Thirty Percent Through NaNoWriMo

I'm getting the words in, but not on the project I'd planned to at the beginning of 2022.

Death in Double Mocha is way behind thanks to the multiple deaths in the family this year, not mention the two additional stories that will be audiobooks. Invasion! is supposed to come out December 1st, and I can't afford to lose my pre-order privileges on Amazon. And I'd wanted to do A Hint of Thief for NaNo. I have written a few chapters on it in order to wrap up the events at the end of A Measure of Knowledge and Invasion!

As a friend mentioned, it's like I'm writing three NaNo projects at once.

Looking at timing, I need to take a step back and finish Invasion! first since Elaina is scheduled to do the paperback cover next week.

Then, I need to finish up everything for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter before the end of the year.

Finally, I can jump back into A Hint of Thief because of the excitement factor of Anthea and Luc being caught in plots, spies, and triple-crosses while trying to keep Quan alive long enough to be crowned.

Yep, my brain is high on stories!

Paperbacks Arrived!

Yesterday, the UPS guy dropped off three cases of paperbacks. That's ninety copies. All of Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice. It's a little overwhelming since I've never sold ninety paperbacks in total over the last six years I've had paperbacks available.

The bubble envelopes for the Kickstarter folks who only wanted a copy of the first book already have the address labels on them, so tonight, I'll stuff envelopes while we watch TV.

I've also received some nice comment from folks about the quote magnet sets I've sent out already to the digital-only backers. I wanted to give something to the all backers that didn't cost an arm and a leg in shipping fees. (It's become rather ridiculous to even mail a package to my alter ego's cover designer who lives in Canada.)

Between stuffing envelopes, fixing A Measure of Knowledge, and finishing Hero Ad Litem, I've got a busy weekend ahead. I hope y'all get to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine!

The Beginning of Summer

As much as I'd like to purchase a chaise and lounge on the deck with a good book, there's far too much for me to accomplish.

Of course, top of the list is fixing A Measure of Knowledge. Then comes finishing Hero Ad Litem, Famine in French Vanilla, War in White Chocolate, and Death in Double Mocha. After which, I have a couple of stories to write in the Soccer Moms universe that are stretch goals for last March's Kickstarter camppaign.

I'm exploring some new ways to do audiobooks at a cost I can afford.

And lastly I'm toying with some ideas for an anniversary edition of A Question of Balance. Maybe even a guidebook similar to the Pern guidebooks in my extensive library. Heck, I'm even looking into designing a Tarot deck. These would be a lot of work, but I think they would be a lot of fun!

If anyone has any thoughts on the above, leave a comment or shoot me a message.

Writing and Sleeping

I'm on Day 7 of the cold from Hell. It's not COVID. I had DH pick up tests for me because we've been cleaning out the in-laws' house. Last thing I wanted was to pass it to the rest of the family if it was COVID.

It wasn't in my case, but one of the sisters and her family did have COVID, so they quarantined for a week.

In addition to writing on Hero Ad Litem this week, I've been double-checking A Measure of Knowledge. I'd already FUBAR'd the release by rushing through things. I figured taking my time and rechecking the entire manuscript was the best way to make sure I didn't do anything stupid again.

Because of the cold I've been sleeping. A lot. As in, I slept until  6 PM today. But I needed the sleep. This is the closest I've felt to normal since the FIL passed away.

And right now, I'll take that as a win.

A Rough Week

This week has been insane on so many levels.

- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned into a war of attrition.
- We haven't heard anything from GK for two weeks. So either the shit's hitting the fan at the Pentagon, or GK's social life is picking up. I pray it's the latter.
- The stacked Supreme Court is making its first play to turn minorities into non-citizens.
- DH's dad has been officially moved to hospice care.
- Bella was sick all day Wednesday, to the point I almost took her to the doggie ER.
- I'm behind on proofing several things.
- I'm behind on finishing A Measure of Knowledge.
- I'm still working on getting Kickstarter rewards ready for the mail.
- DH asked me to go with him and his oldest sister to the attorney's office next week to make sure they've asked all the right questions about handling the FIL's estate.
- Spring allergies have been a killer, so the constant headaches haven't helped.
- The tornado that developed from last Tuesday's t-storms didn't touch down in the county, but there was a lot of straight-line wind damage on the west side.
- DH was on the way to the stadium for the girls' lacrosse game when the tornado sirens went off. Yep, the high school is on the west side of town.
- Installing the cabinets in the primary bathroom will be delayed again with the pile of work DH and I need to take care of this weekend.

