Hello, Russia!

I get a lot of page views from Russia. I have no idea who or why. Spam bots? Who knows! But I thought I would recognize that country anyway, since they seem to stop by a lot.

One of these days I will feature a Russian vampire in one of my books. I’ve got notes and phrases written down, as well as character names (heck, Alexi Popolov is mentioned in Blind Temptation). That story will most likely end up being the last of the Bitten by Love books, so I’m a ways from doing that.

Right now I’m focusing on finishing Ghostly Interlude and then wonder… should there be a book 3 in that series? I really have NO IDEA what it would be based on. I’m hoping it comes to me during revisions. Book 2 did during revisions of Book 1 in that series, so I have hope. And if I don’t come up with something, I have my alien series to think about, too. I really would like to have a second book started in that series before I go looking for an agent. Again… IDEA.

Sometimes I think I fried my brain.

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I think the weather is supposed to warm up here—in the 50s!!

So… What are your plans for the weekend? Besides a hair appointment, it’ll be fairly quiet. I won’t know what to do with myself!

Stacy

I’m Still Reading—Honest

While I can’t talk about what I’m reading at the moment, doesn’t mean I’m not reading. I’ve got seven books to read, and I’ve already finished two. My Goodreads goal will be all screwed up until sometime in July, when I can record these books as read.

But just because I can’t talk about what I’m reading, doesn’t mean I can’t talk about books. Like the books I’ve recently purchased. Seems I have this disease. A book-buying disease. And the thing is, there are more books I want to purchase.

You see… I need, yes NEED, #5-13 of the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian. Purchasing them on line would only get me free shipping, but buying them in the store would get me 10% off. On Saturday I was at a Barnes and Noble and as luck would have it, they didn’t have the books (they’re published by Dell, so I really thought they might). Means I’ll have to buy them on line, once I get a coupon. Lots of coupons, actually. Good thing I’m in no hurry to read these. But once I start, I don’t want to stop. I get that way with series sometimes, and I have a feeling I will with this one. The first three were great and #4 is sitting in my pile, waiting for me to read it. Now I think I’ll wait until I get the rest. Why torture myself?

I’m also in the middle of reading Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series. Received the next two books on the same day I received those books I can’t talk about. And today I discovered a new vampire romance series by Kristen Painter and the first book was free (digital version). Yep, I got it. At least that series is new. If I get hooked, I won’t have a bunch to purchase. Of course, by the time I get to that free one, who knows how many there will be?

In the meantime, I’m reading. And reading, and reading, and reading. Oh yeah, I’m writing, too. Almost finished polishing A Vampire Wedding. I expect to send that to my editor today (**fingers crossed**). Then it’ll be back to work on Ghostly Interlude. I said I would finish the edits by the end of March. Gotta stick to the plan!

So… Do you have this book-buying disease, too? I really don’t see how I’ll ever read everything I have. But I’ll certainly have fun trying!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

What a Weekend—I’m Beat

You know, being the treasurer of a RWA Chapter can be time consuming work. Especially when I had to set up a brand new Quickbooks account, which included creating a chart of accounts and linking it to all the bank and paypal accounts. I couldn’t believe how long it took me to do all that, but I have a feeling it’ll make the job a heck of a lot easier down the road. I sure hope so, anyway. I don’t want to go through all that again!

One thing though… When you make a mistake (like entering the wrong beginning balance of the checking account—and I thought I had been so careful), you can sure learn a lot about the software as you figure out how to correct it!

I’m really grateful I was able to even work on Quickbooks Sunday. That’s because on Saturday my laptop went kerbluey. Did you know an alarm sounds when it has trouble with the hard drive? Yeah, I didn’t either. I first thought we were having a weather emergency!

I wrote down all the codes and passwords listed on the screen (before it shut down) and gave it to my husband to sort out while I went down to Cincinnati and met with my writer group. Then I crossed my fingers that Hubby could fix my laptop.

It worked! He’s is the BEST. EVER. Spent over two hours on the phone with Dell and got all the drivers re-installed along with Windows 10. I was told it shouldn’t happen again, but then I didn’t think it should have happened in the first place! The computer is only a month old!

So, between Quickbooks and my writers’ meeting, I didn’t get any crocheting done. Boo hoo. L Maybe next weekend.

Hey, did I get my wish, or did I get my wish? I got my wish! Carolina and Denver are headed for the Super Bowl. I hope Carolina wins. I at least own something with their logo on it (a windbreaker I bought years ago, mainly because I liked the colors!)

So… How was your weekend? Hopefully less hectic than mine. Of course, if you live where the storm came through, you probably didn’t. Go ahead, you can gripe to me in the comments. I don’t mind!

Stacy

How Much Snow?

