Unprepared

Where does the time go???

via GIPHY

I'll do my best to keep up with the IWSG, but we are in the process of moving, so the next few months are going to be more hectic than usual...

Here's my latest update:

• Son #2 safely arrived overseas for his deployment. Praying for him to stay safe while he's there and upon his return this Fall. 
• Glad to have visits here and there to keep my mind off the immense changes ahead. Been able to see my boys at least monthly. Which I know will change once we hit the road. Sigh.
• The great purge... As I go through my files and collected items to purge for our move, I'm enjoying some of the story ideas I've jotted down. I'm also tearing up, reminiscing over photos and memorabilia.
• And that groundhog wasn't joking with a delayed spring -- got more snow and sub-freezing temps. Not that I'm complaining. I like a bit of cold & snow. Tis the season!

As for writing, it's always in the back of my mind. I use my phone/ipad Notes app to jot down new story ideas all the time. Hopefully I'll find a writers group when I move and some good book/vendor events. And I plan to travel, since my schedule will be more open until I decide what I want to do--job? part-time? who knows? But I know I can't just sit around the house all day. At least I should be able to start up the Writers Chat again. And I'll do more writing yes, but not all day, every day. I keep telling myself, I must be going down there for a reason, I just don't see it yet.

I think my dream would be to make a movie... I suppose I could start small with a regular YouTube show. Anyone want to be a guest??

What are you up to?

Hope you're keeping warm, safe, and dry -- crazy weather all around!

Day 27: Accomplishments #30DaysofGratitude

I'm very thankful for reaching my goals.

Some of the paths have been very convoluted, some have been direct, and some have taken years to accomplish. But all my adventures have given me knowledge, perspective, appreciation, and of course FUN! 

Setbacks and surprises challenged me along the way, giving me valuable life lessons and experiences I could never have planned for and made the journeys arduous at times, but exciting and even satisfying when I made it through.

I have loved my life so far with the good times carrying me through the bad. You have to make the most of it. As it keeps on rolling, I'll keep rolling with it--and I'm especially thankful to have you on this journey with me!

Keep setting and reaching for your goals -- the journey is part of the accomplishment!

Visit Diane Burton who's joining me on this thankful blogfest!

Writers Keep Writing!

School's Out!!
We've all been put out of our misery enduring the online learning rigmarole! I'm curious how many of you had to deal with home schooling? As teachers? With kids at home? I was lucky to have a highschooler and a college kid who could function on their own. Several of my teacher friends had to work both sides of it. And I saw a few tik-toks I could commiserate with about kids not turning in their work and/or cheating... quite funny, but I sure hope we don't have to go through it again in the Fall! There's talk of several alternate solutions--from having 1/2 the kids go every other day to waiting to see if another rash of sickness hits and switching to online temporarily to get over it... I'm glad they're thinking ahead!

And how about working? How many of you are working from home? Going back to work? Or looking for work? I know people in every category, but my area wasn't hit very hard so most people are happy to get back to almost normal. I'm thankful for the medical community and all the volunteering I see to help those who are hurting. Hopefully we'll turn it around soon!

Well, we writers keep writing through it all, right? =D
Now that school's out, I'm excited to continue working on my Pop Travel #4 CONDUCTION and UnPrincess #4 GERTRUDE, the Nerdy Princess. I also have a lot of maintenance to do, on the blog and other stuff. And looking forward to getting out and doing an event or two in the Fall!


And to show you writers don't let grass grow under them, here are not one, but TWO FANTASTIC RELEASES you're sure to ENJOY!

A QUICK BITE
by Patricia Josephine

Vampires.
Werewolves.
Zombies.
These monsters tickle our imagination.
Sink your teeth into a collection of tales about paranormal creatures that go bump in the night. Each story is told in exactly 200 words and designed to give you a quick bite no matter how busy your day is.

Are you hungry?

Amazon for 99 cents

Sounds like a delectable collection of short stories!



AND... another paranormal delight with a bit of Special Effects...

