IWSG: January 2024!

 It  can't be 2024, yet here it is. There's a great way to start the year and that's with IWSG. Thanks to the admins and our founder Alex J. Cavanaugh, we can all share our insecurities for another year. Please find more bloggers participating in this blog hop here.

I am going to skip the optional question this month and talk about other things today.

I've said many times that I don't set goals, but I do make plans and right long to-do lists. Writing this post was on my most recent list. Other things on there for January of 2024:

1. Reach out to more reviewers and review sites for The Morbunda Trilogy.

2. Update my Goodreads page and other social media.

3. Continue work on my newest WIP. (No title yet even though I'm almost 30K in)

4. Write more reviews for my writer friends.

5. Help Pennwriters open registration for the Annual Writers Conference being held in May.

6. Begin editing on another of the book series I've recovered my rights for so I can self-published it.

That's enough for January. In the last three months of 2023, I managed to self-publish 3 books, write that 30K, attend a mini-con and set up a book signing for February. 

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." Thomas Jefferson

The holidays were joyful and filled with family and friends. Too much food, but that's what the treadmill and stepper is for. Later this week, I'm heading out to meet a friend at an indie bookstore/cafe. I hope you find time to support those local bookshops and keep them running.

I enter 2024 with more optimism than I felt a year ago about my writing. I wish I could make enough on my books to dent the inflation that is hurting my pocket.

"If you can dream it, you can achieve it." Zig Ziglar

I wish you all a happy and healthy 2024. 

Are you making goals and plans for 2024? Are you feeling optimistic this January? Did you accomplish what you want in 2023? Do you have a favorite indie bookstore?

IWSG: November 2023

 

Whew, November already. Thanks to all the admins at IWSG and our founder, Alex J. Cavanaugh, we're still going strong with our monthly supportive blog hop. Please find the entire list of participants here.

This month's optional question:

November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

I have never participated in NaNo and likely never will. It's not how I write, with that hurried urgency to just get words on the page. I admire those who do and will cheer them on. I know many writers have written successful novels during NaNo. I won't be one of them.

I am working on new writing and getting work done of the books I received my rights back from the publishers who previously held them. Not all the books were published before I took back the rights, but most of them have already been through multiple rounds of edits.

My big news is that with the help of others, I've re-released First Dragon, Book One of The Morbunda Trilogy. 

Birthed in fire. Bound by family.
A fast-paced tale of a war smoldering for centuries and waiting for a spark to burn down the fragile peace. The foundling, Kerik, learns his true nature as war rolls over the land of Morbunda. Everyone he cares about is in danger and only he has the power to keep them safe. But can one dragon stand against an entire invading army?

Find First Dragon on Amazon in ebook and print.

I'm busy doing final line edits on the second book, War Dragon. And still working on my new stuff which is a change for me. Usually, I tend to only work on one project at a time.

Not that there's anything to distract me on TV. This week I'm going to try Bodies on Netflix. Nothing else interests me right now. But I've kicked my workouts into a higher gear and am back to jogging after almost two years of walking only. I'm sooooo slow, but it still feels good and I've lost some weight. I hope I can keep it going as cold weather creeps in to ruin my days.

I hope those of you in the USA have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. The family all comes to my house so I'll be busy and exhausted but also surrounded by love and fun. Everyone gets along and there's never drama. I wish that all for you also.

Are you doing NaNo? Are you dreading the cold like I am? Having Thanksgiving at your house?

Monthly Special

Busy as a bee doesn't quite describe it here in the northeast. After all, those buzzing wonders don't work all winter long. As I've started into the second year of my career as a full time writer, I find there is no 'normal' month of work. There's always something going on in the writing side of writing or on the business side of writing. Or the real life issues side of writing.

Blog hops are every where. I enjoy them and find myself involved in at least one but usually more every month. Next Monday is the Survive and Thrive Bloghop. And of course the first Wednesday of every month is IWSG blog.

A big special over the course of the last six weeks has been the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond project. I'm so proud to be part of that still ongoing construction. Can't wait for December!

