This I know for sure...

This is the last weekend in August. Otherwise known in my area as the unofficial end of summer. We've had a very hot and humid summer so I'm looking forward to the weather being a little cooler.

Summer seems to pass in a blur while the winter season seems to last forever, probably because we start getting snow in October and it continues up through April and sometimes early May. I'd rather have the summer season last that long.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): I didn't write the three scenes I mentioned last week, but I did get 34 pages revised/edited. This week I'm concentrating on getting those three scenes written.
 
Quote of the Week: "There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." ~ Bruce Lee

What I'm Reading: I started reading Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci last night. It's the first book in the Atlee PIne series. It's also the first book I've read by this author.

Random Thoughts: My co-worker put in a large vegetable garden this spring. While most people who have vegetable gardens complain about being overwhelmed with zucchini, he's being overwhelmed with green peppers. He brought ten peppers each for myself and another co-worker because he and his wife are running out of things to make with them. 

Random Photo of the Week:

                                        A visitor my brother found in his backyard.
 

Apologies

No post today. I'll be back with a new post on Wednesday.

This I know for sure...

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest other people spend it for you." ~ Carl Sandburg

I came across the above quote by happenstance. It made me look at how I spend some of my free time and how I let some people take over time I have scheduled for other things. Sometimes that take over can't be helped such as taking a relative to an appointment, but there are times when I could, maybe should, be more forceful about not being available at any given time.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Revised 41 pages last week and am finally over the halfway point in the book. This week I want to get 3 new scenes or transitional scenes written that will make the story flow better and fill a couple of plot holes. 

Quote of the Week: "Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to do, when all they need is one reason why they can." ~ Willis R. Whitney (American Chemist)

What I'm Reading: I'll be starting The Good Ones by Jenn McKinlay tonight.

Random Thoughts: I just finished reading "Brazen and the Beast" by Sarah MacLean. I loved this book, reading it in two days and hating that I read it so quickly because now I have to wait until sometime in 2020 for the next book in the series (The Bareknuckle Bastards) to be released. 

Random Photo of the Week:

                                      Somebody likes to cuddle with his sock.
 

Smooth Inspiration?

One of my sisters purchased a NutriBullet smoothie maker and has been testing out different smoothie recipes. She has roped me into trying some of the recipes with her. I've been a willing guinea pig most of the time. There have only been a few I wasn't willing to try, most of them with bananas as an ingredient. I'm not a big fan of bananas unless they're in bread or a muffin.

I have noticed that while I'm drinking my smoothie, I sometimes get an idea related to my current manuscript or will figure out how to resolve an editing issue I'm having. Is it the fruit in the smoothie that's firing my brain or is it because I'm usually staring off into space while I'm taste tesing a new recipe and my thoughts wander? I'm not sure, but I think I'll keep drinking smoothies if it helps my writing process.

Here are a few of my favorite smoothie recipes of those we've tried -

Triple Berry Smoothie:
Blend 1 1/2 cups mixed berries (I used blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries) with 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of ice. Add sugar to taste.

Cherry Vanilla Smoothie:
Blend 1 1/2 cups frozen pitted cherries with 1 1/4cups milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1 cup of ice, and a small pinch of salt.

Raspberry Orange Smoothie:
Blend 1 cup orange juice with 1 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, and 1 cup of ice. Add sugar to taste.

Green Tea Almond Smoothie:
Brew 1 1/2 cups extra strong green tea and let it cool completely. Blend the tea with 1/3 cup almonds, 1/4 cup honey, and 1 cup of ice.

This I know for sure...

I once had a professor that encouraged his students to ask questions no matter how "dumb" the student thought the question might sound by telling them, "you don't know what you don't know."

I didn't realize how much I didn't know about self publishing. I'm familiar with a lot of the terms, but as I start diving into the mechanics of self publishing, it's become very apparent I have a lot to learn.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Revised 42 pages last week. I'm just shy of the half way point.

Quote of the Week: "Put your goals front and center. Represent them obsessively. Make them the wallpaper on your phone, your desktop, put post-it notes on your mirrors. This is what it takes to realize your dreams. ~ Unknown

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Set the Night on Fire by Laura Trentham. This is the 6th book in the Cottonbloom series. I'm really enjoying this book which is no surprise because I'm a huge fan of Ms. Trentham. 

Random Thoughts: It dawned on me today that the Labor Day holiday is exactly three weeks away. Where is summer going?

Random Photo of the Week:

              Mrs. Green loves her new bed. (She doesn't know it's really a dog bed.)

Self Publishing - Part 2

I wrote a post last Monday about whether or not I wanted to go the self publishing route. (Click here for the post.) I received an email from a fellow write who read the post.

She is self published many times over and had only good things to say about her experience. Her email reinforced some of the things I felt were on the pro side of self publishing such as being able to control pricing and release dates as well as the better royalty rate.

She encouraged me to go ahead and take the plunge. I have to say I'm leaning more and more in that direction, especially after reading her email. I do want to wait until I have both of the manuscripts I have written ready to go so I can release one and put the second one on pre-order so readers will know there won't be a long lag time between books.

This I know for sure...

I have so much to do and it seems like so little time to do it in that the things on my "To Do" list that aren't essential keeping getting pushed further and further down the list.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Revised two more chapters last week. I'm getting closer to the mid-way point.

Quote of the Week: "God gives birds their food, but they must fly for it." ~ Dutch Proverb

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Death Among the Doilies by Mollie Cox Bryan. It's the first in a new mystery series that I found by chance at my local library.

Random Thoughts:  I'm still working on the blanket I'm knitting. It's taking me much longer than I expected. I wish I had more time to work on it than I do.

Random Photo of the Week:

 This is a lemon cucumber my co-worker grew in his garden. He brought in some for the rest of us in the office to try.
 

To Self Publish...or Not

As I finish the revisions of the manuscript I'm working on, I've been seriously contemplating going the self publishing route for a number of reasons.

1.)  Being able to control release dates.
2.)  Being able to set the price of the books.
3.)  Being able to put a book on sale whenever I choose.
And to be completely honest, the royalty rate is a major factor for leaning toward self publishing.

The rate is considerably higher than publishing with a small press or even one of the traditional publishing houses. I've been published with a small press in the past and have no complaints, though I didn't always like the covers my books were given. Maybe I should add being able to control the cover art in the list above.

I'm a firm believer that no one is too old to learn something new and that one should always keep learning throughout one's life. That being said, one of the main things holding me back is I am intimidated by everything I need to learn to self publish. Formatting, copy right filing, ISBN number purchasing, uploading the manuscript, the list goes on and on.

I think the hardest part is there is so much information out there, I have no idea where to start.

This I know for sure...

I'd rather spend time with my cats and a good book than nearly anyone else. I'm not sure if that says something about me or the people I come in contact with.

I am an introvert so that may have something to do with it.