Happy Labor Day

 

Happy Labor Day. The unofficial end of summer (No, say it isn't so!) as school starts on Wednesday.

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I'm still working on the edits and rewrite for Garrett's story but I do feel like I'm finally making progress. I have a busy week this week so I'm not sure how much I'll get accomplished but I'm determined to squeeze in a much time working on this book as I can.

Motivational Quote:  "You may be born without any gift at all, but that doesn't mean you can't work very, very hard and get to the top." ~ John Caudwell 

What I'm Reading:   I'm currently reading The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter. It's the 2nd book in her North Falls series. I am a fan of Ms. Slaughter's writing and particularly of her Will Trent series.

Random Things:  While I don't have anyone I need to buy school supplies for, I always look forward to this time of year when school supplies are on sale. I stock up on composition notebooks, index cards, single subject notebooks, and a folder here and there. I use all of these things in my writing. I will sometimes pick up one of the plastic pencil boxes because they work really well as craft containers. I have one that holds my many pairs of deckle edge scissors. 

Random Photo:

                                      I saw this t-shirt and couldn't resist buying it. 
 

 

Monday Check in

Last week...

Writing Related:  Last week wasn't as productive as I'd hoped but figuring out my dangling plot thread problem has made the edits and rewrites easier. I just didn't get as many chapters edited as I expected to. I'm sure it's because I'm doing a lot of rewriting to fix the plot thread issue. 

Motivational Quote:  "Keep dreaming no matter who says you can't do it. The only one who can decide that is you and only you." ~ Yusra Mardini (Syrian swimmer and activist)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading Mixed Signals by B.K. Borison. It's the 3rd book in the Lovelight Farms series. I'm not lost at all considering I didn't realize this book was part of a series and haven't read the previous two books in it. This is the first book I've read by this author and I'm really enjoying it.

Random Things:  I love, love, love summer. There's very little I don't love about it but I'm ready for fall. I have a bunch of new recipes I want to bake. (I refuse to bake anything when it's 85 degrees or higher even if we do have central air.) I'm looking forward to the crisp smell of autumn air, going apple picking, and cozy nights at home with candles burning while I'm cuddled up with a blanket, a cat, and a good book.  

Random Photo:

I purchased some hand soap from Bath and Body Works during a sale last week and didn't even realize until I arrived home that they were all fall themed. I guess I really am ready for a change of season. 
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I worked on edits for Garrett's story. I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. I found dangling plot thread that brought me to a screeching halt because I don't know how to fix it. I've been brainstorming with a fellow writing friend and think I have the problem solved. I'm hoping this week will be much more productive.

Motivational Quote: "Each day we have the opportunity to learn something new, apologize for our mistakes, and become better." ~ Lewis Howes (American entrepreneur)

What I'm Reading:  I finished Thrown for a Loop by Sarina Bowen last night. It's the first book in her New York Legends hockey romance series. If you like hockey romance books, I highly recommend her books. 

Random Things:  To continue on my post from last week about the Dunkin' in my area offering pumpkin spice drinks around August 19th, I found Halloween candy on sale in one of the local Wegman's stores. I realize Summerween is really popular right now, but I'm not at all ready to see Halloween candy for sale in early August. It reinforces the fact that summer is coming to an end and winter will be here all too soon. 

Random Photo:

                           The Halloween candy display at one of our local Wegman's.
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I made some minor progress on edits for Garrett's book. I'm hoping to be able to get a lot more done this week since my brother is far enough along in his recovery to go back to his house though he will still need to have shoulder replacement surgery in a month or so. He may need to come back and stay with us at that time so I really want to have all of the edits and rewrites for Garrett's book done by then.

Motivational Quote:  "Sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta good at something." ~ Jake the Dog (John DiMaggio) in Adventure Time, season one. 

What I'm Reading:  I finished reading The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer last night. It was an enjoyable book. I'd describe the story as a combination of mystery, fantasy, and magical realism. I'll start a new book this evening. Not sure what it will be though as I have about five books I borrowed from the library to choose from. 

Random Things:  I heard that the local Dunkin' will be adding pumpkin spice drinks to their menu on or around August 19th this year. I like pumpkin spice coffee as much as the next person, but I think it's too early for it. Wait until at least September before making fall drinks available. I like fall, but I love summer and don't want to rush the end of it. 

Random Photo:

 Popcorn is my favorite snack but I'm not so sure I'd like dill pickle flavored popcorn. I guess I'm a traditionalist - I like my popcorn with salt and just a bit of butter. 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I made incremental progress on editing Garrett's book. It's definitely not as much as I wanted to accomplish but I'm telling myself even a little progress forward is getting me closer to finishing editing the book. 

