Book Review: Horse Power

Today’s book isn’t really a novel but a short story which helps to understand what is going on in the main series of books.  In these few pages, I felt a strong story that needs to be seen in its fullest.  As soon as I am able, I’ll be buying the first in the trilogy.

Horse Power, by the lovely and talented Sue Ann Bowling, is about filling a need on a planet which is being exploited by the company backing the colony which resides there.  It sets the tone for the trilogy which she is currently working on.  While the setting isn’t given much description, you can almost feel yourself there in the fields and the rocky terrain surrounding the town this story takes place.

The pacing is fast, but not so quick as to send you flying through the pages.  I read this in a single afternoon while my youngest son was in therapy.  It grabs you and pulls deep within the pages to live among these hardy folk and find an answer to their growing problem.

Those who follow Sue Ann Bowling’s blog will be familiar with the characters of Roi, Timi and Amber.  But, just reading this short, I really get to know them better and see how their minds work.  The tension between the friends can be felt and the willingness for Roi to help the couple and their home planet in any way he can.

Of all the characters, I think I like Timi the most.  He didn’t have a lot to say or do, but he struck me as the kind of man you want on your side, giving a new way to see things and work out ways to solve problems.  While he is someone who didn’t want to be indebted to anyone, he could see a good deal when one came around.  If that same deal could help others, then it would be a win-win for all.

Amber, I liked, though the focus, to me, seemed to be on her more than the others.  But, she has the wisdom to see the aid her old friend would be more than just a few animals for the kids to have, but something to benefit everyone.  Besides, all kids need a pet of some kind.  Right?

As a whole, I loved the book.  It was a refreshing read that begs to be read over and over again.  Though I had bought it while it was free on Amazon, I found it to be well worth the normal price which is, currently, 99 cents.  She can get away with charging more for the quality and effort she put into this.

I give Horse Power a rating of four stars.  Why?  Because it feels like there should be more to the story.  I know the rest will be coming in the trilogy, but the wait is enough to make me pace.  The plot is strong with a strong world presence and equally appealing characters.

Pick it up and enjoy a taste of an alien world!

Very Surprising!

Holy Mackerel! That was fast!

For once, the speed of government surprised me.  I’m not kidding, what should have been a couple of days was a couple of hours!

What am I talking about, you ask?

I finally completed my application for the state insurance license.  The application was a pain in the neck to fill out and required a couple of phone calls to get all the information I needed to complete it.  On top of that, I needed some money to pay for the license itself.  *sigh*

Coming up with the money wasn’t easy.  I don’t like asking people, including family, for money.  Thankfully, my sister lent me the money.  Instead of paying off the last of my student loan (a small sum at the moment) she agreed to take care of this so I can get back on my feet and keep my apartment.  Once bills are caught up, she and others will be paid back.

So, back to today.  I spent about an hour filling in blanks and talking on the phone to get this application done.  It stated that it will be a couple of days before it’ll be looked over and approved/disapproved.  The email saying it was being processed arrived within the hour saying the same thing.

With that out of the way, I went through and caught up on my messages and read a few blog posts, even did my PCH entries (my retirement fund in the making  ) then vegged with the cats and did a puzzle to pass the time.  Normal stuff when not writing or drawing. (Inspiration usually comes while cuddling happy kitties or kids).

Low and behold, a couple of hours later while I’m checking email again while doing the dishes, the email arrived saying my app is approved and my license is on the way!  That came as a complete surprise because we all know how slow the government, state or federal, moves faster than the pace of a handicapped snail using a walker on a good day.  This makes for one happy unemployed mommy.

So, it is now official, I am an insurance agent.

Now, the training starts.  >.<  At least this old woman can learn new tricks with little prodding.

If anyone has noticed, I am behind on posts.  It was all explained in my previous post about why.  We weren’t gone all the time, so the excuse isn’t a good one, but it is the truth.  I have four posts to write, two for book reviews (one isn’t really a book, per se, but it is a good story), and two restaurant reviews.  One of the restaurant reviews is new, the other is for a place I go to often.  I’m sure all of you will enjoy both places and both books.

