Saturday, December 31, 2011

Guest Post at Blogging From A to Z Challenge Blog

Happy New Year!

I guest posted at the Blogging From A to Z Challenge Blog on the 29th and failed to mention it here! (Life sort of went insane this week, so it's lucky I had pre-written this week's posts, which is usually something I don't manage to do, or there would have been no posts!)




You can still check out my post, as well as the posts of fellow past A to Z participants by clicking on the blog title above. Follow that blog to stay updated on the upcoming challenge.

Also, be sure to check back on January 6th to meet my fellow co-hosts of the 2012 A to Z Challenge. Signups begin January 30th. Are you up to the challenge?

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Giveaways & Flash Fiction Contest: Helpful Links

Before I get into the helpful links for today, don't forget the flash fiction contest I'm chairing! It is now open and accepting flash fiction pieces with the theme "Are You Devious at Heart?" This is micro-flash, 100 words or less, with a deadline of May 1, 2012. First prize is $100. For more information, click here.


Like giveaways? There's a big one at The Grinches Who Gave Away Christmas. This giveaway ends with December, so check it out right away!

Medeia Sharif is also hosting a giveaway. You must be a follower of her blog to enter, but believe me, it's no hardship to follow her blog!

Finally, Chuffed Buff Books is accepting submissions of flash fiction and short stories for an anthology. Submission information can be found here.

Any helpful links you want to pass along? Contests, giveaways, submission guidelines? If you post a link for something that will still be active next Thursday, I will re-post with credit to you.

May you find your Muse.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday: Now, That's How You Sign a Book!

I had the good fortune to meet illustrator Michael Hague and get his signature on a couple of his books at Imagination Space in the Citadel Mall, here in Colorado Springs.


Tell me that isn't an excellent way to sign a book! You see those drawings? Each book he signed, he did a quick (and spectacular) illustration. The fairy book is for my daughter, and signed to her, The Velveteen Rabbit is for my son, and The Hobbit is mine, my preciousssss. Oh, sorry, the geek in me came out for a minute. I read The Hobbit for the first time in fifth grade, and have since read it a few times. Now I have a wonderfully illustrated copy to read with my children!

What's the best or most exciting signature you've ever gotten in a book (or other object)?

May you find your Muse.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Teaser Tuesday: An Old Favorite-Grafton

I hope everyone had a great weekend and wonderful holidays!


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am still reading the same Kindle book as last week, but have a new physical book; it's a series I started reading as a teen. The current book is V is for Vengeance, by Sue Grafton:


"A black Mercedes sedan accelerated out of the slot, swung sharply, and careened backward in my direction. The younger woman had an arm over the front seat, zeroing in on me, the car zigzagging as she corrected her aim." p. 32

This series by Sue Grafton follows a female private investigator, an ex-cop. She was one of the first major female protagonists I remember reading. Even now, she's a stronger female character, who doesn't do the stupid things some of the current female protagonists do.

One interesting thing about this author is that she sets her books sequentially, setting the entire series in order and fairly close in time. This means that the book I picked up this month, though published this year, is still set in the 80's. She keeps her details accurate for the time (so no cell phones!). I haven't run into anyone else who does this (not to say no one else does, just that I'm not aware of them), and I think it's quite interesting. It's fun to get lost in the scenery of the 80's. The end of the series is drawing near, and I'll be sad to see it go.

What are you reading? Have you read a series that stays true to a different time? Would you ever consider writing one in this fashion?

May you find your Muse.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Helpful Link: Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest Worth It?

I had planned to take today off, but since I passed along the link to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest last Thursday, I felt I should also pass along this additional information posted by The Passive Voice. (Thanks out to Ian Healy for passing this along).

It seems there is some fine print for this contest that you might want to review before deciding whether or not to enter (entries begin January 23). There are some restrictions that may be of concern, including giving Penguin first and last option to publish, whether you're a winner or not; not being allowed to have an agent shop your manuscript until the contest is finished, whether you're a finalist or not; and, the big one, any contract for the winner is non-negotiable, and you will not get to know the terms until you've won. There are other concerns, as well. Check them out on The Passive Voice.


This is a great reminder that one should always read the fine print before entering anything. This includes any time you hand over your manuscript to someone, which is also why you should research agents and publishers. A highly recommended place to do this is Preditors and Editors. For those who aren't writers, this site is also for artists and composers, and is a truly fabulous resource to have.

Those are your helpful links for Thursday! Anything to share or other recommendations on researching agents, editors, publishing houses, etc.?

May you find your Muse.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday: Santa's...Moose?

Hey! That's not a reindeer!


I've never seen a moose in the wild, but apparently they wander through here sometimes. Followed by five billion cameras, including ones from all the local news stations. Next time one wanders through I'm totally stalking the poor thing, too! Okay, I won't really, but you can bet your sweet bippy I'm taking a picture if I happen across one.

This big guy is from our local zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

How about you? Do moose wander through your neck of the woods?

May you find your Muse.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Teaser Tuesday: Fantasy and Horror Make Good Bedfellows


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

On my Kindle this week: Woman of Honor: Kingdom of Arnhem, Book 1 by Nicole Zoltack. (Cover image from her website.

"Aislinn raised her chin and faced the knight. Although sitting, she knew Sir Variek was a tall man with broad shoulders. He had a white goatee and piercing gray eyes that roamed over Aislinn's form. 'You're the girl who wants to be a knight.' 'Aye,' Aislinn breathed the word." p. 27, or 16% of the way through.






In hard copy, I'm reading The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #21, edited by Stephen Jones.


"She had the sweet smell of faded roses that I associate with polite mortality in decay. I would have preferred talking to someone else at the Selwoods' lunch party - after all, buffets are designed to shuffle sheep and goats - but she held me with deep-set eyes that might almost have been blind, or perhaps they were focused upon something beyond me or the house." p. 274, taken from John Gaskin's Party Talk.

And for another small taste from the anthology:

"They rode west from the slaughter, through the painted desert, and did not stop until they were a hundred miles away.", p. 108, taken from Throttle, by Joe Hill and Stephen King.

What are you reading?

Happy Birthday, Miz B!

May you find your Muse.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Multiple Blogs: Worth It?

Having a blog is fun, but it's also work. You have to try to keep up with your own schedule, find the time to write your posts, think of content, search for images and do research when necessary. You also must find the time to do your own blog surfing, visiting the blogs you enjoy reading, including those who have been nice enough to visit you.

I've been considering starting a second blog for awhile. It would have nothing to do with writing. Instead, it would talk about Colorado, both history and tourism, so to speak.

I like exploring and discovering the state I live in, and I've gained a new appreciation for Colorado since opening myself up to learning more about the area. This new love of my home really began when I was constantly faced with possibly having to move either out of state or out of country for my husband's job. While we've managed to stay here for this long, the message has been received that some day it might not be the best thing for us, and we'll have to consider moving. If that day comes, I want to be able to leave without the regret of knowing that I missed out on so many opportunities that I had constant access to. Unfortunately, I know that feeling well, as that's how I feel when I consider the year I lived in Oregon as an adult without exploring anywhere, because I was always working.

As it is, you get little tastes of my fascination with Colorado on [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday and occasionally other days, such as when I go on a "field trip." So why not make it permanent in another forum?

I look at those of you who have multiple blogs, though, and I wonder how exactly you do it while keeping up with the rest of your life. Are you able to keep up with writing, housekeeping, parenting, jobs and anything else you have to do? Is it stressful? Is it worth the stress? Do you regret making the decision to start a new blog?

I suspect I need to look at how often those of you with multiple blogs post on each. Whether you criss cross days or have specific days you post to each blog. Whether you ever share content between the two.

Those questions I can look at on my own, but I'd love to hear feedback and advice from those of you that have already ventured into this multi-blog world. Do each of your blogs address the same audience or different ones? What other advice might you offer someone pondering a second blog?

May you find your Muse.

