We Can All Stop Looking...

I finally found that amazingly safe place I stashed my plot drafts book for all my storylines.  I was so fricken lost without it. Not that I actually follow what I've written too closely, but at least it gives me a beginning and an end. It also gives me a loose transcript of how to get there. The rest is entirely up to me. (Yes... I know I write them both... the plotlines and the stories), but I never follow the scripts I set out, my characters always seem to have other ideas.

EXAMPLE #1: Way back when I started writing The Lines of Marsden 1: The Rules are Meant to be Broken all those years ago, it was going to be Michael and Christian all the way. Benj and Doyle had other plans though and demanded I change things, or at least they bribed Vlad (the keeper/manager of the carnage inside my head) to divert the storyline to their way of thinking, (he's so easily bought).

EXAMPLE #2: I want The Connelly Chronicles 3: Because of You to go one way, and the characters keep messing with the storyline and sending me off in a whole different direction completely. So at the moment, we are at a standoff. I really need to get this one done by the end of the year so I hope one of us give in soon. I dare say Nate and Dan will win, especially if GG and Girly have anything to say about it

EXAMPLE #3: The boys in Sons of Evenmore 3: Fear The Scarlet Moon have decided to throw the script completely out the window and write their own, and now I'm trying to steer them back to where I need them to be at the end of this current story, or the next one won't make any sense. I wonder if I'll manage it. Phoenix, Linkin, and Cooper are fighting me the whole way.

EXAMPLE #4: Shane from  The Connelly Chronicles wants me to stop writing him as a douchebag, and give him his own story so he can redeem himself and get his happily-ever-after. I keep telling him it's not as simple as that, but do you think he's listening. I secretly think Vlad is egging them all on. No wonder I have a migraine most days.

EXAMPLE #5: Don't even get me started on the previously released books that I need to find new homes for as some of them want me to change them completely and I'm not sure that is advisable two of the main contenders are The Diamond Rose 1: The Gateway to Kalethia... and The Freedomers 1: Zephania's Chance (in this one some characters are demanding I change their sex for the rewrite) I'll have to enquire about that one.

Healing Nicely...

In the beginning:

This is me just after getting my neck cut open and a small nodule removed. My neck is all swollen and stinging and really it was really hard to swallow. I could hardly talk the next day. Though, I did bust it open the day after I got it done, so that could also contribute to the whole not talking thing.

A week later:

I'm healing nicely. I'm pretty bruised and it's still tender to the touch. all my stitches are internal and will melt away they tell me━weird if you ask me. I can't wait for it to be healed completely as it is annoying as hell. It hasn't started to get itchy yet. You know that crazy itch you associate with healing. I know it's coming and I'm dreading it.

Another Gorgeous One...

Firstly, I want to thank the amazing Lex Valentine for her fantastic work. I absolutely love my cover for the next instalment in The Lines of Marsden series. Meet Doyle Kerwin... well, my version of him at least. Lex has captured him beautifully. I couldn't have asked for anything better. 

You can find more of Lex's awesome work here

Winterheart Designs

This is Me...

I've just finished galley proof edits on Admetus Gaea 1: The Gaean Prophecy and sent it back. Hopefully, I'll have a release date to share with you all soon.

I'm still doing NaNoWriMo... though due to the galley proofing, I'm a couple of days behind so now I have to play catch up to be able to finish Sons of Evenmore 3: Fear the Scarlet Moon, & start Wardens of the Guild 3: Heartstrings... Wish me luck.

I'm having both good days and bad days with my back. I now have an exercise plan in place. Though, I want to run through it with my doctor before I start in case I have the wrong ones. There were two lots on the rehabilitation site and I'm not sure which ones I'm meant to be doing.

I'm not in the path of the fire that is going on around my area, so for the moment I'm safe and so is my family that live around here. We might not be getting the fire, but we are getting tons of dust storms. Everything is covered in dust in my house, which means once the dust has finally blown away and settled down we'll all have to spring clean and wash/wipe out the whole house again. I only did this about a month ago when the last dust storm rolled through town.

Though I have to ask... why is it when my life is so hectic, we could almost call it out of control. New story ideas are trying to push their way to the forefront of my mind demanding attention? Don't they know I just need a little space to finish off the current WIPS for the year without starting something new?

Steam...

I'm not talking about the steaminess that happens in stories today. Though, to be honest we could probably spend a lifetime talking about that. Instead, I'm wanting to discuss food...

I've really been getting into steamed food. Steamed meats to be more precise. So far I have only done chicken, a rump roast, corned silverside, and today I'm trying a rolled pork. Though I'm not too sure about today's efforts as I'm not a huge lover of pork, Mum wanted to try it so here I am cooking it. So far everything we have steamed has been melt in your mouth moist and tender, way better than roasted. I was never a huge fan of roasted meats as I always thought they got too dried out. I think I've even converted my brother to steamed chicken.

The best part is I freeze the steaming water which I flavour with all the herbs and spices, and pull them out later to use as stock bases for stews and soups. So, its a win-win for me. I also thicken them and eat them with rice as a gravy. I'm not fussy. Well, I don't save the corned silverside one as that is basically a vinegar flavoured one but the rest are usually very delicious.

Since I have decided to eat healthier, my mind has been on food. Not that I really ate unhealthily before. More, I just ate the wrong things at the wrong time. I'm willing to try new things. Though it's hard with having thyroid problems as that messes with everything (I know way too much information) I think you will find 2020 will be the year where TMI will be a constant thing with me. I have some life goals I want to achieve, and you━my readers━are going to be my sounding boards to keep me on the straight and narrow so to speak. I can talk more about those as we step from this year into the next.

My cats (Oliver & Robson) must like the smell of the pork steaming as they seem to be hanging around the kitchen a lot today. Usually by this time they have found their sleeping spots and are content to sleep away the daylight hours until they can cause havoc all night by playing tag throughout the house and cat enclosure.

NaNoWriMo & Other Things...

◆Well as everyone knows NaNoWriMo started yesterday. So, not a good time to get sick. I came down with the same 72-hour virus that has been making its way through our house. Not fun at all. I had trouble adding my word count━basically, I had to delete my project and re-enter it so that I could get the word count button, so I add my words for each day. At least it's working now.

◆I think we have finally solved the whole no wardrobe situation at the kid's house. This weekend they are picking up the second-hand wardrobe sets that they bought 9 pieces for $315. It'll do the whole house.

◆I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. 2020 will be here before we know it. That gives me a little while to work out a plan for the next year. I have my writing plan set. I just need to get my life plan set out. I don't want to get to the end of next year and feel as worn out as I do this year━if that makes sense.

◆Though I am excited, my Tae-Bo DVD's finally arrived so I can get back into my exercising again. I don't know what happened to my last ones. They just seemed to disappear on me. I bet someone borrowed them and just never returned them to me. Typical! Once I stop being sick I will start getting back into it.

◆Man, I have a headache today. I'm hoping this is just a side symptom of the virus and not a lingering thing. I haven't had a bad headache/migraine since being on my migraine medication, and I don't want it to start all over again.

Cover Reveal

Done by the amazingly talented

Lex Valentine.