Ups and Downs

What a stressful and exciting few days at the Gourley Homestead. New granddaughter has joined the world. She's perfect and beautiful, but she took long, difficult route to get here. A long labor that ended with a C-section made things rough for the new mother as well as a few additional complications. All is well though an extra day or so in the hospital is required. As a parent, there's something really special about seeing your own child become a parent.

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace. When a man’s mother holds his child in her gladdenarms he is aware of the roundness of life’s cycle; of the mystic harmony of life’s ways. – Christopher Morley

I found time to enjoy a local writers' meeting. We had a great speaker. Geri Krotow is a very successful novelist and a retired naval intelligence officer. Geri spoke about a variety of things, but mostly about finding your own path as a writer. Even as successful as she is now, she shared all the failures and missteps she made to get where she is today. Geri is one of those writers who is always willing to give back and help other writers.

Did you see this article in Publishers Weekly about Barnes and Noble? As much as I love the small independent bookstores and shop at the only one near me, I still really enjoy visiting a big bookstore. I think I cried when Borders closed. And now B&N is barely hanging on. My most successful book signings have been at Barnes and Noble. I've never left that store without buying something.

One of my favorite shows returned last night, Once Upon a Time. I'm thinking it might be the last year for this show, but I really won't mind because the characters have grown. I'd rather it end now instead of dragging on and becoming boring. Lots of shows that go beyond 5 or 6 seasons lose what made them good in the first place.

I'm being optimistic here, but I might finish my WIP this week. Next week at the latest. It's only the first, terribly rough draft, but I love typing the end.

The time changes next weekend, Spring Ahead. I always hated that when I was teaching. I really don't like getting up early though I've had to for most of my life. Now that I can sleep in a bit, I can enjoy the time change that gives us light later into the evening.

Will you miss B&N if they close? Can you think of a TV show that stretched on too long? Do you like Daylight Savings Time?

IWSG: March 2017 Version

Time to share your triumphs and failures with other writers. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh, IWSG is stronger than ever and growing every day. If you haven't already, please join our Facebook Group and our Twitter.

And that leads me into an exciting announcement. Coming in July, IWSG will host our first Twitter pitch party. You can find all the rules on our page. You have lots of time to get that perfect 140 character pitch ready.

Also, if you haven't sent for some IWSG swag, check out some of the new items. I already have my pens and I'm thinking about one of those mugs.

IWSG Eraser

The co-hosts for this month's IWSG blog hop are Tamara Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield, Nicohle Christopherson.

The proposed question for this month's hop;
Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
I haven't really done this but I do have a few I'm meaning to get to. One of them I have hopes for but The Greater Good, went through dozens of rewrites before I found a publisher for it. That was ten years ago and every quarter, I still get sales of that book.
the others not so much. The first book I ever wrote,

As far as insecurities goes this month, I'm worried about my to-do list and how it never seems to get shorter.

“I made a list of things I wanted to do with my life, but it ended up mostly being a list of books I wanted to write” 
― Ellie Rose McKee

Any old manuscripts you might breath new life into? Have you ever tried a Twitter pitch? Get any bites? Are you ready for some IWSG swag?

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Another month has slipped away. I'm not finished with that first draft yet, though I've very close. And it's nearly time for the monthly posting of IWSG. You can still sign up on the list and be part of this dynamic group. There are some exciting announcements coming your way on Wednesday.
This month's question, should you decide to use it:
Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

More sad news from the world of small presses. Samhain Publishing is closing its doors tomorrow. It was a powerhouse for a while but began facing the same difficulties all small publishers and indie authors have been facing over the last few years. I've heard nothing but good things about Samhain and how they've treated their authors and continue to treat them. It's still a sad time for the authors and the owners who have put so much work into their business. I'm quite worried about all small publishers.

As I've mentioned before, many small presses sell books directly from their site. The publisher and the author make more money from those sales without the middle man such as Amazon taking its cut. My latest release, The Outlaw's Savior, last in The Galactic Outlaw series, is now for sale on New Concepts Publishing Website.

