Goals and getting stuff done

Wow. I can’t believe it’s already almost March.

I want to say where did the last two months go?

The good news is I finished up this semester’s classes last week (two A’s by the way , and I’m ready to transfer to the University to finish off my Bachelors of Education, secondary, with a Minor in English. *Talk about a mouthful, LOL.

My first independent release is on schedule for a release date of April 13th. Yup, it’s a Friday the 13th, which is perfect for me.

I’m over halfway done with book 2 in the series as well.

So, even though for the most part I don’t feel like I’ve been productive this year, if I look at everything I have accomplished, it’s not too shabby.

I think sometimes, we look at everything we need to get done and are overwhelmed, so that at the end of the day/week/month, the things we didn’t finish glare at us. It can make seeing what we did get done hard.

So this Leap Year, if you’re feeling a bit frustrated like I’ve been when looking at your to-do list, stop.

Think about everything you have done.

Not only has my writing been more productive then I’d thought, I’ve taken my kids to see a couple movies, we’ve had game nights, and just this past weekend, since the weather was so nice, we had a Pizza picnic in the park and fed the ducks some bread.

Hmm, maybe I’ve been super-productive

Take care and happy Leap Day, ya’ll

Dragon Mama

Also, don’t forget to stop by my personal blog tomorrow for a fabulous BlogHop with lots of goodies and prizes!

When Did She…?

When did she turn into…The Babysitter From @#$#%$%^ Another World

I watched my 12 year-old granddaughter yesterday when the kids dropped by for a sleep over and couldn’t believe my eyes and ears.

I’m the middle child, therefore I was never left in charge, and man, am I glad . That job must be an absolute nightmare. I say this because my granddaughter was not the sweet kid that I always thought she was. No. She takes on the position of Head Child to the all time High! She becomes my sister. My oldest sibling. My initiator of horror. When she held the reins it was no longer a fun day. Just ask my brothers. One before me, and ‘the baby’. (We all feel the same way)

I remember some rather life-threatening situations that, conveniently is forgotten when reminisced about. The broken window, the metal stilts, the lists of ‘no way in this lifetime did I do that,” made up lies to report to the parents upon their return. In fact, I recall believing that I was amazing when hearing what I, or my brothers had accomplished while the folks were gone. Oh yeah, it was impressive but has left us…distanced. I kept everything going on in my life so far from her’s that it’s a little sad. But, you don’t talk to someone who rearranges things to her way.

Watching my once sweet granddaughter direct her younger siblings on everything from no treats to get out of my face tore my heart. According to her, it’s because she’s always left in charge of them and sometimes,  just wants to do her own thing. Understandable for sure. Why do we take advantage of our older children? I wouldn’t have minded my sister be a sister and less of a warden.

I hate seeing her life going in this direction. I also hurt to watch the relationship between her and her brothers deteriorate. But, there’s nothing this grandma can do except, remind her that “Grandma’s house is different from hers. In my house, it’s my rules and I take over as ‘watch dog,’ she’s free to ‘do what she wants to do.’ She actually looked at me and said, “It’s habit, grandma, I do it so often that I guess I can’t stop.” What a shame.

But, she’ll make a fantastic character in my next young adult, cause everyone has one and can relate.

Until next Sunday remember, Characters come from observation.

Grandmama Doree.

 

BUBBLY ANNOUCEMENTS

Celebrating

DEADLY OBESSION, the first in the Deadly Vices series, by Kristine Cayne has earned 4 1/2 stars and a Top Pick review. “Stock up on ice cubes because this is definitely one sizzling debut. Readers will be hooked from the first sentence!” Congrats Kristine! Check it out at http://www.kristinecayne.com 

LORD LOGIC AND THE WEDDING WISH, The Regency Matchmaker Series, by Melynda Beth Andrews is #2 on the Amazon Regency Bestseller list. Way to go Melynda! Take a peek at http://melyndabethandrews.com 

Wonderful cover for A WALTZ AT MIDNIGHT by Crista Mchugh. Check it out at www.cristamchugh.com 

CHARMING THE SHREW, the second book in The Legacy of MacLeod series, by Laurin Wittig has reached #2 on the Kindle Top 100 Historical Romance list. Congrats Laurin! For all the latest information visit http://laurinwittig.com 

SIXPENCE BRIDE by Virginia Farmer is #29 on the Kindle time travel romance list! Way to go Virginia! Take a peek at www.virginia-farmer.com  

IN HER SIGHTS by Robin Perini is rated a Top Pick by The Romance Reader. Congrats Robin! Check it out at www.robinperini.com 

