This I know for sure...

Today is Friday the 13th. Some people I know dread this day. They don't consider themselves superstitious, but are convinced something bad will happen on the day because of the date. My sister works with the public and is convinced that anyone who's a little crazy comes out in full force when it's a full moon or a Friday the 13th.

I haven't had anything bad happen on Friday the 13th so I tend to look at it the same way I do any other day. I also have a black cat, have put my shoes on the table (a huge no-no bad luck will happen according to my mother) Before you all crinkle up your noses at the thought, the shoes were new and I hadn't worn them yet so nothing icky from being warn outside was transferred to the table top.

Are you superstitious? What are those things that are no-no's to you?

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress): I had a much better week this week. I revised 40 pages which is double of what I was able to accomplish last week.

Quote of the week: "Stop wishing. Start doing." ~ Unknown.  I think this applies to so many things people want to change or to start doing.

What I'm reading: I finished Suzanne Brockmann's Do or Die: Reluctant Heroes over the weekend and haven't started a new book yet. I've been reading a variety of magazines my sister passed on to me.

Random things: It's warmed up to the low to mid 40's in my area with lots of sun. When I got home from the day job yesterday, I heard the birds chirping and singing. Just hearing those birds brightened my day. It reinforced the knowledge that spring is finally on the way. Finally. It's been a long, cold, snowy, winter. 

Random Photo of the Week:

 

 This is something I need to remember. Sometimes I look back and 

wonder what would have happened if things turned out differently.

When Is Enough Enough?

Revising and editing a manuscript is all part of the writing process. Many writers, myself included, do multiple drafts of a novel stopping only when we're convinced we've written the best book we can. That's not to say an editor isn't going to request changes/revisions before the book goes to publication. That's a given and it helps make a good book great.

All writers want to submit the best book possible to their publisher, but there has to be a point in which the author believes the book is strong enough, well written enough to submit to that publisher or an agent.

The problem many writers have is letting a project go. We can revise a manuscript forever and in the process, edit the life right out of the story. I once knew a writer who revised her first chapter for months. She felt she couldn't move forward with the story until the first chapter was perfect. While there's nothing wrong with revising your work as you write it, but after 18 months that writer still had nothing written of her story except that first chapter. Her revisions became nothing more than changing a word here and there and then changing it back again.

I believe an author she admired told her a first chapter sells the rest of the story. She was so determined to write the first chapter perfectly that she became paralyzed by it and wasn't able to move forward. I'm not holding her up as an example of what not to do, but to show that all writers have to come to the decision that that last pass of edits and revisions is enough and to know that the draft is the best possible one at the time.

This I know for sure...

You ever make a life decision that seems like the right one at the time and a few days later realize that maybe you should have made a different choice?

In some cases, you have to make the choice you did because there are/were no other options. And the only thing you can do is make the best of the situation until you can find a remedy that will allow you to make a change for something better.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My current WIP (work in progress):  This week I managed to get about 20 pages revised. While it's not as much as I wanted to get done, it's progress. I'm still trying to find the writing time I had before.

Quote of the week: "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." ~ Zig Zagler  I look this quote whenever I'm feeling I'm too tired or have too much to do to sit down and write.

What I'm reading: I'm still reading Do or Die: Reluctant Heroes by Suzanne Brockmann from last week. It's about 588 pages and between the longer hours at the day job and trying to get editing done on my manuscript, I don't have enough time to read as I seemed to have before.

Random things: February in my area was the coldest month ever with average of 12.4 degrees for the month. It broke the record for the coldest February in my area that was set in 1934.

Random Photo of the Week: 

I can't wait until this is what I'll see when I look out the window. I'm very tired of the gray days and constant snow storms.

Recipes and Books

As you may be aware there are a number of cozy mystery series that involve food. The sleuths are caterers, restaurant owners, bakery owners, and chocolatiers just to name a few. Most, if not all, of the series include recipes for items within the stories. Some have recipes sprinkled throughout the book, others have them all at the end of the book.

If you're like me and like to read and like to bake, it's a good way to enjoy a good book and get a few new recipes at the same time. Since I'm always looking for new authors and new recipes, reading these types of novels allows me to do both at the same time.

Some of the mystery series I know of that include recipes are:
Hannah Swenson series by Joanne Fluke
Goldy Schulz series by Diane Mott Davidson
Angie Amalfi series by Joanne Pence
Magical Bakery series by Bailey Cates

I only know of one romance author who wrote a series of books with recipes included. They were by Shirley Jump and the series is called Sweet and Savory. I read these years ago so I'm not sure if they're available for sale but you might be able to get them out of your local library.

If you know of any other series that includes recipes, I'd love to hear about them.