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. 
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I didn't finish the edits on Garrett's book as I planned. My mom was under the weather for a few days so I spent extra time with her making sure she was okay. I should be able to finish the last of the edits this week. 

Motivational Quote:  "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." ~ Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart, actor) from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

What I'm Reading:  I just finished First Sign of Danger by Kelley Armstrong last night. It's the 4th book of the Haven's Rock series which is a spin off from her Rockton series. Both are good mystery/suspense type stories but in order to understand what's going on in the Haven's Rock series, you do need to read the Rockton series first as some of the characters from Rockton carry over to Haven's Rock.

Random Things:  We had a quiet Easter holiday with just my mom and two of my sisters over for dinner. I made a homemade carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. The frosting was bought from the store (Betty Crocker). I have yet to master the art of making frosting that doesn't taste like you're chewing sugar or like you just took a bite off a stick of butter.  

Random Photo:

I forgot to take a picture of my carrot cake before we cut it so here is one that I found on FreePik that looks very close to my cake except for the little carrot on top. 

 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Good writing week last week. I should finish up the last of the first round of edits/revisions by the end of the week. I will have to go back and rewrite part of the beginning due to changes I've made to the rest of the book. I hope to get that done by the end of the first full week of April.

Motivational Quote:  "There are only so many hours in the day, so some parts of your life will be out of whack. You can try to have it all if you manage expectations and redefine what joy, protection, and safety mean to you."  ~ Gabrielle Union (American actor and activist)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Bloodlust by Sandra Brown last Friday. I didn't realize it was the second book in a series. Despite that, I don't feel lost at all or that I needed to read the earlier book first. 

Random Things:  Like most people, I'm looking forward to spring weather. Any day that's 50 degrees or higher makes me want to put away the winter coats, boots, and gloves. Not to mention the shovel and snow brush. I haven't put away the latter yet because I'm certain that as soon as I do, we'll get one last late winter storm. The winter coats will have to stay out a bit longer because we have temperatures in the 30's more often than not.

Random Photo:

This seemed appropriate since I'm working on first draft edits and finding more things that need "fixing" than I expected.
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  It's been a busy couple of weeks but I've still managed to make progress on Garrett's book. I'd say I'm about two-thirds of the way through edits for the book, maybe a little less. I'm still on track to be finished by 4/4 unless something unexpected crops up. And given the way the last 2 weeks have gone, that's entirely possible.

Motivational Quote:  "The greatest relationship, the greatest one you will ever have is with yourself. Believe me. Have faith in yourself." ~ Sheryl Lee Ralph (American actress)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading Free Falling by Jill Shalvis Saturday evening. This is the 2nd book in her Colburn Brothers series.  

Random Things:  I made Ciambellone (an Italian citrus cake) for the first time just over a week ago now. You can make it with lemons, limes, or oranges. I used lemons. I've never made a bundt type cake from scratch before. The top of the cake cracked a bit when I tipped it out of the pan but overall I was happy with how it turned out. It had a good lemon flavor but I think it would have better with a lemon glaze. The recipe I was given calls for powdered sugar to be sifted over the top before serving. I would make it again but with a lemon icing or glaze.

Random Photo:

                                                    The Ciambellone that I made.
 

Monday Check In

Sorry, no new post this week. Here's a picture of Mrs. Green from 2 summers ago enjoying some summer sun.

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Edits/revisions on Garrett's book are moving forward. I'm happy with my progress but wish I was further along. At the same time, I don't want to rush the process and turn in a sub-par book to my editor. 

Motivational Quote:  "I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope." ~ Rosa Parks (American civil rights activist)

What I'm Reading:  I started reading The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score yesterday afternoon. I didn't get a chance to read this during the Christmas season so I decided to read it now while it's still cold and snowy outside.

Random Things:  The temperature reached 50 degrees in my area this past weekend. It was bright and sunny and "warm." Warm being a relative term but since we've had days where the high temperatures were in the 20's or lower, 50 almost felt like summer. I'm hoping winter is winding down. 

Random Photo:

 

I meant to include this photo in my 2/16 post. This is a bouquet of roses there were available for purchase at one of our local grocery stores for Valentine's Day. I'm not sure how I'd feel if someone gave me black roses. 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I hit the 100 page mark in revisions. I still have two-thirds of the book to go. Despite that, I feel like I'm making good progress. I'm trying to do the developmental edits and line edits at the same time. I usually do them separately but this book is so far past its original publication deadline that I want to get my edits done so I can send it to my editor and beta readers by the end of March at the latest.

Motivational Quote:  "At the end of the day, you can't have it all. And if you take care of your mental well-being first, the rest will fall into place." ~ Simone Biles (American gymnast)

What I'm Reading:  I'm not reading anything at the moment. I'm going to the library this afternoon to pick a few books that I requested that have come in.

Random Things:  It was cold and snowy over the weekend so after I finished the usual Saturday housework, I did some baking. I made focaccia bread (our new favorite homemade bread) and tried a new recipe for peanut butter muffins. I love peanut butter so I had to try out the recipe. After I finished baking and cleaning up the kitchen, I curled up on the sofa with a book and a cup or two of tea. It was a nice way to spend the weekend.

Random Photo:

                                  Here's how the peanut butter muffins came out.