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?

Monday Post #writemotivation

Uhg!  When did the past week end?  Last I knew, it was Wednesday and I was trying to write my post for the week.  Either way, it got away from me.  You can guess the reasons; kid, work, life, you know what I mean.

I’m back to a more normal work shift which has Colin very happy.  I’m home for dinner, we get to have some play time together, and time to dance together for our exercise.  After a few weeks of coming home with barely enough time to eat before he’s in bed, I needed the catch up time with him.

As far as my writing goes, I’ve barely touched anything, but I do have a firm visual in mind for the cover of Black Friday 2 and a couple of name ideas for it, too.  Imagine a pair of eyes staring back at you with the outline of a human, or feline, face set against a very shadowy background.  Reflected in the eyes, or as a part of the background, two wolves, a fox, and a large cat are staring out toward a street, forest, or maybe some mountains they have to travel through.  I can see the eyes so clearly in my mind, it’s driving me nuts, but the background is still too vague to really start a sketch.

That cover idea does give me some ideas on what to do next in the story as they settle into their new winter home.  It is something, though not the progress I’m wanting.  No actual writing has been done, yet, on the book.

Speaking of writing, I have done more than just open the file onSONL during this last week.  I’ve reread the chapter and figured out what is going to be internalized and what will be spoken.  I’ve also jotted down an idea or two on what Jason’s reaction will be.  He’ll definitely have a few choice words to say once she fesses up.  Well, not completely, the need to keep secrets is strong in this one.

There’s also plenty of places that will need some more work, too, to see more of her thought process.  Even Mindy will get a bit more camera time with her reactions to Jason’s resentment toward her for her part in capturing him.  He is being an ass (pardon the language), so she needs to be more than a sweet and gentle lady with the training and background she has.  Things might get a bit rough to help him fall back to sleep after taking his medicine.  *cue evil grin*

Writemotivation Goal Check!

1) Finally do the edits and revisions to chapters 8 through 15 onSoNL.

No writing yet, but now I have a better idea on how to organize the thoughts in chapter 8 and noted down some ideas for previous chapters.

2) Try to come up with a good name for the book itself while I edit.

A good name is still elusive for SONL.  No progress here, yet.

3) Try to write at least one more chapter to Black Friday 2.

No writing here, either, but I have a better idea on what is going to happen during the winter besides Karina’s parents arriving with more therians.  I’ve got my main foci selected, but a couple of secondary foci may pop up in the ones yet to come.  How much time they’ll have at this old resort remains to be seen.  I need figure out what Karina needs to do other than gain the knowledge she needs then start plotting a way to First Home.  A new path will have to be made before anyone can get to or come from their sacred birth place.

4) Brain willing, come up with names for Black Friday 2.

A couple of ideas have come to mind.  I’ll post them ones I can refine them a bit further.

5) Revise the beginning to Test of Ascension

This one is a true maybe.  The others need to be accomplished before I can do this one.

6) Schedule posts for the A to Z Blog tour (last minute addition after the originals were added)

Progress here!  Until today, all I had was B wrote down.  I now have up to letter I as well as a few others such as L, M, R, and Z.  This one is tip, top, secret, but I can assure you, you’ll love it.  It is definitely all one theme, too.

Catch Up Day the Month in Review + #writemotivation Goals

I have been quiet for far too long.  Too many worries, too many hours at work, and not enough time given to revising and writing because I don’t want to look at my manuscripts.  I’m not just terrified of succeeding, I’m also a terrible procrastinator by sitting on Facebook way too much.  Most nights, that’s all I have the energy to do.

February has been a fun month (note the sarcasm there if you will).  It started off okay with me filling scripts and taking calls behind a nice, safe, counter, and just making people feel better.  Then, it happens.  I made one too many mistakes that could have hurt people.  End result, I was demoted; which put me into a bad funk.  Either way, things were not going to be good for me.

I was either going to be a sales associate stocking shelves and showing people around the store because they can’t, or won’t, read a sign, or end up on a front register where I will end up having a nervous breakdown because the vast majority of the customers have no idea what personal space is or how to keep out of my bubble.  If I can smell your breath and feel how hot it is, you are too damn close.  Too many want to lean in very close and talk in a normal voice or louder when asking a question about something that needs no privacy.  ”Where are the curtains?”