So, keep an eye on this site for the new reviews.

Book Review: Women Behaving Badly

Today’s book review comes at the request of the author Alana Munro after she read my review of Hanna Gray Gordon’s book, The Vu.  I must have done something right for her to request it knowing that I will be brutally honest about it.  To be fair, this is about as honest as I’ll get.  Don’t be scared of what I’ll say, but don’t be surprised by it, either.

Women Behaving Badly is a book that had me thinking hard after I was done reading it.  For non-fiction, it moved along at a good pace so I wasn’t bored out of my mind before the first five pages were done.  It is a book full of truth and insight that too many women don’t see in themselves or in those who they are friends with.

It also had me looking at myself in a new light.  I’m not as bad as some out there who manipulate others and try to take control of everything whether they are wanted or not.  Perhaps that is why I, like the author, was never really accepted into a group of women.  Or, if I was, never there for very long.

Book Blurb from Amazon:

Have you ever been hurt by a woman? Are you fed up with the constant bitching, gossiping and manipulation between the females in your life? Do you want happier and healthier relationships with females? Do you wish to weed out the toxic women and seek out only positive women?

If you have ever wondered why some women are complicated creatures this book will offer you straight talking answers. This book will highlight all the strange, controlling and spitefulbehaviours that some females specialisein. This book attempts to understand what actually drives women to be cruel or bitchy to each other. It attempts to make sense of the huge expectations women place on each other. How can we avoid toxic women? What bad behaviours should we be looking out for? This book explores every cruel behaviour possible and attempts to understand what is really going on between the females in our life. 

Alana goes into depth about the different types of bad women out there.  She covers everything from the forces-of-nature types who have to be number one in everything and the center of attention, to the one who do little but gripe about one thing or another whether it pertains to them or not.  (Something which I am guilty of)  She speaks of women who get all snobby and angry because (OMG) your life gets in the way of the special event that they spent so much time making perfect.

You know, I can be accused of many things, but being that kind of person?  No way, I’d be slapped silly by my mom and I‘m in my 40s, now.

She goes on to explain that the way the world views us as ‘the fairer sex’ and we are not allowed to seem too strong or be labeled as a, pardon the language, a bitch and not worth the attention or too weak and be considered less than what we are.  The world sees women in the light that we are not allowed to fight, we must keep the peace.  We are allowed to show emotion and boy do we show it.  With everything that we must do on top of being mom, sister, nurse, doctor, housewife, cook, maid, what have you, there’s no reason why we explode and behave like we do under stressful conditions.

All in all, I found the book worth purchasing.  There are many points in there that struck a bell and she points at herself as much as she does anyone else.  The stories she adds to emphasize her point at the end of each section set in stone what was just explained.

It isn’t a big book.  I read this on my smart phone using the Kindle app.  So, whatever 1991 is broken down to in a regular book would equal to something shy of a chapbook, roughly 117 pages.

Will I read this book again?  Maybe.  It will be a good reference to get an idea of how a forceful personality shows, or how a motherly type works when a jealous type are talking.  But, I’ll be loaning this book to my sister-in-law who really should be taking notes on how to behave from this book.

For my star rating, I’m going to be honest here, non-fiction is not my favorite kind of reading and it always (including this book) requires the effort to open the book and continue reading after interruptions.  That being said, I give it a 3.5 on the star scale.  It’s good, but the overall tone made it difficult for me to not just yell at the phone while I was reading.  Still, I like it and will recommend it to others who also find themselves on the outer fringes of a group and don’t know why.

P.S.

Now, because of this book, I am stating this now; I am sorry if my behavior was bad, or if I said something that wasn’t considered good or even right.  I have always been told to speak up and try to be as honest as I can.

Which brings to mind the trip to Wichita last year… the behavior I showed in the car going there, constantly bringing up the story idea, that was very bad and not like me at all.  I was both nervous and excited about being included (which rarely happens) and it showed in the worst possible way.  Feel free to give me a brain-duster if it ever happens again.  That is, if I’m ever included again.