The warm weather last week spoiled me a bit, but I put in lots of outside miles while exercising. Winter is back this week, but it's not so cold as some years. The good weather didn't help reduce my TBR pile which is very tall right now.

One of my top two favorite TV shows returns next week, Once Upon a Time. I noticed this week, how little live TV I've been watching. Sometimes, while I reading blogs in the mornings, I'll catch up to something on Demand such as Scorpion, Supernatural or a few other shows I like but don't love. Many times, I'd rather watch reruns on Netflix than check out any recent TV.

Does Samhain closing touch anyone you know? Is the weather strange in your part of the world? Are you ready for March?

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” ― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Triumphant Return

I didn't post last Monday, but with good reason. A young family member had some very serious surgery scheduled for last Monday at a children's hospital out of state. We spent most of Valentine's Day in a hospital waiting area. Everything went well and the child is now home again though a long way from recovered. Prognosis is good. You can imagine how stressful the past month has been while waiting for this dangerous surgery. But all is well. Apologies to those I didn't get around to visiting last week. I'll do better this week.

Some great news to share if you didn't hear. Insecure Writer's Support Group made it onto a 100 Best Writing Websites in 2017. I hope you'll check that out and share it around. I also received my IWSG pens. Really cool.

I know we all need to be concerned about climate change, but my long time readers know how I hate the cold. The weather has been so lovely and mild. It finally stopped raining and the sun even showed its face for a few days. It also made me anxious for spring.

Work on my WIP took a hit last week with everything going on, but I'm back on top of it now. I mucked through the ugly middle and am working on the last quarter of the book.

“It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all.” ─ Will Shetterly

“Getting a first draft done is like pushing a peanut with your nose across a very dirty floor.” ─ Joyce Carol Oates

If you didn't get a chance, visit IWSG post from last week and read about cover designs and what you need to consider if you do your own. Very interesting.  And of course, read the new post today.

A TV show I forgot to mention that I've been enjoying is Timeless. It involves time travel to the past where the heroes bumble around and too often change history as they try to prevent the bad guy from doing exactly that. Each week we meet historical figures like Abraham Lincoln, Bonnie and Clyde, Hemingway, and Houdini before he was famous, and witness historic events. And recently it seems the 'big' bad guy might not be the biggie at all, though still pretty ruthless in his own right. And they don't avoid the prejudices and sexism of the past either as they encounter lots of it. It's fun.

Are you enjoying unusually warm weather this winter? Ever try pushing a peanut across the floor with your nose? Did you share the good news about our terrific IWSG? Do you have the day off for President's Day?

Business of Writing

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by writing business that has nothing to do with getting one with my WIP. I've barely typed a word into that document, leaving my protagonists hanging in the middle of an emotional scene. I want to get back to it, but other things have been taking my time.

Being a member of the board in two different writing groups makes this a busy time of year. One had new officers with new ideas coming on board. The other is in the final stages of planning this year's May writing conference with hundreds of little details that need taken care of. A five and a half hour online meeting took up most of Saturday and another few hours are needed to attack the list of chores I need to do. Sigh. Enough whining. I did make the mistake of volunteering.

I also worked three long days on a final read-through of The Outlaw's Savior, Book #3 of The Galactic Outlaws series. I forgot how much I loved those characters.

Wait, last bit of whining. I haven't had time to read this past week! Horrifying.

I wanted to mention another TV show I really like. It's on PBS in my part of the world. I think it's produced by BBC. Poldark is an interesting period piece of an honorable man struggling to fit back into society after fighting in and losing the American Revolution. It's a wonderful glimpse of how the poor and the moneyed saw the world. There's uplifting moments as well as many tragic and sad parts. It's in its second season in the States.

My big hope this week is to get back to my WIP and maybe even settle on a title. I'd planned on having the first draft done by the end of the month. Clock's ticking.

We all live in a digital world, but there are still many times I print things out. Why is ink so expensive? And I bought my husband a new razor last week. Why are razor blades so expensive? Inquiring minds want to know.