That everything that’s holy for a manager who not only knows me well but knows how well I work (we’ve worked together before).  I may be slow, but I get the job done and it looks professional and clean.  Instead of going to be a cash slave, he snatched me up and put me on the floor to help change modulars (displays), stocks shelves, and keep everything neat and clean on the shelves.  In Health and Beauty, you have to keep on top of the makeup department or it’ll turn into a nightmare fast.

Now, you can understand why I’ve been so quiet.  My work schedule changed, which has thrown off my routine.  I’m more tired in the evening due to the higher workload and mentally tired as well.  I am adjusting nicely and not quite so run down.  My days off are split, which makes adjusting harder, but still possible.  Thursdays I am on the run from noon until dinner time with therapy for my son, come home to cook, then I can sit down to relax and spend some time with the boy.  He comes first before all things.

Now that I have a shiny, new-er, computer that doesn’t bog down at the sight of YIM coming online, I can zoom through the email and other time-wasting activities to spend time working on my novels.  Speaking of working on novels, I’ve my goals to show off for #Writemotivation.

Yes, it is that time again.  At least now I have something to focus on and a very good reason to focus.

1) Revise chapter 8 of Society of Night and Lies and edit through chapter 15.

2) Consider names for book one of SoNL.

3) Try to work on Black Friday 2

4) Think of a name for Black Friday 2

I know, I’ve had these same four goals for the past two months.  In that time, I haven’t touched them at all.  I just explained why for this month, but I digress.  But, I will add one more goal to that list which will be more of a spare time thing.

5) Pre-write the Blogging from A to Z in April entries.  

I have a very good theme in mind and it is one I will enjoy writing about with examples to go with the terms used.  No, I won’t tell what it is, now.  You have to wait and see what I come up with.

Enjoy your month and the changes in my writing schedule once I get back to writing my posts again.

Long Time No Blog

To all who read my posts, I’m sorry I haven’t written anything in a while beyond the odd comment or two.  Not to mention, I totally flaked on the blog hop I was supposed to take part in.  Wednesday came and went before I realized it and I had no one to tag to carry the torch along.

While the excuse isn’t a good one, it is a valid one.  Thanks to changes in my schedule, working 10 to 7 each night and having my days off split, I’ve been too tired to think about writing anything.  Sure, I’m home before 7:30, 8 at the latest, but believe me when I say there is no sleeping in, not with a child that needs to be bustled off to school before my eyes are ready to open.

There is something else.  It took me these couple of weeks to realize it, but it has definitely slowed down my progress on revisingSociety of Night and Lies or touching Black Friday 2.  I am terrified.

What am I terrified of?  Success.  Plain and simple.  When I started making plans for an official launch of my first, and only, book, my ability to even consider writing above all else went away.  I’ll open the files but only get that far.  There’s no inspiration to do what I want to do.

I am simply afraid that no one will want to come and get a book let alone meet the person who wrote it.  I am terrified of the possible crowds (agoraphobic and claustrophobic) which will come by.  Mostly, I don’t want to endure the social fear of just sitting there with nothing to do except play on my phone because no one wanted a signed book.

Honestly, I have no idea how to go about getting the word out there’s a new author in Tulsa beyond me plastering Facebook with posts and Tweeting it at every chance while at work (which could get me fired if caught).  I could send out my card to local stations or even call them as well as asking at the many book shops here in town.

Getting the time off to do signings or interviews is nothing.  All I have to do is request the day and make sure my manager knows how important it is that I get these functions.  He’ll probably want to show up at one once he knows when.

Now, I have rebuilt my computer from the processor up.  The down time from that was nothing, so that won’t be considered at all.  Actually, Dave did the work, I did the loading once Windows was installed.  Still, it did take a day or two to get done.

Because of all of that, I haven’t posted.  I will be trying to get back on track as soon as I can though don’t expect a whole lot while I adjust to having split days off.  We’re resetting modulars, so there will be overtime coming as well.  Monday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays won’t see a lot of activity, but I’ll be switching Black Friday from Sundays to Fridays and put the erotica compilation on hold until things settle down and I get SoNL sent out to agents and publishers.

