Let's go to School!

I love back to school time. 

Love the school supplies, new faces, and Fall is right around the corner. 

One of my favorite things about Fall is the pumpkin stuff. But I think they started a bit early this year. I've been holding back until this month to indulge in all the pumpkiny goodness. I don't want to get sick of it, and the stores are really going at it this year, close to Pumpkin Overload! I like to have a couple of items each week, including some apple & squash, and spread them out because I want the yummy fall flavors to last through November. (Then I switch over to winter deliciousness -- cranberry, mints, and cocoa!)

Fall and school also mean my writing grinds to a halt until I adjust my routine... So I'm stalled until I can fit in some writing time. And I have a very busy Fall with my kids coming and going, my husband traveling for work, and my school functions... At least I have a few Fall book events to look forward to! Then, BAM! All of a sudden, it'll be December! Time just keeps flying by.

So what flavors do you enjoy this season? Are you sick of pumpkin already??

And how is your writing going? I hope you are meeting your goals!

Keep Writing!

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I am Not a Robot

Hey Writers!

Welcome to IWSG - August 2024

If I was a robot, 

I'd be R2-D2!

Have you ever been accused of being a robot? LOL, right?

Apparently AI thinks a couple of my comments sound robot-generated... This is so jarring! What is this world coming to? 

And what does that mean? What makes my comment(s) seem "made up?"

When I comment, I choose items from the post to praise or relate to and say words like great, awesome, fabulous, etc. I also might throw in a compliment or answer a question they posed. I conclude with Happy July or Happy Summer and leave my blog link. Maybe it's the link? But I didn't leave it one time and the same thing happened. I was told my comment was suspicious and was forced to prove I wasn't a robot.

How dare AI tell a human she's a robot! When I see robot-generated comments, it's very obvious, unless they're getting better. For starters, it's not a name I recognize or it's gibberish. And it's on a very old post. Smart as it is, it might be complimentary, but it doesn't usually get specific. And it almost always asks you to go read their post--no human I know does that, only ads. 

All this AI really creeps me out with their stalking, predictions, targeting, corrections, and judgments. Like a baby's milestones, every new step is amazing in its infancy, but by the time it's an evil teenager we won't be able to control it as it morphs into the Matrix or I Robot! Though I'd like to say some AI is good--I even teach methods to create programs that teach robots to help--I just dread the day humans depend on AI for everything and not their own intuition and vibes, things robots don't understand. Yet?

Hope I didn't sound too gloomy. It was just such a startling thing to happen. And as a writer, I see drama and premonitions all around me! Ha ha. It would make a good book, but I don't want to give AI any ideas!

And here's a short update from my small, yet tumultuous corner of the world...

• My older son, soon to move to Dallas, had to evacuate his apartment due to a severe leaking/mold problem and has moved back in with us until said move. Nice to have him close for a bit longer since we won't see much of him way over yonder...
• Took a scouting trip to Florida--I'm trying to get ready for that move. I'm not excited about the year-round heat, among other things. Been there, done that...
• As for Writing News: I'm very excited to have several book events coming up, one each month into November! Wish me luck!

• And I'm happy to be cruising through my two novels: LEFTY (typing up ch 11) and MAGNETRON (rough draft ch 17)  So much Research--which I secretly love, expanding my knowledge!

PS - What do you think of this blurb for LEFTY?

Homicide Detective Gloria Benson has a successful track record solving tough cases in record time. Until she meets Pamela Kaplan who appears to be cursed. Trying to put her life back together after losing her right hand in a car accident, Pamela can’t understand why someone is killing the people close to her. Gloria has a hunch, but it seems impossible to prove, much less predict who will be next to die. Time is not on her side as the murders pile up. Has Gloria met her match?

Happy August. Hope it's full of inspiration!

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MidWay Point & Big Changes

Exciting News!

Welcome to the IWSG for this month. We are halfway through 2024 and halfway through the summer. First, some updates:

• 
  My son is recovering nicely from his surgery. Not being able to play for a year is going to extremely difficult, but he's going to make the most of it and tough it out.
• Writing is going super! I finished the rough draft of "LEFTY," the first novel in my new murder mystery series. To celebrate, I made a mockup cover for it. Now, begins the typing up and sprucing up. I hope to have a couple rounds of edits done by the holidays -- that's the goal. Wish me luck!
  
• MAGNETRON is moving right along. I love exploring Italy. Some day I hope to go there!
• And I'm very excited I signed up for THREE Book Events - in August, October, & November. We'll see how they go.

That's enough of that. Now, I'll get to my Big Changes...

• My oldest son and his girlfriend are moving to Dallas! That is so far from Ohio. If anyone has anything to tell me about Dallas, I'd love to hear it. I was very blessed to have him live in my area the past few years. It's going to be very hard to have him move so far away. Waahhh!
• We are considering moving to Florida in the not too distant future... depends on a lot of things. I lived there when I was a teen and twenty-something, so I know what it's like there. I left for several reasons, and I'm not real excited to live there again. But there are pros to it as well... I'll take comments about Florida too!
• Lastly, these changes lead to many other considerations. I'm not a big fan of change, especially turning my life upside-down! I have some big decisions to make and adjustments to follow once they're made. The best way to deal with change is to pray--I know things will work out if I trust the Big Guy's plan for me. It's just hard not to worry about the what ifs!

That's about all the big news. Now that summer is half over, I'll be working on some lesson plans for next year. I love looking ahead to a new school year. And I plan to keep writing in all my spare moments!

Hope you are accomplishing your goals and staying cool!

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Might be a soggy 4th this year - My dogs will be happy!