To be or not to be...NOT "to be"

Okay y'all. Ya girl is editing Ace, writing a short story for an anthology, and generally roasting her ass off.

While editing Ace, I took out my crutch words. You know the ones. They add nothing to the narrative, but you're obscenely fond of them. I've taken "just" out of my vocabulary and simply won't add it anywhere in my books now. I use "actually" a lot. That gets the axe. "That". "Had". "Then". "So". 

I also stumbled upon a new favorite: to be. Are they, or aren't they? FFS

I'm not even going to delve into all the "to be"s I homicided in book 3 of my Plot Twist series. But it took a long damn minute to do.

You see, we evolve. And that means when we can't reach the old standbys...we fill in something else. 

Word of warning:  You can create crutch words or phrases--no matter where you are in your writing career. 

Embarrassing as fuck. But human nature.

When I'm in the flow, I write to create. Adding in chapter numbers comes in later. I did that today. I'm sure some have a fancy spreadsheet with all the info. I use a colored index card to write down chapter number and page. Quick, easy, and doable for me.

These books came so quickly that the first edit is akin to gazing upon an unattractive infant. It's appearance is not quite what you expected, but you love it anyway.

Story is solid. Spelling in on-point. But correcting usage, homonyms, and grammar mistakes take time. 

Don't get me wrong. Not knocking it. I love it. I feel as though I've created a deep bond with these characters, and I absolutely revel in it.

My literary fam.

Am I procrastinating working on both the editing and writing by typing up this blog?

I should know better...

...but I don't.

Couldn't fall asleep last night. Too much creativity. Too many ideas. If I hadn't taken my nocturnal cocktail, I simply would've gotten up and continued the writing and adjacent items. But I did. No midnight typing for me.

But, The Murphenator woke me at 2:08 wanting to share my pillow. Which is cool, of course, until he starts to make biscuits on my cheek. Then it is decidedly less than frosty.

I get up and give him his can of wet food and attempt to fall back asleep.

*insert hysterical laughter*

Rolled out of bed around 2:30. Cleaned the kitchen and adjourned to the Sanctuary to write a bit on my ideas. Stayed up until 6:00. Rolled back out of bed at 9:30. 

Back in the Sanctuary to prepare for this Saturday, could have said Friday before--I know🙄, and the Romance Book Festival in Guthrie, Oklahoma. 

Uber excited.

Not uber excited about taking on a flight of stairs. 

I firmly believe that every building should have an access to second floors and basements and whatnot for handicapped people. Isn't that a law?

Antyway, had to check with a publisher to make sure I only signed up for one story in their many anthologies. I simply don't trust myself, at this point.

Lo and behold, thank you Lordt, that's it. 

And that's one of the unholy reasons I couldn't sleep last night. 

Idea after idea. Ended up using my "Notes" on my phone which I hate. Talk to text.

Because I think I'm enunciating clearly while it thinks I talk like Reba McEntire. 

(No offense, woman. I love your twang.) 

And oh shit! I forgot to tell you, I haven't gotten to it a second time yet for editing, but there's either book 4 or 5 in the Plot Twist series which has a word in it that I can't figure out for the life of me. Like yeah, I typed that. But obviously didn't mean whatever the blue fuck was put down. 😶

That's a problem for Tomorrow Crystal. 

Today Crystal has enough going on.

The voices need to chill.

I hear dialogue in my head. I have odd notions come to me all hours of the day. Last night, I misspelled a single word and now have an idea for another book.

But holy shit balls. The voices? They are on blast.

Before I wrote full-time, I would have to parse the voices. When I didn't have time, I would nail the doors shut and hope to fuck they didn't break. Because I'm a full immersion type chickie. When I'm in...I'm IN.

And when I open the door to my creativity and don't try to actively block it, the voices have a rave.

I'm editing two books right now and have all sorts of ideas and, wouldn't you know it, the last sentence of  "The Rabbit God". In true Crystal form, the book I haven't started writing yet.

I've tried to put the feral folks in my Mind Cabin (more of a chalet) and have them calm the fuck down. But voices are raised. Confetti is flying. And those obnoxious little horn screamer things are at full volume.

I should put a sedative in the water, shouldn't I?

New office toy!

Writing-my first love. Gathering everything related to writing-my second love.

I've expounded on my hundreds of pens, thousands of post-it notes, and numerous notebooks and planners. Received the comb binding machine for Christmas. Have my own fucking laminator!

And now, I present the Niimbot B1:

Isn't she beautiful? *sigh*

Now, all I need is Excalibur and a unicorn to take over the world. 

😁

Different kind of morning

Not too different. Did a pick up for drugs and food at WM. Then had to unpack and put that shit up. Thought I was having heatstroke. Had to sit down for a bit. I run so damn hot. I have it on 67 in my car. I have two fans on me right now. One is two feet from my person. 

Antyway...I usually blog first. Then post, when I remember and feel like it. That segues into my writing. Did I tell you I finished "The Gordons"? Yes, indeedt. I did. My mind is picking apart "The Rabbit God" as I type this. And when I try to fall asleep. And when I'm cooking. And in the shower. 