Have you seen Poldark? What things are distracting you from your writing recently? Why are ink and razors so expensive?

IWSG: February and So Much News

Welcome all to February's version of IWSG. There is so much to share. Started by Alex J. Cavanaugh, this group supports other writers by giving advice, empathy, and sharing victories and rejections. Everyone helps everyone. Wouldn't it be great if the real world worked as well as this group? I think we need Alex to run for President in 2020.

Check this out! IWSG is now offering merchandise sharing the cool graphics with the world and on your desk. You might already have a tee shirt like I do, but there's more. Go to the Merchandise Page and check it out.

The winners of last fall anthology have started a group blog to tell the world about their upcoming book. Visit Hero Lost: Mysteries of Death and Life.

You may notice some new administrators helping to run our wonderful group, but they're probably not strangers. Welcome C. Lee McKenzie and Heather M. Gardner.

If you haven't joined IWSG on Twitter, please do. Each day we share a lot of links to great writing articles covering all genres and the business of writing.

And please welcome some new members of IWSG by visiting them on their first posting day.

Blue Fox Cafe

Kathy S Collier/Author

My Brain Injourney

The Write Project

Write Accountable

Going Solo with spelling errors

600 Second Saga

Putting the Clothes On, Taking the Gloves Off.

Northern Lights Gothic - KT Wagner

Danger, Love, and Mystery

Writers Read – That’s What They Do

Ray Pace at Large

And today's question if you chose to answer it: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

It has changed it in many ways. First, those spelling and grammatical errors jump out at me. Mistakes in POV bother the heck out of me. Use of adverbs by 'big time' authors irritates me. How come they're allowed to do that and I'm not? Being a writer makes me very critical of other works. And I'm quicker to give up on a book than I used to be. There are so many good books out there, I don't waste time on mediocre ones.

And one last thing to check out. There's some info coming out on the 2017 A to Z Blogging Challenge. Still unsure if you're going to participate? See what's up.

Thanks for sticking with me through all these links. Hope you find something interesting to read. Are you reading for IWSG merch? Are you a critical reader? Alex for president?

30 Days? Already?

Can we really be 30 days into 2017 already? My calendar says this is true. My word count says over 50K written in my new WIP in January. Haven't come up with a title for that one yet. Since I write in series, I always decide on all three titles at one time and a name for the series as well as the general plot for all three books. Still happy about the progress though as usual, crappy first draft is happening. Rewrites ahead.

A reminder that Wednesday is February 1st and that means Insecure Writer's Support Group post day. Lots of good stuff to talk about this week. If you want to use the question this week (you don't have to) it's an interesting one.
How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?

I read a good book this past week. The Shadow of What Was Lost by James Livingston, book one in an epic fantasy series. So many mysteries, twists and hints of a horrific history. Though the POV characters were young, it doesn't like a YA book. Even at the end, I'm not sure whose side everyone is on. I highly recommend it if you enjoy Brandon Sanderson or Michael J. Sullivan styles of storytelling.

I've managed to catch a few hours of TV lately also. I loved Pitch last fall. If you didn't watch it, you Lucifer has been fun this season. What could be better than finding out that God has a plan to redeem his fallen angel? And the 4th season of Sherlock didn't disappoint though it managed to break my heart a little. And this Wednesday, my current favorite show The 100 comes back on for its 4th season. It's such a dark show but so interesting. Last season the protagonists battled the AI that caused the nuclear holocaust while facing their own xenophobia and tribalism. Though the supposed heroes have been victorious each season, there's no happy celebration. To win, they always have to make decisions and do things that challenge their moral codes. There's never a perfect answer and always an emotional toll. This season they're facing a second radiation danger as the nuclear power plants left unattended for almost a hundred years start to meltdown. It will be good. And that's all the TV I currently have time for.
should even if you don't like baseball.

Did January sneak by you like a slippery eel going down a water slide? Have you accomplished what you wanted this month? Find some good books lately? Are you a fan of any of the shows I mentioned?