Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I sent out Coming Home to my editor and beta readers last Tuesday. I'm in a holding pattern until I get feedback from them so I'm taking a small break from writing right now.

 Motivational Quote: "Try not to over-think." ~ Amy Beager  I repeated the quote from last week because now I'm trying not to overthink the changes I made to the book before I sent it out for feedback. 

What I'm Reading:  I finished reading Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong last night. It was a stand alone rom-com. It was a fun, fast read.

Random Thoughts:  Like most people, I did a lot of holiday gift shopping over the weekend. I have a few small items I need to pick up from local retailers, but thankfully the majority of the shopping is done. Thank goodness for online shopping. 

Random Photo:

                     Me, trying to decide what holiday cookies to make and give away this year.
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  The first draft of Coming Home is done. Whew! I wrote it in 10 weeks. That's the fastest I've ever written a first draft. I will edit it this week. I used a new plotting method which not only helped me write the first draft faster, but also helped me write cleaner so I'm hoping there won't be a lot of revisions or rewriting to be done. 

 Motivational Quote: "I'm always trying to be better. Better, better, and better...in all ways and in everything that I'm doing in my life. And it's not about [being] perfect. It's about [being] better." ~ Evgenia Medvedeva

What I'm Reading:  I started The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score yesterday afternoon. It's the 4th book in the Riley Thorn mystery series. This isn't a typical mystery or cozy mystery series. It's like a rom-com and a cozy mystery were mixed together resulting in a fun and engaging series. 

Random Thoughts:  I tried a new recipe for chocolate orange swirl bread. It came out well. I think when I make it again, I'll add a touch of orange extract for a bit more orange flavor. The recipe only calls for orange zest and 2 tablespoons of orange juice so you can taste some orange, but it's like a subtle hint. I'm baking banana bread this afternoon because I have two bananas that are a little too ripe to eat as is. 

Random Photo:

                                Here's a photo of the chocolate orange swirl bread

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I received feedback from my beta readers so this week I'll be incorporating their remarks and/or suggestions into the manuscript. There isn't too much that they marked up so I'm hoping to have everything completed by the end of the week.

Motivational Quote:  "I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." ~ Groucho Marx

What I'm Reading: I started reading Quarter to Midnight by Karen Rose last night. It has 594 pages! Needless to say I won't be finishing it in a couple of days.

Random Thoughts:  School supplies are on sale. I've already purchased a couple of binders that I needed. While I don't need to buy any, I find myself perusing the notebooks, folders, and pens. I'll probably pick up a package of pens because you can never have enough pens. I'll also get a few one subject and composition notebooks because I use those for plotting and journaling. I do a journal for each book while I'm writing it. 

Random Photo:

 Last week was an exercise is frustration and patience (which I never seem to have enough of). Believe me when I say there weren't enough cookies in the grocery store to make me happy.

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Due to circumstances beyond my control, I'm going to have to push back the release of Caine's book  It's killing me to have to do it, but I don't have any choice. It'll only be 3 weeks later than the originally scheduled date but it's still later than I said it would be published. The title is One Last Chance. It will be available for purchase on 09/04/24.

Motivational Quote:  "I have to believe that when things are bad I can change them." ~ Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) from Cinderella Man.

What I'm Reading:  I still reading The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. I haven't had a lot of free time to read lately. I'm also finding it hard to like either one of the main characters.

Random Thoughts:  Caine's book has been a bear to write from start to finish. First, I fell and broke 1 rib and fractured 2 others that made it hard to sit and write for any length of time, then I ended up in the hospital for a week. After I was released, it still took me a bit to get back to feeling up to writing and not spending that time sleeping. Then my editor had a family emergency which I totally understand. These things happen. That's life. She was wonderful about keeping me apprised of when she'd be able to get to my submission(s) but it also delayed things a bit. Now, I have this latest issue that is causing an additional delay. As much as I love this book and think that it's a great book, I'll be so glad when it's finally published and I can move on to the next book in the series. 

Random Photo: 

                         This is how I feel the writing of One Last Chance has been. 😄
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  While doing one last read through, I found a dangling plot thread that needs to be woven into the story. I'll work on that this week and then send the completed book to my beta readers next Monday. It'll put me a week behind schedule, but I'm hoping they won't find much that needs changing.

Motivational Quote: "Two little mice fell in a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned. The second mouse wouldn't quit. He struggled so hard that eventually he churned that cream into butter and crawled out..." ~ Frank Abagnale, Sr. from the movie Catch Me If You Can

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley. It's the first book I've read of Ms. Oakley's. I'm enjoying it and should have it finished in the next couple of days.

Random Thoughts:  Two new shops that sell handmade ice cream opened in my area. I'm interested in visiting both of them as they have unique flavors. One is known for its basil ice cream and the other is known for it's S'Mores ice cream cone with a toasted marshmallow on a skewer topper and their lemon soft serve with a blackberry jam topping. I'm a huge fan of S'Mores so that will be the one I would most likely get.

Random Photo:

                        It's been so crazy busy lately, this how I feel most mornings.
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related: Nothing really new to report here. I'm still working on revisions and edits for Mississippi's story.