MATEO'S LAW
by Sandra Cox

A modern day, shape-shifting sheriff.
He’s the sheriff of a sparsely populated county in Montana. His blood brother and childhood best friend is Chief of Police on the Blackfoot Reservation, but they no longer speak. His deputy is a Southern transplant with the body of a high-priced call girl, a voice of honey and a mouth of a trucker. And if that’s not enough, he’s got a secret that would stun those that know him best. Other than that, it’s business as usual for Sheriff Mateo Grey.

Order HERE

Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina. Her stories consist of all things western…and more. She is a category bestselling Amazon author, Eppie finalist and Golden Ankh Award winner.

I'm excited to have more reading and writing time this summer! 

And try new things! And go places!

How about you? What are you excited to do this summer?

Are you ready to venture out? Let's go!

Things I love about #Atlanta

Just got back from my favorite place, Atlanta, GA! Every time I cross into Georgia, it welcomes me home. And it's especially dear to my heart because I got married there and my parents still live there. If you've never been, you must go!

Here's a little list of the things I love about Atlanta...

• Finding shortcuts and driving opposite traffic - many folks complain about the traffic, and it is definitely horrendous if you have to go with the stop-and-go flow at rush hour. But there are so many shortcuts, if you know your way around.
• The trees and nature - majestic, green, towering, shady trees -- especially nice around a hot ball field! Nowhere else are there trees like these. And I love zipping around on windy, hilly roads. Plus, there always seems to be a cool creek around the corner... and my parents have it all in their backyard!
• The neighborhoods - there are some grand old homes and beautiful new estates. It's fun to just drive around and look.
• The restaurants - from eclectic to down-home southern, there's always something new to try. Not only is the food delicious, but the atmosphere is always inviting, with outdoor seating available almost year-round. And many of the restaurants are unique to the area.
• The low cost - everything is less expensive in Georgia. You can find pricey places to eat and shop, but you don't have to!
• A fast-paced city with a slow, relaxed southern attitude - get there fast and enjoy your time while you're there.
• Friendly southern hospitality - service with a smile most of the time, which seems to be harder and harder to find these days.
• Tons to do - from sports: the Braves, Falcons, and Hawks; to the sites like the magnificent Georgia Aquarium, World of Coke, and Underground Atlanta; to entertainment and parks: The Fabulous Fox Theater and Six Flags over Georgia, plus outdoor theaters, festivals, and more!
• The rich diversity - culture, harmony, history. I taught in Atlanta for a few years and I thoroughly enjoyed all my students. Kids are all the same with loads of potential no matter where they're from or what they look like.

Here are a few pics from my Atlanta travels... (over the past few years)

my dad added on a lower deck
--it was finished and screened-in this year =)

can you see the deer?
from the screened-in porch!

spotted some duckies while hiking

me by the Chattahoochee River

gorgeous trees in the spring
but watch out for allergies!

my friend Tina and I
at the Flying Biscuit Cafe
I brought home some cranberry apple butter - mmm

Do you have a favorite place to visit? Ever been to Atlanta?

BUT WAIT! I have a special announcement!

The winner of my writer meme challenge is Juneta Key! Here's her creative, funny meme!

And her avatar prize...

Juneta Key
speculative fiction author

Now, here's a funny thing: I'm at her place today for the last stop on my Windy Hollow Release Tour!

The topic was a surprise, but now it's here so I can tell you... 

How to get through Querying!

I hope you have time to stop by. Have a great week!

10 Places Writers Should Go

Writers are explorers.
We go places both physical and psychological. And we take readers along for the ride! Readers depend on authors to transport them to foreign countries, fictional towns, other worlds, back in time or into the future, and even just down the street. So we need to create settings that are as real as possible.

For my IWSG post this month, I challenge writers to go to these ten places, or as many as possible:

1. Visit another country
2. Take a trip to a different state/climate
3. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or other opportunity
4. Offer to speak at a school
5. Spend the night in a strange place out of your comfort zone ==> if you live in the city, go to the country and vice versa. Never been camping? Try it.
6. Try a new mode of transportation
7. Explore an antique store, or grandma's attic
8. Dare to try something exciting that you wouldn't normally do--skydiving, spelunking, scuba diving
9. You can go online to experience some of the above when travel isn't feasible and immerse yourself in facts and photos
10. Put yourself in someone else's shoes! This is the best thing to do when writing a character, but also in life.

