Gandalf
I write this the night before while I listen to my wife realizing that I wasn’t lying about the munchkin being hyped up all day. That’s been the theme of the week. If he wasn’t playing with Legos throughout the living room then he was playing the Lego Batman game. If he wasn’t doing those then he was asking me about songs on the radio, trying to type on my blog, pouncing, or finally succumbing to his cold for a few minutes. Seriously, he would rush himself around until he was wheezing and then be off again once he could breathe. I got him to lie down twice on Tuesday and that was it.
As far as activities go, it was fun and fairly simple. We saw ‘Peter Rabbit’ on Sunday and then made a Lego set with Lex Luthor, Firestorm, Cheetah, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Monday was a full day at the zoo. Tuesday he went with my parents to a stage showing of ‘The Lion King’ for kids. Wednesday was relaxing with game and toys. Thursday was martial arts camp. Friday was relaxing with game and toys again. All of this made me realize that there really isn’t much to do on the February break when the weather is messy and the kid gets a cold. Best to stay warm and regain energy for what ends up being a busy 5 weeks before the Spring Break.
Speaking of that next break, the space gives me just enough time to write the first draft for War of Nytefall: Lost. People might be wondering why I’m diving into the next book before the first one is published. All I can do with War of Nytefall: Loyalty is wait for a final editing run by the wife. Instead of twiddling my thumbs, I’ll dive into the next one. This is good for me because I won’t be getting much done over the summer beyond editing and maybe the Dawn Addison finale. The reason is because my son won’t be in school like previous years, so July and August will see him home. He might be in camp for a bit, but that can’t be depended on. Judging from this break, I need to get myself ahead in my projects. This is where my years of outlining and planning really save my kiester. As far as War of Nytefall: Lost goes, I should be able to write it in 4 weeks and I’ve been studying my outline. More so than any other time because this is going to be a really wild ride.
Thankfully, I was able to get some work done this week. When my son played with his Legos, I set myself up in the dining room to schedule blog posts for April and May. This will cover the promos and hype for War of Nytefall: Loyalty. Means I have very little idea what I’m going to do in June, especially since I’m hoping to release Quest of the Broken-Hearted in July after the 4th. That one still needs editing, beta reading, and cover art. It was tough one to write because it was very action-based due to the story, so I won’t hand it off until I edit it in April. That’s going make things pretty tight as far as beta reading though. Another challenge for 2018. This is what life may end up being with the kid not have summer school.
In other news, I will be having the house to myself for a few days coming later in the week. At least during the day, which will be both good and bad. I can work anywhere in the house without interruption, but I have to do all the cooking and errands. Since my wife and I will be able to use the Internet-capable TV, we’ll be watching some things at night, so that will cut into the writing time. Think we have Castlevania, live action Full Metal Alchemist, and a few other things saved on Netflix. There’s one anime called Gurren Laggen that I want to check out, but we might not have time since it’s only going to be for a few days. Not to mention, all of our other shows come back and it’s a mighty weight that you don’t want to fall behind on.
I realized something with Facebook recently. I happened to be on my mom’s account and didn’t realize it until I saw my last post turn up at the top of her news feed. It was there and then it disappeared before I could click on it. This made me wonder if people are seeing me at all. A lot of pages that I follow do this on my feed like The Daily Show and Humans of New York. I have to go directly to their page to see anything, but they do work on my phone. Is this what Facebook considers an improvement? I’m having a lot of trouble rationalizing staying on there since it feels like only 4-5 people ever see what I’m doing.
So, what are the goals of the week?
- Start writing War of Nytefall: Lost.
- Cook Penn with Vodka Sauce on Friday. This is always fun.
- Get back into biking.
- Drive kid to school.
- Do a few May blog posts if unable to write books.
- Watch some Netflix if possible.
- Mourn another long delay of pizza reward since I refuse to do it during a project.
