29 is the number

Yeah, I'm sharing that number. I'm now 29. It's interesting to reflect on things having turned another year older.

I started writing TT in 2007. That was 6 years ago... I now have an edited draft and test readers looking it over. So, the good news is I've made progress. Slow but still counts.

Health wise, my weight has fluctuated but not gone higher than it has ever been before, so in a way that is a plus but on the other hand it's not lower either at this point. Not close enough but as I get older need to focus even more on being healthier.

A few novels I have a finished draft of from the past few years. I don't have many plans for all of them. A couple are never going anywhere. However, I've started to divide things between the pen names I have chosen. I even got a secondary account on writing.com so I can have my romance/erotica on one account and fantasy/sci-fi/YA/MG and such on the other. Will be nice to separate the erotica from the YA and such. It's a good change. I also have a new blog under my other pen name for the romance/erotica stuff.

The rest of life right now is mostly work. I got a new car cause my old one died. Now I have to find a second job to help pay for things. It's hard but I still am focused on writing. I have actually searched and made a list of 10 agents to potentially query first, and I can't wait. After test readers and some adjustments, I get to submit. It's great to be at that stage with one book. Plus I have others I'm getting ready.

Right now my focus is:
TT results from test readers, potential fixes
Editing SG
Working on short stories
Writing.Com
and reading, work, sleep, etc


So, 29 is here (though people still think I'm not old enough to sell them beer....) and life continues forward.

Update/Goals/IWSG

Wow, I haven't blogged in over a month. I keep meaning to put up a post then get distracted. Lot happened over the last month. Went to a funeral in Wyoming, worked, spent a lot of time on a writing web site, worked... a lot yet not much going on at the same time. I have a novel at the end of an editing round and others waiting to go. No progress so far on weight loss despite walking more but haven't given up either.


I haven't even posted goals since June, that's unusual. Better get back to work considering some of my goals the past month or so has been to blog more.


August Goals
Finish reading 2 books.
Write short story (10-15k).
Research agents and rewrite query letter.
Edit 2 chapters in SG.
Get car soon.


Also, today is once again the Insecure Writer's Support Group (check it out here). So, the topic of goals actually works because I make goals all the time and part of the time I don't reach them.  I made it a goal to finish reading 2 books last month on a different site and I didn't finish reading two. I almost had one finished and instead started another but haven't finished reading the first yet. The issue of not reaching a goal set is something I've seen elsewhere too.

On this writing web site I'm on, there is a forum where we can post on Monday with goals for the week, and we get points for posting goals then and on Friday if we post how we did. Well, one posted this last week goals but also made a comment about how she was tired at failing each week on the goals she set.

Which is understandable. Especially if you post and read so many other people posting and it seems they are almost always reaching their goals. It's hard to then look at yours and go, why didn't I succeed when others have. Sure, we should focus on ourselves and not what someone else did, but it's hard at times.

However, another post replying to the lament over failing made a good point. Maybe we need to reconsider the word "fail". Because there are many levels of not succeeding when it comes to a goal and while it's not a success not all of them are a complete fail.  Did you try at all in the goal?

I mean, really, unless you had many opportunities and instead went to bed all the time or decided to watch Jerry Springer or such instead often, then maybe it's not quite a "fail". Like my book reading goals that I often don't reach. Is it a complete fail if I didn't finish two books? No. Why? Because while I didn't finish books I am still reading and that's something. Sometimes we forget about the something.

That's my tip of the day: Don't forget the little somethings when reaching for your goals.


Do you make goals?
What do you think about ones you don't quite succeed on?
August goals anyone?

Late IWSG

Yep. I forgot about Insecure Writer's Support Group. I knew two days ago that I had to do a post then but figured I didn't work today so no big deal. Well here it is, almost midnight my time and I'm late. So yeah, enjoy the little song from Alice in Wonderland.


Speaking of late. I can state "running out of time" as a fear because I have self imposed deadlines and oh so often I procrastinate. I am one of those. I will do things at the last minute almost every time. But it's even hard without a deadline because then I won't get anything done.


Do you worry about being late on deadlines?
Are they self imposed or did someone else make them?

Guest Post - Healthy Trails to You

Today we have a nice guest post from Mike Manning from mikemanningmusings.blogspot.com. 

He has health tips for people who travel. Enjoy.

Healthy Trails To You

Traveling can be fun and exciting, and it's often tempting to throw all of your cares out the window for the duration of your trip. However, if you decide to skip the healthy habits you've worked so hard to establish, you're not doing yourself any favors. If you're able to get around the minor inconveniences and disruptions in routine presented by travel, you should make every effort to maintain physical activity. Here are some ways to facilitate that.

Pick a Healthy Hotel

You can make things a lot easier on yourself by being choosy about your accommodations. A lot of hotels available today cater extensively to the health and fitness crowd. Most hotels now boast fully-stocked gyms, indoor jogging tracks or even fitness classes. Make sure to do some research before booking a hotel. On a recent trip to San Francisco I used a travel site/app called Gogobot in order to get a list of hotels in the San Francisco area that I could scroll through and see what amenities were offered. There is sure to be something for everyone. Before you book your reservations, find out about their menu as well. While many serve a free breakfast, not all of them have healthy options. If the hotel offers a reasonably healthy menu on top of their exercise facilities, you can save a lot of time and effort.

Portable Workout

If there are no ideal health-friendly hotels in your location or price range, then consider bringing your own gear along. Some basic, portable items like resistance bands, yoga mats and small dumbbells enable you to work out at any place and time that's convenient. They're also great for when you just don't feel like leaving the hotel room. Items from around the room, such as chairs and tables, can also be useful.

