What's The Goss?

Well, Today I'm not feeling too crash hot so I decided to cook a steamed chicken. It would have to be one f my favourite eats. This time I have flavoured it with honey, soy & garlic... along with the rest of my usual herbs. It's going to be flipping amazing and so moist. I can't wait, because it smells so good.

I got woken up at the arse-crack of dawn by birds flying around. they have been noisy as f*@k lately, either they're migrating somewhere and just passing through, or it's currently mating season. Either way, they like to wake the whole damn neighbourhood up.

We have been spring cleaning around the house. At the moment, it's washing out all the window tracks. Pain in the arse, but it has to be done. It was the one job we forgot after we had the huge dust storm a couple o weeks back.

I found out Admetus Gaea 1: The Gaean Prophecy is at the proofer. So I'll hopefully get it back for the final run-through then it should be off to releasing. I still haven't heard about a cover yet. I'm hoping to any day now, but honestly, I'm not expecting it until after everyone is back from GRL, but hoping that I'm lucky and get it early.

I'm still working on The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You. Okay, I did go through and rework some of the stuff I swore I wasn't going to do. For some reason, I keep going off track with this one and I don't like that at all, so I have to keep redoing it until I get it back to where it should be.

Memories & Whatnot...

🔷Been thinking about all the people I've fallen out of touch with over the last couple of years and been wondering how they have all been doing. I mean I still see them on Facebook and wonder is it as easy as reaching out and saying hello. Will that start the friendship back up or have too many years come and gone? Though I wish them all well in what they are doing now.

🔷This photo was taken at GRL many years ago and we all had a ball this day. Especially, when we got the pics of Kelly lying under the bushells of dried chillies━which she was deathly allergic to. Though, I wasn't too fond when they all wanted to go and visit the tattoo shop with the spiders and I had to wait outside. I'm the one in the bottom row with the sunnies on. The amazing Z is beside me. Above me is my daughter Emily Kate, then the awesome Kelly, and lastly the talented Embry.

🔷This is me today. Older wiser (hopefully). Less hair. Less weight, and way more tattoos. I'm still writing even though I did take a couple of years off due to family problems and ill health. I'm sure I have already told you all about that crap somewhere along the line.

🔷Finally, for today I'm getting back into my writing, even if I have fallem behind on my schedule, though I will be back up to date within the next two weeks or so. I'm also getting organised for NaNoWriMo. I'm going to complete the book that I failed to get to a few years ago In NaNoWriMo 40K> Sons of Evenmore 3: Fear the Scarlet Moon & for the last 10K I will start on Wardens of the Guild 3: Hearts Strings.

Headache Today...

◉I can't concentrate today to do anything today so My word quota isn't getting met. I'm lucky if the rest of my household chores are even going to be done on time.

◉ At least I managed to get the washing done. I finally got some of the clothes back that my daughter borrowed off of me when she was pregnant━my granddaughter is now 18 months old. I wonder how old she'll be when I get the rest back.

◉I spent 8 hours yesterday over at my daughter's place moving stuff around and sorting through clothes = keeping some and donating others. Emily is moving a bookcase into her spare room. It's where they keep all their DVD's. They want to be able to shut the door and keep them out of Grace's hands.

◉My sister came around to pick up some stuff and ended up taking home two bags of clothes that no longer fit me. At least that gets them out of my closet. I'm trying to simplify my wardrobe so it's making it easier to match my clothing when I need to get dressed.

◉One of the big lessons I've learned since losing the weight that I have 18kg (39.68 lbs) besides the obvious of my clothes not fitting me. Is that now none of my shoes seem to fit me either. I hate looking for new shoes because it takes me forever to find ones I like that are comfortable as well.

This Is Me

🔸I woke up with a headache this morning. I had a long day yesterday running around doing errands. Though, I did meet my wordage quota on The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You, mainly because I did the words the day before and the little bit I still need to do will get done today.

🔸I have started the arduous task of spring cleaning the whole house. How do I accumulate so much clutter throughout the year? My mantra for this year is less is more━so I'm literally going to be going through everything once again and donating what I don't need to the op shops, so it can all find a new home somewhere else. Decluttering can be so therapeutic. Though, some of the stuff is going to my sister.

🔸I've been spending some time with my granddaughter━boy does she crack me up with her antics. I can't wait for her to start talking in full on sentences. I reckon she is going to be a chatterbox for sure. It will drive her mother crazy as her mother was always anti-social. It will be a fun dynamics to watch. At the moment she is growing out of shoes like nobodies business.