THE SINNER by Margaret Mallory has a 4 1/2 book ratting from Long & Short Reviews. “The hero and the heroine’s love shimmers and sizzles with scenes that make the heart sing and sigh with satisfaction. The Sinner is a keeper-a captivating read!” For more, visit http://t.co/wMyATvH7 

SOLD, SPEIDER THE ‘E’ IS SILENT, by Susan Wingate. Congrats Susan! Check it out at http://susanwingate.com 

SOLD, ONE EVERGREEN NIGHT by Debby Lee. Way to go Debby! Check it out at booksbydebbylee.com

 SHADED VISION by Yasmine Galenorn hit #16 on the NYT Best Sellers list! Way to go Yasmine! For more information visit http://www.galenorn.com 

BO DOESN’T KNOW by Christine Fairchild is out now. Happy Release Christine! “It’s a work of love, a photo story about his time living with cancer and the silly changes his humans made to help him”! How cool is that? Check it out at http://www.amazon.com/Bo-Doesnt-Know-ebook/dp/B007A53PKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329712144&sr=8-1). 

Fabulous cover for DARKNESS UNDONE, Marked Souls 4, by Jessa Slade. Congrats Jessa! Take a peek at http://jessaslade.com 

HIS UNEXPECTED and SEX ON THE SLOPES by Susan Lyons are both up for Best Book of 2011 at Long and Short Reviews. Way to go Susan! Take a peek at http://www.longandshortreviews.com/promo.htm 

DROWNING by Susan Wingate hit number 1 on the Amazon Bestseller list in Contemporary Fiction. Congrats Susan. You can check it out at http://www.amazon.com/Drowning-Winger-Family-Drama-ebook/dp/B004YTFE2M/ref=sr_1_\ 

THE MARRIAGE SCHEME by Karen Harbaugh is out now. Happy Release Karen! Take a peek at http://tinyurl.com/83k3zyn 

Gorgeous cover for RIDERS ON THE STORM, book two in the Tsunami Blue series, by Gayle Williams. Yaaaaay Gayle! Take a peek at www.gayleannwilliams.com 

Beautiful cover for DELIVER the MOON by Rebecca J Clark. Congrats Rebecca! Take a peek at www.RebeccaJClark.com 

Love much, laugh often, live well,

Swan Mama signing off

Being right is exhausting

I’ve got my thoughts on politics. Lots of them actually. I’ve got tons of opinions on moral code and what ideals should be embraced to make a human being happy.

And holy freaking smokes so do other people!

The latest barrage of politics and moral code has come at a raging shout. Anyone else’s ears ringing? I absolutely do not care where you land on the politics and arguments of today and I won’t share mine here, but overall, have you noticed the full on shout?

One thing is for sure. No one is listening. Not on either side. If you open your ears and eyes, any rational person can see positive and negative aspects of every side. For the most part I think everyone has a solid reason to believe as they do, but the trend right now is to talk louder when another person is sharing those ideas.

The talking over one another thing leads to people picking one line in their rhetoric and then belting it out over and over.

Friendships are being tested, friends are being unfriended, hard feelings are errupting because instead of listening to each other, but still disagreeing (it’s okay not to believe and act the same way as someone with a different set of values as long as there’s no intentional abuse or neglect) people are simply yelling their belief, closing their mind to the oposition and then labeling the other side ‘evil’ ‘wrong’ and ‘stupid’.

This isn’t one sided. It’s obvious in the state of things right now, people are unhappy, they feel like they have little control of their lives and therefore, they are hanging onto the things they can control–their opinions.

So, I’d never tell you what to believe or how to act, but I will say this. If you want to share your opinion, be willing to LISTEN to another person’s opinion and reasoning. Listening does not mean you have to change your mind, but it shows a level of respect and hell, you might learn something. You might see something from a different perspective or see a different solution to a pressing problem. Or that person you’re speaking to might have a change in their life thanks to your thoughtful story.

Whew…and that’s as close to a political rant you’re going to get from me!

Lots of Love,

Gnome Mama

aka Stephanie Beck

Another Battle With My Nemesis!!

Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain

 

As a writer, I come across the need to master my courage every day. For me, writing is a challenge. A huge dare to see if I can extricate the ideas from my brain and deposit them onto the paper… or in most cases, the computer screen.  I’m serious! The words flow so effortlessly in that gray matter occupying my head. The conflicts are spellbinding, the dialogue… sparkling and the description… a picture painted with vivid detail. But when I get down to transferring them all to written form…something gets lost in the translation.