Okay, I’m ready for winter to be over already. And I’m not even living in the path of the blizzard that’s forecasted!

Thanks goodness.

But if you’re in the path, I wish you the best success: no power failures. Blizzards tend to mean heavy winds, right? And heavy winds wreak havoc on power lines. Not to mention what the weight of all that snow does. I hope you’re safe. I truly do.

We’re only expected to get about an inch and it’s supposed to start Friday afternoon. If it’s falling heavy by dinnertime, I might tell hubby to forget about going out. I can find something to cook, I’m sure.

Living on a cruise ship during the winter isn’t sounding so bad right about now, is it? I think I could do it. Sure beats shoveling snow.

So… What’s the most snow you’ve seen at one time? Or maybe, where’s the most snow you’ve seen at one time? I lived in Alaska for a few years, but the most snow I saw at one time was when we were living in New Jersey (1982-1987). It had to be over a foot of snow. I remember Alex, our cat, jumping into the yard and disappearing! Yes, he was a strange cat.

Stay warm!

Stacy

The Last Wednesday Reads for a Few Weeks

Three books finished this week. Okay, one was a novella. That’s what happens when you read a series and the author throws them in (or starts with them). Heck, I’m doing the same thing with A Vampire Wedding. Here’s what I read this week:

Jan 13: “Reflected in You” by Sylvia Day, second book in the Crossfire series, an erotica at 338 pages. Blurb from book: Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest pleasures. I couldn’t stay away. I didn’t want to. He was my addiction…my every desire…mine. My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful…except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession… I do not know what it is about this series that has captivated me so. These characters are so messed up! And yet, I have to know how they’ll work it all out. There appears to be two more in this series (so far). I’ve already ordered them. Yeah, I’m hooked.

Jan 16: “Maximum Exposure” by Allison Brennan, #0.5 in the Max Revere series, a mystery/suspense novella at 83 pages. Blurb from Barnes & Noble: In this thrilling story, New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan introduces tough-as-nails investigative reporter Maxine Revere, the compelling feature character of Notorious, Brennan's exciting new series debut available in hardcover March 25, 2014. Two years before the events in Notorious, Max travels to Colorado Springs to investigate the disappearance of a college student. Frustrated over the lack of interest from both friends of the victim and campus authorities, Max tags along with the leader of search and rescue and his dog through the beautiful and deadly Rocky Mountains in the hopes of finding answers. Every answer she finds leads to more questions—questions neither the police nor the college want Max asking. This is my first taste of this series (this novella was written after the first one as a prequel/backstory kind of thing). I like it. Guess I’ll be reading the rest, now. J

Jan 19: “The Dirt on Ninth Grave” by Darynda Jones, the ninth book in the Charley Davidson series, an urban fantasy at 326 pages. Blurb from book: In a small village in New York, Charley Davidson is living as Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she was or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she’s more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her, things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon she senses something far darker: a force that wants to cause her harm. She is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and whose touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around… But no one can outrun their past, and as more lies swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a rottweiler. But that doesn’t help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she’s lost. That is something that will take all her courage and touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him, that devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her…or him. Either way. I do so love this series and this book just made it better. Can’t wait for the next one. Thank goodness I only have to wait 5 months!

This will most likely be the last of my Wednesday reads for awhile. I’ve got some judging to do (on seven books, so I’m being generous saying that I’ll get them done in a few weeks—it could be longer!) and can’t report on any of it until much later. Gosh, I don’t know what I’ll do on Wednesdays, though. I struggle enough on Mondays and Fridays! Got any suggestions?

Snow is forecasted for the morning commute, so I doubt I make it to the fitness center (my one legitimate excuse that doesn’t involve illness or injury: if it’s snowing, I ain’t going). I’d only be walking on the treadmill anyway, so I’m not missing out on my weight routine. I’m doing well with the walking, though. Back up to 3mph and a little over 2 miles a day. My knee feels fine and my foot feels fine. I swear, it seems like a miracle!

So… Even with the freezing temps and snow on the ground, I’m still finding stink bugs in my house. What a pain. What’s being a pain in your tookus right now?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

P.S. As I posted this, I realized what day it is! 40 years ago today I was sworn into the U.S. Army. It's the day that changed my life and put me on the path to my Hubby. Very glad I made that decision.

Rust City Book Con and My Novella

Live near the Detroit area? Then check out the Rust City Book Con. It’s being held August 12-14, 2016 in Troy, Michigan. This is their first year and I couldn’t resist giving it a go.

That’s right… I signed up for another convention. That makes three (four if you count Dragon*Con, although I’m not there as an author—yet). This one is different, since it’s not a book convention for just romance writers. Lots of genres are welcome. I hope it becomes a big success. It would be nice to have another convention not too far from home. Plus, I wouldn’t mind being seen by more people.

