Like most people, I have so much going on this month that I feel like I'm being pulling in a hundred different directions at once. I've decided to take a break from posting my Monday Check Ins for the rest of December. I'll be back with a new post on January 2, 2023.
In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family.
Last week...
Writing Related: I didn't get much more written last week than I did the week before. I think I was too ambitious believing I could get all the prep for Thanksgiving dinner done and still have writing time.Writing time is hard to come by once the Christmas season starts. I'm hoping to do most of my gift shopping online, but it still takes time to do and then there's all the baking and gift wrapping and decorating to do.
Motivational Quote: "You don't always have to know what you're doing, or how to do it, to successfully execute your purpose. Intention comes with its own intelligence." ~ Unknown
What I'm Reading: I finished reading Lone Wolf by Sara Driscoll last night. It's the first book in the FBI K-9 mystery series. I'll probably start a new book in the next couple of days.
Random Things: This is more writing related than random. I had hoped to have at least 3/4 of Mississippi's story written by mid-December so I could focus on Christmas related things and not stress out over not getting words written. I have no where near three quarters of it written. I'm going to try and fit in more writing time on the weekends around holiday stuff that needs to be done to at least get to that 3/4 mark by January.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Writing was pretty much a bust last week. I had so many things crop up that ate up my writing time that it's a wonder I managed to get any words written at all.
Motivational Quote: "To anyone who has a dream, I say follow that dream. You're never too old. It is never too late." ~ Susan Boyle
What I'm Reading: I've just started reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry. I don't feel that it's a romance novel in the traditional sense. Right now, I'm not sure how I feel about the book. I'm going to continue reading it for the time being. I'm still in the first quarter of the book so my opinion may change the further into the book I get.
Random Things: I learned last week that there are promotional companies who don't provide materials when they say they will and when contacted about it, instead of apologizing, take offense and become insulting. I understand things happen and would have accepted a viable reason why things weren't emailed in time for the promotional slot, too bad the owner went the unprofessional route instead of owning up to the error. I'm not naming the company, but I won't be doing business with them in the future and if someone asks me my thoughts about them, I will be honest about my experience.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I had hoped to write at least fifty pages this week plus pick up a few of the pages that I'm behind to get myself back on track for NaNoWriMo. I failed abysmally. Not only did I not write any of the pages I was behind, I didn't get the fifty pages I needed to get done this week. I have two doctor appointments this week so I'm already stressing out about not getting the fifty pages I should be doing this week.
Motivational Quote: "Don't shortchange the future because of fear in the present." ~ Barack Obama
What I'm Reading: I started reading The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson on Saturday. I'm having a hard time putting it down to do things I should be doing. It's okay if I don't wash the cat bedding this weekend, right?
Random Things: I made cookies for the first time since the spring. I tried a new recipe - Gingerdoodles. They're a mash up of gingerbread cookies and snickerdoodle cookies. They came out pretty well. I put a picture of them below.
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Last week:
Writing Related: I think I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to unofficially participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. The object is to write 50,000 words (approximately 200 pages) in the month of November. To be on track I should have about 39 pages written (not including today) by now. I had a crazy hectic week last week so I only managed to get 20 pages done. I'm hoping to pick up the extra pages I'm behind as I go along so that by November 30th, I will have those 200 pages done.
Motivational Quote: "Failing once doesn't mean you'll fail every time. You will fail, however, if you don't learn from your mistakes." ~ Tabitha D'Umo
What I'm Reading: I'm currently reading Surrendering to Hunt by Jennifer Ryan. This is the second book in the Wyoming Wilde series. While I'm enjoying the book, I feel like there should be a trigger warning either in the front of the book or in the blurb because it does deal heavily with domestic abuse.
Random Things: I can't believe we have less than 2 months left in this year. I guess what my mom always says is true - The older you get, the faster the years go by.
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Writing Related: I wrote the first chapter of Mississippi's story and did research on small planes and the 100 Mile Wilderness Trail in Maine. Both of these will play a major part in the book.
Motivational Quote: "With every mistake, progress." ~ Keshia Chante
What I'm Reading: I'm currently reading Chase Wilde Comes Home by Jennifer Ryan. It's the first book in the Wyoming Wilde series. I'm only a few chapters into the book, but I'm liking it so much that I've already checked to see if my local library has the second book in the series, Surrendering To Hunt.