There’s still the query letter to write, a summary, and practice pitching it.  There’s no way I’ll have it ready for Pitch Madness when the next round starts, unless that gets postponed.  For now, I’m going to focus on revising SoNL and thinking of a name for the book itself.  The rest, well, can wait.

Black Friday Update #fiction #fantasy #amwriting #blackfriday

I was supposed to get some writing done on Black Friday 2 and come up with a title other than Black Friday 2.  Sadly, that did not happen during the month of January.  There are good reasons why; such as a sick child, changes at work, and the fact that January in the pharmacy is extra busy with everyone’s insurance changing and resetting.  I was coming home to tired to concentrate on anything let alone edits and writing.

Nothing got done.  Period.

But, that leaves me with all of February to try and make some headway on this book.  I’m going to try, but Black Friday 2 isn’t at the top of the writing priority list.  I’ll try to get something written, but don’t count on it.  Karina and her trials and tribulations will have to take a back seat until the primary work in progress is ready.

Thinking about their current situation, there is plenty to write about.  They just found an abandoned resort to take shelter in.  The possibilities are endless on what can happen.  I’ve thought of several already then Karina will have to finish her training so she can start returning the balance to her people, both new and old therians.

Still, don’t expect me to have much to say until SoNL is ready for pitching and the query letter stage.  I still need beta readers and critique partners to find the spots I’ve missed. Leave a comment or email me at sabbath(dot)silverclaw{at}gmail.com if you are interested.  I need at least ten in order to have enough eyes reading the manuscript.

Don’t forget to help Light of the World Church.  Purchase Black Friday and the royalties I make from the sales will go toward helping Light of the World Church help feed the needy and homeless.  Remember, the ones we help could be your family or friends.

Black Friday on Sunday #amwriting #fiction #fantasy

I’ve started plotting out a few things which will be happening to the current group of therians Karina has to watch over now that they’ve finally found shelter.  Yes, I did say plotting out.  I do plan things once in a while, but usually when I need to have a clear idea of what is to happen when and how in a particular time frame.

As I’ve said before, they now have shelter.  There’s a problem.  This shelter has been abandoned for a while.  Say a couple of years while the owners wait for someone to buy it.  Perhaps the previous owners forgot about it or in the shuffle of papers, the inheritors never found out they have a nice little mountain resort to sell or fix up.  Either way, the place is in disrepair.

This means that Marcus and Nick have to scrounge up wood or other materials to cover holes in the roof, the walls, create some kind of bedding for them to curl up on at night, as well as someone finding food.  After their long trek, everyone is hungry.

This is what I imagine the main building Karina and company found to take shelter from the impending blizzard. I could not find the person who took this photo or I’d give proper credit.

In this group of 15 or 20 therians, they have a decent mix of skills to use if they need it.  The question is, which ones were injured due to falls along the trail or fights among the rest of the group.  All of them will have to do something to make sure they are comfortable.

I do have one little dilemma to consider.  Would the previous owners of this resort have left behind things like sheets, blankets and other things, or would they have all been gathered up and sold or put into storage someplace?

That also brings up the question, was this resort closed before the spring re-opening, before being closed for the season, or after winter was over?  Those questions would help decide how much and what kind of stuff was left behind for this poor ragtag group to use until they can move on in warmer weather.

It is a possibility that they could live there for several years as others come to join them.  Eventually, Karina and her core crew will leave to bring in others and to make awareness of their kind less shocking to the bible thumpers and the rednecks and crazy people who think they are abominations.  I need to study more about the civil rights movement to get a better feel of what they’ll be encountering in the coming future.

Talk about a lot of work to do for just one book.  I have an idea how the elitist church goers will react.  I meet plenty of them every day at work.

#Writemotivation Mondays

Well… not much to post on this topic this week.  I haven’t done squat on either of my goals.  Wait, that isn’t quite true.  I have considered titles forSoNL Book 1.  The Past Through Shadows is clunky and long and while true, still doesn’t quite fit the story itself.

This is why I need beta readers as well as those willing to critique.  It’s not a happy book or even one where everybody ends up loving one another before the middle of the story as come to pass.  Dark, gritty, violent, that is this book.