Besides posting on my personal blog here, I take turns posting on the IWSG blog and today I'm at the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I also belong to a lesser know blog group at The Susquehanna Writers Blog. And I'm already preparing for the A to Z Challenge for next April.

Keeping up my author page on Facebook and trying to grow that has taken some time. I've become more active on Twitter and find I'm enjoying that more. Still haven't figured out LinkedIn but I'm there. I've also been asked to take on the job of secretary for Pennwriters, a state-wide writing organization. Don't even know how much that work will be yet.

On the writing side of writing, my most recent release was at the beginning of September. My romance publisher is doing a re-release of three of my titles with new covers, one at the end of each of the next three months. Musa Publishing has taken on my Futhark Chronicles and will be releasing them during four separate months next year starting in February. Some editing to do on those. And I just signed a contract for the follow up book to First Dragon. 

On the life side of writing, I'm still stressing about my daughter studying in Morocco. My hair falls out when I stress. LOL. It's getting very thin. And I'll be helping my son move back east from Colorado next week. A long day in the airport flying out there and two long days of driving back. Still, it will be nice to have one of the chicks safely back in the nest.

This isn't a whine post though I'm having some while I write it. What I've learned in my short time of being a full time writer is that you can be as busy as you want to be. There are so many things out there to get involved in. While I worked the day job, I would never have had time to do all these things. By getting involved in them, I'm making lots of friends, learning so much about the industry and giving back a little to the people who have helped me along in my career.

Do you volunteer your time somewhere in the writing community? What part of the writing business beside the actual writing keeps you the busiest? What events are you looking forward to in the next few months?

IWSG: Little Things

Welcome to March's IWSG post. Thanks to Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh for starting this wonderfully supportive group where we can all share, whine and encourage each other. If you haven't joined the IWSG Blog or the IWSG Facebook Group, give it a look. You can find the entire list of today's bloggers on this site page.

I just submitted the last book in my Recon Marines series to my publisher. I'm giving myself a little breathing room before diving into the next series. During this time I'll be preparing my posts for April's A to Z blogging challenge, doing some promo for my friends here and also doing bits of promo for my latest releases.

Promotion stresses me. I don't like the time it takes away from my writing. I'm not comfortable with blitzing Twitter or Facebook. (Won't mind if you like that page) I feel like I'm imposing on my friends when I ask them to promote for me. And I certainly don't like spending money to do it. I've been trying a different approach lately.

Little things. An appearance here and there. A mention now and then on Facebook or Twitter. Today, the very generous Michelle Howard is hosting me on her blog. I'll be talking about dragons to promote my latest fantasy release, First Dragon. Two weeks from now, I'll be somewhere else. Is it enough? Maybe not but I feel comfortable and less stressed. During this month, I'm trying to find one new thing to try each week. I have long lists of ways and places to promote.

My advice today is find your comfort zone. Take charge but don't stress yourself. Please visit Michelle Howard today. She's also running a giveaway during the week with an entry for all comments.

Does promotion stress you out? Any little thing you advise to do? Did you join IWSG blog or Facebook yet?

Not Rain or Snow or Dark of Night

The weather played havoc with my blogging this week. Power outages meant no internet for long periods of time. A few extra trips to the store to resupply certain items and we won't even talk about my husband running over his phone after he dropped it into nine inches of snow. Ouch. Spring is only 41 days away.

But a lot of good things happened this week and I'm taking the time to mention my friends even as I'm so thankful it's Friday. Don't forget you can pick up CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh on Amazon for only .99 for this week only. Great deal for a great book.

My friend, Misty Simon, has a new release, Making Room at the Inn, available for free for a limited time. Everyone likes a free read and Misty is so entertaining.

Also check out this great review I received for my latest fantasy, First Dragon. It's one of the books I'll be signing at the big Valentine's sale this weekend at Ashcombe's Farm and Greenhouse. I'll be there along with fourteen other authors hoping to convince some of those shoppers looking for a romantic gift for their loved ones. It's a big place and so much going on we're really hoping for a big crowd.

1. Ashcombe's gift shop

Did the weather witch get you this past week? Do you think my husband's phone can recover from being run over? Did you pick up CassaFire or Making Room at the Inn yet? Do you shop for those special Kindle sales for .99 or free?