My thanks to Alana Munro for creating this book.  Someone needed to do it and I hope to see other works from her soon.

#writemotivation Week 2 Update

*hangs head in shame*

I’ve been a bad little writer this week.  I haven’t touched my goals though the few things I have done are working toward two of the goals.  Honest!

Last week was also filled with appointments along with the normal Thursday fun-filled therapy sessions.  Between those and the heat, I felt wiped and not very inspired.

Colin had a visit with the surgeon who stitched up his foot.  There is a lot of what she calls isotropic growth, which means the scars building too much tissue and the oil rubbing isn’t helping as much as it should.  He has been prescribed a compression sock and massage therapy to help break up that excess tissue before it becomes permanent and affects the development of his foot and his walking/running later on.

Dave also had his doctor appointment the same day, after we sat at the place to get Colin fitted for the sock.  His went well.  He has maintained weight since the last visit which is good.  But, he has to talk to his other doctor to get the ball rolling for his gastric surgery and the options he has.

That was Monday.  On Tuesday, I went into the office and filled out the paperwork to get me listed on their payroll and went through a sample presentation.  There is a script I need to learn.  Only three paragraphs, to be honest, and the rest we can adjust to our own wording.  Also went over the rules and fun stuff.  All of that was being done while my laptop downloaded and installed the app which I’ll be using in the field and can customize to the people I’ll be talking with.

Wednesday, Colin has his first massage therapy session and we went over everything.  I was given instructions on how to use the stuff they gave us to work on his scars.  It’s barely been a week and we can see improvement already.

Thursday was normal, out all day with the normal therapy.  Friday, I was back at the office, Colin came with me because we had another appointment for him.  I didn’t get the script to go over on Tuesday and I forgot Wednesday until it was too late to catch anyone in the office.  Allison, one of the other agents, helped me out and gave a rough idea of what I’ll be doing over the next two weeks.

Everyone there is so nice and friendly.  They want to help all the newbies so they can succeed.  That vibe is just so strong there, I can’t help but to feel more confident in myself.

Anyway, on to what this post is about.  :D

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

1) Focus on Black Friday 2. Get at least two chapters written.

Nothing new written, yet.  I’ve backtracked some to gather pertinent information about who the named characters are and when they entered the story.  I’m also making sure I know what the general make up of the current group is so I can keep things balanced when I bring in the next group.  There will be many more, enough to make the resort into a small community with others coming and going, possibly taking some of the group with them.

Where they are now and the need to keep warm will cause some problems eventually.  Fires cause smoke and someone is bound to notice a thin plume of smoke rising, or several plumes, before the weather turns warm.

2) Pass the second half of the State Exam.

Done, done, doooonnnne!

3)  Get at least 10K on a submission for the Dark Crystal prequel for a contest for Dark Crystal.

I haven’t written a single word on this, yet.  *sigh*  I know what I want to write but I just cannot come up with a way to start the stinkin’ story.

4) Exercise twice a week. (I mean it this time!)

So far, yes, this one has been achieved.

5) Work on revising and editing Black Friday, the original book. 

This one is occupying my time.  I am, more or less, rereading the story to make notes of not just the characters and who has a name and who doesn’t, but events that happen.  Some of the timing is off, in my opinion, and needs to be adjusted to feel more realistic.  I also want to make certain scene less obvious since, as they sit now, they aren’t really needed in the story, but other spots could use more attention; such as when the main characters are under attack early on, the first hunt and a bit more life event happening while Karina is raising Nick and the rest of her young.  There’s also other things which need some explaining and making the ‘other side’ have more of a presence instead of the few times they are given.  Really, the bad guys actively try to go after Karina’s people, which is another reason why they are dying out.

Really, if anyone has read the book, the final fight scene is just pure drivel.  It needs to be redone in a huge way.  I’ll excerpt that chapter out to anyone who wants to give it a look and offer advice.

In the work I have done, I can see some of the influences from my favorite and most read authors,  I spotted some Piers Anthony and Jean M. Auel, and even a flicker of Anne McCaffrey.