Now that things have finally calmed down at work, I will be able to sit down and focus on editing and re-writing.  I may not make it to chapter 15 before month’s end, but I’ll be well on my way toward it.  I doubt I’ll touch Black Friday 2 until next month.  It deserves more of my focus than what I can give it now.

Well, short and sweet this week.  I hope y’all are starting to get into the flow of the new year and preparing to dive head first into your writing and artistic endeavors.

Black Friday News

It’s Sunday again.  This week has been a busy one but not as hectic as before my birthday.  I found out Monday that I was being cursed during my week of vacation.  Not only was I out, but two others were down sick for a few days.  They were mega-short on techs and they were slammed.

Well… I didn’t expect anyone to be sick and neither did they.  Sometimes, Murphy’s Law likes to sneak up and backhand everyone just to see how well they can handle the pressure.  According to sales and the weekly reports, they handled it just fine.

But, that isn’t what this post is about.  But, it does hint at what will be done in Black Friday 2.  For the curious, I’m going to give a few ideas of what will be going to happen.  Much of this is what I think would naturally happen.    To help with it, I’ve watched a little Survivor Man, talked to a few people who have done similar things.  I’ve even sought out the opinions of co-workers and friends on how they think people would respond and how they would react to finding out if they were a therian or if someone they knew and respected was a therian.

Just think, this is the closest I have come to actually plotting out a story.  Strange… isn’t it?  Especially since I’m a write by the seat of your pants type of writer.

Karina, her mate, adopted son, and her son’s best friend and former pet have gotten their growing menagerie of new therians into a safe place where they can rest, heal, and learn while winter rages around them.  Considering the season and where they are, it won’t be an easy task surviving the cold ravages of winter.

Their first task is to patch holes in walls, windows, and roofs to get through the first big storm.  Think of this storm as the one we had at the beginning of Snowmagen here in Oklahoma and other states in the nation.  If you guessed a blizzard, then you will be correct.  Thankfully, this type of weather will work to their advantage.  For now.

If you are thinking what I’m thinking, then you know this is no global takeover by a smart, if clueless, mouse and his insane and funny companion.  We won’t even consider what the kids will look like if Binky and Pippy get married.

I’ve given this a lot of thought.  They’ll have to find food, learn to hunt while hunting, repair their new and possibly temporary home, while making sure no one but other therians will find them hiding deep in the Appalachian Mountains.  Their only real godsend is the place they found is off the main trail tucked away in a valley.

Tensions will be running high between them while personalities clash and spark heated arguments.  I can almost bet Karina will not be as calm when spring starts to warm the snow-covered land.  Other things will be happening as well when all of them realize that Nature’s call will affect each of them at some point or another.  By then, Karina will be ready to step in her role to give back to her people who their battle with the sorcerers took from them at their last stand.

Those diabolical magic users haven’t been wiped out.  Not by a long shot.  They’re doing their own planning and setting into motion plans which will threaten the peaceful therians in more ways than one.  The sorcerers will even have some help from someone among Karina’s group.  I know who that person is.  They’ll be shown why you can’t trust a magic user during their darkest hour.

Personally, I think this book will go well beyond the 50 or even 80K mark.  There won’t be as many time jumps and the POV will also change some to give the reader a better sense of what is happening and why.  Definitely won’t be dropping so many names like I did in the first but those I did use will be appearing at one point or another in this one.

Sunday Excerpt #fiction #fantasy #amwriting #excerpt

Tonight, I decided to blend two posts into one.  Since I post an excerpt of random stories on Sundays and this is also the day I talk a little about Black Friday and/or Black Friday 2, I figure I may as well make them the same post this time.  Makes sense and I can sit back to watch Food Network or maybe get a quick role-play in before bedtime.  Either way, it’s much easier for me.  Don’t expect this to happen every week.  I don’t want to give away too much of the story.

With this being my last day of vacation, I thought I would make things simpler for you, my readers and friends.

Today’s excerpt comes from the last half what I’ve written for chapter nine in book 2 of Black Friday.  They have just found the place both Karina and others have seen in dreams and visions.  As tired as what they are, there is still work to do and Karina, her husband, adopted son, and their group’s ‘healer’, they prepare to weather out the coming storm.

