Weekly Report...

I'm still not caught up, but I'm getting there. I know I wasn't going to mention the cat, but I have to,  to explain why I'm not caught up... Oliver/Houdini is a royal pain in my arse. I've had to spend much valuable writing time modifying the cat enclosure to keep the tricksy bastard from getting out... Let's just say I'm not the greatest when it comes to using a staple gun.

Why, oh why couldn't Olli be like the rest of the cats I've had over the years who were just content to be? Why does he feel the need to try and escape out into the fricken streets? He's got a whole house and fully enclosed veranda and yard. Isn't that enough?

Please tell me cats can't hang upside down and climb across cat wire... if they can then I'm well and truly fucked as he'll still escape.

On that note, I actually have been working on The Lines of Marsden 4: The Trail of Red Roses. I've actually been going back through what I already have and making sure it makes sense and changing things where necessary. I hope to be back on track by the end of next week.

A Step Back In Time...

I'm the one in the yellow dress. I know, because I still have that brooch the other two are my niece, Leigh in the middle... who is now a high school English teacher has just turned 48 if I'm not mistaken... the giggle guts is my nephew Luke who passed away a few years ago in an auto accident. Hit by a drunk driver.... God, look at the lino on the floor. And by the looks of it my dress had Bambi & Thumper on it. If I'm not mistaken this picture was taken at 12 Elizabeth Street, in Gladstone, Queensland. I only every remember carpet on the floor. Man, that lino is ugly, but oh so shiny.

Heatwave Ramble...

I know living in Australia I should be used to the damn heat... but Christ Almighty, I wish it would cool down some, or at least rain to break this dry spell. Somedays it's too hot to damn think let alone sit here and write... even with the aircon on. Which let's be honest, is costing us all a fortune to run these days. We have to have it though, especially those of us with elderly relatives living at home.

Looking out my windows today it is overcast, so I'm hopeful that we might have a break in the weather, but if it's like the last couple of storms they'll last 10 minutes tops... and do jack shit to cool things down, or they'll move around us and we'll miss out completely.

I just need to be able to start thinking again without wanting to constantly change clothes from sweating. Oh, how I miss winter. We never really get cold winters here. so days can get a bit brisk, but other than that they are quite nice. I basically use summer doonas all year round... though, 20 minutes away you will freeze your arse off and be cursing winter to hell and back.

I should mention I'm just bitching and complaining... up here in Sunny Queensland we don't have it anywhere near as bad as some of the other parts of Australia at the moment they're already topping well into the 40°... closer to the 50°... Now that would totally suck and they were out playing test cricket in 47° C heat... then by 6 that night it had dropped to 27°━crazy if you ask me. No wonder people are getting sick.

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.