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. 

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.

😂😌

Idiocy update

Ah, yes. When last I left you, I was on my way to Sam's. On a Saturday. In record-breaking heat. 😑

Imagine sweating through every pore you own whilst maneuvering in and out of five thousand people with shopping and flat carts. 

This sucked harder than I thought it would. Which is saying a fuck of a lot.

Misery. Pure misery. 

Came home, and the rest of the day is a blur. Don't want to point fingers, but this was ALL my fault.

Fridays, it is. FFS

Bought this AMAZING weekly planner. 

She is beautiful. Took her out of the plastic. 

You may cackle along with me.

Listen. I have a planner I put appts in and oftentimes check. 😬

But I needed something where I could write in my socials and when to post. Because ya girl is not on top of any of that. 

Oh. Is that the Insta icon? Guess I should post today. 

For another fuck's sake.

My ADHD ass does not have routines. I've attempted to do the same thing for a month and a half. STILL forget sometimes.

Antyway, I'm off to write on The Gordons and check to see if I want to alter any book covers. Do my little Canva check-in.

It's dreary and wonderful here. Hopefully a productive day.

The Gordons

Have I told you I overextend myself? That, perhaps, I don't think things through far enough to actually realize my few (lmao) limitations?

Sure I have.

And nothing brings that shit home more than releasing a book every two months. Like, seriously, what the fuck was I thinking? Manic thoughts, most likely. And then there's my delightful way to book three events in less than a month, because why the fuck not? 🤯

I saw another author book like a dozen events between now and the end of the year. She was going to add a few more.

Travel expenses. Table expenses. Book expenses. That shit adds up quick. 

Toll on the body...more than.

After an event, it is sheer willpower that gets me to pack my stuff up and put it in the car. 

Because it's a necessity. And some authors have this down to an art. I'm kinda in-between. Have a system. Depends on how many books sold. 

Either either. 

What I've circumvented but didn't address, yet, is the fact I haven't written on The Gordons in about a week. I needed to restock my books for the upcoming events. Edit. Make reels. Put myself out there. 😑

When can I put myself back? 🤣

That's my cluster on a Thursday morning. Trying to find a balance when that's not my usual SOP. 

Let's all have a moment of silence for my peace and sanity, please.

On the look back...

...I am weird. And that's perfectly fine. It's my wheelhouse. But I start to question my quirks when I put Fibonacci in my last book of my Urban Paranormal. Because, guys, it made sense at the time. Still does, to be honest. And, well, *avoids eye contact*, his butterfly pattern. 😶

And I feel froggy about it because I've read plenty of books with extraneous material that made my retina ache. I was looking for psychological thrillers, eBooks, at the two libraries I belong. I started a series by a well-known author. And book 2 is about plantations. In depth. With historical names being bandied about. And reenactments. I struggled, people. I only kept with it since it had a paranormal bent. Honestly? I skipped over a lot of the places I didn't find relevant. I liked the first in the series. Not a fan of the second. 

Do writers feel as though they must add all that depth? Or are they like me and stumble down a rabbit hole, make friends, and find oxygen again with a multitude of wacky ideas???

My most recent research finds me G'ing flash methods of cameras. Flash. Methods. Of. Cameras. 🙄

I've looked up expensive cars and their specs. Insects that glow. Foliage. How long to build a certain structure. Ethnic foods. And so many other things to add a little more reality to the scene(s).

The flash method doesn't even NEED to be a part of the story, but I need to understand how it works. 

To sum up...what I'm telling myself is that I'm panning for gold and only giving you the good parts. None of that silt bullshit.

Don't ask me how many tabs I have on my OneNote Notebook for my fourth book. 🫢

 

Patience

Patience is a virtue. But it's not one of mine.

Waiting makes my ADHD brain twitchy. 

I'm batting zero, for however many I sent to agents, for Plot Twist. Horrid sentence grammatically. Too tired to fix this morning.

Thanks, Murphy.

It's one of the many reasons I indie publish. I'm in control of the entire timeframe. 

I'm in control of...everything.

Well, and responsible for it, too.

Querying, while necessary if you want to trad publish, exhausts me. The doing. The waiting. The...rejections. 😣

But I can't make myself pull and indie publish this series. I'll reevaluate in early June. I won't let my work languish about.

This morning? I wavered between The Gordons, Book 4 of the series, or continuing on a contemporary romance I started. 

So. What is Crystal doing? 

Well, hellllllllllllllloooooo Medusa. 🐍🪮