Smaug the Terrible vs Kerik the Conflicted

Today one of the most famous dragons in fictional history takes to the big screen. Smaug the magnificent, terrible scourge of death and destruction. The epitome of greed and self-centered existence, Smaug lives in infamy.

Kerik, my dragon, is a more complex character. Not that he doesn't feel many of the same things as Tolkien's scaly creature, but he fights against his dragon nature. As a dragon, Kerik knows he's a superior being compared to mere humans. But because of his upbringing, he cares for some of those puny humans. The dragon Kerik knows that humans are his only natural enemy, yet he takes a side in the human war.

What are the chances more people read about my dragon in the next year than will read about Smaug? Probably about as much chance as me running a 5:30 mile today. But I'm still hoping a little dragon love will spill over to my book, First Dragon. It's had a little sales bump this past week, so I'm hoping.

Are your heading out into the next winter storm to see The Desolation of Smaug in its opening weekend? Did you buy any Tolkien books for gifts this Christmas? Don't forget, today is the last day to get your name in for the wonderful contest at the IWSG site.

Serious Series Staying Power

There are different ways to do series. Some suspense and mystery writers have central characters, detectives or investigators, who solve the crime of the particular novel. Some romance novelists base a series on a particular town and focus each novel on a different couple within the unique and attractive setting. When it comes to science fiction and fantasy, usually the series is bound together by a created world or universe. Sometimes the same characters appear in each novel though not always.

It's up to the writer to find the right technique to bring readers back for more. I read a lot of suspense and mystery. Jonathan Kellerman brings me back for more and more in his Alex Delaware series because the protagonists are so interesting and each novel has complex psychological mysteries. I can seldom figure out the twists when they come. Science fiction writer Alex J. Cavanaugh used a complex, interesting character as a continuing thread in his Casa... Series and drew readers back because they wanted to know the rest of the story about that central character.

Sometimes romance novelists introduce a secondary character in the first book of a series, making the character interesting enough for the reader to care about them. But then the writer sets the secondary's story aside, hoping the reader will want to know what happened to him or her and thus buy the next book. I used this technique in my most recent romance series. In The Marine's Queen, Vin, a secondary character suffers a tragic loss and goes off on his own. The book ends with his fate unknown. Much to my delight, a few readers of The Marine's Queen emailed me and asked me if I intended to write Vin's story.

In fantasy series and other suspense novels, though there might be a pause in the action at the end of each novel, the writer needs to leave unanswered questions or unresolved dangers. With each book, the stakes have to grow in importance and the road to solve the problems or the mystery has to grow steeper. The world can't be saved or the evil completely defeated until the last book in the series.

In my most recent fantasy series, The Morbunda Saga, the war is just getting started in First Dragon, the kickoff novel. Disasters and losses pile up as I introduce the reader to the Morbunda fantasy world. The complexities of the characters are revealed over the course of the novel. Hopefully readers will want to know what happens next.

What techniques work best for keeping you involved in a series? What tantalizing hooks do you use to keep a series successful? What series of books have you really enjoyed as a reader?

Creating a Dragon Mythology

When the idea for a dragon fantasy series came to me, the first thing I did was decide what kind of dragon would be in my novel. What powers would he have? What would he look like? What would he eat? What was his temperament? How intelligent would he be? What kind of moral and ethical ideas would drive his behavior?

I've read some dragon novels, many of them where the dragons worked in concert with humans, letting riders on their backs or somehow sharing magic with humans. Of course, there's the Smaug from The Hobbit and his greed and cleverness. Check out Wikipedia's long list of dragons and their descriptions. Dragon myths have been with us for a long time. They're found in the tales of ancient Greece. Stories of dragons have been interlaced with other legends in many cultures for over four thousand years. There are websites that described facts about dragons as if they're real creatures alive in our world today. I won't even mention dragons in the gaming world.

