Last week wasn’t huge for the WIP because of a couple of unexpected things that came up, but it wasn’t entirely bad, either.  Saw this mug online somewhere and thought it was pretty cool and kind of accurate.  Also, red wine works.

If you guys know me or read this blog regularly, you know I’m a fan of The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead.  I’ve always thought the writing was outstanding, compelling, edgy, and occasionally wildly creative – more so on TWD then FTWD.  But last week while watching the latest episode of FTWD, I found myself yelling at the TV over how a life-threatening situation was handled that two characters found themselves in.  Picture this – a howling, severe storm outside, one adult female and one female teenager trapped in a rapidly flooding basement.  They try the door leading outside – chained shut.  The windows – too narrow to break or fit through.  They’re standing on boxes, the water up to their shoulders, and instead of looking for an axe, a saw, bolt cutter – anything that could help them escape – THEY DISCUSS THEIR FEELINGS.  Are you kidding me?!!!  I guarantee you, if Rick and Daryl had been in the same situation, there wouldn’t have been any tender, heartfelt moments shared between them.  At that point, I was drowning – in disappointment, disgust, anger – and would have happily fed them to the zombies myself.

Just a heads up – The Gemini Connection will be on sale for $0.99 September 2nd through September 4th, so if you don’t already have a copy – here’s your chance.  Tell all your friends!

I still have a few slots open for October’s Bad Moon Rising featuring horror/thriller/paranormal authors.  Details here.

Have a great week!

 

Last week was a good one for the word count – woo hoo!  Butt in the seat, and words on the paper.  I’m somewhere between a planner and a panster (planster?).  I start with a one page outline-ish sort of road map, but occasionally making the transition from point A to point B is a stumbling block until I know the characters a little better.  And another new character introduced himself yesterday, but he showed me the path I need to take.  I’m expecting today to be a good writing day.  On a Monday, even.

We got the youngest son moved back into the dorm this weekend, and I’m not insulted that he was happy to get back to school.  With three weeks of downtime after his last European tour, despite seeing friends nearly every day, he was bored.  He’s happiest when he’s busy and working on his music – which is exactly what started yesterday with marching band.  Before he left, I pulled the Mom card and made him play a couple hours of video games with me.  And the dorm was amazing!  A beautiful lobby on each floor with updated furniture and flat screen TVs, a cooking show-worthy kitchen with granite and stainless steel appliances, a theater room that I wanted to live in with several rows of theater seats and surround sound.  And he and his roommate have a private bathroom.  Dorms have come a long way since I was in college.

I’ve seen several blogs lately mentioning BookBub, and my emails from BookBub have tripled.  They have several articles for authors about how to increase your following, and ideas for marketing books.  I’ve had a couple of readers recommend my books on the site, and I plan to start spending more time there.  I’ve also been working with my publisher on running a BookBub ad sent out to targeted readers.  I’ll let you know how it works.  Follow me on BookBub here!

Didn’t see any new movies last week.  Avengers: Infinity War was just as good the second time.  I’m still loving Yellowstone with Kevin Costner.  It was a short season with only ten episodes, and the season finale is this week.  Also need to get caught up on some DVR shows – Preacher, Legion, and Archer.

Didn’t hit my word count goal on the WIP last week – but both of my sons were here for the weekend and that takes priority over everything else.  The upside is the new character who announced himself over a week ago is talking a lot, so I’m hoping to double my word count goal for this week.

If you remember about a month ago, my oldest son rescued a kitten he named Sora.  This weekend he brought her for a visit.  She has the sweetest face and disposition, a purr you can hear across the room, and is full of kitten energy.  Despite these admirable characteristics, our five-year-old cat, Bond, was not amused.  On Friday, they were under constant supervision, as Bond glared at us accusingly.  Saturday, he watched her more than anything, but at least he was out of the dominance and intimidation mode.  By Sunday, he followed her around as she scampered from room to room, and then pretty much ignored her, resigned to his fate.  I don’t think Sora slept the whole weekend.  Wish I had that kind of energy.

We watched a couple of movies last week, but I can’t recommend either of them.  Unsane started out promising, but then had so many plot holes, it resembled Swiss cheese.  I Feel Pretty had a wonderful overall message, but contradicted itself throughout the movie.  The good news is that Avengers: Infinity War is available to buy tomorrow!  And that totally makes up for the two that wasted my time last week.

Have a productive week!