The challenge is to broaden your perspective. The more knowledge you gain, the richer the experience, the deeper your characters, and the better your story will be. Have you already crossed a few of these off? I'd love to hear about it!




I also have a very well-traveled friend for my SHOUT OUT OF THE WEEK...

RHONDA ALBOM!

Rhonda lives in New Zealand, and I hope to visit her some day. She and her family recently returned home after a 51 day adventure to visit relatives in the US, and then sailed back from LA to Auckland. After spending about a month at home, they leave for 9 weeks to South America. And she documents her journeys with amazing photographs and stories. You really need to check them out! She's truly an inspiration for going out to see the world.

More about Rhonda--
Expat Rhonda Albom takes you on a vicarious adventure as she captures the essence of travel through photography, stories, tips, and humour. Along with her husband and her two teenage daughters, they have collectively visited 54 countries on six continents.

Rhonda is the owner, primary author, and chief travel photographer at the award-winning expat/travel blog AlbomAdventures.com.  Her background includes the journalism school at the University of Missouri, a BS from the University of Illinois,  and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. Rhonda homeschooled her girls, is a crew member of a women’s yacht racing team, and she leads a Girl Guiding Pippins group (ages 5-6). Rhonda is currently editing her first creative non-fiction book, due out in 2018.


So, where would you suggest a writer go? And do you know Rhonda? You should!
Happy November!

New #WritersLife Survey! What's HOT?

Summer usually mean travel and vacations...

This year we let my oldest choose the place for our family vacation, since he's graduating and all. So we are going to a lake and renting a boat - fun stuff and plenty of down time to play games, read, and write! I hope. We are also bringing the girlfriends of my older boys. That will be interesting. But I do like having more girls around--the boys actually behave a little better =)

Summer also means HOT TEMPS! Here's this month's Writer's Life Survey about Hotness!



Did you take the survey? Look for the results at the beginning of next month. 

Where in the world are you this summer? Going far or near? Or taking a Stay-cation?

PS Section...
Thanks for the offers to promote TWO PRINCESSES! (ebook) I'm still coordinating a Facebook Party with a local Signing Party for August or Sept.

Also thanks for the offers to read and review DISPOSAL! If you're interested, let me know! Release Blog Tour form coming soon.

A new way to travel!

G'day Mates!

I'm not sure if that phrase applies only to Australia, but I'm whisking you all away to New Zealand!! My awesome, funny, photo-journalist friend Rhonda Albom has put her skills and eye for beautiful shots to work for her. I've always admired her photography from far away lands and entertaining, informative stories to accompany the eye-catching sights. Now I'm excited to help give her a shout as she releases a new interactive, travel guide book! Check it!

Choose A Way Auckland is an interactive city guide by local travel writer and photographer Rhonda Albom. She shares firsthand the best that the city has to offer while you make all the decisions.

Unlike traditional guidebooks, now you can build your day as you go. Choose from three options, enjoy the activity, and then choose from three more.The choices will keep your day flowing, allowing you a worry free Auckland adventure as you discover the highlights of the city, along with the offbeat, hidden treasures.

In addition to a succinct description, each option includes a photo, the address, GPS coordinates, a link to Google Maps, and easy-to-follow directions that have been tried and tested. Use it on your smartphone or tablet to make choices on-the-go, or plan ahead on your laptop.

It’s not just for visitors, Aucklanders love it too.

Rhonda Albom is a travel photographer, freelance writer and award winning blogger at Albom Adventures. Living in Auckland since 2003, Rhonda writes about her travels in New Zealand and around the world. Collectively, with her husband and her two teenage girls, they have been to 48 countries in five continents. Rhonda homeschools her girls, is on a women’s yacht racing team, leads a Girl Guide group, and and enjoys a good cup of coffee.

Links:
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Kobo Books
Apple Books (US) -- Apple Books (NZ)

For PDF
Publisher's Page

So excited for her! And she's also participating in the A to Z challenge - give her a visit!