But I want my dragon, Kerik, to be unique. I made Kerik smart and armed him with the memories of his ancestors. He understands more of war than any human general with the experience he can call on. He's secretive, mostly to preserve his own life. He doesn't want to share anything with humans that could be used against him. He doesn't trust humans, but against his dragon nature he cares for some of them. And how he looks? He's black with golden eyes and a graceful body. I don't want to give away more of his secrets. You'll have to read the book but you can see what he looks like. Taria Reed at Crescent Moon Press caught him perfectly.

Have you ever created your own mythology about a land or a creature? Are you looking forward to The Desolation of Smaug? Any favorite dragon myths come to mind?
You can find First Dragon at:
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
B&N Print
Nook coming soon.
Add First Dragon to Goodreads List

That's a Wrap

My daughter and I have had some great conversations over the years about books and movies. Sometimes we're on the exact same wavelength and enjoy the ending of a movie or series and sometimes we have greatly varied levels of satisfaction at the outcome. Perhaps because of our age difference, we have different expectations.

In my recent release, First Dragon, the novel is the first in a series. Without giving everything away, at the end of the book, everything isn't exactly 'happily ever after.' It's a fantasy world, a vicious war going on, and people get hurt. People die. Battles are lost. There is no wonderful, magical or heroic balm to heal all wounds in the war torn world of Morbunda. Though the last words on the last page are 'The End,' the reader knows it's not the end for the characters who survived so far.

On the other hand in my upcoming science fiction romance, The Marine's Heiress, the readers expect a better outcome for the main characters. Many people, writers and readers, expect a happily ever after ending for a book to be considered a romance. That doesn't mean it's all sweet tea and cupcakes within the book's covers but when the story wraps up, romance novels should have that satisfying ending. The reader imagines the characters going on with their lives and find emotional fulfillment.

When mystery novels or suspense novels end, readers expect all their questions to be answered with no loose ends. Nearly every genre has certain conventions that readers believe will be met when they read a certain kind of book.

Sub genres within genres can have quirks that draw faithful readers to their offerings. Some fantasy lines are darker with more death and anti hero protagonists. Some science fiction lines are known for what we call hard science. Romances get categorized by heat levels, how graphic the sex scenes are.

Don't forget this Wednesday is the first hump day of the month and that means IWSG posts. Find the list of over 300 participants right here.

What conventions do you equate with certain genres? Have you read a book recently that surprised you in a good or bad way at the end? Do you consider genre expectations when you write?

First Dragon TODAY

I'm very proud to announce the release of the first book in my newest epic fantasy series, First Dragon, book #1 of The Morbunda Saga. You can purchase in most online retailers in print or digital edition.

As you can see, the cover my publisher, Crescent Moon Press, designed it perfect. If you read the book, you will love it even more. I've hinted at the story line of this book in some earlier posts, and I intend to continue that today with a little more of the dragon lore I've invented for Morbunda, my fantasy land.

In the ancient history of Morbunda, dragons were common and fed mostly on wildlife though they wouldn't pass up a fat domesticated animal either. Men were multiplying quickly and as their population grew so did their competitiveness. As with many human societies, civil war between rich landowners broke out as their greed overtook their humanity toward their neighbors. The war escalated until the first power hungry man took a dragon into his service. His enemies had no choice but to make similar fool-hardy alliances with the fire breathing creatures. But dragons are clever and soon they learned all they needed to know of men and their weaknesses. That, of course, didn't turn out well for humans. Enough history.

First Dragon takes place many generations of men after that first deadly war ended. Though the book is titled, First Dragon, Kerik actually is the last, true dragon. But he's so much more than that. A dragon at war with his nature and trying to be at peace with men. But again, men have coerced a dragon into their conflicts. Is history repeating itself? I hope you'll check out First Dragon and find out.

All the different buy links are found at Crescent Moon Press.

On another note for today, David Powers King and four other authors are releasing an anthology, The Spirit of Christmas, in honor or NaNo and will help writers reach that amazing goal this month and in years to come. Check it out and help them out.

Did you start NaNo today? How are your word counts adding up on this first day? Need a dragon book to warm up the coming winter months?

To The Victors Goes The....

I remember a line in the movie, The Dark Knight, where Batman says you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. Or something like that. I've always loved that idea for a novel plot.