🔸Why is it when you want to buy something you can never find it in any shop━no matter how hard you look. I'm after some melamine serving spoons. Once, upon a time you could buy them by the dozen and nowhere I've been, stocks them anymore. It's driving me nuts.

🔸This arvo I have swimming lessons with my granddaughter━I'm just the helper on the side of the pool. I won't get in, mainly because I don't want to get bronchitis again.

This Is The Day We All Need To Ask...

Sometimes when the world gets to be too much we need someone who understands what we're going through, and even if they haven't walked a mile in your shoes. They're still willing to listen. Believe me, those people are out there just waiting. It could be calling into an anonymous hotline, or as simple as calling a friend.

Help can come in many forms.  So talk to a friend... or talk to a stranger... just as long as you talk to someone before you do something that may be irreversible. 

Life is precious.

Em's Turn

Hope you enjoy what

 I'm listening to at the moment.

4 songs just you. 

Just remember,

 I spend a lot of my time

 with an 18-month-old.

I used to sing On the Dark Side to my daughter and nephew when they were babies to get them to go to sleep.

Gracie just loves her Zacky Boy.

Gracie loves walking around with my/our BVB beanie on.

This one really is for my daughter Emily.

Today I Am...

▶I've been taking pictures of the bugs invading the hibiscus tree in the front garden of the tattoo shop. In case you didn't realise I live above a tattoo studio. They seemed to have changed colour. last week they were an irredescent blue and now they have gone all red.

▶I've also almost gotten over my cold, and then this morning I was doing the simple chore of folding up some washing and threw my back out━I just can't bloody win.

▶I have also been watching an awesome series in my opinion on Netflix called: The Bletchley Circle. I think I'm about halfway through season one. so far I've enjoyed it a lot.

▶I'm also cooking a baked dinner for lunch today. Well, I'm doing all the vegetables. My brother is doing the meat and gravy part of it all. It will still meat a lot of cooking on my part, but I got up early and prepped the veggies. 

▶ I'm also writing my wordage on The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You today and it will bring me up to 19K... so far the writing plan is working out fine.

▶Still trying to find homes for some of my previous Fireborn books I'm just not sure what to do with them. But I have to do something. Or else they will sit on my computer forever.

▶I also have new story ideas that I can't yet touch until I tie up a few of the older storylines. So I've just been jotting down basic plot lines to keep the ideas there. Eventually, I'll be able to come back and revisit them.

▶We've been having some windy weather here of late. Which, in itself isn't so bad━it did break the whirlybird on our roof, but the worse thing is for us it's bushfire season and we have a few bad ones raging nearby. A lot of people's homes, livestock, and livelihoods are about to go up in smoke. Not to mention all the wildlife we'll lose. I heard on the news this morning that some of the fires were deliberately lit━I mean what the fuck goes through someone's head to think today would be a great day to set fire to the world? I just don't understand people like that. And worse yet it looks like it could be school kids who did the deed. What the hell were they thinking?

I've Been Busy...

▷Yesterday I spent the day making up a calendar template that I can use each year to set out my writing for the year. I worked out that if I work on 2K a day I can write 2 (100K) novels and 15 (40K) novellas a year. that still leaves time for doing edits. I'm happy with that. Now it just means sticking to it. I'll try it out for the end of this year. 

▷This is what I'll be working on:

The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You

Cotter's Girls 1: Tash (M/F)

Sons of Evenmore 3: Fear the Scarlet Moon (NaNoWriMo)

Wardens of the Guild 3: Heart Strings (NaNoWriMo-partly)

Lancaster's Way 3: Pre-loved

Experimentals 3: Messages from the Dead (just the start as it continues into 2020)

▷So Far I've been keeping up with my word count along with doing my edits on other books. The big test will be when I get first edits back on The Lines of Marsden 4: The Trail of Red Roses. I'll let you all know.

Playing Catch Up

Robson loves helping me when it comes time to work. I don't get much done, but he thinks he's doing a great job. Oliver, on the other hand, is off somewhere sunning himself. Though, not today as we are having a dust storm. I think it's probably from the fires we have hereabouts. All I can smell is dust in the air. Not the greatest thing in the world after being ill.

Today I'm supposed to be writing and I need to make it to 13K on The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You to keep me on track for my end of year of my writing schedule.

I'm waiting for the final line edits on Admetus Gaea 1: The Gaean Prophecy... and first edits on The Lines of Marsden 4: The Trail of Red Roses.

I still haven't heard from MlRPress about covers yet. I will have to email my editor to make sure if I sent the cover art forms to the right place.