En Route

If you're driving to your destination, you'll likely feel the need to get out and stretch occasionally. If you see any roadside rest stops, these can be a perfect fitness opportunity. Many of them possess hiking trails that run through appealing woodland areas. Besides getting some much-needed exercise, you'll also be able to enjoy the fresh air and beauty of nature.

Take Advantage of the Airport

With more airports recognizing the health needs of their customers, some have made impressive additions. San Francisco International's Zen room and Minneapolis International's walking paths provide those waiting for their flight with a healthful way to spend their time and pent-up energy. To get the most out of your workout, consider hauling your luggage with you.

Pack Some Good Shoes

To many people, the best piece of fitness equipment to have is a pair of dependable running or walking shoes. Even if there are no fitness facilities in your hotel and no hiking paths nearby, you can always use the sidewalk or a bike path. A twenty minute walk or a ten minute jog keeps your body and mind in good working order, plus it keeps the extra weight at bay.

Thank you Mike for the information.

How do you stay healthy when traveling?

Beta Reader Edition of IWSG

Yep, it's that time of the month: Insecure Writer's Support Group bloghop time. Make sure to check out the others over at the blog hop. Blog Hop Link

For those that have followed by other blog, Dawn Embers, I had a post recently where I discussed beta readers. And I'm getting closer to needing a few. I'm finally on chapter 18 of the novel edit with the hopes of finishing the process by the end of the month. It's a challenge because with each chapter edited the novel gets a little longer (or in chapter 17's case, 1000 words longer). After I'm done I will take a break and focus on something else for a few weeks but the trouble is now I'm almost ready for some readers and I don't have any. Not for the huge favor I need to ask.

How does one get a few readers to read an entire book within a month or two and provide overall feedback for a 60,000 word novel? The word count is a guess, might end up a tad long though last draft was 51,000. But that's aside from my general point. It's bringing on a different level of uncertainty because I'm reaching a point I've never been at before. I've been working on this novel since 2007 and while I know it's not going to be perfect and I want to hear the truth, it's nerving wondering what anyone would say to reading it because the story makes perfect sense in my head. But what will a reader say? I don't know.

The novel is essentially about a young teen boy who has a genetic mutation and has to report to a government agency when he sees anyone who might have abilities from a mutation for identification. He starts to question his role of a tattle when one of his few friends turns out to be a mutant too. Then when the new kid in school befriends him, he becomes faced with a bigger struggle. As his life starts to crumble around him and he begins to question his own identity, he has to decide whether he should tattle on a rogue mutant boy hiding from the government or end his role as a tattle tale, risking his own freedom in the process. It's supposed to be YA but borders on MG.


So, I'm nervous about how to find the right beta readers who have the time and with what they will have to say if I find them. And while I know a fair number of writers, it's hard finding the ones for the exact role of beta reader. It's a challenge and I worry if it will affect my submission goal because I want to at least send to 1 person this year because I've never done that with a novel and it's time. Yep, got some insecurities going on in here.


How about you? Insecure this month or have a confidence to share?
Let us know. 

June Goals

Summer time has arrived. It's time for some new goals but first, how did May go. Well, it was quite the distracting month. Car troubles has lead to me not having a car and instead taking the bus or catching rides with coworkers. It added walking to my schedule but also turned to candy on occasion for some stress relief. Got promoted on a writing web site to a moderator, which is really cool and unexpected along with a few other things. Quite the month overall.

May Results
Read 1 book - finished reading 3 technically cause the library books were due before the car no longer was drivable so those were May 2nd & 3rd, but also finished The Thirteenth Chime. And started reading Paranormalcy.

Edit Tattle Tell - Stalled. Only finished editing chapter 16 by the end of the month. Have 17-25 left to do.

Write 5,000 words in novella - nope. This one fell due to distractions and I haven't written anything in the novella since March.

Don't sleep all morning on days off - Had a couple of them where I slept too much but now thanks to a 3-day weekend of 8 am shifts I have been getting up between 6 and 8:30 in the morning even without an alarm clock.

Lose 5lb - Well I gained a couple but am down again those lbs. Didn't quite make it but June will be better.


Current Weight: 218


June Goals

Finish reading 2 books
Come up with eating plan.
Lose 4 lbs.
Write 10,000 words in novella.
Finish editing Tattle Tell.
Blog in all 4 blogs at least once.
Get a car.


What are your goals for the month?

Get Healthy Bloghop

Howdy and welcome to my post for the Get Healthy bloghop. Make sure to check out the other entries:   blog hop link.

I had a hard time coming up with a topic, I must admit. It's partly because right now my weight isn't going down. I've been distracted with car troubles and money lacking so even with the walking and such not seeing much on the scale, but that's okay. I'm still working on getting things set in my life and it will fluctuate. So, I needed to pull deep to try and figure what to talk about for the bloghop on something that has affected my health in a positive way. And here it is...

I have found that it helps me to understand what equals a realistic goal.

Sounds easy enough but it's not always so. I used to be in Weight Watchers and lost 40 lbs there but it was hard in a way as I never made a final goal weight. We are supposed to do that near the beginning but even a year later I didn't really have a final goal. Trouble is that for my height (4'11.5") the top amount allowed (the higher weight for during older age) is listed in the lower 120's according to BMI, which is what WW follows. I just could never visualize myself at 125 even, let alone less than that. Not being able to visualize the goal made it difficult to see as possible. I have a pretty good imagination but it just wasn't working for me.

So, I have figured out some goals that are realistic for me. I'm not a marathon runner. I'm not a size 2 type of gal. And I think that's fine.

I am a fiction writer with fitness goals that will help with my fantasy writing.
I would like to be in a size 12-14.
I have a goal of weighing 160.

And I feel better.


What about you?