Random Things: It's going to be a beautiful sunny day in the low 70's. It's supposed to about the same throughout the week until Friday where it's still supposed to be sunny but a bit cooler in the low 60's. The meteorologist on our local TV station is calling it our Indian Summer. We haven't had a hard frost yet which usually occurs before Indian Summer so I'm really hoping it's not. That usually happens in Mid-November. If it is occurring this early, I'm thinking we're going to be in for a rough winter.
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Writing Related: I set up a couple of promotional things for the release of Broken Trust and Honor Bound while that one is still on sale. I started writing book #4 which will be Mississippi's story. No title yet. They don't usually come to me until I'm about half to three quarters of the way through writing the story. I'm going to try write the majority of the book during NaNoWriMo. If you're unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it's National Novel Writing Month where participants try to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. I've never participated before, usually because my books are well over 50,000 words which is approximately 200 pages. My goal is to have the first draft of Mississippi's story written by mid-December. That's an ambitious goal for me. I've never written a first draft that quickly. I'm pretty sure I should be able to do it, provided something unforeseen doesn't crop up.
Motivational Quote: "You have the time to be creative and also to do nothing. You have time for anything you say is important to you." ~ Unknown
What I'm Reading: I'm reading The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. I should finish it sometime this week. It's interesting, but not what I expected. It's a Good Morning America Book Club Pick if you like to read books that are book club picks like this one or Oprah's or Reese Witherspoon's.
Random Things: It's getting colder and darker here in the evenings now. I find that as much as I yearn for fall when it's 85 degrees or higher with oppressive humidity, I'm missing the late summer evenings where the sun shines until 9:00pm and you don't need a coat. I'm also dreading the coming winter season. Too bad we couldn't skip that season altogether.
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I apologize for the late post this morning. Time got away from me. (Good thing I have the day off from the day job. 😀)
I'm celebrating the release of Broken Trust (Ivan's story). Finally!
It's the third book in my Echo Company series. The Kindle edition is available now. The paperback will be available on Friday (10/15). You can purchase the eBook here - Broken Trust
As part of the celebration, the first book in the series, Honor Bound is on sale for a short time for 99 cents. Honor Bound
I posted the cover for Broken Trust before, but I'm posting it again below.
Last week...
Writing Related: As I mentioned in my last post, I ended up having to work extra hours at the day job last week so I didn't get much of anything writing related done. I'm back to my usual hours so I hope to get a lot done to make up for losing my writing time last week.
Motivational Quote: "And though hard be the task, keep a stiff upper lip." ~ Phoebe Cary
What I'm Reading: I stopped at the library Friday after work and borrowed a few books, but I haven't started one yet.
Random Things: It's finally cool enough to bake again. I made oatmeal cranberry cookies on Saturday. It's supposed to be cool all week so I'm planning a few oven meals as well.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I finalized the formatting of Ivan's story titled Broken Trust. I also wrote an outline of the next book. I hope to start the new book this week, but I might have to work extra hours at my day job which will eat into my writing time so I might have to put off starting the new book until the week of 09/26/22.
Motivational Quote: "Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those changes that would make all the difference." ~ Mignon McLaughlin
What I'm Reading: I haven't had a lot of time to read for pleasure lately so I'm still reading Coming Home to Seashell Harbor by Miranda Liasson. I hope to finish it up this week.
Random Things: I don't watch a lot of television so I don't usually pay too much attention to the new fall shows but I am looking forward to checking out Alaska Daily with Hilary Swank when it starts in October.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Since Ivan's story is finally done, I took last week off from doing any writing. Instead, I focused on getting the book formatted and ready for upload to Amazon. I also lined up a couple of promotional things.
Motivational Quote: "The beginnings of all things are small." ~ Cicero
What I'm Reading: I started reading Coming Home to Seashell Harbor by Miranda Liasson over this past weekend. This is the first book in the Seashell Harbor series.
Random Things: I was working away on my laptop when I kept hearing this strange noise almost like an intermittent hum. I walked around trying to track down the sound when I realized it was the cat snoring. I've put a picture of him below. I did accidentally wake him when I went to take the picture.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I asked my cover artist to redo the cover for Honor Bound, the first book in my Echo Company series. She did minor tweaking, but I like it better than the previous cover. I'll be changing it out at the same time that Ivan's story, Broken Trust, is released in a couple of weeks or so. I'll put the revised cover down below under my Random Photo section so you can check it out. Let me know what you think.