Marcus’ look of surprised couldn’t be hidden. He stared at me, swallowed then started to ask, but I stopped him with a nod. “Yes, she did. Let’s go, now.”

“Okay everybody!” He clapped his hands together as he turned to face the group of weary shifters. “I need you to bear with us. Shelter has been found and it is a short distance from here. We can all rest there and avoid any other weather that is heading for us.” He then motioned to the building clouds then motioned to me. “Lead the way, my love. You know where this shelter is.”

I smiled at him then licked his cheek before giving my attention to everyone. “It’s only a couple of miles from here. If we support each other, we get there in no time. It’s all downhill, into a valley, and the path looks reasonably clear from what I can tell. Just stick close and don’t wander off without telling someone. If you get lost, we may not be able to find you before the storm gets here.”

There was a lot of grumbling and moaning as tired therians got to their feet. They only had a short rest and that didn’t do much for them. But, knowing they were going to be in a decent shelter, not some cold cave, they didn’t gripe too much.

Getting everyone moving, even the injured on their stretchers, wasn’t easy. Finding the path down into the valley wasn’t easy. It was an overgrown trail almost completely hidden by new growth from the years of neglect, but a few markers showed us the way.

The path wound about, seeming to go nowhere except to give glimpses of the compound below and how close we were getting. With skeletal branches intertwining over us, we could barely see the gray clouds blotting out the paler clouds above and what little sunlight we were getting. It felt like the trek down was taking forever and everyone was starting to mutter and growl their displeasure until at long last, we found the end of the trail leading out into the wide pasture.

It was open land, no trees to take cover in or to break the wind that was starting to whistle through the trees. Anything would be able to see us as we traversed the wide space of snow.

Marcus, Nahana, and I went first to make sure it was all clear. We kept low to the ground, moving on all fours as we were meant to be and keeping our bellies close to the ground. We split up to sniff the air and see if anyone was around before we stood and beckoned the rest to follow. The place was abandoned, not a sound or scent to be found that was recent except for wild creatures stopping by to make use of the pasture or the shelter of the buildings.

I kept an eye on the line of tired wolves, deer, and other therians behind us; making sure no one fell behind. Those that did fall, I rushed back to help Nahana get them back on their feet and offer words of encouragement. They didn’t have much further to go. They can rest inside and we’ll have a fire roaring to keep us warm.

Worry for them filled my heart as they all stumbled toward the building. It seemed so very far away at that point. But, I had to stay strong for them and keep them moving.

As I turned my attention to the building clouds, snow started to fall and the wind became colder. The shiver than ran down my spine raised fur and set my teeth to chattering against my will. Not wanting to leave anyone behind, I plunged through the snow to get the last two, both deer-kin, and helped them get to our new home. The last several feet, I was carrying them, both too exhausted to take another step.

Inside, it was cold. We could feel drafts coming from under the door and around the windows. There was debris all over the place that blew in from a storm sometime in the past. As cold as what it was, it was better than being out in the cold.

“Marcus, Nahana, Nick, we need to gather up wood for a fire and try to fix those drafts.” I looked from one to the other as I rested my hands on their shoulders. “Nahana, you and Nick go gather some firewood and kindling. Marcus and I will start working on plugging the drafts.”

“What about Takesha, Karina?” Nick looked, his eyes questioning and filled with worry for this rag-tag group of therians.

I shook my head and offered a little smile. “She’s tired. Let her rest for now and help tend to the injured. If she needs help, Marcus and I can lend a hand. Don’t worry about her, or anyone else. Just get us that wood and quickly. It’s already started to snow.”

Nick sighed then nodded. “Okay. We won’t be long.”

As I grasped his shoulder, I smiled at him, showing my approval. “Just hurry, son. We’re all tired and we need you to help lead.”

He hugged me; something he hadn’t done since we left First Home, then gave Nahana a gentle shove toward the door. It’ll warm up with all the bodies in there, but a fire will help keep the rest of the cold at bay.

2012 in Review

I was beginning to think that 2012 would never end.  It hasn’t been the best of years.  But, then again, the last several years haven’t been all that great.  But, I can say, I am still on the proper side of the dirt.  Whether some people like it or not, I survived to see another turn of the calendar.

