Where is September?

Half the month is gone! I haven’t posted in a month and I have lots of news from this month!

It started on the first with my birthday… of course I’m not going to say which one it was because I keep trying to stop counting and yet it gets counted for me anyway… especially by my mom! So a very special someone didn’t wish me a Happy Birthday until his third call of the day. But that’s okay because my mom visited me and brought me a chocolate bar.

The next night LJ and I had a nice dinner in and then he slid open the doors on the coffee table to reveal a card leaning against a small gift bag. When I moved the card I saw the bag was from a jewelry store. I opened the card first and had to read it twice to try to recover from the beautiful words. Never mind biding a little time before I dove into the bag.

I reached in and pulled out the square box that was wrapped in silver paper and ribbon and untied the ribbon. The wrapping paper was on so tight I had to actually undo all the tape. Finally. I was about to open the box. Of course little boxes like this can hold earrings, necklaces or rings and when I flipped it open it was the latter that I was least expecting glittering up at me like stars twinkling in the night sky! A birthstone (sapphire) surrounded by diamonds. I counted but have forgotten how many already. That was one of the most exciting days of my life!

I had the best week’s vacation last week. I got so much writing done that I typed THE END at the end of the third installment of my Mysteries of the Past series. This is the third book with David and Rebecca at the helm and it was definitely a fiery start!

I’m working on bringing you Haven and Ethan back and I think I have finally worked myself out of that. My mind was too set on more of Ronald’s misdeeds but I didn’t want to go there. It won’t be as fiery as that first novel was but I think it will be more on the sweet side. Mysterious? Yes. But not based in fact and nothing as horrifying as it must have been for that poor girl who endured a night at gunpoint. I have decided that, if I can manage it, the Haven series will be no more than a trilogy and I’m going to bring Leroy back!

Lastly, I have a proposal for you, my readers, or at least those who live in my area… I know it’s early yet but I’m thinking about Christmas. I’m thinking of putting together boxes, just like you see on social media, as gift boxes for you to give as gifts (or buy for yourself). It would contain a book, a blanket, a mug, some tea and a bookmark. The book would be signed. AT this time the cheapest I can estimate is $50 inclusive. If you want me to toss in an extra book then it would go up in increments of $15 for each additional book. Of course I might be able to shave some off here and there if I make a few adjustments and if I have to order books I might have some wiggle room depending on how many I order at one time.

There’s one catch… I need to know sooner than later so I can order the proper quantities of everything. I also am not guaranteeing that I will have my latest edited and published by Christmas as time, and couch company, always play a huge role!

Why I don’t get my writing done!

So think about who you might want some gifts for and let me know! I’m excited about this as a general idea and if it pans out I will then offer for Valentine’s Day, a Beach Pack and a Fall Pack (although fall is pretty close to Christmas!)

Keep writing my friends!

Storms…

I know I’m not alone in my dislike of storms yet I feel like I get made fun of, a LOT, for hiding my head under the covers when a storm comes through.

I don’t like lightening. Lightening terrifies me. It always has, as far back as I can remember. I know my mom hates storms too and I probably picked up on that as a little girl. I, in turn, behaved the same way with my daughter.

I know when I was younger, between 10 and 14, we went for a drive with my grandmother and great-grandmother. It was pretty stormy out there and we drove in and out of storms, not seeing but finally finding out later that we had probably had a tornado pass by in our rear-view mirror somewhere out there.

When we got home the storms were moving in. All the windows in the house were open so my mom told me to close the one over the kitchen sink while she went to close the bedrooms. Now, I’m short. I’m 5’3 1/2″ and was shorter between 10 and 14! Have you ever tried to lean over a kitchen sink to close a window? I had to partially climb up onto that narrow strip of counter in front of the sink to reach it and get it closed. I had just slammed it closed when a bolt of lightening looked like it was coming right at the house; right at me. I screamed and jumped down. It was so close I actually went outside later expecting to see a black streak down the brick under the window but there was nothing.

