Category: The Blog

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NaNoWriMo2011 Day 14

As you can probably tell from my lack of posts over the weekend, NaNoWriMo was a bit of a bust.

We host for Thanksgiving, so we had a ton of preparation we needed to do this past weekend to ensure the house was fit to open up for guests.  The basement was a pit of toys and junk, but we couldn’t clean it until we cleaned the garage and the unfinished storage area (so we’d have a place to take all this junk).  We’ve been in this house just over a year now, and last Thanksgiving I cut us some slack because we had just moved.  However, there’s no excuse this year.  Some of those buckets and tubs hadn’t been touched in a year, and they were taking up much needed space.

So we worked almost all day Sat.  We donated several bags of clothes, toys, and coats.  Plus I found some things I’d totally forgotten we even had (because they’ve been packed up for over a year).  I didn’t find everything, like my leather coat I bought in Texas many a moon ago, but overall I’m pretty pleased.  We still have to hang some artwork, but the general organization is much better.

In the middle of all this, Middle Monster decided she would really really like to have her own room…in the basement.  Right now, she’s sharing a room with Littlest, and the only thing downstairs is my office and the kids’ play area/family room.  We don’t have another bedroom and I can’t give up my office (I telecommute for the Evil Day Job), but she was happy with just having a bedroom set up in the corner.

So on top of all the cleaning Sat, on Sunday we put together a platform bed in the basement (involved a trip to Lowe’s to replace the plywood base that had cracked) and moved a bunch of her stuff into the basement.  She hung pictures.  She set up shelves.  She made her bed.

And lasted about 10 minutes after bedtime.  😉 Then she was back upstairs with her little sister.  Oh well.  I think she’ll make it eventually, and she loves having her own space.  Once the newness wears off, I think she’ll be able to sleep down there permanently.

NaNoWriMo Count:  23,274.  I’m going to start falling behind if I don’t pick up the pace.

In a discussion with Dmitri, one of Yiorgos’s best friends, Clare says:

My specialty is food and he sampled the best I can offer for Remy’s.  You heard me warn him not to eat another piece of cake but he insisted on another piece not once but twice.  It’s not my fault he’s a pigheaded chocoholic.

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Halloween Free Read

Happy Halloween, everyone!  I thought people might enjoy a short, creepy free read today, so I worked on a secret project this weekend.

A word of warning:  I’m not a graphic artist like Dawn, Deena, Silvia, or Soleil.  So while I did purchase stock to make a cover, it’s not “art” or anything unique.  However, with My Beloved Sis’s help, I think I made something simple yet appropriately creepy.

This is my short story, “Broken Angel:  A Zombie Love Story”  previously published in Drollerie Press’s horror anthology, Things That Go Bump in the Night.  We were in a DP chat (back in 2007 or 2008) talking about zombies (like we always did!) and someone ::cough, Deena, cough:: challenged me to write a zombie romance.

I wouldn’t really call this “romance” but it is a love story and it definitely involves zombies.  I hope it makes you shiver delightfully this wonderful Halloween!

Click on the cover to dowload pdf.  I’ve also created epub and mobi for Kindle (although I haven’t tested the Kindle version yet – Littlest Monster ran off with my Kindle).

P.S. I might load this up to Smashwords and Amazon as practice for the Shanhasson books coming soon, so Broken Angel may not be available for free very long!

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RBW Week 17

No huge losses to report (which is why I didn’t post last week).  In fact, I’m showing a gain today.  Sigh.  It could be that coconut pie and real Susie Qs I had Sat. night in Joplin…  But I’ve been very good and on plan since.  I actually “felt” thinner today…until I stepped on the scale.

That’s the pitfall of daily weighing.  The scale can change our perception of how we look, even though we feel better, stronger, thinner.  I’m determined not to let that one pound gain affect me.  We had a great time Sat. night and I immediately got back on the horse with my plan.  I didn’t eat ALL my food that night — just until I was comfortable.