This week, I have a few posts to make; one book review and two more interviews.  I enjoyed the interview with Hanna Gray Gordon from the NaNo group and it took a while to come up with the questions.  I just may do others.  There’s four different blogs these posts go to, so there’s plenty of people to see them.

I hope your week has gone well!

Black Friday Continues

A couple of the many buildings in their new home.

You thought you could get out of it that easily, eh?  Not very likely.  Muahahahaha!  Ahem.  Sorry about that.  ;)

I haven’t written anything new, yet, this week on Black Friday 2.  What I have done was at the last minute of June.  I must say that what I came up with works, if a bit slow and clumsy.  But, I have to say it gives more insight into the story and will back up a future scene.

This is how I felt when I found out the hearing was rescheduled /after/ it was supposed to be done today.

The two chapters which were written came from Takesha’s point of view while Karina and Marcus were up on the roof assessing damage before they could start patching up holes in the roof.  Nick and Nahana are out gathering firewood and kindling so they can have some warmth during their stay in the old abandoned house.

It isn’t really a house but the main building to a resort hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains.  A little research showed that if it was left unattended for about five years, weather would have caused some serious holes in the roof and what windows that were left to be very drafty.  Holes made from animals would be everywhere but the place would be serviceable in a pinch with some care.  A previous owner could have come by at one point to board up broken windows.

Trying to get that old and empty feel was not easy.  Also, trying to give Takesha that feeling of assertiveness to help keep their group in line while the leaders are busy wasn’t too hard.  She needs to be strong-willed, and not scared to hold back.  She’s an older woman who woke up one day looking like a fox with huge ears.  Not a lot will escape her attention.  Which is why I’ve decided she’ll be Karina’s right hand person.

Nick isn’t happy with what he finds out.

Eventually, a little of Takesha’s background will be revealed so we can all understand her better.  For now, like others in the group, they’re trying to figure out where they belong in the group and keep tensions to a minimum.

There are trouble makers among them now.  Joe, who is a weasel shifter and Mikey, who is a hawk shifter, will be the primary ones.  One of the two is well meaning and the other doesn’t like what happened to him and will do anything to bring shame to the group and see that the leaders get what is coming to them.  That one has a very skewed perception of what happened and is probably unstable to begin with thanks to his own actions in the past.

There will be a huge group before this book ends.  This was planned from the beginning but only a few will be used at any given time.  For now, it is barely manageable and I need to figure out how to tie in the previous book (which is being edited and revised now) to this one.

That’s all for now on Black Friday 2.  Not too much progress, but it is good.

Author Interview: Hanna Gray Gordon

With the stress of studying out of the way, I can now focus on my own writing and do a few things I’ve wanted to do.  Today, along with the normal book post, I am adding in Author Interviews.  These may become a regular item or, like my book and restaurant reviews, come along once in a while.

We’ll see how they are received.  But, I am sure you’ll enjoy the ones who are given the spotlight.

I’ll probably work with the questions a bit more or tailor them to the author in question.  For now, sit back and enjoy!

For my very first interview, I am talking with Hannah Gray Gordon, author of The Vu and a new series just out on Amazon called The Shades of Orthea.  I’ve come to know this delightfully sweet and charismatic young woman through our local NaNoWriMo group and have cheered her on with her first book out on shelves.  You can find my review of her debut novel here.

To start our session, please  tell us about yourself. Where are you from?

Originally I hail from the great upstate part of New York. My parents had a chicken farm in the Bristol Mountains. We relocated to Tulsa, OK when I was seven.

Ah,  a fellow former Northerner.  I can imagine the adjustments you had to go through moving down here.

Here’s what I’ve always wanted to ask; have you always wanted to write?

I have wanted to write since I read theLaura Ingalls Wilder series at about age eight or nine when my sister received the series. We had all-nighters with each other curled up in bean bag chairs reading whatever we wanted. If our parents knew, they didn’t bother us. When I was twelve, I entered one of the library’s writing contests and won second place. The next year I won first. After that I was smitten with the world of writing.