Early this morning, close to 4:00, I woke to hear rumbling and then I saw the lightening. I tend to just yank the covers over my head and stay there. However I wasn’t alone and the covers were pulled off my head and LJ wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.

I didn’t fall asleep until the storm was nearly over. Now we are back in the cycle again waiting for a storm to maybe show up. Right now, it’s forecasted for 5:00 in the morning. Maybe it will show up and maybe it won’t.

We can’t dwell on them and I shouldn’t fear them, but I do.

But, we weather the storm, no matter where we’re at. The same pertains to writing, whether we write good or bad, whether we write a little or a lot, what we write is part of who we are. Roll with it.

Until tomorrow!

At a loss…

I have been so busy today that I just have no idea what to say…

Of course I’m just trying to keep up with the daily posts right now so, as I suggest to my writing students who are having writing block, sit with a blank page and write “I don’t know what to write” over and over until something comes to them.

It connects the brain to the fingers, to the pen and to the paper.

I’m not having the same luck right now so you can try the free writing exercise but I’m off…

Until tomorrow!

Oh my…

I’m very sleepy tonight! It felt like a very long first day back to work after vacation.

After almost 4,000 words yesterday I managed to add only a few tonight. After everything I had in my head I feel stuck as to where I’m going, yet I know at the same time… yes, that is supposed to make some sense.

I’m grateful I got myself going in the direction I want but as I look back at the old manuscript, the old story I had started, I can’t help but want to include parts anyway. I had developed a story that would lead the reader to know why Ronald had behaved the way he did… but then I also want to leave him out of it. I’m very torn because I like the direction that I want to move in.

As an author it’s sometimes hard to leave characters behind especially when they are a bad character. Does anyone really want to hear about that? Well maybe they do and maybe I should make it kind of wrap up after all… there’s still all that stuff up in the attic, plus, in my first attempt at writing this I started to talk about Peter leaving the house to the township… well what if they found a key? What if the township has all but abandoned the old house and Haven finds her way in there?

Anything at all jumping out at you?

Until tomorrow!

Guess…

You get three guesses what I got up to today?

If you said writing you got it!

I made it 3,715 words into the new version of the sequel to Haven of Secrets. I think I have done well with some planning, which, gulp, is difficult to admit since I don’t think I’ve ever made that many notes ahead of writing. But it paid off!

So, since I have accomplished that many words, the first three chapters, approximately sixteen pages (I digress), and the Blue Jays pulled off a late-game win which was AWESOME, I’m going to pack it in. Not that I want to cut this news short but I promised myself a post a day, it’s great news but now it’s time to, perhaps, go for a swim!

Until tomorrow!

Sometimes…

It has to be a day of notemaking mixed in with some packing! Yup, I’m almost packed up and ready to head to the trailer. In 25 minutes I should be getting the call and will need to get food into coolers and head out.

It won’t be a long time up at the trailer this time but it should be great enough weather to get to the beach.

I would love to wake up and just go straight to my laptop and be able to begin. I don’t think I’m there yet.

Hey, while I’m here… do you recall if, in Haven of Secrets, I stated what my imaginary Peter character did with the house where the murders took place?

My issue is I was almost 10,000 words into the sequel before I gave up on it and now I can’t remember if it was in there or in the first book! I’ve looked but can’t remember where I put it if I put it anywhere!

Okay, gotta keep packing!

Until tomorrow!

Well…

an unproductive last day of vacation. I did some reading, made a few more notes but that’s it. I think it’s time to sit and write. Period. See if all the ideas I’ve been tossing around will just end up on the page. That all my thoughts about the storylines I want to run with will just formulate on the page now.

I’m kind of sad as it’s another four weeks before I get another week off. I can’t believe the headaches and the back pain this week. Maybe it was just from the increasing humidity that builds low pressure systems and maybe not.