And it's delicious. All excited about a book that won't be out until April.

But isn't that how all authors are or should be? Every book is a new piece of the sum of us. The discovery is crucial to the process. 

I could compare it to baking a cake. Or fixing a car. Or open-heart surgery.

But let's be honest here. Even if you're a plotster, and I both envy and forgive you, you still don't have every sentence typed out as a guideline to go by. Something can still surprise you. 

Surprises in the aforementioned tasks would not be a good thing. In writing? It's exhilrating. 

PA already made my first graphic. And it's so cool and different from my offerings. I'm a basic bitch, I suppose. 

This Bill Nye meme gives me life. Because I'm a nerdy author like that.

My new daily routine will consist of writing, editing, and only making graphics when I want to.🥳🎉

With that being said, I'm off to edit "The Morrigan" for the fifth time. 

Oh, and also story build for a short Christmas story published by ASB Publishing. 

Possibly work on another short story for another anthology next year. 

FFS...I need another fan.

O to the K then

I have a PA! 😭

My short ass is so happy. Spent all morning sending graphics she can access to make content and post. 

And took an hour after writing that sentence to work out more issues.

I really don't know how this is going to go, but I have high hopes. And I love this woman to death. That's a comfort. She's in the business. She knows the business. Lordt, let her take care of my business. 

By the way, I suck at networking. Started thinking about this as I have three book events basically three weekends in a row. I will probably talk a bit to the person beside me, but I'm too damn awkward to have it go much further than that.

I can people, but it's not my preference until it has to do with books. And even with that, my battery ebbs pretty quickly. 

The hype is real. 

Surrounded by other authors and readers?

Oh my fuck. Major dopamine hit. It's the fucking most magical place--wherever that may be. You can feel it in the air. There's a lot of chatter and laughter. A light mood with good people.

I AM looking forward to all the upcoming events.

Now. And there's always a "now." I need to ready my books, swag, and important papers. One of the lesser-fun sides of this life. But I always feel accomplished when I'm finished.

NOT...right before.

Let there be a PA!

I've groused on the regular about how publishing has changed in 20 years, and expectations are different. I wrote. They edited and published. But...I never got to choose my cover. I would send the book out for review and keep up with small other things.

Now? I write, edit, publish. I create graphics, reels, and book covers. I have complete control. I love it. But it's a fucking lot. And I desperately need someone to manage ARCs and socials. Because my overworked short ass mightily sucks at it.

And...I may get one as early as this coming week! 

I am so excited I can barely deal with myself. It would take so much pressure off me. I can create. She can market. 

Is this...is this author heaven?

In other written news, I finished (didn't finish) the Gordons. Let me 'splain. 

I have roughly 5000 more words to write to round it out about 70,000 words. 

Cool beans.

But this last 5000 will be the bridge between books 5 and 6. And, of course, it's all new and shiny and I'm SO EXCITED!

That may fade as I'm forced to do serious research on a couple characters. Which, I don't mind. But it makes my brain hurt sometimes. And with another sleepless night under the belt I never wear, it's going to be a challenge? And you know what we all say when we face a new challenge, right???

I'm going to do that shit, but I will probably complain on here about it. 

The last revision

 

I remember English teachers passing out a printed piece of paper with a skeleton slumped forward at their desk, and it simply stated "final revision" at the bottom. You know, like an old-school meme.

As I continue my writing journey, I can tell I've improved. FFS. I hope so. And when I received my rights back to books I wrote twenty years ago, I knew they'd need an edit, even though they were edited by a professional editor at the time.

I was not wrong.

That's not the issue. More than happy to tweak and whatnot. 

My problem, because I'm almost done with book 5, and I'm twitchy as shit...is that I want to go back and edit the first three books in a paranormal romance I wrote about a decade ago. It's a five-piece series, and I've written 3. The others are safe, ?, in my head. I know what's going to happen. I simply haven't had the oomph to deal with them. Because my ADHD brain is going batshit over my Plot Twist series. So, there's that.

This is the hardest part for me. Whenever I'm near the end of a book, I'll immediately start looking for that next hit of dopamine. Did I start on book 6? BAHAHAHAHAHA

Fuck yes, I did. Am I eyeballing old works to edit? Ditto.

But...lucky for me, I didn't sleep worth shit last night. Who forgot their nocturnal medicinal cocktail? Yeah. This heifer. It was a rough one. 

I've decided today is about making reels. Plot Twist series reels. 

Let's hope my creativity is awake.

Another "back in my day..." post

Roughly a millennia ago, everybody blogged. Either on Blogspot or WordPress. I forgot the other big one at the time. 

But when you ask the writing business pros about it, they are not enthused. 

Totally beside the meme...William Shatner turns 95 today.

Y'all know I purchased a weekly reminder calendar for social posts. It's now more of a suggestion than an obligation. 😬

On the other hand, I did it again. "The Gordons" is at 61,161 words. I'm thrilled. I also badly wanted to type that out because all day yesterday I was thinking six one one six one. Made me happy.

Anyway, today I caught myself listening to dialogue for book 6, "The Rabbit God." Yep. There's a "The" in it. Looked back at my book cover to make sure, in case you're wondering how I function on the daily.

