KICKING OFF A NEW WEEK!

I love to keep busy - and I do. I think it's a part of my creative brain. I want to live every minute, sometimes forgetting to live in the moment. So much to do, no promise of time.

Last week, I took a 'live in the moment' opportunity to spend a couple of days in Springfield with my sister, Kitty (Dona acutally, but she's always been kitty, kitty, kitty to me) Her moments are going to come more frequently and she requested a sister outing.  We try to meet up in the city a couple of times a year - just the two of us. She lives about an our West and I live two hours East.

After 18 years at Sam's Club home office, she became officially retired - not by her own choosing. Too many job cuts and only a tenth of positions listed on the job force board. I spent our two days reminding her that now she can do all of the things she was always too tired to do - and at her own pace.

I took her to dinner at Hemmingway's Cafe in Bass Pro. They offer all you can eat snow crab legs on Thursday nights. We can eat our weight in crab legs LOL. Then we came back to the hotel and chilled. I spent part of the time building my potential entry list for the 2017 Ozark Creative Writers conference I told you about last week. For the price of conference registration, you can enter as many of the 30+ contests categories. Did I mention they all come with cash prizes? Check the list out HERE. Incidentally, if you're considering going, make your hotel reservation ASAP. The block of rooms fill up quick. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks 

I use the categories to write out of my comfort zone, try new ideas and if I make a little prize money, that's a bonus.😀 Well, I came up with 26 potential entries. Will I enter them all? Probably not. Especially since although the entry deadline is August 25th, I need to have mine turned in before the grandkids get here in June for 8 weeks. So I only have about 8 weeks to write like the wind. I will have time to polish after they leave but I'd rather get them turned in and out of the way.

With that deadline in mind, I also have four articles due for Saddlebag Dispatches magazine.

While my ideal would be to work on fiction right now, I have to focus on work and items that need done before the girls arrive. I've not seen them in almost four years. I don't want to miss a second of the time they are here.

Bob and I  also have things to get done in the yard before the girls arrive, like their chalk sidewalk and the new sandbox. And I'm finally going to have the gazebo I've wanted for three years. We'll have a shady spot outside to curl up with snacks and story time.

Speaking of story time, what are you reading? I just finished a classic by Leanne Banks - His Majesty, MD. Great, quick read.

WEEKLY PLAN - March 11

Whew!

I've had a really long weekend. I crammed right up until late Thursday night trying to make sure most of the work was done before we headed to Nashville to see our daughter, her SO and our two granddaughters. We had not seen them since Adrian's 5th birthday back in November. That's a really long time to be away from my girls.

While I was gone, I tried to let my brain rest but between my love for music, being in Nashville and having so many people to watch at Opry Mills Mall, it was really hard. To top it off, I got a really good visual on a guy perfect for Daniel. I knew what he looked like in my mind, but to actually see him in the flesh... well, my heart went pitter patter. Did it help the guy kept flirting with me? While my husband was right there? Oh baby, bring it on!

Okay, back to boonies reality. I've spent today setting up blog posts on two blogs for tomorrow... including this one when we will be joined by Texas author J.D. Faver. J.D. is a dear friend who is incredibly talented. She's going to talk about writing a series. Oh... and she has a SURPRISE for everyone who drops by. How cool is that?

So pop in tomorrow to say hey to J.D. and see what she has in store for us.

In the mean time, I'm not doing anything for the next 15 hours but enjoying time with hubby. He heads back out tomorrow for three weeks. Then my fun really begins!

Happy Reading
Angela

WEEKLY PLAN - February 25th

Between trying to make sure the house was semi-presentable before Bob came home on Wednesday, trying to bring my work habits into 2013 and prepare for an ice storm, last week was pretty much a wash where writing was concerned. I did get the blogs in line.

People ask why I have so many blogs and it's been suggested I should combine everything to one website with multiple pages. And here's why I don't. I LIKE the separate homes for my different resumes. My work targets a variety of audiences and potential editors and agents. Can you imagine if I attempted to target all of those people under one headline? Too confusing in my opinion.

So if you've ever wondered what keeps me busy, let me give you some insight.
For now, I consider my novel writing to be my dessert. I try to always make room (time) for dessert (novels) but the freelance, particularly in music and entertainment, has always been what made my heart beat as far back as I can remember. Even though novels don't come first on my To-Do list, I still need to keep my contacts in the field and stay abreast of what's going on ... so I have TheWritersStudio

Freelance, primarily entertainment, is my first love. To target that audience and promote myself knowledgeable to write in that field I have Kellys Country - http://kellyscountry.blogspot.com
That's where I keep up with what is going on in Texas music. I also try to keep an ear to the Nashville beat, especially for the traditional music that built Nashville and the entertainers trying to bring it back around.

I'm a creative person. From the time I was nine, my (step) mom taught me to glue paper together I've been in love with creating something from left-overs. I'm enthralled with color in any form. I can spend six hours in a fabric store just oohing and awing over pattern combinations and colors. I love to play with paper, inks, paints, fabric, clay, fibers... the list is endless. And I'm blessed that first introduction to crafting is part of my income today. http://kellyscreativedream.blogspot.com

I also have a spiritual blog I've not worked with much but am hoping to delve back in to. And finally, a blog about my home-area... http://anozarksjournal.blogspot.com  Just a place to share a little bit of the beautiful state of Missouri. Who knows, it might spark some freelance travel pieces.

Amongst all of this I enter writing competitions, mostly short stories make time to create for the creative blog as well as just because I need that 'play' time. I love to garden, play with my animals and spend time with my SUPER supportive husband Bob.

So the next time someone suggests because I work from home, I don't do as much as someone who works outside the home... come spend the day with me. I dare you to keep up! :-)

Happy Writing!
Angela!

WEEKLY PLAN - Feb. 18th

Happy Monday, readers!

A wet, gloomy day here in the Ozarks. I'm having to spend the entire day at a local cafe for a food drive I promoted. No donations have come in :-( but I've gotten a lot of work done.

As I was driving in this morning, I heard a song by Eddie Rabbit from the movie Every Which Way But Loose. Goddess, I loved that movie. I saw it with my first love and the title song still makes me weepy with the memory of holding his hand in that theater. He was never one to show affection so the whole hand-holding thing really caught me off guard that night. Just the little things, ya know.

Anyway, the lyrics threw me for a loop. In the space of the five-minute drive into town I went from thinking I needed to change the whole hero character in my current WIP, INVITATIONS TO AN AFFAIR, to realizing what a great premise for ANOTHER book! Some days I really would like to at least turn the idea faucet to a trickle.

I've spent all day getting the posts for The Country Angel scheduled. The Texas Music Awards will announce winners on March 23rd in Linden Texas. From now (I should have started a few weeks ago) until the big night I will be spotlighting all of the nominees. This week it is all about the Female Vocalist of the Year nominees. The good thing is I don't have to do anything else with that blog until Saturday.

I probably won't get to work on Invitations tonight unless I make notes by hand. We have thunderstorms headed our direction. It is February, right?

Happy Writing!
Angela