I haven’t really tried any new foods lately.  I’ve been trying to keep a meal plan and shopping accordingly.  This time of year we love chili, ham & beans, stew, chicken & noodles, etc. so that’s what I’ve been making.  Of course I choose very lean hamburger when applicable.  I’m also using lots of fresh garlic, onions, and coconut oil to combat fall colds.  I don’t know that it’s helping exactly, but we haven’t had any colds either!  *knocks on wood*

I say this to illustrate why Weight Watchers has worked so well for me.  I’m eating normal food my family eats too, our favorites!  Without guilt.  Sure, there are healthy “diet” foods I choose to eat that they won’t touch with a ten foot pole — like Kashi Go Lean cereal and Fage nonfat Greek yogurt — but in general, we eat the same thing.  I just make more veggies for myself and make sure I don’t eat more than my single serving.

I’ve already started Thanksgiving preparation for next month (we host That Man’s family, my dad, and my beloved sister).  I’ve got 4-6 quarters of frozen homemade chicken broth ready to make stuffing and noodles.  I’ll be watching the circulars over the next few weeks to see when turkeys first go on sale.  I might buy two and freeze one — we all love turkey, but hardly ever eat it.

I’m still failing in the exercise department.  Grrr.  I’m taking the entire week off next week from the Evil Day Job (for NaNoWriMo, if I officially join), but I’m determined to use those days to establish a work out routine that I can stick with once I return to work.

Anyway, a long-winded post to say that I’m still hovering around 55 pounds lost for the year.  One pound away from a new decade on the scale — not counting that pesky one that decided to join me today!

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Good News Monday

After several days off last week, it’s back to the Evil Day Job grind tomorrow, and this week is jam-packed with basketball tryouts, Upward evaluations, and parent-teacher conferences.  So I’m starting the positive thinking early!  My good news this week…

  • We got rid of That Man’s ancient unreliable car and replaced it with a used Durango.  He looooooves it and we can all fit inside easily, instead of crammed wall to wall in our old Intrepid.  It was sad to see the old red car go — we bought it in MN 13 years ago before Princess was even born.  200,000+ miles later, it was time for it to rest in peace.
  • We stuck to the meal plan very well last week — here’s to another week.  With my plan in hand, I was able to escape Wal-Mart today for just over $114!  * I think it’s a record*
  • I’ve been working harder at FlyLady routines.  Each day this past week, I kept the dishwasher unloaded and ready for dirty dishes, so my sink remained clean and it was super easy to get dinner prepared each night.  Baby steps!
  • I finished The Bloodgate Warrior synopsis!
  • I’m making one last final pass to BGW before submission.
  • NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and I have no idea what I’ll be writing yet.  Lots of things to choose from — it’s just a matter of getting my muse loosened up and ready to go.
  • I shipped out all my packages last week!  If you’re still waiting on me for something, please let me know.  I might have missed you accidentally!

What’s your good news this week?

 

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RBW Week 15

Still heading in the right direction – 1.06% lost for the week!

We’re working harder on meal planning, but this will be an evolving process.  I also want to get better at using what I have on hand, so more careful shopping and using what’s in the freezer.  If we ever want to move to the farm out in the boonies, we need to get used to hitting the store less regularly instead of stopping by 2-3 times a week because I don’t have a plan.

My exercise is still sadly lacking.  I keep putting it on my list – hopefully I’ll get my arse in gear soon. 

On the bright side, I did some closet diving this weekend and found several things I haven’t worn in a decade — that now fit!  Of course they’re a decade old…so I ended up donating most of it.  But it was still awesome to button and zip and have that decision to make, rather than regrets that I still can’t wear it.

We’re having car issues so I’m fighting stress/anxiety eating.  I hate having car issues, and these are major enough we might not be able to dodge the replacement bullet.  🙁  I hate dealing with salespeople even more, and the “10 minutes” turns into 2 hours, missed lunch, late dinner, and still no decisions.  *pass the Lays!!!  NO.  Lock those suckers up*

The poor old car has fought valiantly, but it’s almost 13 years old….  It’s probably time to DNR it instead of constantly dumping money into it trying to save it.  (And paying yet another tow bill!)