Friday, December 16, 2011

An Interview With Indie Author James Hutchings

Today, I’m pleased to introduce James Hutchings, self-published author of The New Death and Others, an anthology of short stories and poems available in e-book format. Please help me welcome him to The Warrior Muse!


Death gets a roommate...

An electronic Pope faces a difficult theological question...

A wicked vizier makes a terrible bargain...

44 stories. 19 poems. No sparkly vampires. There's a thin line between genius and insanity, and James Hutchings has just crossed it - but from which direction?


He had me at “no sparkly vampires!” James Hutchings’ stories and poems are a great mix of whimsy and darkness, with many of them set in the fictional world of Teleleli/Telelee.

I was intrigued by the world of Teleleli that you created and it made me wonder if you have a background in mythology and what inspired you to create this world?

When I was young we had a copy of 'Bullfinch's Mythology', which I read a lot. The world of Teleleli or Telelee is influenced by it in that the gods have much more of a presence, like Greek mythology but unlike most fantasy fiction. Teleleli is also a 'loveably evil' fantasy city, which is quite common. Terry Pratchett's Ankh-Morpork is a famous example, but Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar is probably where that idea started. Before I wrote any stories I had an online game called Age of Fable, and I carried a lot of ideas over from that.

Interesting. I've never read those, but am betting I would like them. I like the mix of mythology and the “’lovably evil’ fantasy city.”

Your mix of story types shook things up, so the next piece was always a mystery to the reader. For instance, a short mythological/dark fantasy story followed by a jaunty humor poem. Of the types of pieces, do you have a favorite to write? Humor vs. Mythology/Dark Fantasy; Poem vs. Short Story.


I like writing flash fiction (stories under 1000 words) because they're the quickest to finish, and so I get the satisfaction of adding another story to my collection sooner.

There appears to be a political theme throughout your book, as well. Did you set out to make a political statement, or is it something that just tends to come out when you're writing?

I didn't set out to make a statement or have a 'message'. Like anyone else's writing, my writing is a reflection of the things I'm interested in or thinking about at the time. A lot of people would think of fantasy as being all about escaping the real world, but it's surprising how much of it makes the author's views obvious. CS Lewis, Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, Robert E Howard and Ursula Le Guin are famous examples.

Good point. No matter the story, we'll often see a little bit of the author peeking out.

Some of your stories seemed reminiscent of HP Lovecraft. Did he influence your work? Who else do you feel may have influenced your writing style (if anyone)?


I think HP Lovecraft's story ideas had an influence on me, but not his writing style.

JRR Tolkien and Jack Vance for the elaborate dialogue. Robert E Howard for the general atmosphere. Terry Pratchett for the humour. Lord Dunsany for the use of Fame, Time and so on as characters.

Switching gears, why did you make the decision to self-publish? Did you attempt traditional publishing first or did you know from the start that self-publishing was the direction you preferred?

I've never tried to be traditionally published. It seems like traditional publishers expect most of their authors to do their own promotion anyway, so what are they giving in return? Also, of course, it's very difficult to get a contract, and bloggers like JA Konrath argue that it's going to get more and more difficult, because publishers will respond to loss of income by cutting their 'mid-list', or paying them less, to concentrate on a few authors who can make them a lot of money. I was also influenced by not wanting to waste paper. There are publishers who only publish electronically, but I was skeptical about what they'd do for me that I couldn't do for myself.

I never really looked at it that way, but you're right. Traditional publishing or not, right now authors are having to do an awful lot of running around and promoting.

What, if anything, has been your biggest obstacle to publication?


If you're fairly computer-literate and internet-savvy, there aren't any real obstacles to publication any more. The downside of that is that, if your work isn't ready to be published, no one's going to stop you. That's why I put a lot of effort into getting critiques of my work.

I think nowadays it isn't so much "how do I get published?", but "how do I make sure I don't publish something bad?" and "how do I get anyone to notice my work among the thousands of other writers?"

How long did you hold off on publishing before deciding you were ready, and what was the process leading up to it? (How did you get critiques, how many, how did you ultimately decide it was time)?