I have to admit, Laura Ingalls Wilder is a great way to ignite the fires of creativity in a person.  I am impressed that you’ve won contests in your early teens.  Congratulations are in order for that achievement.  With that kind of start, I don’t blame you for wanting to do more.

Now that we know a little bit about your beginnings, please, tell us more.  What inspired you to write The Vu?

About ten years ago I became part of an online written rpg calledTrinton Chronicles. I had several characters I played (did I just label myself a nerd?) and the main one was Sabella Hall. Over the last ten years she has been a part of me so when I decided to enter the NaNoWriMo contest in November, 2012, it was a no brainer that I should honor that part of my writing life. The storyline came from the essence of my time writing for Trinton Chronicles and becoming part of an awesome and eclectic jumble of characters (both real and imaginary).

No worse than some of us, I’m afraid to say.  But, I have to say it is a good start for writing.

Sounds like those role play days did well in setting up the basis for your story. I’ve read this book, but for our readers, please tell us what is The Vu about?

Sabella Hall is the privileged daughter of the governor of Oklahoma. What people don’t know is that she also was adopted. Shortly after college graduation she discovers she has special gifts that set her apart from the general population. Mixed into this little predicament, she also begins to have dreams about her previous life, pre-adoption, that contain memories she had repressed. She becomes a member of the secret group the Vu. They all have gifts and talents beyond the recognition of normal human beings. When she uncovers a tie between the Vu and her father, all hell breaks loose.

She sounds like a handful.  :)  Along with Sabella, who are your main characters and who, or what, was the inspiration behind them?

Sabella Hall is my main character, inspired by ten years of writing her (albeit with a different personality and overall experiences) in the online RPG, Trinton Chronicles. Jonathan is the primary love interest, with Chad taking a seat at the tip of the love triangle. Jonathan was Sabella’s love in Trinton as well, which should come as no surprise, but he is quite a bit more laid back in the Vu than he was in Trinton.

You definitely made a well written arc with the three of them.  It kept me riveted.   But, there is more than just a love triangle going on.  But, people can read the review for more information on that.  There is one thing I’d like for you explain to our readers.  What kind of setting does your book take place in and why?

I chose present day Tulsa because I am highly familiar with the location, the time, and I wanted to tell her story with nothing to hold me back. It was, in my mind, a great way to sink my teeth into the story that would lead to finally becoming a published author. My dream would come true.

Well, that dream has definitely come true.  I wish you all the luck there is that this dream will continue for a very long time.  If your future books are half as good as The Vu, you’ll end up in the movies before some of us are querying our second novels.  :D

With this brief interview, we should allow your new fans a way to find your book.   Where can we find this book for sale?

The Vu is available on Amazon (http://t.co/kohEWfiTqG ), Barnes & Noble (http://tinyurl.com/kw9yoce) and Epubbud (http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=QXFKRUAV)

I’m as curious as the next person here.   Are there any other books for us to look forward to reading from you?

I recently kickstarted a fresh new fantasy serial novel, The Shades of Orthea. It follows a young girl whose town is ransacked by Vikings and in the process she is thrown into an alternate universe where the marauder Ravi is on his way to rule the kingdom and sorcerers called shades protect the light from the dark. The first episode has been released and there are five total episodes planned. I am also in the planning stages of a sequel to The Vu.

I have your newest book on my To-Be-Read list now and I cannot wait to sink into the story and I am looking forward to reading the next installment of The Vu.  Thank you, Hannah for this interview.  Keep us up to date on any new releases you’ll have and good luck!

#Writemotivation Monday Strikes Again!

Wouldn't ya know it!  I posted on the proper day for the second, or third week, in a row.  Now THAT is an accomplishment.  =^. ^=  <---  happy kitty grin

But, really, it is something to crow about.  Lately, I had posted my progress, or lack thereof, later in the week.  Passing both portions of the broke me out of the funk I was in since I was fired from Wal-Mart of all places.  In all honesty, I loved that job even if I did complain about it.

None of you want to hear about that.  So, keeping it short today, here's what has been done.

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

1) Focus on "Black Friday 2". Get at least two chapters written.