Legends of Windemere 
Best wishes on the TV watching. Shoulda gobbled your treat when you could.
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Thanks. I never had the chance though. It was either a heavy dinner or too much running around that stopped me.
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I understand.
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Gurren Laggann is a fun one. Definitely recommend it. And best of luck with getting everything done! May you be able to get your pizza reward soon.
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I’ve been trying to find it for a few years. Too expensive on DVD and it was never on television from what I can tell. Hopefully, I can get to it this month because the next chance I’ll get is in October.
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Noble goals!
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Thanks. 🙂
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I mostly use Facebook as a promotional tool. There are tons of pages dedicated to pure promo, I try to hit at least six a day. I’m also in some author groups and we have pages for information and private pages to plan out box sets. I rarely visit my feed anymore 🙂
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Are those pages still useful? I don’t see them in my feed anymore, so it feels like they’ve become isolated.
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You can do a search for them. Kindle, ebooks gone viral, even Goodreads. I joined a bunch and then just post from my notifications tab 🙂
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I’m a member of those, but left a few years back. People started reporting each other for posting too much or promoting. Things might have calmed down by now though.
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Try not to post the same info to more than six groups at a time. I usually post a few box sets, then some of my own work and it’s been fine. Also, don’t post more than once a day per group.
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Got it. Maybe I’ll go looking again once I get the next book out in April. Thanks.
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You’d once given me the vodka sauce recipe. I have to try it!
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It’s simple to make. Hope you get a chance to have it.
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Facebook is really changing things, I heard recently that they are changing things to where the only things in your newsfeed will be what friends post… and ads of course.
Good luck with everything next week, sounds like a lot of goals.
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I don’t even see ads. I heard about the friends only thing, which explains why all the pages I follow don’t turn up.
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Don’t worry, they will change it again… right after you figure out how to use it, just like they always do. I still get ads, but they do tend to blend in to the rest of the newsfeed.
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That’s why I’m not even trying this time.
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Oh, the joys of school vacation week. Sounds like you did just fine, Charles. Good thing you’re organized and plan ahead. Vodka penne pasta is a favorite!
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Thanks. Looking forward to making this dish again. Doesn’t come up often these days.
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I’m exhausted just reading about that week! I think you did well to even sort out some blog posts.
It doesn’t seem strange to me for you to be starting the next project while still not having published the previous one. I do the same thing. No sense wasting perfectly good writing time, especially when you know it will be hard to come by come Summer.
Good luck with the goals for this week. Sorry about the pizza thing. Hope you get it next time.
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Thanks. I like being ahead with my writing by a book or two in comparison to my publishing. Helps me pause my projects to focus on promoting the releases instead of trying to do both.
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Sounds sensible.
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Your life sounds very similar to mine, especially with the Netflix distractions. I feel your pain…
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Funny thing is that I haven’t used Netflix beyond setting up a ‘to watch’ list. There’s only one tv in the house with Internet and I can’t really use it for my shows unless I have the house to myself.
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Same here. Do I enjoy the freedom to watch what or want? Or do I write? Hmmm!
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I think I’ll be using it as a reward for writing. Finish a book and earn a binge.
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As far as Facebook, I think a lot of us have that very same question. It just isn’t clear whether their code is buggy or they just want to keep us all guessing.
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I’m guessing it’s a change that only they understand. I might not be active enough on there to fully get it.
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Ah, Legos. My son collects them now and sells them for a profit. One thing about them, though – they tend to reproduce under chairs, sofas, and beds. Be on the lookout.
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We used to be able to keep track of them when we had wooden floors. Now we have a large, colorful rug. It hides all the small pieces he drops when his lego characters are fighting.
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Haha legos are a classic…😂
If you place a comment on my post I’ll share the link to your blog! Trying to build a parenting community https://themomsomnia.wordpress.com/2018/04/21/calling-all-parents-what-advice-would-you-give/
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Thanks. Legos are great for all ages.
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