Photo 365 #68

October 14, 2014October 14, 20148 Comments

I had the day off work today, so I took advantage of the free time and got some writing done.

Like, a lot of writing. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 words, if I’m not mistaken.

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This excites me greatly because I’m not always able to get a lot of writing done on my days off and also because I managed to get a bunch of other things (cooking, a load of laundry, a bit of light cleaning) done today as well. Must be my long-lost time management skills trying to reassert themselves. 🙂

I hope today was as wonderful and productive for you as it was for me! How did you spend your day?

Photo 365 #67

October 13, 20149 Comments

It’s rainy, gray, and dismal outside today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much the same, but colder to boot. This makes for great writing weather, but otherwise it’s all rather dreary.

On top of that, it’s Monday. I strongly dislike Mondays, though after watching this cartoon, I have no wish to get rid of them. 😀

Anyway, to counteract all this drabness, I give you this:

bluesky

Nothing says cheery like a bright blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. I may have to set this image as my desktop background in a month or two when winter’s monotone colors threaten to drive me up the wall.

What’s Monday like for you?

Photo 365 #66

October 12, 2014October 11, 201413 Comments

As I mentioned yesterday, I have a thing for sunsets:

lovelysunset

And with sunsets like these, can you blame me? I love Iowa. 🙂

Photo 365 #65: Dreamy

October 11, 2014October 11, 20148 Comments

As I drove home from work last night, I found myself thinking about this week’s photo challenge and what I could possibly post that was even remotely dreamy.

I know exactly what I would post if I were, say, fifteen years younger (cue pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling, Nick Carter, and JC Chasez).

Mmm, dreamy. 🙂

But I digress. 🙂

Photo 365 #64

October 10, 2014Leave a comment

I can’t believe October is a third over already. Pretty soon there’ll be snow on the ground, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.

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In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the sunshine and colors while I can get them, because they’ll be gone before I know it.

Photo Friday: Beginnings

October 10, 20147 Comments

This picture actually features a beginning as well as a middle and an end:

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The top notebook (as well as the draft beneath it) contains my revisions for The Price of Mercy. I’m just over halfway through the rewrite/revision process, judging by total page count. Of course, I still have a lot of work ahead, but I hope I’ll be able to start querying in January. It’s definitely a stronger story now than when I initially queried it a couple of years ago (I still don’t know what I was thinking then).

But the bottom notebook holds a brand new short story that I started working on late yesterday afternoon. It’s not as fluffy as my usual work, but I hope it’s good.

Don’t forget to stop by Charnele’s blog and check out her beginnings!

Photo 365 #63

October 9, 20146 Comments

Every time I leave the house, say for work in the mornings, I have to chase Opal out of the garage. Cricket has gotten quite good at wrangling her (and she’s gotten quite good about letting him). But today it was Thumper’s turn:

Opal’s gotten pretty good about letting Thumper manhandle her, too. And it’s a good thing, because apparently he doesn’t mind getting scratched. He just wants to hold them and love them and pet them and hug them and never let them go (although he doesn’t seem to care one way or another about naming them George). 🙂

False Awakening

October 9, 2014October 7, 20143 Comments

False Awakening One of the best parts of my online life has got to involve the writing community. There are so many talented authors out there, and more often than not, they’re genuinely lovely people. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that, but hopefully the forgetting is only temporary.

Anyway, one of the lovely, talented authors I’ve had the good fortune to become acquainted with is Callum McLaughlin, whose book, False Awakening, is out now:

When teenager Abi Watson wakes in a hospital bed with no memory of the incident that put her there, she must begin the long and difficult process of piecing her life back together, but unfortunately, her search for answers will merely give rise to further questions. Frayed relationships and haunting revelations soon come into play, leading Abi to discover that some things are best left forgotten.

With a past that is unwilling to let go, her only option is to delve into the depths of her own mind so that she can uncover the truth and finally awaken from her living nightmare.

The book’s official launch was yesterday, and I’m happy to continue the celebration here. In that vein, I’ve got an excerpt from the book, available behind the cut. 🙂

Photo 365 #62

October 8, 2014October 10, 20148 Comments

I love books. A house is not a home without them.

And when I come home and find a brand new book waiting for me in the mailbox? Well, if there’s a better way to end a long day at work, then I don’t know it. 🙂

Thank you to Kip Wilson for the pretty, pretty package I found in my mailbox tonight! What do you love coming home to after a long day?

An American Faerie Tale

October 8, 2014October 7, 20144 Comments

thestolen Over the summer, I was lucky enough to snag a review copy of Bishop O’Connell’s book, The Stolen. I was excited about it from the moment I saw that it was set partly in Tír na nÓg.

Of course, life happened, and I didn’t get around to reading it right away. But when I did? I couldn’t get it out of my head.

I was thrown off a bit by the beginning, as the story opens with a bit of back story about Brendan, who’s on his way to meet Áine, the girl he loves. The blurb, though, focuses on Caitlin and the main plot of the book: