Taking Breaks From The Computer.

I don't know about other authors, but I'm a bad one for forgetting to take breaks from the computer. I always end up with sore eyes because of this. so I'm trying to train myself this year to take breaks at reasonable times.

I'm also going to limit my social media time so that I don't get sidetracked and find hours have passed and no writing has gotten done. this was one of my worst traps last year. and I'm determined not to relapse this year. I need to meet my quota each week and I'll never get it done if I keep getting sidetracked. so I will get on the first thing in the morning and check my messages and then I will turn off social media so I can fully concentrate fully on my writing. By the end of this week, I want to at least say that I have reached 40+ K on The Lines of Marsden 4: The Trail of Red Roses.

While on these breaks I need to get up and walk around and do some exercises, or a bit of housework. just to keep my body moving so that I'm not constantly sitting in my chair because that can't be good. I always feel stiff and sore if I've sat for too long. 

Also if I type for too long my fingers ache. I think it may take me a little while to get back into the swing of things again. I miss being able to write the way I used to. I find I now need to rub arthritis cream into my hands each night and sometimes each morning━It sucks getting old. Yeah, I know I'm only turning 49 (in what is it? About 26 days━shit that came around fast)... but some days I feel 89. I think I need to rethink my diet again and eat better to get my brain energy going to help me write more efficiently. Well, at least to keep me focussed. 

Happy Birthday!

Emily Kate

Happy birthday

Big 28 today

Michael Marsden

Series Title: The Lines of Marsden.

Books: Fist line.

Name: Michael Alexander Marsden.

Age: 22 (at time of turning).

Species: Vampire (King).

Realm: SE Queensland, Australia.

Hair Colour/Type/Length: Dark brown almost black (in book one it is just past his shoulders in book 2 onward it is cropped short like in this picture).

Eye Colour/Shape: Purple (shade varies depending on his moods).

Skin colour Type Pale never was prone to tanning.

Scars/Blemishes: Facial scars - small one between the nose and the top lip and one that runs the length of his jaw on his left side, (due to his cousin Geoffrey tripping him into a barbwire fence when in high school – they hate each other).

Height: 5 feet 9.

Weight: 90 Kg.

Clothing preferred: Jeans, dress shirts. Though after meeting pack and the English vampires he does start wearing t-shirts.  He does have a lot of clothing with Dragons on (bought by Gypsy mostly black).

Mannerisms: At first Michael’s kind of shy and unsure of himself. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Michael once comfortable, with who he is, makes the best damn leader (He’s destined to be king). Michael’s a jump in there all or nothing type of person. Not really an over-thinker, and gets frustrated when the others need to talk and think through everything. Probably why he ends up in trouble so much of the time. Once he sets his mind to something there’s no way he’ll give up until he has completed/mastered what he has set out to do. He’s compassionate up to a point. Hurt him, or who he claims as his, and your life isn’t worth living.

Favourite Colour: All shades of blue.

Favourite Food: Chicken Kiev and Salad

Favourite Drink: Coke/ Bourbon (even though booze really has no effect on them—he just likes the taste)/ and Christian gets him hooked on green tea.

Favourite Band: He likes it all he’s pretty Eclectic in his tastes

Favourite Book: David Eddings the Elenian series

Favourite Movie: Chronicles of Riddick.

NOTES: Siblings are Gypsy his twin sister in this lifetime and Benj from their original lifetime. He has three children with Doyle who was originally known by another name, (Carleah)—children are Raphael who has been kidnapped by Venetia, and still missing, or rather hidden away are Michaela and Vladimir who will be introduced in future books. Michael only ever wanted to live his life. But soon realised that words said in haste to piss someone off often have a way of coming back to bite him in the arse, and turning him into the king of a whole legion of beings, all looking to him for the answers.

Lost Thoughts & Missing Treasures...

So many times I think of a story and I write down notes on the said story until I can transfer notes to my computer. Why is it when I go to find the damn book I've written the notes in, it's never where I left it? When I ask if anyone has seen it they all tell me no. It frustrates me to no end. Mainly because I'll never remember things the way I did the first time around. I'll always forget some little thing and just my luck it'll be the most damn important thing in the whole storyline. I think on my next day off from writing I'm going to pull out every single notebook and scrap of paper I can find and check if they hold my missing treasures.

I admit most of my story ideas come from dreams that I have, and they are hard to hold onto at the best f times. I always have a notebook beside my bed in case I wake up in the middle of the night and need to jot something down to use at a later date. The weird thing is, it's never about a story I'm working on. It's always a new story idea. I know I shouldn't be taking an interest in any new ideas at the moment, but if I don't write them down then they will be lost forever.

At least if I do go through all the bits and pieces I'll actually know what I have and what is keepable and what I should get rid of, because pounds to peanuts some of it will be shit... I might even see if there is one worthy to turn into a blog story for everyone... Seeing as I'm making an effort to be more blog efficient this year.

I'm also going to start talking more about my books, or more to the point what I'm working on. With the occasional post or two thrown in where I ramble about the ups and downs of writing. I was at a family event on the weekend and my niece told me I talk too much about my cats... Okay, I got the message, Leigh. The cats are off the blog, or until that crazy bastard does something else that's newsworthy. On that note, I'm outa here. I'll catch you all tomorrow.

Em's Turn

4 songs running around 

inside my head at the moment.

Enjoy!

Getting Back Into My Mindset...

I have to admit that after taking such a long break in writing I'm finding it rather difficult to get back into the swing of things. There always seems to be something that needs my attention and pulls me away from my computer/tablet. I have to figure out how to get back into writing every day━even just a little bit so that I can get some of my projects completed this year.

I don't know whether to work on multiple projects at once like I used to or just one at a time. to make things easier. What is going to be harder for me going back to what I once knew, or training myself to work in a completely different style?

All I know for sure is I have to do something or I'll be sitting here this time next year talking about the exact same thing and another fruitless year will have passed me by. I definitely don't want that to happen, and I sure don't think my readers do either. I owe them more than that. I have also decided not to start any new series until I have at least written the next books in all existing series because if I start new projects I'll never finish the old ones, and that can't be allowed to happen.

I Have An Ouchy... & Other News

I have had a little accident. Nothing major and honestly it's not even enough to keep me down. I went to Bunnings this week and dropped a piece of wood on my foot (not even a heavy piece) and it just hit my foot (which was in a sandal) at the wrong angle and put the smallest of cuts on it. It bled like nobodies business (thank God Emily had band-aids in my handbag still from when she had blisters━bad news I'm allergic to the sticky stuff on band-aids) but not my foot is all bruised and a pain in the arse to walk on. The wound and bruising are near my big toe on my left foot. So for the next little bit I'll be taking it easy, or at least I'm going to try... which is usually code for I'll be busy as hell and it'll take twice as long to heal.

Well, I never got as much writing done this week as I would have liked. I've actually spent the week cleaning house. One day I set up my spare room as a nursery for when my granddaughter is born for when I'm looking after her when Emily is at uni and Elliot is at work... only a couple of hours for two days a week, but she needs her own room. especially when she's sleeping. the rest of the time has just been general house and yard work.

I know I can still catch up on what I missed out writing wise this week in the next couple of weeks. I have Emily's baby shower on the sixth, but after that, I should be golden and then my writing life will hopefully get back to normal. I will give you a weekly update every Friday to let you know how I'm going with my 2018 writing schedule.