Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Revisions for Garrett's book are going slow. I'm cutting and writing completely new scenes and rewriting a lot of the others. I'm participating in Sarra Cannon's Rough Draft Challenge this month as a way to keep myself on track with the edits. I'd really like to have them completed by December 1st. 

Motivational Quote:  "Put the fear aside and do the basics." ~ Ingrid Betancourt (Colombian politician and activist)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading The Steps: A Memoir by Sylvester Stallone. I don't usually read memoirs, but this was recommended to me and I promised the person I would read it. I should finish it either tonight or tomorrow evening.

Random Things:  We're forecasted to get our first snow of the season later this week. Can I say how much I'm hoping the meteorologists in my area are wrong? Laughs. I know we won't make it through the winter without any snow, but I'm hoping the strong El Nino will keep the snow to an absolute minimum. During a normal winter, we average about 110 inches of snow in my area. I'm hoping with El Nino's help we'll get less than 60 inches this year. We've also been spoiled with much higher than normal temperatures last week. One day it reached a high of 80 degrees and broke a record from 1883. As a person who is not a fan of the winter, I'm hoping we break a lot more of those records this winter. 

Random Photo:

                Somebody enjoying a Sunday afternoon nap. I think he had the right idea. 
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I went through each chapter and wrote the important plot points and what interactions the two main characters had on index cards. It made it easier to see that the emotional connection/romance between the two characters is lacking. I wrote out notes for each chapter that I hope will fix the issue. I also wrote notes to tighten up the plot and the main female character's conflict. I'll start revisions using the index cards and notes this morning.

Motivational Quote:  "Don't whine, don't complain, don't make excuses. Just do the best you can. Nobody can do more than that." ~ John Wooden (American basketball coach quoting his father)

What I'm Reading:  I'm not currently reading anything. I requested The Steps (Sylvester Stallone's memoir) through our county's inter-library loan system. I received a notice that it's in transit to my local library so I'm hoping it'll be ready for me to pick it up tomorrow or Wednesday. Once I do, I'll be reading it the remainder of the week.

Random Things:  I don't really watch any sports other than the Olympics but I came across the above motivational quote a few days after I got the feedback on Garrett's book from my editor and beta readers. I wanted to whine and complain and I probably did for a few days. Laughs. But I knew if I wanted this book to be the best it could possibly be, I'd have to do the hard work of figuring out how to fix it and to do the work to make it a story people would want to read and would enjoy. Sometimes I think the universe puts these quotes in my path right when I need to see/read them the most.

Random Photo:

I bought a new planning notebook. It's the 6 ring binder type so I can reuse it instead of buying a new planning notebook or journal for each book. 
 

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I received the feedback on Garrett's book from my beta readers and editor. The good thing is they all like the story and characters. The bad thing is that every single one of them feels there's not enough romance. Considering this is a romance novel, that's a big problem. My editor in particular mentioned that the book seems to be missing the emotional connection between the main male and main female characters. I've tried not panic though I might not have been successful. I'm taking this week to go through all of the comments I received from my beta readers and all the comments and questions and suggestions from my editor. I'm hoping by reviewing all of that, I'll see a way to fix or add the missing emotional component. I really, really do not want to scrap this draft and start all over from the beginning.

Motivational Quote:  "The truth is that nothing is impossible. So, you must dream, you have to believe in yourself." ~ Halima Aden (Somali and American model)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison. I should finish it this evening. This is the 2nd book in her Ghosted series. I didn't read the first book in the series and am not feeling as though I missed something by not reading it. I think this book could almost be a stand alone novel.

Random Things:  I'm still working on making a decent loaf of sourdough bread. My first loaf came out okay. It didn't have that distinctive sourdough tang though. My second attempt was a complete disaster. I used a different recipe that was very labor intensive - it was a 3 day process starting with mixing the dough on the first day all the way through to baking it on the third day. The dough felt tough with all the constant handling of it (folding it once an hour for six hours on the second day alone) by the time I did the last shaping and put it on the pan to bake. It didn't really brown and the exterior crust was hard to cut through. You literally almost had to saw through it with the bread knife. But the interior was surprisingly soft and it wasn't dense at all. I'll be making my third attempt later this week. And I will be using yet another different recipe. Fingers crossed the third time will be the charm and this loaf will come out perfect.

Random Photo:

 A few of the chocolate brownie muffins I made to cheer myself up after my sourdough baking disaster. The recipe for the chocolate brownie muffins makes 12 muffins so I split them up into containers of four and froze them because they taste so good - really just like a brownie except in muffin form - that I'd probably eat the majority of them since as most of you know, homemade brownies are my weakness. 