So, yes, there's definitely a reason I was exhasted when I woke up this afternoon. I also begged him not to plan anything for Mother's Day, which bless him, he didn't. But I might ask him to pick up brunch, so I can finish A Measure of Knowledge.

I hope you had a much more relaxing week!

Sunshine, Spring, and Shorts

This weekend was pretty damn near perfect. In the low '80's, lots of sunshine, and the flowers blooming like crazy. I wore shorts while doing yardwork on Saturday, and I didn't mind so much taking allergy meds, decongestant, and eye drops.

Needless to say, my body said enough after the yardwork and cleaning the family room. (Centipedes coming out of hibernation and racing around the floor looking to hook up under my couch were the cause of the family room cleaning.) Sunday was spent writing and editing.

Yesterday, I hit the fake-out problem before the climax on A Measure of Knowledge. Still trying to decide which ending to use in that book. I'm not looking to piss off readers, but what I think is awesome might not translate. Just because Michael Moorcock did it doesn't mean I can pull it off.

It's not like me to second-guess myself. But I've also been digging deeper into my soul for the Anthea stories. I'm not oo sure what this all means at the moment. Today's rain isn't helping my moodiness one bit.

But I do know I need to finish and get cracking on all my other projects. As they say, no rest for the wicked.

More Drizzles, More Editing

Most of our spring flowers survived Monday's snow. The first bunch of daffodils to bloom were already on their way out. The heavy slush merely accelerated the process. And I found decongestant in stock at the grocery store this week!

*damn allergies*

It's feeling more like spring. Warm drizzlies were just starting as Bella and I stepped outside for her constitutional. However, she got her hair and nails done yesterday, so she had no desire to sniff around after her business was finished. She's a princess pup after all.

I'm trying to wrap up the last proofing of some things. Later tonight, I'll be loading the stretch rewards into BookFunnel to send to the backers. And then for the rest of the weekend, I settle into the last scenes of A Measure of Knowledge.

I've been debating on whether or not to end it on a cliff-hanger. I'll probably write both endings and have my alpha readers let me know which one they prefer.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Your Work Isn't Everything

I've been busy getting everything lined up for delivery for my campaign's rewards. Between juggling all that and working on A Measure of Knowledge, I found myself stretched in too many directions. To the point where I accidentally blew off plans with a friend yesterday because I overslept.

I apologized profusely, and she was kind to me about the situation. However, I don't like being the flaky friend. And I've been doing it way too much lately.

So today is a day to take a step back and do things for the family and friends in my life.

Princess Bella and I rode with DH to his dad's accountant to turn over the documents and reports. FIL started having cognitive issues toward the end of last year. We didn't realize how bad it was until DH took over his dad's finances. It took DH the last six months to get everything entered into FIL's home accounting software and correct the entries prior to him taking over.

I'm getting Easter boxes ready to send to Genius Kid and Adorable Spawn. I returned a text to a friend. I texted another friend. Sending out a couple of birthday cards. Mailing a Christmas/Birthday package that's really, REALLY late.

As much as I love writing, I have to remind myself that people make the world go 'round, and I need to be kind.

Working for a Living

I slept in this morning. When I got up, I realized I didn't have any hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. My run to the grocery store was awesome! For once, they were fully stocked with Pepsi Zero! So eggs, English Muffins, soda, and my splurge, salt and vinegar potato chips.

I swung by Starbucks--a breakfast sandwich for Bella and me and coffee for DH.

And now, I need to get proofing and formatting done on some other books before settling in for more writing on A Measure of Knowledge. The Mars Tranquilus survived the initial attack by skinwalker pirates, and Crown Prince Bao Quan Po is about to get married. But of course, there's still a lot of ocean to cover before Anthea and the gang arrive in Jing.

And if I focus on Anthea's adventures, I won't keep checking on my Kickstarter campaign for Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse.

What are you doing on this marvelous Hump Day?