Motivational Quote: "If you keep working, keep striving, and try always to move forward a little bit with every job you do, you'll eventually make it." ~ Cass Elliot
What I'm Reading: I'm reading Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins. I should finish it tonight.
Random Things: School starts next week here in upstate NY. I always feel like it's a good time for a fresh start so I'm taking this week to look over my goals, personal and writing related, and seeing where I stand at this point in the year. I know I'm behind in a couple of areas so I'm going to try and set up some new processes to get me back on track.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I wrote the blurb for Ivan's story last week and let it sit for a bit. I'm going to look at it again with fresh eyes this week. I'm also going to send it out to a couple of people to get their opinion. I have a hard time writing blurbs. I think it's harder write them than actually writing the book.
Motivational Quote: "First of all, be serious about it!" ~ Gerardus 'T Hooft
What I'm Reading: I started reading The Bodyguard by Katherine Center yesterday.
Random Things: Last Monday I posted the temperatures last week were supposed to be in the mid 60's or lower by the end of the week so I planned on doing some baking. Well by the time Thursday and Friday arrived, the forecast had changed to 82 degrees on Thursday and 86 degrees on Friday. Needless to say, I didn't do any baking. I'll just have to wait until the cooler weather does set in.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Ivan's story is done and off to my editor for one last look through. This week I'm going to nail down the final version of the story summary (blurb) for the back cover.
Motivational Quote: "And though hard be the task, keep a stiff upper lip." ~ Phoebe Cary
What I'm Reading: I'm reading Murder at the Christmas Cookie Bake-Off by Darci Hannah. This is the second book in the Beacon Bakeshop mystery series.
Random Things: This week the forecasted temperatures from Wednesday onward are 68 degrees and lower. I'm trying to decide if I want to bake bread, or even better, cookies during the cool spell. I do miss baking so I'm sure I'll make something. I just need to decide on what to make.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Augh! I didn't finish Ivan's story last week like I'd hoped, but I definitely will have it completed by the end of this week.
Motivational Quote: "You can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears." ~ Gillian Anderson
What I'm Reading: I started reading Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh last night. It's the fourth book in the Bree Taggert series.
Random Things: I try really hard not to complain about how hot and humid it is in the summer because I absolutely hate the winter season. That being said, I'm wishing we'd have fewer 90 plus degree days. It was 91 degrees on Saturday, 92 degrees yesterday and the forecast is saying it will be at least 90 degrees today all with high humidity. I'd like a week or so with the temperatures in the 70's.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Unless something goes completely off the rails, I should finish Ivan's story by the end of this week.
Motivational Quote:"Little steps each day until it's done." ~ Rob Hill, Sr. I may have posted this quote a few weeks ago, but it's still appropriate as I'm working on the last 35 pages or so to get Ivan's story done.
What I'm Reading: I started All The Pretty Girls by JT Ellison this past weekend. It's the first book in the Taylor Jackson series.
Random Things: I posted last week about coming across a recipe for a Twix ice cream pie and needing a reason to make it. I think I might make it to celebrate finally, finally, finally finishing Ivan's story.
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Last week...
Writing Related: A pretty good week last week. If I stay on track, I should finish rewriting the ending of Ivan's story by the end of the first week of August.
Motivational Quote: "Outlast the heartbreak and disappointment. Dare to believe there are beautiful moments ahead." ~ Thema Bryant-Davis
What I'm Reading: I finished the last book I was reading and haven't started a new one yet.
Random Things: I found a recipe for a Twix ice cream pie that I want to make. Twix is my favorite candy bar so when I came across the recipe, I had to print it out to try. Now I just need a holiday or birthday or some type of reason to use as an excuse to make it.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I had a productive week last week. I feel like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of finishing the rewrite of the ending of Ivan's story. I'm pretty sure I'll only need to write another 70 or so pages.
Motivational Quote: "He who waits for chance may wait a year." ~ Yoruban Proverb (I want to add "Or longer.")