In my upcoming release, First Dragon, war is spreading across the land of Morbunda. Long ago in the history of Morbunda, a war was fought that resulted in great loss of human life and the apparent annihilation of all dragons. It took generations for civilization to recover. Now war is coming to Morbunda again, and this time the aggressors are the former heroes of the first war. Just like Batman said would happen!

In most fantasy novels, war is part of the plot line. In the best novels, each side in the war believes they are fighting for what is right and best unless they're purely evil. I hope the readers of First Dragon see the issues driving both sides of the new war.  And I hope lots of people read First Dragon when it's released this Friday from Crescent Moon Press.

Do you agree with Batman? Do you think wars happen in cycles? Have you read any good fantasy novels where you couldn't really tell who the good guys are and who the bad guys are?

I might be a little late getting around to your blogs today. I'm helping my son move across the country this week.

One of a Kind

This Friday, my newest epic fantasy, First Dragon, will be released from Crescent Moon Press. I'm beyond excited. I wrote this book almost two years ago, polished and found a home for it last year. At the time, I wasn't aware of many dragon books on the market. Now that my book is about to hit the bookstores, I see dragon books everywhere.

I'm hoping readers will appreciate my unique take on dragons, dragon magic and dragon relationships with humans. At the same time, I wanted to keep some commonly accepted characteristics of dragons as part of my protagonist. Dragons are arrogant creatures, proud and certain of their superiority to men. Dragons are cruel and clever, able to trick humans. Dragons know of war and take advantage of man's greed to further their own agendas.

So how do I make my dragon protagonist different? Kerik didn't know he was a dragon as a child. He grew up among loving friends until his heritage was discovered. Kerik battles his greedy, arrogant nature but it's always there. He's secretive and dangerous. Kerik is constantly torn between what his nature drives him to do and what he should do to help his embattled human friends. He truly is a dark hero.

Can you think of a fantasy character that an author added a unique twist to? Do you have a favorite dragon character in a movie or book? Have you visited the IWSG blog today to sample some sage words?

What Makes a Monster?

I'm not a big fan of Halloween. We lived miles from anyone when I was growing up and we never went trick or treating. Not even once. As a mother, I never gave my children candy when they were little, and none of them developed a taste for it. Still I took them around the block to trick or treat but most of the candy ended up at school, given to my students. Costumes were always a chore for me, probably because I have no enthusiasm for the holiday. I played the good mother and tried to make sure my kids found costumes they'd like. They always wanted to be heroes, nary a monster or goblin among them. Ninjas, Power Rangers, Batman, Superman, whomever the hero  de jour.

Zombies are a popular choice for monster apparel in recent years and I expect we'll have some of them knocking on our door next week. And other monsters. As I prepare for the release of my fantasy novel, First Dragon, I've taken a bit of time to think about what really makes a monster. The second novel in The Morbunda Saga delves into that question as the characters in the series are forced to fight battles that seem to have no winner and sometimes no clear sides of good and evil.

What monsters are scariest. Physically imposing predators, without mercy for their prey? Beastly killers with no capacity for humane mercy? A being with unstoppable magical powers? A technology with cold, superior intelligence and no warmth of emotions? Are monsters ugly or perhaps possessed of a beautiful exterior hiding the evil within?  Is a great white shark a monster because he kills without mercy, driven by instinct? Or is a human killing with forethought and planning the monster? Is what drives the monster the measure of his evil?

In First Dragon, monsters of many types make an appearance. Some know they are monsters and others fear that they are. Some behave as monsters and believe themselves heroic.

I think I would find a magician who could do mind control to be a very, very frightening thing. What kind of monster do you think would be scariest? What Halloween costume was your favorite or your children's favorite? Do you have a favorite monster movie?

A Dark, Dark Night On a Dark, Dark Street

When my boys were little they asked my husband to read and reread this little book. I wish I still had it. It was about a father and son skeleton going out on the town. I can only remember the start, "It was a dark, dark night on a dark, dark street in a dark, dark town..." You get the idea. My husband would read it to them in his dark, dark voice.

