http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hobGacE9eVw
(First, note that ‘Beginning of a Hero’ is now on Netgalley. Click on the cover to the right to go there. Check it out or even vote on the cover.)
Last week was rough. My mom had her surgery, but she spent more days in the hospital than expected. She has a brace that tells her the angle of her arm, which has caused us to call her ‘Bionic Grandma’. She’s relaxing and healing at home for the next 4-6 weeks. We’re all trying to get used to this, but my parents are hitting the point where all they can do is relax and catch up on the DVR. I’ve taken over the dinner duty for the foreseeable future. Damn it! I just realized that I never took picture of the dishes I made this week because I was so busy getting everyone fed. I think I might drop that topic because I’m distracted. This week will be kind of the same.
People might have noticed I was either brief on comments or not that chatty. There were a few reasons for that. One is that I’m exhausted and have been dragging my butt through the days. Another is that I’m trying really hard to finish editing ‘Legends of Windemere: Curse of the Dark Wind’ before Monday or at least by noon on Monday. That way I can send it off to my editor and give her as much time as possible to edit. The third reason is that the stress of juggling everything has made me rather anti-social. That’s why I’m taking it easy once the book is edited. Next week will be small projects with no deadlines and just getting my energy back. There’s no real rush on editing Books 7-8 or starting Book 9. Those three are the 2015 releases. It’s also November, so it isn’t like I can do a lot to boost my books. Just stay the course.
I will spend a little time on Monday prepping posts for December, which is the last of the ‘1 post per day’ months. I have 2 weeks worth of stuff planned and possibly a third if I can release the next book by then. I’m considering doing those posts the week before Christmas anyway. It won’t be hype so much as going over a few topics that come up in the story. Maybe I’ll just do a few posts over the course of the week while toying with the other things. Honestly, I don’t want to have too solid a plan and I probably won’t go back to editing until I finish the two W.I.P.’s that have been in stasis for months.
I plan on doing some reading, but I’m noticing something. I just don’t want to tackle anything outside of fantasy/science-fiction. It’s like my mind wants to avoid Earth when drifting away. I have a ton of thrillers, mysteries, and other non-fantasy/sci-fi books on my TBR list. It’s just that I can’t muster up the urge to get to them. Also, I just don’t really want to read from my Kindle, which is ridiculous for an eBook author. I think I want to spend some time with a physical book since I’m always on my computer. At least for the next big read. I’m picking a few small works to get my mojo stirred and then I think I should tackle the one book that I’ve been avoiding for a while.
I guess that’s enough ranting. Here’s the targets:
- Finish editing ‘Curse of the Dark Wind’ and send to editor.
- Read Tales of Erana by Alexandra Butcher. This is a fantasy tale collection.
- Read The Power of Six by Nicholas Rossis. This is a sci-fi short story collection.
- Start reading Ranger’s Apprentice: Emperor of Nihon Ja’. I really should march to the end of this great series.
- Outline the Yola Biggs story in the notebook.
- Go through notes and organize information for the Intergalactic Bounty Hunter who crash lands on Windemere. Finally have a focus there.
- Cook dinners.
- Sleep.
- Bike.
- Take son to bookstore when he has off on Veteran’s Day. He’s been doing great with school, so I think he’s earned a new book.
- Do a few posts for December. Topics chosen: Poems of Music Videos (feel free to suggest some), Governments of Windemere (Thanks, John), questions from Nicholas, Curse of the Dark Wind posts, and maybe a ‘what I learned’ week before I minimize my blogging time. Means I’m down a post topic for Christmas week.
- Avoid taking hammers, saws, and blowtorches to the phones that will not stop.
Legends of Windemere 
Numbers 7, 8 and 10 and a dash of 11. Number 9 is just crazy talk.
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The big benefit of #9 is that I can be left with my own thoughts there. At least if the kid isn’t home. Then it becomes an episode of America’s Funniest Videos.
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You my friend, are a wild man!
Rein it up you…you…domesticated familial reprobate! LOL!
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That sounds like work, which would cut into my sleep and chocolate time. 🙂
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Good point.
Consistent priority observance and implementation is critical!