Motivational Quote:  "I prefer writing to real life...A novel, for example, can be cleaned up, altered, trimmed, improved. Life, on the other hand, is one big messy rough draft." ~ Harlan Coben (American writer)

What I'm Reading:  I finished reading Ode to the Bones by Carolyn Haines last night. It's the 30th book in the Sarah Booth Delaney mystery series. I've enjoyed this series and was sad to hear there will only be one more book before the series comes to an end.

Random Things:   An update on my brother. He had numerous appointments last week for x-rays, an ultrasound, CT scan and with a surgeon's physician's assistant to give him his options. He has an appointment with the surgeon next week to make the decision to either see if they can repair the break with some plates and screws or if it would be better to do a shoulder replacement from the outset because if his arm doesn't heal properly with the plates and screws, then he'll have to have the shoulder replacement anyway.

Random Photo:

                                                    I swear this is so true. 😄 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I didn't get anything done on Garrett's book last week. My brother broke his arm right below the ball joint of his shoulder with fractures up into the ball joint. He's staying with me right now because it's his dominant arm/hand so he needs a lot of help doing pretty much anything. I hope to get some editing done this week. 

Motivational Quote:  "See it through. It's your story." ~ Alan Rickman (English actor and director)  

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh. It's the first book in the Olivia Cruz series. If you like romantic suspense, you'd probably enjoy any of the series written by Ms. Leigh.

Random Things:  I came across the above quote while reading an article about Alan Rickman. It relates to his decision to continue acting in the Harry Potter movies after receiving his cancer diagnosis. It reminded me that despite life really taking over right now, I need to continue working on Garrett's book. It's important to me for a number of reasons so despite it taking much, much longer than I originally planned, I need to carve out time to work on it even if it's only in small pockets of time.

Random Photo:

  
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I didn't work on anything writing related the last two weeks. We had family from out of town visiting. We don't see them often so we spent as much time as possible with them. 

Motivational Quote:  "Know what you're doing. Take time." ~ Rhiannon Giddens (American musician)  I saw this quote and felt like it was talking directly to me considering how long it's taking me to edit Garrett's book. I still feel like I have a long way to go before it's ready for publication. 

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Not What It Seems by Lisa Jackson over the weekend.  This is the fifth book in the Savannah series. I would classify this book more as a mystery/thriller than romantic suspense but I'm enjoying it overall.

Random Things:  I can't believe it's practically the middle of July already. My mom will sometimes say that the older she gets, the faster the years go by. I must be getting to that age when the years start to go by faster. It seems like it was just early spring and we're already halfway through the summer. Although it does seem like summer always flies by while winter drags on for forever. Probably because we have nice, sunny weather for about four or four and a half months then it's cold, wet, and snowy for the other 7 to 8 months. 

Random Photo:

I took this picture of the sunset from our backyard while we were outside enjoying the evening.
 

Happy 250th Birthday!

I realize I'm a few days late but I hope everyone in the US had a wonderful 4th of July and had a great time celebrating America's 250th birthday. (If you aren't in the US, I hope you had a great weekend.)

                   Cookies are always my favorite way to celebrate any type of holiday.
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Writing related things have slowed to a trickle due to the drowning of my old laptop. The good news is I have a new one. It took a little longer than I expected to find a new one that I liked, had all the features I wanted, and was a price I was willing to pay. My old laptop was from 2018 so I needed to upgrade eventually. I just hadn't planned on doing it this summer.

Motivational Quote:  "I think being creative, trying new things, being ambitious means at some point along the line you are going to 'fail.' And actually, it's our job to say this is one step on a much broader journey to success." ~ Mary Bekhait (British businessperson)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. It is also a long novel with 634 pages not including the Author's Note after the story ends. Ms. Stockett also wrote The Help. I didn't read that book, but I did enjoy the movie. 

Random Things:  We had my mom's 90th birthday party on June 20th. (Her actual birthday is June 30th.) It was a great success. Everyone who was invited came, even a couple of families who had to drive about 2 hours one way and one niece who flew in from Florida where she's been based for work the last few months. My mom had a great time seeing and visiting with everyone. 

Random Photo:

     Some of the cupcakes from the birthday party. Roses are my mom's favorite flower.

 

Monday Check In

 No actual post today. One of my cats knocked over a glass of water I had on the end table while he was trying to get into the window. Normally, he jumps from the floor on to the window sill. This time, he decided to jump up on the table (which they are never allowed on). In the process, he knocked over my glass of water. The water cascaded over the arm of the sofa and into my lap and onto my laptop. I jumped up and wiped the laptop down first thing before I cleaned up any of the other water. Needless to say, the laptop no longer works and is now nothing more than a giant paperweight. 