 

 

Last week was an obstacle course of problems – it felt like one of these ‘Whack A Mole’ games.  I’d solve one, then two more would pop up, so I didn’t get as much done on the WIP as I’d hoped.  But then on Saturday night while watching a movie, a character introduced himself to me quite suddenly, and informed me he’d be a part of this WIP.  I have a feeling he may take the plot in directions I hadn’t counted on.  We’ll see where it goes.

If you’d like to win a signed copy of The Gemini Connection, YA Books Central Instagram is hosting a giveaway.  Didn’t they do an outstanding job on the pic?  Wish I had that creativity.  Click here to enter!

I still have openings for Bad Moon Rising in October.  If you’re a horror, thriller, or paranormal author, click here for more information.

I’m thrilled to be included in YAS Book Con in October right here in Bowling Green!  I’ll totally be fangirling over some of the other attending authors, and predict a staggering increase in my TBR.

Have a great week!

 

 

Last week was a busy one with the blog tour, but I managed to add about 3K words to the WIP – finally!  Already the story is taking some directions I hadn’t exactly planned, but sometimes you just need to follow the characters and let them tell you their story.  I even got a couple of ideas for a title – with my first book, I didn’t come up with a title until two minutes before sending it to my publisher.

I’ll be posting signups for Bad Moon Rising this week.  In case you’re not familiar with this feature, throughout the month of October, each day I feature a horror/thriller/paranormal author to include a short interview and information about their book.  Spots tend to fill up fast, so reserve yours ASAP!

We saw Mission:  Impossible – Fallout yesterday, and it was definitely worth it.  Breathtaking action scenes, surprising twists (those masks will throw you every time), unbelievable stunts.  Five of us went, and it was a thumbs up from everyone.  The only thing that annoyed me was a part in the trailer wasn’t actually in the movie – but I won’t spoil it by telling you.

Speaking of movies, did anyone see the new Aquaman trailer?  I’m more of a Marvel fan, but you’ll find me in the audience of this flick come December.

 

Welcome the newest member of our family!  Meet Sora, my oldest son’s new rescue cat – isn’t she just a sweetie?  She’s a little over 3 months old, full of kitten energy, and enjoys sneaking up on and tackling unsuspecting stuffed mice.  I can’t wait to meet her in person, but I wonder how our own cat, Bond, will react when Sora visits for the occasional weekend.  I’ll keep you updated.

I begin a blog tour this week, and appear on three sites today.  I’m not sure what time the posts will be up, but will update the links as they come available.

https://readsandreels.com/
https://thebookwormdrinketh.com/
https://audiokilledthebookmark.com/

This past weekend, I finally spent time with the WIP and got some words on the paper.  These characters have been patient long enough, and the plan is to have a somewhat polished draft by the writer’s retreat I’m attending in October.  I’m setting goals for myself, so you guys hold me accountable.

We saw The Equalizer 2 this past weekend.  Nothing really deep or thought-provoking, of course, but some awesome action scenes, and I’m always a Denzel Washington fan.  I’m really looking forward to Mission: Impossible – Fallout this coming weekend – Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 94%.

Happy Reading and Writing!

This past weekend was busy – I attended a book festival in Lexington, KY and we moved my oldest son into a new apartment.  The book festival didn’t go so well – very few attendees, and I only sold a few books.  But I did have the opportunity to see a friend who’d moved to Lexington a few years ago – she made a special trip to the book fest just to purchase a signed copy, and that means a lot.

Moving my son out of his college apartment was an experience – one I hope to soon forget.  This isn’t an actual picture, but sadly, it’s a pretty good likeness of his bedroom.  I think we can all agree that girls are generally more attentive to personal hygiene and maintain a certain standard of cleanliness.  But guys?  They probably never notice the smell in their apartments – but moms never forget it.  You could burn candles and spray air freshener 24/7, and I don’t think it would have put a dent in the odor.  He promised me he’d do better in his new ‘adult’ apartment – I’m not holding my breath on that one.  But trust me,  I held it while I packed!

Last week I attended a book release for local author David Bell at the library here in Bowling Green.  He’s written several thrillers, and Somebody’s Daughter is his latest.  Always a pleasure to hear him speak – an outstanding sense of humor, and keeps the audience laughing.

Is anyone else as excited as I am over the trailer for Fantastic Beasts:  The Crimes of Grindelwald?  I actually squealed when I saw it in the theater – hubby pretended he didn’t know me.  I’ve heard that Jude Law does an incredible job as a younger Dumbledore – and kudos to him for taking on such a formidable challenge.  Potter fans could love him or crucify him – but I hope it’s the former.

Have a great week!