What I'm Reading: I started reading Omens by Kelley Armstrong yesterday afternoon. It's the first book in the Cainsville series.
Random Things: I've been squeezing in time on Sundays to make cards for family members who have birthdays at the end of this month. We have 4 practically in a row. My sister's birthday is 07/25, one niece's birthday is 07/27, another niece's birthday is 07/28, and the first niece's husband's birthday is 07/30. Crazy, right?
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Last week...
Writing Related: I have to admit between the July 4th holiday and my mom's birthday, I didn't get a lot of writing done. I'm back on track this week though.
Motivational Quote: "He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough." ~ Lao-Tzu
What I'm Reading: I started reading Murder at the Beacon Bakeshop by Darci Hannah yesterday. This is the first book in the Beacon Bakeshop mystery series.
Random Things: I can't believe we're already halfway through the year. I have so much I want to accomplish this year and feel like I have so little time left to get it all completed. One good thing about feeling like I'm behind is that it's really helping me cut through the waste of time stuff and helping me focus on the goals I definitely want to meet by the end of the year.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Still working on rewriting the end of Ivan's story. I feel like I should say I'm still working on writing the end of the book instead of rewriting it because I've basically thrown out the old one and am writing a completely different ending.
Motivational Quote: "Let's take, for example, an old chair. It seems like nothing important, but think of the universe comprised within it: the hands cutting the wood that used to be a tree...The loving work that built the chair, the joyful anticipation of the one who bought it, the tired bodies it has helped, the pains and the joys it must have endured...Everything, everything shares life and has its importance!" ~ Antoni Tapies
What I'm Reading: I started reading A Sky Full of Stars by Samantha Chase yesterday afternoon. It's part of the Shaughnessy Brothers series. I haven't read any of the other books in the series so I hope this book can be read as a stand alone novel.
Random Things: We rarely go see movies in the movie theaters. Even before Covid-19 changed nearly everything, we preferred watching movies at home. We don't mind having to wait six or more months until a movie is available on DVD or a streaming service to have the convenience of watching at home and not having to deal with people who talk through movies or engage in other inconsiderate behaviors. That being said, we're going to go to see a movie in a theater this weekend for the first time since 2018.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Moved a scene that I had originally written as part of the end to a place in the middle of the book because it works much better there. I'm still working on rewriting the end of the Ivan's book, but I feel like I'm making good progress.
Motivational Quote: "For any one of us our forever could end in an hour, or a hundred years from now. You never know for sure, so you'd better make every second count. ~ Sarah Dessen
What I'm Reading: I'm not reading anything right now. I'm going to the library after work today so I'll start a new book tonight.
Random Things: You may or may not know that I am terrified of spiders. This is important because of what I'm about to tell you -- My sister brought my mom (who lives with me) a huge hanging planter filled with different succulents. It is so heavy, the planter's plastic hook cannot support the weight of the plants so I've been keeping it on our back porch because it gets more sun than our front porch. Anyway, I brought the planner in one night because we were supposed to get heavy rain overnight. The next morning, I walked by the table where I set the planter and a spider leapt off the plant and landed on my arm. I, of course, screamed and slapped it off, then continued to shake and cry for the next ten minutes. It wasn't one of those tiny black jumping spiders you sometimes see on your porch (at least in my area). This was the size of a nickel counting the legs and was beige in color. (My mom came to my rescue and killed the spider.) Now I'm afraid of the planter and hate having to move it or water it or have anything else to do with it. Irrational I know, but I can't help how I feel.
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Last week...
First I wanted to apologize for not posting last Monday, 06/06/22. It's been so crazy here that I didn't even realize I didn't do a post until I went in to do this one.
Writing Related: Amazing progress on Ivan's story last week. I'm going to start rewriting the ending of the book this week because I cut out an unnecessary subplot so now I have to rework the end to make sure everything is tied up and makes sense.
Motivational Quote: "Little steps each day until it's done." ~ Rob Hill, Sr.
What I'm Reading: I going to start reading Immortal Rising by Lynsay Sands tonight. It's the 34th book in the Argeneau series. I haven't read the first 33 books so I hope I'm not too lost. I was intrigued by the back cover copy and didn't realize it was part of a series until after I checked it out of the library.