I didn’t make many goals except for one; get Society of Night and Lies ready for the great agent search this March.  I have up to chapter eight edited, but there’s still another twenty to go before this manuscript has hit the last edits I’ll be doing on my own.  After this one, I need willing vict… err volunteers to beta read for a full copy/line/whatever edit to find not just the gross grammar errors but inconsistencies and plot holes that need a lot of filling.

So far, I’ve found a few on my own and even a few things which did make a lot of sense once I sat back and looked over what I had and asked a few questions.  That meant I needed to rewrite an entire chapter.  Probably one or two, but a few adjustments should save me a bunch of rewriting all together.

I knew when I started it that Black Friday 2 wouldn’t be complete before the end of the year with my focus being mostly on SoNL.  At least that one is coming along well and the characters I’m focusing on through Karina are developing very nicely.  This one, Karina will be stepping up more to help her people.

Considering how things have been as far as work and writing, it has been a quiet year with a few high points.  Visiting K.T. Hanna at her home was among them.  NaNoWriMo was another and I had fun even though I couldn’t make it to the Kick-off and the final write-in/TGIO.  Two and a half stories to pass the 50K mark with only a day to spare.  That was cutting it close.  But, I cut it even more fine a few times in previous years.

On the subject of health, both Dave and I finally got the proper doctor care we need to get our health back onto the proper track.  Dave needed it the most and the medication he’s on, plus regular visits to the doc are doing wonders.  He’s lost some weight while I’ve maintained.  Thankfully, the primary concerns I had weren’t anything big to worry about, but I do have to be on medication and keep track of my blood sugar.

My year ended on a sad note, however.  December 2012 marked the loss of an old high school friend.  He was a part of our group even though he rarely sat with us at lunch or in the mornings before school.  His brother used to be my boyfriend and later, fiance, but even that relationship ended.  We were still friends afterward, but, by then, I was moving on into a dark spiral my mom was more than happy to see me shed a little while later.

With 2013 looming closer by the minute, I look back at this past year and shake my head.  Things could have been better.  They definitely could have been worse.  Now, looking ahead, I’m setting myself some new goals.

First goal: lose some weight.  I finally have a work out I like and have fun with.  It’s something I can do with my son and doesn’t require me going to a gym or killing myself trying to run laps.  We finally got the game Just Dance 4 and the dance workout option it definitely puts you through your paces and is high energy.  For now, 10 minutes at a time and we’ll slowly build up to a half hour or more.  Even mom is getting in on this and Dave will follow eventually.  Just the normal dancing really makes you sweat with the high energy steps they want you to do.

Second goal: start setting back some money to buy a house one day.  May not be this year or even next year, but we’ll get that nest egg building so we can get us something nice and with a lot of space and a yard for Colin, his friends, and any pets we may have.

Third goal: start submitting SoNL, take part in Pitch Madness, and work on making a killer query letter.  Try to finish Black Friday 2 and begin rewriting SoNL 2.  Before I can submit SoNL anywhere, I need the actual book name.  Society of Night and Lies is the trilogy name.  Beta Readers, please step forward and help me think of something, please!

Fourth goal: Return to my old blogging schedule where I post something each day.  Three days for random topics, and four days each focusing on a different novel I’m working on.  Sundays will still have excerpts and Mondays or Wednesdays will be my #Writemotivation posts.  If it gets spammy, tell me and I’ll tone things down a notch.  The last thing I want to do is become one of those people who get blocked (or zipped) on Twitter because of too many posts of nothing but the same thing like a broken record or babbling about who knows what just because it pertains to the book or the topic of the day.

Let’s start this new year with a smile and bright hopes for an even better future.

Oh!  For those that have wondered about my Twitter handle… it doesn’t mean I think I’m an okay author.  It means Oklahoma Author.  My usual net handle, Sabbath Silverclaw, is kept for certain forums only.  Now you know.  ;)

Belated NaNoWriMo wrap-up and #writemotivation #fiction #fantasy #amwriting

November ended over a week ago and boy did it end with a bang!  The furious writing and hectic hours made for a very tired author.  I’m still trying to recover from the long hours.  That’s the good part of it all.