I always think of that book for some reason when people talk about the dark moment in their novel. Movies and TV shows have dark moment too. You know that point in the story when despair and desperation sets in. Everything that could go wrong does and maybe a little bit more. There's no way out for the good guys. The best dark  moments have physical and emotional dangers ready to pull the protagonists into the abyss of failure. The dark moment can only be conquered only by the hero or heroine making a decision or taking a chance that requires sacrifice of some sort.

I'm in the middle of writing the dark moment in my current WIP, War Dragon, the sequel to First Dragon. In a series with an ongoing saga like my current works, there's a dark moment in each book. But each book also builds toward the greater dark moment of the series. The good guys are losing ground in each book. Which brings me to the next point.

The main characters have to be tortured, hurt, trapped torn apart or something equally terrible to create a compelling dark moment. I'm cringing as I type in the horrors visiting my characters in the next 15K of manuscript. They won't all survive.  Now that's dark.

Do you have fun writing the dark moment or does it hurt you to hurt your characters? Have you ever watched a TV show and guessed at what time the dark moment will occur? Usually about 45-50 minutes in, I think. Have you read books where the dark moment was too easily solved?

Nobody Knows

About five years ago at a writing conference, I attended a workshop led by an editor from a major publishing house. His focus was on fantasy and science fiction. During the question and answer period, someone asked him what the next craze would be after vampires died out. (not that they every die, right?)

The editor laughed, pretended to look into a crystal ball and predicted zombies. He completely didn't mean it, but his educated guess was right. Who could have known that the TV series, The Walking Dead, would be such a hit? How about World War Z? Zombie books are everywhere.

I'm sure no one predicted the vampire rage five years before it stormed into our lives. And the Game of Thrones TV show is certainly helping elevate that genre also. Who could have predicted that?

No one. Nobody knows what the next craze might be. Fairy tale characters because of the TV show, Once Upon a Time? Heroic teams of crime fighters like the Agents of Shield? If you write books relative to the 'next big thing' your career could be ready to sky rocket. But no one knows what it is, so you have to just write the story that speaks to you. Write your thing as best as you can without trying to catch a trend.

Two years ago I started writing a dragon series for the epic fantasy market. First Dragon is coming out shortly. I never thought about The Hobbit when I wrote that first book, but I'm really, really hoping that Smaug will inspire readers to want more dragon in their lives.

What is the next big thing in your opinion? Are you looking forward to the next installment of The Hobbit? Do you think vampires have run their course?

Trust the Experts

I've been getting a little anxious about the fantasy book, First Dragon, that has a release date in November. Though it's been on the coming soon page for a while, I haven't seen the cover art. I'm very excited about the book and wanted a cover that would give life to the characters in the book. I worried for nothing.

Two days ago the publisher sent be a choice of covers, nearly the same but with minor differences, and asked me which one I liked best. What a choice! They were both perfect, better than anything I imagined.

For my last romance book, my other publisher, my editor suggested a change of title. She explained the reasoning, and I gladly went with her idea. And the book sold great.

I'm busy writing the second book in The Morbunda Saga that will continue the epic fantasy introduced in First Dragon. I have a title but I'm not  completely sure of it. If my editor suggests a change, I'll be happy to agree. Because I'm learning to trust the people who are the experts.

When a writer puts her name on the bottom of that contract, she knows she's turning over a lot of control of her work to someone else. It's an easy decision for me with New Concepts Publishing. I've worked with them for a number of years and they've been in the business longer than most small presses. They were a leader in the ebook market way back in the beginning. That beautiful cover for First Dragon is going a long way in building my trust in that publishers also.

Have you had a publisher change a title of your work? Has a publisher ever given you a choice of cover art? How long before the release of your book did you receive your coverart?

Next Project

Finally, I've finished polishing The Marine's Heiress and am ready to move onto the next project. It only took me about three bottles of wine to get through that chore. When I first started writing, I didn't always know what the next project would be. Usually I would spend a few weeks in debate on which of several projects I should tackle next. But since I've finished with the 'day job' and started on a career as a full time writer, I no longer intend to waste those days of indecision.