Motivational Quote: "Stand back. Stand back, far enough so you can see your own mountaintop, then head straight for it knowing it will disappear from sight for most of your life as you meander the hidden forest trails that lift you ever higher even as sections force you to drop down into the mountainside pockets of disappointment or even despair...but you will be climbing again soon enough." ~ Arno Rafael Minkkinen

What I'm Reading: I started reading Second Shot by Cindy Dees in the middle of last week. I'm enjoying it so far, but I'm less than one hundred pages in because I keep falling asleep while I'm trying to read when I go to bed.

Random Things: It's supposed to be significantly cooler this coming week. While I'm looking forward to do some baking now that it won't be too hot to put the oven on, I am dreading the coming end of summer. 

Random Photo:

A picture of the blueberry muffins I made last spring when it was still cool enough to put the oven on. I'll probably make zucchini bread or muffins when I bake this week because my brother gave us a bunch of zucchini from his garden.

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related: I'm working away on revisions and trying to fix that sagging middle problem in Mississippi's story. I feel like I made some good headway, but there's still a lot the needs to be done.

Motivational Quote: "If we want to transform our reality, we begin with ourselves." ~ Alejandro Jodorowsky

What I'm Reading: I started reading Prior Bad Acts by Tami Hoag yesterday afternoon. I picked it up from a new Little Library in my neighborhood. I read quite a few books by Ms. Hoag years ago so when I saw this one, I couldn't resist taking it home. Once I'm finished, I'll put it back in the Little Library along with a couple of contributions of my own.

Random Things: Ugh! The leaves are starting to fall from my neighbor's tree already. The leaves are small and blow around quite a bit. I don't mind so much that they fall in my yard, it's that they are starting to fall already. It's only the middle of August. I'm hoping that's not a sign that it's going to be a harsh winter in terms of snowfall. 

Random Photo: 

My sister shared a Boston Cream pie cake she purchased with us. I'd never had it before. It was pretty good, but I prefer the Boston Cream doughnut version.
  

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related: I heard back from my beta readers and editor on Mississippi's story. It was all good feedback but...Eek! It seems the story suffers from a sagging middle. I have quite a bit of rewriting and editing to do so the middle doesn't slow the pace down like it apparently does now. Other than the first part of the middle section dragging and a few minor tweaks such as adding a bit more description in some scenes and changing a couple of areas where there's more telling than showing, the manuscript seems to be in good shape over all. 

Motivational Quote: "Yes, I am optimistic, but one must go through a long period of purgatory." ~ Eugene Ionesco. For the most part, I try to keep an optimistic outlook, but some days it's harder than others. 😀

What I'm Reading: I still reading Second Chance Spring by JoAnn Ross. I set it aside to read A Little Ray of Sunshine by Kristan Higgins which I'd had on hold at my local library for weeks. When I was notified the book was available for me to borrow/pick up, I knew I'd need to read it asap because other people were waiting to borrow it and I wouldn't be able to renew it if I didn't have it done by the time it was due back.

Random Things:  It's time for school supply sales. While I don't have anyone in school, I shop the school supply sales to stock up on index cards, pens, one subject spiral notebooks, composition books, and Post-It notes. I use these items all year long in my writing, so I pick them up at the cheaper prices while I can. In my area right now, one subject notebooks are on sale for 25 cents. Packages of plain white index cards are on sale for the same price. Composition books are on sale for 50 cents. Can't beat those prices. 

Random Photo:

 

A miniature sunflower that I grew in a pot from a seed. I'm really happy about it. I don't usually have good luck growing flowers in pots.

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related: I spent last week tearing apart the middle part of my plot and putting it back together. I realized one of the main characters was acting out of character so needed to go back and rework things so he is depicted properly.

Motivational Quote: "Be flexible, but keep pursuing your goals." ~ Opal Tometi

What I'm Reading: I'm not reading anything right now. I have a couple of books on hold at the library that I need to pick up this week. I'll more than likely start reading one of them.

Random Things: I've started crocheting in the evenings again while my mom is watching TV. It allows us to spend time together and I don't feel like I'm wasting time sitting in front of the television from 8:00pm to 10:00pm most nights. 

Random Photo:

                                             My current crocheting project.

Monday Check In

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. 

Random Photo:

                             A pretty cool looking carrot from my brother's garden. 

 

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

                                Celebrating being finally done with Ivan's story.
                           

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

                  Somebody hogging the fan trying to cool off along with the rest of us.
 

  

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

                                        Birthday card I made for my sister.

Monday Check In

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. 

Random Photo:

Mrs. Green and Somebody looking out the window together. This is a rare occurrence so I had to take the picture. Usually if one of them is looking out the window and the other one tries to look out at the same time, the first one will get down.
 

Monday Check In

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.  

Random Photo:

                   Mrs. Green telling me to hurry up and take the picture already. 😀
  

Monday Check In

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. 

Random Photo:

                         Not a photo, but this spoke to me so I wanted to share it.

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

         Here's a picture of the succulent planter I mentioned above with the jumping spider.
 

Monday Check In

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.

 

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

Somebody has been very restless the last few nights either keeping me awake or waking me up multiple times during the night. Then as soon as the alarm goes off, he goes downstairs, gets on his blanket bed and goes to sleep.
 

Monday Check In

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.

Random Photo:

My nephew's cat who likes to sleep in the decorative bowl they keep on their coffee table.