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Especially when it’s cold. Weather should always be considered in daily scheduling.
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Its 50* and sunny here in Texarkana
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50’s with wind that cuts to the bone here.
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How I know….I’m a frequent resident of NY myself..LOL!
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On the plus side, hot chocolate has more of a purpose than simply tasting good. 🙂
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Dads who use books as a reward are awesome!
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Thanks. Hopefully this goes better than last time. Took him for a specific book, he chose another, and then he demanded we go to the library to get the one he didn’t want to buy. I think he believe that if the library has it then he can claim it whenever he wants.
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Life happens! Your family is so lucky they have you near to care for them – parents, wife, son. My mind also wants to avoid Earth at times! Lol!
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I think I need a neon sign with that proclamation. 😉
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Yes! It could be your shingle. Sell them, you’d make a fortune! LOL!
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I have an idea. Why don’t you ask your readers for some easy favorite recipes for family of four (&1/2) dinners? I find the toughest part of cooking is getting a menu together and it might be fun to see some other ideas
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I have a lot of recipes, but the tough part is getting people to agree on a menu. It tends to fall apart the moment I let my guard down. It doesn’t help that one person eats like a bird and the others have some diet restrictions. Guess we’ll see how long this lasts.
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The only reason I recommended it was to collect some for myself. Okay, I’ll do it.
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Got it. Well, I get a lot of recipes from allrecipe.com. Though it’s been hard to navigate that one recently.
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I’m sorry to hear about your mom, Charles. I hope she makes a quick recovery. As for your list, I hope you get more sleep. It’s right there #8 Sleep. I’ve said this to all my friends: “Sleep is my secret weapon.” The more I get, the more creative I am. I hope it works out that way for you, too.
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I’m a light sleeper, so that plays a role in my exhaustion. I’ll probably sleep in a day or two once I finish this editing. That or spend a day in bed with a book/Kindle.
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Spending a day in bed seems like a dream to me. So many responsibilities right now–I just wish for the old days when I used to wake up at 10 and go to bed at 2:30 in the morning. I miss those days. Sleep in as much as you can. It’s the only way to remain productive.
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Yeah. We’ll see if I can hold to that idea. Too many future ideas need work, the house won’t clean itself, and the food won’t cook itself. I’ve begged the oven for that last one, but the thing refuses to work with me.
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Yes, but self-cleaning ovens do exist. If only they can predict what we’re hungry for–then we’d be living in a perfect world. Oh, well…
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Maybe somebody should invent those machines from Star Trek that create whatever food you want. Replicators?
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Definitely need replicators. If only we could harness 3D printers to their full capacity we’d be in heaven.
Can you imagine? Tea. Earl Gray. Hot.
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That’d be the life. Though I’d want to indulge in the real stuff every now and then.
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Agreed, Charles. Nothing quite like a good ol’ fashioned steak. I don’t think a replicator would even come close to the experience of a real meal with real ingredients. Heck, look at organic vs. non-organic. I can taste the difference!
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I never really noticed the difference, but I don’t think I have organic that often. At least not close enough to the other stuff to be aware of a big difference.
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#10 is very cool. 🙂
Seems like we need goals just to get to the starting gate…
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Especially if one ate too many hot wings the night before.
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Oof, so sorry to hear of your troubles! Hope your life returns to normal soon enough. 🙂
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Well, I finished the editing last night. So today is going to be the start of a resting period. Probably schedule a few blog posts, read a bit, etc. Unfortunately, I think I ate too many hot wings last night and my stomach is not amused.
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Oh dear, I can almost hear Sally shaking her head… She did say you needed to eat more veggies! 😀
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I had a bunch of celery too, so there were veggies. Didn’t even use dressing on them.
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Was that with the Bloody Marys? 😀
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Nah. They came with the hot wings. Never had a taste for tomato juice. Like drinking really soupy marinara sauce.
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Oh, so it was just vodka? :b
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I wish. My stomach would probably handle alcohol better than the hot wings. 😛
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We all deserve a good book when we are handling life well 😛
Ellespeth
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Or a nap. I’d gladly take a nap too. 😀
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