Random Things: My male cat hates the cat carrier. I used to keep it in the bottom of the linen closet and just get it out whenever I needed to take him to the vet. As soon as he heard me get it out, he'd hide under my bed in the far corner against the wall, making it next to impossible to get him out. Once I did get him out from under the bed, I would have to tip the carrier on end and kind of drop him inside, then slam the door closed before setting the carrier back into the right position. A few weeks ago, I decided to just leave the carrier out against the wall in the spare bedroom. Well, I walked into the spare bedroom the other day and guess who was lounging inside the carrier. I couldn't believe he'd gotten in there voluntarily. There's a picture of it below.
As we celebrate the unofficial start of summer, please take a moment to remember our fallen service members.
Last week...
Writing Related: Slow progress last week, but at least it's some progress. I should be able to get quite a bit done this week. I only have an appt on Wednesday after work to get my car inspected.
Motivational Quote: "You have to take it as it happens, but you should try to make it happen the way you want to take it." ~ German proverb
What I'm Reading: I'm reading Alone in the Wild by Kelley Armstrong. This is the fifth book in the Rockton series. If you haven't read the series already, I highly recommend it.
Random Things: I can't believe this is the last full week of May and that Memorial Day is next Monday. This month has just flown by. I feel like it just started a few days ago.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I received the new laptop battery last Thursday so that's taken care of. I didn't get much accomplished on Ivan's story last week, but I actually have nothing going on after work this week so I plan on using all that time to get major work done on the book.
Motivational Quote: "Swing hard in case you hit it. Be sturdy and full of hope." ~ Lord Birthday
What I'm Reading: I finished Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez last night. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Jimenez. I enjoyed it so much that I'm going to check out her backlist.
Random Things: Promises To Keep received a 4 star review from The TBR Pile last week. Here's the link to the review if you want to check it out. Promises To Keep Review You do have to scroll down past the book advertisement to get to the review.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I added an additional chapter between chapters 13 and 14 so I have to go back and make sure all the chapters going forward are numbered correctly. The battery on my laptop died. I received a couple of notices over the last few months that the battery's ability to charge was low, but I have to admit I just dismissed the notices and didn't worry too much about it. Well, now the battery doesn't charge at all and I have to keep the laptop plugged in all the time. I spent yesterday researching the best place and price to get a replacement battery.
Motivational Quote: "Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." ~ Alexander Graham Bell
What I'm Reading: I started reading Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin. I'm a big fan of Ms. Griffin. I highly recommend her Tracers series.
Random Things: Belated Happy Mother's day wishes to all the moms who stop by my blog. I hope you had a great day being celebrated by your families.
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Writing Related: I am so far behind in my writing goals for this year already. I'm trying to use as much of my free time as possible to get Ivan's story done. I swear at times it seems like the universe is against me getting this book finished.
Motivational Quote: "No man ever wetted clay and then left it, as if there would be bricks made by chance and good fortune." ~ Plutarch
What I'm Reading: I started reading Accidentally Perfect by Marissa Clarke last night. It's the first book in the Hideaway Harbor series.
Random Things: I met my niece and god daughter for lunch last Friday to celebrate both of their milestone birthdays. It was nice to spend time with them catching up, laughing, and enjoying their company after not seeing them for the last 2 years.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Not much accomplished last week. I worked extra hours at the day job to cover for a co-worker who was on vacation.
Motivational Quote: "With time and consistent effort in one direction, you can have what you want. You'll let go of the distractions and dead weight that keep you from the aligned focus you need to be successful." ~ Unknown
What I'm Reading: I'm going to start Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey tonight. It's the second book in the It Happened One Summer series.
Random Things: My brother isn't much of a reader, but he does listen to audio books. He talked me into giving it a try. I have to say I love listening to audio books. I wish I'd looked into it earlier. I've started listening to them while I'm doing housework. It certainly makes the chore of dusting go a lot quicker. I also listen at work depending on the task I'm working on.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Things are moving along with the revisions on Ivan's story.
Motivational Quote: "You're not always going to have an easy path to success, but if it's important enough you'll figure out a way to make it work." ~ Jessica Alba
What I'm Reading: I'm reading Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy. This is the first book in the Clandestine Affairs series.
Random Things: We are finally starting to have spring like weather in our area. I did a little bit of yard work yesterday. The hyacinths and daffodils are starting to sprout. I sprinkled fertilizer around the rose bush. It's a little spindly and I was worried it wouldn't survive the winter. I'm hoping it will get a least a few blooms this year.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I made really good progress last week on Ivan's story. Unless something unexpected crops up, I should have the revisions wrapped up in the next 2 to 3 weeks and then it's off to my beta readers for one last read through.
Motivational Quote: "Anyone who is moving forward is going to falter at times; that's part of the growth process. Forgive yourself and keep going." ~ Unknown
What I'm Reading: I'm reading Tell Me by Lisa Jackson. She is one of my favorite romantic suspense writers.
Random Things: Yesterday I made the cinnamon swirl bread I mentioned in last Monday's post. I made two loaves and froze one. They came out pretty well. I've posted a picture below of the cut loaf so you can see the swirl. I'm really happy with how the swirl came out.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Still working on revisions for Ivan's story. I feel like they're never ending but at the same time I feel like I'm making progress and more importantly, that I'm making the story stronger.
Motivational Quote: "I compare my situation to a person on board a ship. When there is a shipwreck and the passenger falls into the ocean and has no choice but to keep swimming...I had no choice. I could not get tired, I could not lose hope." ~ Shirin Ebadi
What I'm Reading: I started reading The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery yesterday. I've read most of her books. They're quick, light reads.
Random Things: I've been baking quite a bit, but I need to start baking bread to freeze to have over the summer months since I refuse to put the oven on when it's 80 degrees or higher. I made a quick dozen muffins yesterday instead of baking the bread. Next weekend, depending on what's going on, I hope to make a couple of loaves of cinnamon swirl bread.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Revisions are still moving forward on Ivan's story. I added a scene that occurred off the page before, but I felt like it needed to happen on the page to make the story line stronger.
Motivational Quote: "We cannot bank our hopes on possibilities. We must put our trust in ourselves, in our capabilities, and efforts and strength and preparations not only for our success but even to avoid our own defeat." ~ Aung San
What I'm Reading: I'm back to reading the Seaside Cafe mystery series by Bree Baker. I'm reading Partners in Lime. This is the sixth book in the series. The last book in the series comes out on the 29th of this month. I hope Ms. Baker writes another series as I've really enjoyed this one.
Random Things: I'm still looking forward to spring so I made lemon sugar cookies. There's a picture of them below.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Still working on revisions/edits for Ivan's story. I'm still on track to get it out to my betas by the end of this month.
Motivational Quote: "When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go." ~ Carol Burnett
What I'm Reading: I'm taking a short break from reading the Seaside Cafe mystery series by Bree Baker. I only have one book left to read before the last book in the series comes out at the end of this month. Instead I'm reading The Family You Make by Jill Shalvis. This is the first book in the Sunrise Cove series.
Random Things: Only 25 more days until April 1st. I realize spring officially begins on Sunday, March 20th this year but the weather doesn't get close to spring-like until April or later in my area.
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Last week...
Writing Related: Still working on revisions for Ivan's story. I feel like I made good progress. If I can keep on track, I should have it ready for one last look by my beta readers by the end of March.
Motivational Quote:"Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages." ~ George Washington
What I'm Reading: I'm reading A Call for Kelp by Bree Baker. This is the fourth book in the Seaside Cafe mystery series.
Random Things: For some reason the picture of my S'mores cookies didn't publish along with my blog post last week so I'm reposting it again. Hopefully it will work this time.
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Last week...
Writing Related: I got quite a bit accomplished on Ivan's story. I feel like I'm finally getting back on track. Still a tiny bit behind where I want to be, but am happy with the progress I've made.
Motivational Quote: "To succeed, you must have tremendous perserverance, and tremendous will.~ Swami Vivekananda
What I'm Reading: I started Tide and Punishment by Bree Baker last night. It's the third book in the Seaside Cafe mystery series. I'm really enjoying this series. I've put the next 3 books on hold at my local library. I was a little sad to hear the last book in the series will be published at the end of March.
Random Things: I may be an adult, but I still like to eat S'mores in the summer. Since the temperatures been hovering around 25 to 32 degrees the last few days, I decided to try a recipe for S'mores cookies I found a few days ago. They gave me a tiny reminder that summer will be here soon...but not soon enough. 😄
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The S'mores cookies. They came out pretty well.