Nothing new has been written, yet.  There is a very good an valid explanation coming up.  Keep reading.  ;)

2) Pass the second half of the State Exam.

This one has been completed!  I passed with a bare minimum of an 80%.  Tomorrow, I go in and the paperwork done and the program loaded on my laptop.  By the end of the month, I will be bringing home money again.

3)  Get at least 10K on a submission for the Dark Crystal prequel for a contest for Dark Crystal.

This one has been started.  I had to re-download the information.  So, up to now, I've only done research but no writing.  Good thing I did because what I was originally intending to do wouldn't have fit.  The story has to take place between the Conjuction (when the three suns are in alignment and appear as one) and the Wall of Destiny (a place where the prophecy of how to fix the Dark Crystal and by whom.  (Was that the correct pronoun there?)  So, when I was at home at the computer, I was reading up on what was allowed and the time period.  They want the story to take place around the time of the Gelfling Gathering, which gives me a nice intro for the MC, Jena, to come in and get things rolling.

4) Exercise twice a week. (I mean it this time!)

Not a lot was done with this one last week.  I was focusing on other things which had a lot more importance.  But, I did manage to walk the equivalent of a mile Saturday and about a half mile Thursday while Colin was in therapy.  I'll call it a good start, but not close to what I need.  So, if you feel any weird earth tremors, don't worry, that's just me enjoying the Cardio routine on Just Dance 4.

Before I forget, again, I've added this to my goals after they were posted.

5) Work on revising and editing Black Friday, the original book.  

This one has also been started.  I'm going through and taking note of all the different named characters starting with Karina, Nick, and Marcus, my main three, then go through and trim out the extras for use later in BF2, and give the others a little bit of the spotlight.  I'm also contemplating changing the narrative a bit from first person, to omniscient view.  It's a thought.  If anyone is curious about it, I have a copy you can borrow.  It's a quick enough read but it needs a lot of re-polish.

How are things coming in your goals?

Alert the Media!

*flails wildly then faceplants on the floor*

One down, one to go! Time to celebrate the first win!

Those who have been keeping and rooting for me, you can finally cheer.  I passed the state exam for Life/Accident and Health products portion of the state licensing exam.  It almost wasn’t going to happen due to technical issues with the computer I was on.

Wasn’t anything I did.  Nope, not this time.  ;)  The computer was acting up before I got there.  They had to reboot it four times before I could take the test.  The crazy thing would freeze at the end of the sample test (I swear it’s to make sure people understand what country they’re in with all the America centric questions) and not let me continue.  The final reboot let me complete the practice and got me all the way through to the end and tallied my score.

Maybe I did threaten to bring a tech-god to fix the problem or IT was going to be there after I was done to upgrade and fix the problem, I don’t know, but it did work.

It’s done.  Finally done!  I won’t have to worry about it again unless the license lapses for any reason.  From here on out, it will be continuing education to keep me up to date on changes made in the insurance code and ethics courses to prove I won’t commit fraud or something to that matter.  That will only be 24 hours per year, so no worries.

Due to studying this week, and other things going on, I didn’t do any writing.  Not all was distractions with Facebook, I promise, though some were along that line.  There was review and extra studying on the sections I needed more focus, such as Medicare and Long-term Care policies.

This means I have nothing new to give on Black Friday 2 nor anything to report on my Camp Nano novel.  Both of those needed to be set aside for the purpose of passing the most pain in the neck test I have ever taken.  At least it did pay off and I can put some effort into both of the projects when I’m not working or training.

Which means I have this weekend free after the shopping is done and Monday between doctor appointments for Colin and Dave.

OW! Hot stuff!

That reminds me, keep Dave in your thoughts, he is starting down the road toward gastric surgery to help him get rid of his excess weight and the lymphedema lump on his inner thigh.  Monday, he consults with his doctor about which procedure he’ll recommend then starting the string of tests which have to be done before the operation date.  One way, or another, we will get this done; even if it means I have to pay for incredible insurance which will cover the surgery, tests, and post-op visits.