I classed everything I wrote as 'good enough to publish' or 'not good enough', and kept writing until I had at least 40,000 words of 'good enough'. I chose 40,000 words as my target because that's generally considered the minimum length for a novel.

I think I got at least one critique for all 63 pieces. I have a face-to-face critique group that meets once a week, as well as being on two websites (www.scribophile.com and www.critiquecircle.com), and an email list for stories under 1000 words (the flashfiction-w list).

I hadn't heard of those sites; they seem like great resources. I may have to check them out!

For those stories that weren't good enough, are you still working on them or do you typically shelve them?


I've turned some stories that either I didn't finish, or weren't very good, into poems. Otherwise I just keep them. Maybe I'll go back to them in a year or so.

What is your next big project?

I'm working on a verse version of 'A Princess of Mars'. This is a science fiction adventure story, now in the public domain, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who's more famous for Tarzan. Disney is also doing a movie of it, called 'John Carter', but that's not why I chose it. I generally work on several things at the same time, so I'm also in the middle of a few short stories and poems. I've been encouraged to write a novel set in the fantasy city of Telelee, which is the setting of a few of the stories in 'The New Death and others'. I have a lot of background for this world, because I blog every day (http://www.apolitical.info/teleleli) and most of it is setting detail. I also have a half-finished novel called 'All-American Detectives', which is a combination of a detective story and a story about superheroes, which I'll probably come back to in the future.

You sound very busy. It's great that you're thinking of doing a novel about Telelee; you definitely appear to have built up a multi-dimensional world there that could support a novel.

As we near the end of the interview, what advice do you have for aspiring authors?


Nowdays anyone can self-publish. If you can make a Word document, you can have an e-book on Smashwords or Amazon. However that means that if your work is no good, no one's going to stop you. I'd recommend that people get into a critique group (either online or face-to-face), and listen to what people tell you. Don't 'defend' your work against people's 'attacks'. They aren't attacks, they're helping you. I've found that the people who defend their work have a strong tendency to have the worst writing, I suppose because they're not making the changes they need to make.

My next point doesn't matter if you're going to self-publish, but it is important if you want to be published by a regular publisher, or if you want to submit stories to magazines. Most places won't publish work that's already been published. And most places count putting a story on the internet as publishing it. In my opinion that's silly, but that's what they do. Scribophile and Critique Circle are exceptions, because Google doesn't index them and you can't see any stories without logging on. However there are writing group websites out there where, if you put a story on the site, that counts as the story being published. That seems like a really terrible way to set things up, but they're out there.

I'd also say that getting a book out isn't the final step. It's just the start of the work of self-promotion. This is true even if you're not self-publishing: I'm told that authors are expected to pretty much arrange their own book signings and so on (if you just want to have a book out to show family and friends then this doesn't matter, of course).

There are a lot of sharks out there, who make their money from authors and not from readers. They will make all sorts of promises about how they're going to promote you and help you, but these are lies. Authors do not pay publishers, ever, and if they're asking you to pay then it's a scam. Of course if you're self-publishing you might end up paying someone to design a cover for you, or you might pay for internet advertising, but those are different things. You might also pay a printer to print your books if you want to get physical books rather than e-books - but in this age of the kindle and print-on-demand I don't know why you'd want to. Preditors and Editors (www.pred-ed.com) is a good website to look at, and you can get good advice at the forums of Critique Circle.

Finally, I'd suggest learning to touch-type if you can't already. You're going to be doing a lot of typing, and every hour you spend getting faster at typing will save you ten in the long run.

Thank you so much for your helpful advice and for the opportunity to interview you. You’ve given us some great resources, both in the links and in your words.

For everyone else, you can find The New Death and Others at Amazon on Kindle format, and at Smashwords in multiple formats. You can also download a sample of the book at Smashwords. This book is available now; I hope you enjoy it!


Thank you for joining us here today.

May you find your Muse.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Helpful Links: Big Contests (Amazon & Writer's Digest) & More!