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Good News Monday

I’ve been in nesting/organization mode lately around the house.  This past week/weekend, I:

  • redid our budget
  • made up new meal plans and staples grocery lists
  • organized my control journal ala Fly Lady.  I’ve tried this many many times but always fall off the track pretty quickly.  Sigh.  But so far I’ve managed to keep going for a full week.  I’m not doing the cleaning routines yet — just maintaining the daily to-do, checking the regular school routines, mealplans, bill schedules, etc.
  • Oversaw the monsters while they cleaned out their dressers and put away their summer things.  Began dragging out all the winter things.  Sorted through all their clothes and made a huge donation to Disabled Vets.  I even went through my closet and cleaned out another huge stack of things that don’t fit.
  • For once, that “doesn’t fit” category means they’re too big!!!!  I even tried on my suits I wore to interviews when we moved down here almost 12 years ago (after a Weight Watchers stint after the birth of the first monster).  Lo and behold, they FIT.  I was stunned.  I did donate most of those two mix/match suits because they’re so dated — but I kept the straight skirt that I wouldn’t have come close to wearing a few months ago.
  • I got rid of all my “fat pants.”  You know, the loose, comfortable ones I could wear at my biggest with plenty of room.  It was a little scary – like a comfort zone.  If I start gaining, what will I do if my current stack of saggy jeans suddenly get tight?  Well, duh, that’s the point….
  • On a fun note, we had another weenie roast at my Dad’s this past weekend and we dragged my BIL & SIL along for the ride.  So much fun!  Although now I’m angsting again (see yesterday’s post).
  • I made it to the post office!  I had to wait until Princess was out of school so she could help me carry all the packages inside.  I still have a couple of things to mail out (I ran out of ARCs temporarily) but finally got out all the latest prizes.

As you can probably tell from the scarcity of my posts lately, I’m battling a bit of ennui.  I think it’s a mix of Evil Day Job stress and two releases coming out back to back, plus all the blog promotion, etc.  I’m just burned out a bit.  I haven’t done any productive writing since August and that makes me very very sad.  However, I haven’t felt the burning desire to jump back in, either. 

I guess I needed time.  However, I planned a ton of vacation around NaNoWriMo this year, so I’ve got to find my writing gear again by the end of the month.  I’m going to start out by finishing that #%&*@#! synopsis.  There’s no reason I can’t whip that puppy out and get at least one book off my list!

I’ll check back in as soon as I finish the synopsis!

 

 

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Country Dreaming

I feel like I’m on the verge of several different changes, both personal and career-wise, both writing and the Evil Day Job.  We’re finally on the verge of coming out of a dark hole we’ve been in for years.  The world is changing, as technology changes.  People are in scramble mode everywhere to figure out where the industries are heading toward.  What’s the next big thing? 

Who the hell knows.

What I do know is that we’ve been up to my dad’s two weekends in a row (sorry, Sis, we promise to go in Nov too as soon as your schedule frees up!) and we’ve had the BEST time.  Sure, we have a bonfire and roast hotdogs, etc. but it’s more than that.  It’s the time we share with my dad out in the country. 

The girls are learning so much — just in the few hours we’re there.  They’re learning how to be friends with their horses AND how to ride.  They’re seeing cows, quail, a real garden.  They walked down by the pond the other night and saw 4 raccoons.  There’s no McDonald’s or Wal-Mart within a 30 min radius.  It’s small town all the way.  We hardly even get a cell signal, unless we’re sitting outside.

Every time we come back to our city life, I wonder what it’d be like to stay.  Since I telecommute, I can work anywhere, as long as I can get high-speed internet.  Even That Man’s job is moving home, hopefully later this month, so he isn’t bound to commuting into the city. 

However, my greatest worry is the country school.  Our schools here are Gold Star, advanced, 4A schools, compared to 1A barely getting by school that both That Man and I graduated from.  We deliberately chose to live here because the schools are some of the best in the state.  I know firsthand how hard it was to get scholarships to college, even though I was valedictorian and had a 4.27 gpa.  As a math major, I never even took Calculus until college.  My school just didn’t have it.

So I hesitate.  I worry about making it harder for my kids to be successful by starting them out at a less than stellar school system.  But then I see their glowing faces as they ride their horses, with Papa coaching them in the corral, and I see the sadness in their eyes as we say goodbye and come home.