 

  

 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Not doing much writing related right now as I'm waiting for feedback on Garrett's story from my beta readers and editor. i should start hearing from them by the end of this week. I am starting to do some very basic plotting on what will be the second book in the Eden's Crossing series.

Motivational Quote:  "I used to be terrified of making mistakes and now I realize that if I make one, there's a lot of respect to be earned for throwing yourself 100 percent into something." ~ Jessica Chastain (American actor)

What I'm Reading:  I just finished reading Big Stick Energy by Sarina Bowen. This is the second book in her New York Legends series. If you enjoy hockey romance, Sarina Bowen is one of the best authors writing it right now.

Random Things:  I went to my great-niece's 2nd birthday party last weekend. How is it that nearly all of my nieces and nephews are old enough to get married and start families of their own? It seems like just a few years ago, they were toddlers or starting school. It's enough to make me start feeling old. 😄

Random Photo:  

I came across these two cuties while I was out shopping for a gift for the birthday girl mentioned above. I did buy them. Did I buy them for her? No, I bought them for myself. LOL. I guess you never outgrow the need for a cute and cuddly plushie. 
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I'm not really doing too much writing related. I'm waiting for feedback from my beta readers and editor. It will probably be another week before I hear from any of them.

Motivational Quote:  "Don't stress out thinking about what's the next step? What's the plan? What am I doing next?...I feel like sometimes I don't enjoy the present moment and what's happening in my life right now because I'm always thinking, where am I going to be? What am I going to do?" ~ Nailea Devora (American comedian)

What I'm Reading:  I just finished The Me I Used to Be by Kristan Higgins. This is a stand alone women's fiction novel. I really enjoyed this book. The end made me a bit teary which is always a sign of a good book for me. If I can identify with the character(s) so much that I get teary over what they're going through then the author has done a great job writing the story. 

Random Things:  I can't believe we're starting the first full week of October already. It seems like it was just May. While I'm looking forward to autumn and the cooler weather and changing of the leaves, I'm feeling a bit anxious that there are only about 3 months left in the year. I still have a lot of things I'd like to get accomplished by the end of 2026 and less than 90 days to get them done. 

Random Photo:

My first attempt at making sourdough chocolate chip cookies. They came out pretty well. I'd definitely make them again.. 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  I'm a touch behind schedule. I wanted to send the revised draft of Garrett's story to my editor over the weekend. I'll be doing that today instead. I'm also sending it to a few of my beta readers to get their thoughts and feedback as well. 

Motivational Quote:  "Be true to who you are. Being somebody you are not is exhausting." ~ Hope Solo (American soccer player)

What I'm Reading:  I'm currently reading The Whisking Hour by Ellie Alexander but should finish it this evening. It's the 22nd  book in Ms. Alexander's Bakeshop Mystery series. If you like cozy mysteries that include recipes, this is a great series. 

Random Things:  It's finally getting cool enough to bake. The weather is supposed to be in the mid to low 60's for the majority of this week. I've pulled out all my bread and cookie recipes. Now the problem is trying to decide what to make first. One of my nieces gave me some of her sourdough starter a few months ago that I've been feeding every couple of weeks to keep it viable so I definitely want to try making sourdough bread for the first time. I also want to make chocolate Babka. Maybe some oatmeal cranberry cookies. I'm not a fan of raisins so I use dried cranberries instead. Of course, I'll be making focaccia. That goes without saying. So many things to bake and so little time. 

Random Photo:

Chocolate white chocolate  chip cookies I made last weekend despite it being in the 70's. I made them as a thank you for one of my nephews who did a huge favor for me but wouldn't let me pay him for his time and trouble. 
 

Monday Check In

Last week...

Writing Related:  Revisions and edits are finally humming along. I'm hoping to be done by the end of this week so I can send the second draft off to my editor and beta readers by September 19th, the 21st at the latest.

Motivational Quote:  "I aim to do my best, give my best, and know in my heart that I gave everything I could." ~ Francis Ngannou (Cameroonian and French mixed martial artist)

What I'm Reading: I'm currently reading Look For Me by Lisa Gardner. I didn't realize this is part of a series but despite not reading any of the prior books in the series, I'm not feeling lost at all. 

Random Things:  My oldest sister and I went shopping together Friday. She comes to my house usually once a week to have coffee and catch up. Deciding to change things up, we made plans to go shopping together. Nothing fancy, just a few stops at Bath and Body Works, a local pet store (we both have cats), and Dollar Tree to check out the fall and Halloween decorations. We had such a good time, we're going to try to do something similar every few months or so. 

Random Photo:

My great-nephew and I had an arts and crafts session when he and his grandmother came to visit on Monday. He made this Jack-O-Lantern for me. 
 

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.
 

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

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

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.