Thankfully, we already know, he won’t be down for more than a day or two and be on a protein shake diet for a few months.  But, it will end his diabetes almost immediately and start straightening out other weight related issues.  This also means that I’ll be forced to diet, too.  But this is a good thing.  I need to lose about half my body weight to be within the target range for my height and build.

Okay, I rambled too much.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun-filled 4th of July.

Do you have anything to celebrate this week?

#writemotivation June Wrap-Up and July's Goal's

June was a month I'd rather not remember.  Instead of writing or considering writing things, I was going over the different type of life and health insurance, provisions, exclusions, and riders and what they can do to change the basic policy, and trying to learn all the regs, rules, and statutes of the insurance license.  More time was spent on that than anything else and I've one art commission that is suffering because of it.

So, my goals for July are slightly modified.  Again.  *sigh*

Coming to this blog during the month of July will be a few interviews.  Don't expect me to do these often.  I'll be introducing two sites which were created to help the Indie Author and I'll be interviewing a new author on the Indie scene.

Later on this month, I'll be part of a blog hop that will focus on a character from one of my books.  I'm debating if it should be Karina or Sabrina since I've worked with these the most lately.  I'm leaning toward Karina since she's been neglected lately due to my focus on SoNL.  We'll see when the time comes.

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

June Goals

1) Set SoNL aside until feedback from critiques and betas are in on the first half of the novel

This one was done though I wanted to go in and make more revisions to chapters nine to eleven.  The suspense and hooks in those three needed to be tightened up further and more ideas popped into my head to build up the tension further between Jason and Sabrina.  D-O-N-E!

2) Focus on Black Friday 2. Get at least two chapters written.

Not a lot of focus was given to this one, but I did do some work on it.  In the space of a couple of hours, on Sunday, I wrote two chapters coming from Takesha's POV.  Karina and Marcus were up on the roof to find the holes to be patched up there as well as survey the surrounding area.  Nick and Nahana were off gathering wood and kindling for a fire.  Neither could have given anything specific and there were things which could be used to build the story further and why there's tension building among certain members of the group.  It also opened up a chance to have something happen.  This one is complete!  YAY!

Black Friday, the first book will also be worked on during this month.  Since Xlibris no longer has it on their site, I'll clean it up and tighten up the story before putting it on Smashwords as a republication.  I'm going to have to sit down and list the different names I used then decide which will stay and which will be dropped.  More than likely, new scenes will be added to help deal with the ones I keep and fill out the story better.

3) Keep up the job search. For interviews minimum for the month of June

This is the one that was modified to study for the State Insurance License exam and pass.  I passed one part.  I need to pass the other part then I will start training.  I can call this one partially complete.

4) Exercise twice a week. (I mean it this time!)

Um... Yeah, I did this one, just not with any real exertion.  But, it was done.

One down, one to go! Time to celebrate the first win!

July Goals

1) Set SoNL aside until feedback from critiques and betas are in on the first half of the novel

I don't know why this one is still there, but it'll serve as a reminder until feedback is in.  Don't count this as an Official Goal for July.

2) Focus on Black Friday 2. Get at least two chapters written.

I should be able to manage two more chapters for the month.  We'll see if it happens.

3) Was keep up Job Search.  Now, it is Pass the second half of the State Exam. 

The exam date is the 5th.  I should pass it this time around.  At least it is only the 116 question test instead of both of them.

4)  Get at least 10K on a submission for the Dark Crystal prequel for a contest for Dark Crystal.

Dark Crystal has a contest for all writers to create a prequel to the movie The Dark Crystal.  They've provided all the information on all the lands, people, and a few ideas to use.  I decided to call this one "The Sundering" and will be following a female Vampra tribe Gelfling who is searching for truth behind the mysterious disappearances from not just her tribe but the others as well.

5) Exercise twice a week.

I walked about a mile today with Colin while we were out taking care of the shopping.  The best thing about this trip is the traffic was in our favor and it wasn't busy everywhere we went.  Today is the 1st, Wal-Mart should have been swamped with the welfare crowd.

How's everything going for all of you?  Hope you enjoy your 4th as much as what I will!