My next project is the second book in my epic fantasy series, The Morbunda Saga. The opening book in the series, First Dragon, is coming this November from Crescent Moon Press. The first draft of the second book is completed, just waiting my attention which it shall have. Having a plan and a schedule really brings home my claim to be a full time writer.

Have I learned to juggle more than one project at a time? Perhaps though I still don't like it. I wish I could concentrate on one thing at a time but that's not how this business works. The days of a writer hiding in a peaceful chalet and working without interruption are long gone. So I'm off to the next project, more promotion, new blogging endeavors and whatever other things I need to do to move my career along.

Follow this link to learn about some writing habits of famous writers. I'm slowly working to be as disciplined as some of them. In the meantime, on to the next project.

Do you have your next project planned? Do you have a disciplined approach to your writing time or do you fit it in when you can? Have you looked to any famous writer for advice on how you conduct your writing career?

To Do Lists

Like many of my blogger friends, I've eased back a bit over the summer months. With my daughter home from college, I've spent lots of time with her. I've been blogging only Mondays and Wednesdays for most of the summer. Starting next week, I'm going back to blogging three times per week again.

I'm going to catch up on my Goodreads book lists and write some reviews. I'm going to tackle some more of that TBR pile. On a side burner is a start of a plan for promotion for First Dragon which has a November release date as of now.

And seriously, I have a lot of pictures on the new camera I got for Christmas and I'm going to start using some of those photos on my blog. I'll probably do some clean up and rearranging of my writing space. I always do that at least twice per year.

I'll also be diving back into The Marine's Heiress, hopefully getting the second draft done within six weeks. After that I have the first draft of the second book in The Morbunda Saga waiting on the shelf. War Dragon will pick up where First Dragon left off. It's great to have plans.

Do you do less blogging in the summer or keep the same routine year round? Do you keep your Goodreads current or do you play catch up with it about once a month like I do? Do you often rearrange your creative space, be it a corner of a room or an entire room that's all yours?

Insecure Writers Support Group: Juggling

After the busy month of April with the A to Z blogging challenge, we jump right into May with Alex Cavanaugh's IWSG. Visit lots of supportive people on this list. Some will gift you with words of wisdom and others could use your voice of experience.

During April, a lot of writers used 'juggling' for their "J" word. Most writers I know work a day job and write in whatever other hours they can manage. And since only energetic people try to make it in the writing life, most of us have many other interests and demands on our time. Somehow we juggle family, day job, household chores, other hobbies, exercise and sleep around to make it work. The A to Z challenge adds one more demand to the load.

During the month of April, throughout the A to Z, I managed to complete a rough draft of the second book of The Morbunda Saga. I also completed the first round of edits for First Dragon, the lead off book in that series. I love my editor from Crescent Moon Press. She caught onto all my bad habits and found places where I could make my story stronger and my characters more consistent. I'm looking forward to the next round. I also kept up with the day job including signing those official retirement papers. I juggled everything and made it work. Two years ago, or even one year ago, I couldn't do that. Also over the past weekend, I finally published the final book in The Futhark Chronicles, Heir of Futhark. It's now available on Smashwords and Amazon.

So my support today is to encourage you not to get frustrated when you drop a few things in you own juggling act. You get better at it. You'll learn to prioritize and to use your time to the best productive advantage you can.

How are you at juggling? Which ball do you usually drop first?

The Words

Like most readers, I read many different genres of books. Most because I simply enjoy them. But sometimes I come across a book that just dazzles me with the way the author uses words. I never want the book to end and not just because the plot is intriguing. Some writers can pull me into their world so deeply I can smell the freshly plowed field. I hear the clop of approaching hooves. I feel the icy breeze on my face. Those are the writers I want to be like.

Finding the perfect words is a challenge. I've been working on a scene in the sequel to First Dragon where a massive storm drives the decisions of every character in the story. Not all of them will live through the tempest and a few may fall from positions of power to groveling in wet sand. I searching for the right words in every sentence to make the storm come alive for my readers.

Pat Rothfuss in his two fantasy novels, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, keeps me clued to his prose. I want to write like that.

What writer have you read who pulls you in with their use of language? Have you ever written a scene where you knew you hit it just right? Are you ready for A to Z in April?