And...I MADE THE ONENOTE NOTEBOOK for book 6! 🥳🎉

Y'all. That's like foreplay, I swear. 

Shiny new slate to impose my will on. Okay. Try to impose my will on. *glances around*

shhhhhhhh

For those about to write...

...I salute you! 🫶

It was a lovely holiday weekend. Except Saturday morning when I turned on the kitchen faucet, and the POS sprayer handle flew off and hurtled toward me and my then-soaked ass. 

I wrote a lot Friday, and I actually did some voice to text notes about "The Gordons." I knew Saturday and Sunday with middle child and two granddaughters would not be writing days.

Took up some type of Mah-Jongg on my phone. Damn addictive. Different tiles and whatnot. Then, when I've done well, it says "good job" or "excellent job". Sounds like the male voice in Mortal Kombat that says "finish him!"

Not gonna lie. I love that shit.

But, this morning, after breakfast, I like to ease into my day. I open up the app, and it's a sign from the universe!

A lot of my tiles are Greek mythology figures. Some of my favorite fictional people. Hermes, Athena, not YOU Zeus, Demeter, and I don't like you either, Poseidon.

But I rather loved it.

And as I cruised my socials this morning, I realized I have a lot of work to do today all across the Interweb. Because, damn it, these books DO NOT market themselves. Which is my least favorite part of all of it. piffle

We'll see where the day takes me. "The Gordons" is at 57,117 words. At least 12,000 more. 

Plus, I have to socialize on the big 4 or 5 platforms. 

Yeah. This happened this morning.

I used to love to go grocery shopping. See different stores. Look at regional things. Yada. But since the body collapse, I do pick-ups. And since Sam's was a complete butthole yesterday and didn't have my patties in for this weekend, I had to do another pick up at WM today. Even though I was just there yesterday.

On the weekly, I oftentimes get the same associate. She lives with her sister and like four cats, and they do rescue, and she's a fucking delight. Love her.

Had her yesterday. Had her again this morning.

I asked her to put the items in the backseat because there wasn't a lot.

Cool.

She's putting my five small bags of groceries in, and then, as she starts to close the door, she said, "Hey! I saw your 'Encyclopedia of Serial Killers' book. My sister would love that."

Because me, being me, cleaned out my fucking storage MONTHS AGO, and all my stored books are in the floorboard of my back seat.

Including the lovely aforementioned title. 

I smiled and explained I'm an author.

Then she said she and her sister were raised in the nineties, and her mom watched all those true crime shows. 

And I'm simply happy she didn't call a hotline.

At the end of the month...

 ...this shit is happening:

Romance Book Festival Author Spotlight

We’re excited to introduce another incredible author joining us for the 3rd Annual Romance Book Festival!

Meet Crystal Inman

Crystal will be joining us on Saturday, July 25 from 6-9 PM at Guthrie Brewing Company in historic downtown Guthrie, Oklahoma!

Featured Book: The Portrait

A cursed portrait.
A man who’s more dream than memory.
And a love strong enough to defy the darkness.

When Sophie tumbles into a painted prison, she never expects to find Dylan, a handsome, tragic man bound by an ancient curse. Their connection is instant, undeniable... and forbidden.

But the harder they fight for each other, the stronger the darkness pushes back. Will love be enough to break the curse, or will the shadows claim them both?

If you love:
 Cursed love stories
 Gothic romance
 Fantasy with a touch of mystery
 Star-crossed lovers
 Magic, danger, and unforgettable romance

...this one belongs on your TBR!

Will you be meeting Crystal at the festival? Let us know in the comments!

July 25, 2026
 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
 Guthrie Brewing Company
 30+ romance authors, vendors, books, prizes, and more!

Come see me!

As my business card reads, "Feral but friendly."

😁

Being social

Ack. I did it.

Posted on my FB Author Page. Threads. Insta. TikTok. 

I need a nap now. 😆

Didn't post Monday and Tuesday because I didn't have it in me. 

Officially throwing out "The Morrigan" preorder link. I've loaded the pertinents to Amazon for both eBook and paperback. Do I loathe using Amazon? 

Yes. With my entire being. 

But, for now, it is what it is. They print for me with minimal issues and in bulk. 

I always buy my own ISBNs now so I may sell my books online elsewhere. 

Broke down and made a cover for my April 2027 release, "Rabbit God."

Different, but I really do love it. 

That's all I can ask.

Left "The Gordons" in a pickle and need to help them out. But, for some reason, I'm all about doing anything but.

Shame. Shame on me.

All the shame.

And yet...still ambivalent.

While I realize I don't even need to have this finished yet, I would like to blow right through it. Sit down and type 5000-7000 words a day, which is what I did with the first four books. Literally a month and a half and done.

Am I asking too much of myself?

Aren't I always?

I have both mental and physical issues that make life a challenge. But when I work on writing, it pushes all that bullshit back.

I feel productive with a purpose and focus. 

Simply...makes me feel great. 

And I need more of THAT going on over here.

Maybe. But don't kill my vibe.

😂😌