I'm going out this morning to purchase a new laptop. I'm typing this on a friend's tablet so you all wouldn't think I forgot to do today's post. I'll be back next Monday with a normal Monday check in. 

I hope you have a good week.  

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I have the feedback from all of my beta readers and have compiled them into usable notes so that I can tackle the items they flagged/mentioned. I have a busy week this week so writing will have to be squeezed in around everything else going on. I try to prioritize my writing but sometimes things crop up and the universe laughs at my plans. This is one of those weeks.  

 Motivational Quote:  "Once you've a task to do, it's better to do it than live with the fear of it." ~ Joe Abercrombie (English writer and film editor)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score last Tuesday instead of one of the books I mentioned in last week's blog. I received a notice from the library Monday that Mistakes Were Made was available to borrow and knowing it was a new release and I wouldn't be able to renew it, I set the other books aside to read this one. I'm about half way through it. It's 540 pages long not including the acknowledgements and Author's Note pages. It's the second book in the Story Lake series.

Random Things:  I'm putting together party favor bags for guests coming to my mother's 90th birthday party in a couple of weeks. It's been fun picking out party favors for the children and the women but the men were a little harder. Thankfully, most of them fish and/or are into sports so I was able to find things that I could put in their bags and stay within the budget we decided on for each bag. 

Random Photo:

                                      Mrs. Green enjoying a nap on my lap.
  

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I've started receiving feedback from my beta readers on Garrett's book. I've gone through some of the notes and comments. I should have the feedback from the remaining beta readers by the end of this week. I hope to get through everything and set up a schedule to make any necessary changes and do line editing at the same time. I do know that one section needs major rewriting so I may tackle that first.

Motivational Quote:  "Work with peace in your heart, find peace in your soul, and everything else will follow." ~ Juan Manual Santos (Colombian politician)

What I'm Reading:  I finished Beautiful Exile by Catherine Cowles last night. It's the 4th book in the Sparrow Falls series. I have a couple of books from the library that I can start tonight but haven't decided which one I want to read first. One is a contemporary romance by Ali Hazelwood and the other is a fantasy type mystery by Meg Shaffer. 

Random Things:  My post-op appointment went well. I no longer have to wear the orthopedic boot unless I'll be doing a lot of walking or standing. The surgeon was pleased with how the incision looks and how well the swelling and bruising looks. I'm glad he's pleased because while there is only some residual swelling, the bruising looks horrific. The entire top of my foot from both sides of my ankle to just under my toe nails is one giant bruise ranging from a deep, dark purple to a reddish hue. 

Random Photo:

I came across this on Facebook. It made me laugh probably because I've been told that I have too many books as well.  
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I didn't do any writing last week. I spent a lot of time sitting on the sofa with my foot propped up on a stack of pillows. I go for the post-op appointment on Wednesday and am hoping I'll get the all clear to get back to my normal daily routine or at least some of it.

 Motivational Quote: "Everything works out in the end. If it didn't, it's because it hasn't come to an end yet." ~ Fernando Sabino (Brazilian writer quoting his father)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. I should finish it this evening. I'll start reading Delicate Escape by Catherine Cowles on Tuesday.  

Random Things:  I currently have to wear an orthopedic boot on my right foot when I'm up and walking around. I'm trying not to do too much walking because one of the straps on the boot goes right across the incision and presses on it. I'm really hoping when I go see the surgeon on Wednesday he'll say I don't have to wear it anymore. 

On a side note - Happy Memorial Day. Please take a moment to remember our service members who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the freedoms they fought and died for.

    

Monday Check In

Sorry no post this week. My "minor" foot surgery turned out to be a bit more involved than expected. I hope you all have a good week. 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I have a very rough draft of the back cover copy. It definitely needs refining, maybe complete rewriting. 😄  I'm not planning on doing any writing this week. I'm having minor surgery on my right foot tomorrow so I'm not sure how I'll feel the rest of the week. If I'm not in too much pain, I may work on rewriting the back cover copy. 

Motivational Quote:  "A lot of people...think you have to do something extraordinary to lead a meaningful life. But ordinary, humble lives are also full of meaning." ~ Emily Esfahani Smith (Swiss Canadian writer and speaker)

What I'm Reading:  I'll be starting either The Briar Club by Kate Quinn or Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst sometime this evening. I can't decide which one I want to read first. 