 

Deep Groan.

 

Why does this happen to me?             Never mind, I know why. If you’ve read my blogs, you’ve heard me mention the reason time and again. It’s simple, I live in… Ta Da… Writing Fear! As I write this blog, I find I continue to glance at the quote at the top of the page. Do you know what occurs to me? I haven’t mastered my fear yet. I’ve tried! I’ve written my fears down on paper and the solutions, and it’s helped. I’ve named my internal editor and on occasion, I yell for him to simmer down, and that’s helped. And I like to blog about my fears. Blogging helps me because I have to sit and think about the reasons for my fear. All of these kinds of activities have helped me write through my fear. But by no means have I overcome it. But I’m going to have to show fear who the real boss is in this relationship if I want to move forward, right?

 

So what do I do?  Let’s take Twain’s quote and examine it…

 “Courage is the resistance of fear…”   Okay. Good. I can do that! There are plenty of things I resist simply because I’d rather do something else.  Housework is a great example! I clean the kitchen, dust and vacuum, sure. But instead of getting it all finished first thing in the morning so I can write the rest of the day, I check my e-mails, read the news on the web and look over my writing from yesterday.  Oh, I also text my sister. I have to see how she’s doing, right?  Soon, its mid-to-late morning, I’ve procrastinated enough and there’s no reason for me to dawdle. Why can’t I put my doubts aside and worry about them later? If it works for cleaning the house, it will work for “writing fear” as well.

 

“…the mastery of fear…”                  Hmmm. I stared at those words for a long time before I came up with a solution for how to begin to master fear. I believe part of the answer lies in having the courage to put substandard words on paper and leaving them alone! I am a pro at sitting at the screen in a stupor as I stare at the words and wonder… “What am I really trying to say?” I swear, I work and re-work and re-work a scene until I can say. “I did it!”Enough already!  Get the words on the paper and move on!!!

                                   

“… not absence of fear.”                    Perfect! I nailed that one!

 

Now I’m going to look at his quote one more time… “Courage is resistance of fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” When you put his quote together, along with my answers you’ll find that it’s a r-e-a-l-l-y nice way to say… “Buttinchair hands on keyboards… Now!”

 

A funny coincidence happened this morning as this blog rolled around in my head. I turned to a page 63 of Meditations From The Road and found this quote…

 

 “The unceasing practice of discipline leads to mastery”

 M. Scott Peck, M.D. The Road Less Traveled

Guess I better get at it, huh? I left my hero in a small town… he’s about to get knocked off his high horse. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do about it!

Until Next Week,

Blazen Mama

Play Date with Author Michael Combe

Please welcome author Michael Combe to Plot Mamas today.

Moon Flower: Book 1 of the Convergence Series.  It’s like Al Queda… with dragons.

While serving in the United States Marine Corps, I was involved in an anti-terrorist mission where we were assigned to bring down a high-level terrorist.  I was fortunate enough to assist in the planning of the operation.  Although the operation was aborted at the last minute (aborted by the Commander-in-Chief, no less), I always felt that the event would make a great story.

Small problem: the details of the event were, of course, highly classified–which means that they were all over the news within two weeks.  However, because of my involvement, I had signed a non-disclosure agreement saying I would not reveal that the operation even took place, aborted or not.  Keeping to my agreement, I changed some of the names, locations and circumstances and wrote… a really boring story.

So, I made further modifications, put the event in a fantasy world and thus The Convergence Series was born.  The series will be five volumes all centered on a single event: The Convergence.  I won’t describe the event because that might give away too much, but imagine the Twin Towers bombing on a global level.

I am probably having too much fun writing the series.

Luckily, I have some connections with Mountainland Publishing in Ogden, Utah and they agreed to publish my book.  Their team of designers created a beautifully colored cover for my book and I am very fortunate to have had this relationship with Mountainland.

I believe that establishing connections with publishers and editors is important for any aspiring author.  It allows an “in” to the publishing world that you would not ever have otherwise.  Most publishers, truthfully, rarely publish a book they received from a cold query letter.  Most books are published after several weeks, months, years of developing and maintaining relationships with editors and agents.

If I could offer any advice to new and aspiring authors, it would be to cultivate these relationships now.  They will only help you when your book is finished.

And if your book is already finished, keep writing.  AND start to cultivate relationships with editors and agents.

Moon Flower: Book 1 of the Convergence Series is available in paperback and Kindle.  Currently, Mountainland is planning to release three more installments of The Convergence Series in 2012.  Check out my website at http://www.michaelcombe.com for more information about these releases.