I don't typically blog on Thursdays, but I figured I could pass along a few interesting/helpful links from now on (when I have them).

Did you know Amazon has a Breakthrough Novel Award? I didn't until this week, so I definitely wanted to spread the word for those interested. You can enter if you are an author with an unpublished OR previously self-published novel. They start accepting entries on January 23, 2012. Will you be entering? Has anyone entered this contest before?

Before we get to the next contest, which Indie writers may be particularly interested in, did you know the Blogging From A To Z April Challenge Blog was the Blog of Note this past week on the 12th? If you hop by the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Blog, you can catch a series of reflections posts about the 2011 A-to-Z, as well as some new posts about it. Mine's coming at the end of the month, so stay tuned! Are you getting geared up for the A-To-Z? Participating this year?

Okay, for the second contest, Writer's Digest has an annual Self-Published Book Awards Competition. I was shocked to see this is their 20th year of honoring self-published authors. It's a great reminder that self-publishing is by no means a new thing. Deadline is April 20, 2012, to submit your self-published work. I'd love to see one of our Indie bloggers win this thing! Anyone considering entering this? Entered it before?

Those are the links for today! Come back tomorrow for an interview with James Hutchings.

Any interesting links you'd like to share?

May you find your Muse.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday: My Own Personal Clark Griswold

Have you ever seen Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase? If we had lights on our roof, I think my husband would have him beat.


I can't do it any justice. You should know there's also a side yard, and the lights look much brighter in person. There's a sleigh behind all those reindeer. Oh, and there's music...

May you find your Muse.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Teaser Tuesday: Would You Like Some Terror With Your Romance?


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


For the first teaser, I've got Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich.

"New Jersey was 40,000 feet below me, obscured by cloud cover. Heaven was above me, beyond the thin skin of the plane. And hell was sitting four rows back." p.3







The book I'm reading on e-reader this week is fellow blogger Aric Mitchell's The Congregation.

"At first Marco thought he would have to kill it. But upon closer examination, he could see that it was, in fact, a woman, and that at one time she had been very beautiful." 31% progress in Kindle.






These are two incredibly different books. One is comedy and romance, while the other is pure horror. Both, as it turns out, are quite good.

Come back Wednesday for [Mostly] Wordless Wednesday, Thursday for some helpful links (contests and a blog hop), and Friday for an interview with James Hutchings.

What are you reading this week?

May you find your Muse.

Monday, December 12, 2011

First Impressions Matter: Choosing Titles

A book can be wonderfully written, yet a terrible title will keep readers away. Looking at this from the other end, a magnificent title can pull people into a terribly written book, though one would hope they wouldn't make it all the way through. Still, in terms of book sales, which of these methods works best? The magnificent title and lackluster writing. Sad, but true.

clker.com


Obviously, the intent should be to focus on both the writing and the title, making both so spectacular that you bring in readers and keep them. This is true of any sort of entertainment media. A movie with a bad title may not get the viewers it deserves.

For all you bloggers out there, you know this principle applies to blog titles, as well. Sometimes it's easy to forget that your blog title still has to pull in readers or they'll skip over your post, whether they happen across it in a search engine, are linked to it from another blog, or get notices from their preexisting subscription.

This is mostly common sense. What isn't is how to choose that perfect title. Firstly, what is a title there to do? What do you want it to accomplish? You want it to titillate, to pull a person's attention to it and make them buy/click. At the very least, you want it to interest them enough that they read your description or a teaser, maybe the first paragraph. In addition, you want it to be descriptive. It should let the reader know what the topic is about, both today and in the future. For instance, a blog will have archives. One should be able to look through the archives and see what each article or post may be about. This gives you future business and helps one find important references later on.