I’m proud that I got my dining room organized where things aren’t falling down with no encouragement! Yes, I accomplished something but it was nowhere close to what I wanted to accomplish.

I guess I can say that for any writer. When we want to do it, sometimes we just can’t. Yet when we least expect it, it’s all right there in front of us! The characters and ideas have to percolate and come out in their own time. I just wish that, right now, it was in the time I had to spill those words not when I don’t have the time!

Until tomorrow!

Exhausted…

With how many hours of this day to go yet?

As for productive… well, it has been but not the way it started out. So I was looking at my writing, comparing some notes, writing down previous cast members and had this sudden light bulb idea of making it a TRILOGY. This is so enlightening now because I can work out both the second AND third at the same time so I can leave a few things hanging.

However, I looked at the mess I had started to make on Tuesday morning (you know where you decide to spend time and do a small clean-up that ends up making you wonder what you were thinking? Yeah, that) and decided I should quickly go attack the bookcase so I can sort things over into new space.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!

Quickly? I’m rolling on the floor!

It took me ALL afternoon. At 3:05 LJ calls and asks what I’m doing. He expects to leave work at 4 and wants to know if I’ll be doing the same. I look around… my dining room table doesn’t exist. Neither does my floor! I have two loads of laundry to fold, dishes to do, a blog post to put up, a newspaper to read. I have eaten nothing since lunch, my tea is cold and I have had exactly three-quarters of a cup of water all day.

I must have found my superpowers because I managed to leave at 4:09 and beat him to his house where I am now typing this on my iPad so I don’t miss out!

Tomorrow will be THE day… I will work out more on the trilogy and finish getting my former cast of players listed.

Until then my friends!

I’m here, I’m here!

Don’t lose faith yet! I decided to wait to see if there was anything I might come across to write about… well, not really! I finally read Saturday’s comics and they were funny but not even good ol’ Charlie Brown was one with Snoopy the author!

That’s okay! I was making more notes today and I think I have put enough thoughts down that I can start to rebuild the story. I think there’s enough in my mind and on paper to write the story from the past. I will then build the present around that. It will have a very interesting twist to it I think.

It didn’t help that part of my afternoon was just resting with another headache. Not sue what that was about but I wasn’t happy about it. Oh and I did manage to finish my book. Kathy Reichs actually did another great job on the book she wrote last year and now I can move on the brand new one. I loved some of her personal notes at the end though. She did talk about how she pulls these things together and that actually gave me some incentive. She spoke of writing the exact same why I explain it. It was like she was prodding me to get off my butt!

So I did. Because the migraine got me down for so long I didn’t get much done, but it was something and I’m running with that! I am, after all, on vacation!

But, now that I had something to share and have shared it I also have to sign off because it’s also nearing the time to start getting ready for bed and sleep!

Until tomorrow!

Percolating Ideas

While most people percolate their coffee I percolate ideas. It has been interesting how bits of what I wanted to write were appearing in my dreams last night! Do I remember any of it? Nope, afraid not.

But that means my brain is working and I can review my notes and see where things are at.

So it wasn’t a total waste coming home last night. My mom came over this morning and started to, once again, overhaul my basement. She did that while I spent the morning starting in my dining room/office. It’s not the space I work from home from but that’s where my writing, oils, and other business ventures have landed.

Since I’m not longer at Enhanced Wellness all of that can be gone through and what is not of value it’s getting tossed out. Otherwise it will go into a small bin.

I will, as always, continue with the oils. That will be a second to my writing. My dining room is also my craft corner so I have loose flowers all over the place from the bouquet’s I haven’t finished making yet. The spirit moves me when I see a vase I want to fill. The biggest problem is finding places to put them all!

Hopefully this week I can spend some time getting rid of stuff up here and doing writing the other half of the time.

It has been pure pleasure to have the day for, literally, whatever!

Until tomorrow!