Random Things:  I came across the above quote and it made me reflect on my own life. I live a quiet life with a small circle of friends. I'm happy with my life. I don't feel like it's any less meaningful than anyone else's. I don't like to travel or go to places where there are a lot of people. It may be because I'm an introvert, but I would rather be home than anywhere else.   

Random Photo:

                      I found a small cluster of violets at the edge of the garden this year. 
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I tweaked a few minor things in Garrett's book but didn't find anything major that jumped out at me. I sent the manuscript to my beta readers late yesterday afternoon. They'll have two weeks to go through it and send me suggestions, corrections, and such. I want to start working on the back cover copy but I have a busy week this week so I'm not sure how far I'll get with that.

Motivational Quote:  "Everyone must row with the oars he has." ~ Dutch Proverb

What I'm Reading:  I'm reading two books right now. I'm reading The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden before I go to sleep at night. During the day I'm reading Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles. It's a romantic suspense with a hockey player as the main male character. It's the 3rd book in Sparrow Falls series. I haven't read the first two books but I'm not feeling lost at all. While the books are part of a series I think they can also be read as stand alones.

Random Things:  It's finally warming up enough for the Lily of the Valley flowers in our yard to show tiny buds. It's supposed to be colder this week so I'm hoping it's not so cold the buds die before having a chance to bloom.

Random Photo:

  Here's a photo of the Lily of the Valley flowers. If you look close, you can see the tiny buds.

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I finished the last of the edits for Garrett's story. I'm going to take this week and give it one last read through so I can fix anything I might find. I'll then format it and get it ready to send to my beta readers over the weekend.

Motivational Quote:  "I'm inspired by a person's work ethic. Hard work motivates me to keep pushing through even when I am exhausted or overwhelmed or going through things." ~ Rita Ora, (Kosovan and British singer-songwriter)  

What I'm Reading:  I started Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry yesterday afternoon.  I've had this book on my TBR list for a while and was finally able to borrow a copy from the library.

Random Things:  Now that we're slowly moving into warmer weather, I've been doing a lot of baking on the cooler days. I rarely bake in the summer but still want homemade bread, muffins, and cookies so I've been making batches of different kinds of cookies and muffins and bread and freezing them so when it's 90 degrees with high humidity and I want a muffin or a cookie, I can just pull a few out of the freezer in the morning and have them with lunch later in the day. 

Random Photo:

I made Hermit cookie bars for the first time. I found the recipe in one of my mom's old cookbooks (copyright date was 1975). They turned out pretty good but seemed more like a gingerbread brownie than a cookie. I would make them again though. 
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I still haven't finished the last of the edits on Garrett's book. I'm trying not to be disappointed but... My mom was still not feeling well so a trip to the doctor and the lab to have blood drawn for tests and then a second trip to the doctor to get the results took up three days of writing time. The good news is that the tests showed nothing drastically wrong. She's a little anemic and is already feeling much better after being on medication for a few days.  

Motivational Quote:  "I always choose to see each new week as a new opportunity." ~ Marcus Manning (American businessperson and coach)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles. It's the first book in the Starlight Grove series. It's also the first book I've read by Ms. Cowles. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. I'm only about a third of the way through the book. 

Random Things:  I came across the above quote last week. It seemed to speak to me considering how this month has been going. I haven't finished the edits that I wanted to have done nearly 3 weeks ago now but this week is a new week and a new opportunity to get them done. I'm hopeful that will happen now that my mom is feeling better and I can concentrate on Garrett's book and not worry over my mom. 

Random Photo:

 Mrs. Green giving me her angry face because I wouldn't share my turkey sandwich with her. 
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I still haven't finished the last of the edits on Garrett's book. You know that saying that goes something like you make plans and the universe laughs? That's how last week went. I'm hoping this week will be back to normal so I can finish the edits and get this book out to my beta readers. 

Motivational Quote:  "You don't know where or what fate will bring you or when. You just have to keep going. You have to just keep the faith. You have to just get up and do what you can." ~ Joe Biden, US President

What I'm Reading:  I finished reading The Astral Library by Kate Quinn last night. I think it would fall into the fantasy category? I don't read a lot of fantasy so I could be wrong in saying this book fits that category. This is the first book I've read by Ms. Quinn and I really enjoyed it. 

Random Things:  It's supposed to be in the 70's most of this week with a bit of rain on some of the days but I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so I can have the doors and windows open and get some fresh air into the house. We have one scraggly looking hyacinth that's trying to bloom in the front yard that somehow escaped the landscaper's weed eater. (He cuts down everything in his path unless it has a decorative type fence around it.)

Random Photo:

 It was such a rough week last week that I stopped at a local bakery and treated myself to an almond danish Friday afternoon.