between the travel schedule and a story that refused to move forward like a stubborn mule I just could not get a handle on four pages a day. There is hope for a fresh start on Nov. 1.

Are you Nanoing? Don't have any clue what I'm talking about? Check out NanoWriMo for a full 30 days of abandonment. A community where you are given license to spew a story that may or may not make sense. The point is to get the story out of your head and into a format that can be edited into a publishable story - like Somewhere Down the Line. Or L.A. Cinderella by Amanda Berry.

How is your week shaping up?

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT - A Review

 Note: I offer an apology to Allison Merritt for my oversight last week. This review was suppose to run on Wednesday of last week. I dove into a deep cleaning frenzy around the house before my husband got home (he'd been gone 21 days) and I totally spaced doing any computer work last week.

WYSTAN Book 1 of The Heckmasters

The cool thing about reviewing books is often times you will be asked (or in this case offer) to review books out of your normal genre or comfort zone. WYSTAN was one of those books for me. While I read Western Historicals and Romance, I am not a demon kind of girl. Okay.. I did make the exception for the reaper series by Lisa Medley. What I have found out in both instances is that if the author gives you a well-crafted story, genre may not be an issue. After all, aren't we all just looking for a GREAT READ?

Author, Allison Merritt gives the reader everything they could want in a story. From the Heroine with a problem and the Hero with issues to overcome. There are secondary characters that while not the focal point of the story, do play key roles in how the Hero and Heroine find their way to one another. In this case, even if it means stepping over the remains of a barghest (you'll have to read the book to find out what that is) or living in close proximity to half-demons. 

I found the story a book I could not put down until the very last word. I am waiting anxiously for Tell and Eban's stories... and by the time you've finished WYSTAN, you will too. 

You can purchase your copy at:

Samhain

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CURRENT PROJECT UPDATE - October 6 - 13

1,000

WORDS PER DAY

_________

4 

PAGES PER DAY

While in the grand scheme of things 4 pages per day does not seem like a lot, apparently they are for me. This is Day 6. By the time I take up the keystrokes towards Jayson's Range tonight I should have written 5,000 words aka 16 pages on the novel. 

I have written 

400 words and some editing.

SAD

But true. I had three days at a hotel without household interruptions. I had a meeting on Saturday  and did some clothes shopping for an upcoming conference. Normally, I HATE to clothes shop but I found myself enjoying the experience this time and even came away with some purchases I was pleased with. Trust me, on this body that is a difficult task. 

I THOUGHT I had energy when I got back to the hotel. Instead, I found myself dozing over the keyboard. Sunday morning I even put the laptop aside and slept for 2 more hours - at 9 a.m.! Blessed with a noon check-out, this was not a problem. Except for two wasted hours I could have been writing!

I have a 4-day workweek then I'm headed to Eureka Springs AR for the Ozarks Creative Writers conference. This will be my 18th year.

So between the day job and trying to make sure hubby doesn't feel neglected, I hope to pound out the words. 

Now... to make a fresh cup of coffee.