Going one step further, you should know whether you want your title to titillate via topic, humor, mystery, fear or any other means. A funny title will bring in people looking for a fun read, but a fear-based one will grab a different audience. Consider who your audience is. Do they want just the facts? Lay it out for them in all seriousness, avoiding the humor. Will a question grab their attention more readily than the answer? Your audience should dictate every facet of your medium, including the title.

clker.com


Once you've figured out your purpose and your audience, it's time to pick that title. First, consider what your piece is about. The title should reflect some important, or at least meaningful, aspect of your work. It's okay if the connection isn't readily available right from the start. Some of the best titles inspire that "ah-ha" moment during the read, and can be the most fun. This may not be appropriate in more serious pieces, though, as a serious piece should be more straight-forward in order to engender trust and gain the appropriate audience.

clker.com


Another important factor is title length. A title that is too long may be a turn-off. It's also harder for someone to remember if they hear about the work in passing or want to recommend it to another. Don't shoot yourself in the foot that way! Choose a title that gets the point across with some measure of brevity. In this age of short attention spans, you want someone to read your entire title before deciding whether or not to move on.

If at all possible, make the title something that touches someone in some way. Whether this means eliciting a reaction or an emotion, there should be a connection there. It may make them question what it means. It may make someone nod in agreement and read on. Perhaps it will touch off a sense of fear within them, or even delight. Chances are, if it touches you in some way, it will do the same for them.

It's obvious to me that I don't have the market on titles cornered. It was this fact that made me want to talk about it and look into it a bit further. Setting aside blog titles (which I'm going to try to work on), I'm still not entirely certain I'm happy with the title of my YA novel. You see, I either come up with a great title and work from that, or come up with a great story and struggle (at least sometimes) to find the title that fits it and gets it across to others in the way I would like. As someone guilty of having a weekly dated title ([Mostly] Wordless Wednesday, ahem), I feel I need to work on bettering my titles. I'll try to start with those [Mostly] Wordless Wednesdays!

What do you think makes an excellent title? Can you think of any titles that have really stood out for you over the years? What was it about them that touched you or caught your attention?

Please return Wednesday for the photo of the week, and Friday for an interview with James Hutchings, independently published author of The New Death and Others.

May you find your Muse.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

[Mostly] Wordless Wednesday 12/7/11

Since they've been quite far from wordless recently, I give you...

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!


How's the weather in your neck of the woods?

May you find your Muse.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Monday Mish Mash, Including Flash Fiction Contest

First, I'm delighted to tell you that the Flash Fiction Contest, hosted by the Pikes Peak Branch of the National League of American Pen Women, and chaired by Yours Truly, is now open! This is micro-flash, so 100 words maximum. It can be found at the Pen Women website: www.ppb-nlapw.org.

The theme is: "Are You Devious at Heart?" You can take that in any direction you want to, horror, romance, mystery. I think it's a topic you can have a lot of fun with. You can enter by mail or email. Details are on the website, but feel free to ask questions of me directly on here, as well.

If you didn't see my guest post at Nikki's blog, authorinprogress, check it out!


For those that did the A to Z Challenge and/or the Follow-up Challenge this past year, Arlee is revving up the A to Z engines in preparation for the 2012 A to Z! It now has a dedicated website where you can track progress, read reflections posts and be a part of the discussion for the upcoming challenge: Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Blog.

If you signed up for the Follow-up Challenge here on my blog or on my partner's sites, it's still ongoing! You've got until the next A to Z Challenge to visit everyone (and then we start all over)!

I owe Jennifer at Jen's Bookshelf an apology. I don't believe I ever properly thanked her for the "One Lovely Blog" Award, and it's been nearly a month since she posted it. Thank you for thinking of me, Jen!


Finally, how about an update on the final week of ShaNoEdWriMo since I never did that? I got more than my goal of five chapters edited for that last week, which was awesome! As far as words written, I got over 5000 words written for the week!! Yay! It was the only week I met both goals entirely, but I'm happy with it, anyway.

That's more than enough for a mishmash, eh?

Any news to share? How did you do if you did any version of NaNo? Even if you didn't do NaNo, did you meet your writing/editing goals for the week/month?

May you find your Muse.

That's more than enough for now.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Guest Post at Author in Progress

I guest posted about finding time to write when you're a parent over at Nikki's blog, Author in Progress. Come by and check it out!