The bad side?  There’s no bad side in any sense of the phrase.  I have two decent stories (if you call porn decent) and started on another before hitting the 50K mark on the 29th. Yes, I made it with a little over a day to spare.  Thankfully, that allowed me to enjoy the final write-in and TGIO party a lot more.  I will say this, I was the first to leave the TGIO party.  I would have stayed until the end, but being a mom and a crotchety old woman, I had to get home and get some sleep.  Still, it was fun and I came home with a small prize which I will be using often.

It was fun, even if I couldn’t attend the write-ins like I wanted.  What I got out of this year’s Nano was a potential compilation of stories centering around my character, Leofa, and her business, The Rabbit Hutch.  I want to finish Trysts of the Hearts first then maybe focus on Leofa’s stories.  While Trysts will be published on Smashwords, Leofa’s stories will only be seen, and distributed, over at FurAffinity.net due to content.

Usually, I post a set of goals for the month at about this time.  Thanks to the rush of NaNo and Christmas coming, I’m going to take a break from writing and just sit back and enjoy the season and maybe write when the mood strikes.  No rush to meet goals or worries over anything else.  Come January, I’ll be working hard on finishing the edits and rewrites on SoNL then perhaps get some help to get it ready for the spring Pitchfest.  I intend on having SoNL ready in March for agents and/or publishing houses.

Black Friday 2 will be the next novel to be prepared for publishing.  I’m debating sending it to an agent/publisher or just keep the series with Xlibris.

No matter what, I’ll be back to blogging Sundays, Mondays or Wednesdays soon enough.  Aren’t you glad I didn’t fall off the face of the internet?  I know I am!

Chocolate Kind of Week plus #writemotivation checkin

Make that two weeks that require chocolate.  There’s not enough chocolate in this town to soothe what I feel from the hell I’ve been through since my boss went on vacation last week.

I won’t bore anyone with the details but lets just say when the boss is away, the brats will play.  I’ve been stuck on the register all day each day I’ve worked with no breaks except for my lunch or I insist on taking my 15 minute breaks and give them no choice.  I don’t mind running a register, but not all frikkin’ day.

We are supposed to rotate!

Today… oh today was the topper.  Power went out for about three hours or so.  It came back a few minutes after I went to lunch.  During that time, people, naturally, were not allowed in the store to shop since security wouldn’t be able to keep up with the thefts.  Complaints from that.  We could not do a thing except put the drug order away and sort the bundles for scanning and filing on the prescriptions.

Once the power is back on and everything boots up, there is a pile of e-scripts to input and a ton of trouble shoots to work through along with a line of people demanding their meds we couldn’t fill or work during the down time.

The fun part is answering call after call of people asking if we were open and the power was back on.  Here’s a clue: I ANSWERED THE PHONE!  My sarcastic streak was screaming to be set loose on these people.

I got my OT for the week in today.  Two hours extra just to finish the input and troubleshooting.  I’ll probably go in at open tomorrow so I can finish the scanning, ten-day returns, and apply the truck orders from today then try to get those bundles filed away before my boss gets back from his vacation.

It’s enough to make me want to scream bloody murder and smack some skulls on the counter to make sure they are paying attention to what I say.  Things can be simplified only so far before we decide the patient is a lost cause and needs to be awakened.

I haven’t been able to write at all because of being too tired to focus or just so frustrated anything I’d write would be a veiled rant at the stupid people and co-workers.  I don’t want to do that with my writing or to anyone who reads my blogs.

That’s the reason for the chocolate.  Wouldn’t you agree some nicedark chocolate and a quiet day are in order after all of that?

Now, for my check in.

All I managed to do for September was finish my edits up to chapter six in Society of Night and Lies and read about Scene and Structure.  I couldn’t write a single word on Black Friday 2.  It looks doubtful I’ll be able to accomplish much of anything for this month either until John comes back.

He will get an ear full the second I can get him alone.  This isn’t fair to me or anyone else in the pharmacy.

I do apologize for that rant.  It does explain why I haven’t posted much beyond my Sunday Excerpt post.  Things should return to normal after next week.  I hope.

Come see my Facebook Page athttp://www.facebook.com/FantasticFurryRealms!  As I can, I’m adding content.  I’ll have excerpts of my works in progress posted there eventually.  SoNL has recently been added to the excerpt there.  More soon!