As technology makes it more and more possible to do things we never even dreamed about before, I at the same time long for a simple life.  Where we eat mostly what we grow and prepare our own foods the majority of the time, because there’s only Peggy’s diner down the road.  (Do you know how much easier it’d be for me to stick to my diet if we didn’t have so many places to eat out?)

I don’t know if we’ll ever get there.  But I am dreaming about it.  And CHICKENS!

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Guest: Christine d’Abo

I think I first met Christine when Thursday Thirteen was a big weekly activity, and I’ve followed her blog and writing career ever since.  I’m thrilled to have her on my blog today — and terribly excited about upcoming Carina Press release!

From Twitter, I know she’s been doing the P90X workout, which I find incredibly inspiring and terrifying.  I hope to work back into Power 90 (the early “pre” step) and then into P90X.  Someday…..!

~ * ~

Thanks Joely for having me here on your blog!

Being a writer is a wonderful job. It’s not the only one I have, but by far the one that gives me the most pleasure. I have to be very careful though. Long hours sitting in front of a computer can make my body ache and my brain sluggish. I wouldn’t go so far to say that I’m a crazy-focused exercise person, but I have been working out fairly regularly for the past ten years.

One of the things I tend to do with myself is set exercise challenges. The biggest one I’ve done recently is Power 90 X. For those of you not familiar, P90X is a very intensive 90 training program that mixes weight training with cardio. You workout six days a week and you see the results fast.

The best thing about a workout as intense as P90X is the fact I have to shut my brain down and am forced to concentrate on my body. It’s like a mental reset button that gives me a chance to recharge. The added bonus is that I am stronger, healthier, and by golly have lost some weight!

Now I promise I won’t be a salesperson for the company, but for anyone who is tied to their computer (like a writer), you need to make sure you don’t neglect your body. This is very easy to happen as we tend to get wrapped up in our heads, working on problems with our characters an forgetting that we need the excursion to recharge our creativity.

You don’t need to start an exercise program like this, but you should get out and walk, run, lift some simple weights, join a club, anything to get up and moving. You’ll feel better and I bet you’ll find your creativity benefits as well.

 ~ * ~

Christine’s first book with Carina Press, Double Shot is releasing on October 3rd. Book one in a series, it focuses on the first of three siblings.

Blurb:

Coffee shop owner Sadie Long has been lusting after her good friend Paul Williams for years. So she’s more than a little intrigued when he invites her to a business meeting at Mavericks, the sex club where he works. While catering an event at the club is not quite the proposition she was hoping for, her business could use the boost. And she can’t resist the chance to work closely with Paul in such a sexually charged atmosphere. Enter the club’s hot owner, Josh, and suddenly Sadie’s fantasizing about being part of a threesome.

Paul has always wanted Sadie, but never thought she’d see him as anything more than a friend. On the night of the party, he and Josh tempt Sadie to reveal her deepest desire—a desire both men are eager to help fulfill.

Giving in to her sensual side, Sadie enjoys a night of mind-blowing sex. But in the light of day, will she lose Paul as a friend, or gain him as a lover?

Book 1 of the Long Shots series.

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RBW Week 14

FINALLY!  The extra pounds that just wouldn’t go away finally dropped off and I hit a new low (1.69% loss for the week).  52.2 pounds gone since Jan.  My weekly average loss has decreased dramatically but slow and steady will win the race.

I’m still not exercising regularly.  :oops:  It’s definitely something I need to work on, but with all the craziness going on lately, I’m doing the best I can.

I also made myself sit down and work on the meal plan for the next two weeks.  I sometimes get lazy and just forget to plan — and then it’s like I totally forget what I know how to make.  Is that silly or what?  It’s like I can’t think of how to make anything.  So I made a list of all the super easy “emergency” things my family likes — and I wrote out the ingredients so I’ll always have them on hand.  Then I made a general list of meals, a staples list, and made out a plan for two weeks.

And if anyone says “Ewwww!” they can make their own dinner!

No new foods this week — just working on getting my ducks in a row and firming up a meal plan and corresponding budget.