Last week...
Writing Related: I didn't get much accomplished on Ivan's story. I had a couple of appointments after work and then had to go buy a new washing machine when ours died suddenly. I had a repair person come by to look at it, but he stated it wasn't worth the cost to repair it. It is between twelve and fifteen years old so I guess it was time to get a new one.
Motivational Quote: "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. Considering my lack of progress in getting the revisions for Ivan's story done the last couple of weeks, this quote seemed fitting.
What I'm Reading: I started reading No Good Tea Goes Unpunished by Bree Baker last night. This is the second book in the Seaside Cafe mystery series.
Random Things: I tried a new recipe for gingerbread chocolate chip cookies on 2/6. They are completely addictive. I made another batch this past weekend. The recipe only makes 2 dozen cookies which is just enough for us to eat throughout the week. They are so good, I'm thinking of doubling the recipe, but then I'll probably eat more of them than I should.
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This Monday I'm visiting CJ Bahr's blog. I'm answering a few questions and giving a snippet of Promises To Keep. Hopefully enough of one to entice you to want to read more of Vince and Ava's story.
The blog post will go live at 8:00am EST. Feel free to leave a comment and I'll respond in the afternoon when I get home from the day job.
Here's the link: https://www.cjbahr.com/blog/Guest-Author-Katherine-Grey
Last week...
Writing Related: Last week was a bust as far as getting work done on Ivan's story. I ended up having to work late three days and my mom had an appointment on one of the other days so I accomplished next to nothing.
Motivational Quote: "Half hearted commitment won't produce half hearted results, rather it will produce no results worth measuring. Real results will only come with full and total commitment." ~ Unknown I'm repeating the prior week's quote because of my lack of progress last week.
What I'm Reading: I started reading Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker Friday evening. This is the first book in the Seaside Cafe mystery series.
Random Things: I made baguettes for the first time last weekend. They came out pretty good. Sadly, I didn't take any photos before we ate them. I'm going to use the same recipe this weekend, but instead of making long thin loaves, I want to try making one round loaf. We'll see how it turns out.
Random Photo:
Last week...
Writing Related: I didn't quite get through the first third of Ivan's story, but close. I hope to get through most of the second third of the book this week.
Motivational Quote: "Half hearted commitment won't produce half hearted results, rather it will produce no results worth measuring. Real results will only come with full and total commitment." ~ Unknown
What I'm Reading: I'm currently reading The Corpse in the Gazebo by Debra Sennefelder. This is the 5th book in the Food Blogger mystery series. I really like this series and hope it continues for quite some time.
Random Things: It's hard to believe it's the 24th already. There's only 7 more days left in the month. I hope it's not a sign that the whole year is going to fly by just as quickly. Though the quicker we get to warmer weather and are done with the ice and snow isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Random Photo:
Last week...
Writing Related: I've started working again on the revisions for Ivan's story. I need to get this book finished. I've divided the manuscript into thirds and am trying to get 1/3 done each week. I moved some scenes around and deleted others so that the story's time line flows better.
Motivational Quote: "Every morning I wake up...I ask myself to give myself the best chance at having a good day. ~ Alexi Pappas
What I'm Reading: I started reading The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery on Friday. It's the first book in the Wishing Tree series.
Random Things: Not so random really. While Ivan's story isn't ready for publication yet, I do have the cover. It was created by the talented Alison Henderson. The cover photo is below. I hope you like it as much as I do.
I always feel like the new year should start in September when laid back summer days end and school starts and everyone's schedule changes to accommodate classes, after school events/sports, and the like. For me, not much changes in January. No one's schedule changes, we all just go back to school and work and every day life after the Christmas and New Year's holidays have ended.
But January is the official start of the new year so I took last week to tie up things from 2021 and to set my goals, both personal and writing/professional, for 2022. I also chose a word for 2022 to help set my intentions and help me reach my goals.
My word is FOCUS. I have a number of things I want to accomplish by the end of 2022 and keeping focused will ensure I stay on track and do all the things I want to do during this year.
Do you chose a word of the year? If so, I'd love to know what your word for 2022 is.
Here's hoping we all have a fantastic 2022 and use the beginning of this new year to start fresh in accomplishing everything we set our minds to.