I’m in the process of getting a cover done for A Vampire Wedding. I found an awesome photo, but not sure if I’ll be able to use it. I hope I can. It kind of fits the story.

Not that my story is done (**heavy sigh**). My daughter read it and had some issues with a couple of things so that means I have to rethink some scenes. Not what I was hoping for.

Hey, but did I mention I found an awesome photo for the cover? Keeping fingers crossed I can use it. I’ll be so…so disappointed if I can’t.

This week is free from appointments. Yay! I must buckle down and get to work (I am so far behind). Probably should start with the novella.

Football season is pretty much over for me. Steelers lost last night (boo hoo) in a close game. I still have the Carolina Panthers to root for and I’m hoping it’s them and Denver in the Super Bowl. I do NOT want the Patriots in it again. Ugh!

So… Did you have a productive weekend? Or was it filled with naps? Saturday was busy for me (RWA Chapter meeting in Columbus), but Sunday was nice and quiet. Almost finished crocheting one potholder. Still have to embroider my name on the back piece before I stitch them together, but hopefully I’ll have a picture for you next week (I try to be good and only work on my crochet projects on the weekend).

Have a great Monday!

 

Stacy

This Week Sucked

This week sucked…exercise-wise.

Tuesday it was snowing. No exercise.

Yesterday I had a medical procedure at 9:00am (had to leave at 8:00am). No exercise.

Today I am still recovering (yeah, I’m all right, but I was told to avoid lifting anything over 10 lbs). No exercise.

At least I exercised on Monday and Wednesday. I must make an enormous effort this Monday to get up early and go to the fitness center. These excuses, while valid, can snowball into invalid excuses. I know. I’ve done it many times before.

But… good news! My foot doesn’t hurt near as much as it did last week. I can walk on the treadmill again. I haven’t been able to do much, but what little I did do, didn’t come back to bite me in the foot! J Hopefully I can get my speed back up to 3mph (or better) next week. **fingers crossed**

This week sucked…writing-wise.

Due to appointments and errands, I’m behind in my writing. Figures, huh? On the upside, I am reading more. Helps pass the time while waiting for those appointments (or standing in line at the post office!). I really hate having so many appointments and errands in one week. Really messes up my routine. Not that I have much of one. J

So… If your routine gets interrupted, can you put it back on track, or do you let it derail for the rest of the day? I let it derail. I really shouldn’t, but old habits really are hard to break.

Here’s to a weekend I hope DOESN’T suck (Go Steelers! Go Penguins!).

 

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and a Snowy Excuse

Hmmm… I’m finishing a book every 5 days. At that rate I’ll only get 73 books read this year. Maybe I should have rethought that goal. Oh well, too late now! Here’s what I read this week:

Jan 10: “Cutting Edge” by Allison Brennan, third book in the FBI trilogy, a romantic suspense at 405 pages. Blurb from book: When security specialist Duke Rogan’s state-of-the-art computer system fails at a controversial bio-tech firm, a raging inferno is ignited and a grotesquely charred body is discovered in the aftermath. With an extremist anti-technology group claiming responsibility, the case grows even more complex when the victim’s autopsy unexpectedly reveals that he bled to death. Heading the FBI’s domestic terrorism unit, Agent Nora English is fiercely determined to track and stop a sadistic assassin. To ferret out the truth, Duke joins forces with the Feds, despite Nora’s objections. But neither can deny how well they work together as a team—or that the static between them has turned to sparks. As pressure builds, the case abruptly turns personal as a cunning killer targets Nora. She will have to trust her deepest instincts—and take the ultimate risk—for the people she loves and the justice she believes in. Suspense and romance. I’m such a junkie. Or maybe it's just her books. Regardless, I loved it. 

It snowed here yesterday. About two inches. It was enough that I actually had to shovel the driveway, which ended up being my only exercise for the day (oh, and shivering while shoveling—it was so windy and cold out there!). You see, I have decided that falling snow is a valid excuse not to go to the fitness center.

 

Rain is not a valid excuse. Cold weather is not a valid excuse. Snow on the ground is not a valid excuse. But if it’s currently falling from the sky, it is. Why risk an accident? Because I don’t know how it is in your neck of the woods, but our streets usually don’t get plowed until the storm is almost finished. Especially my street (I live on a cul-de-sac).

And yes, I could have exercised later, except I don’t like exercising in the afternoon. That’s my writing time (or I should say, that’s when my creativity comes alive). I could also exercise at home, but if I did that to begin with, then I never would have joined the fitness center. I need to just win the PowerBall so hubby and I can move to a condo that has a fitness center (and if they didn’t have all the equipment I wanted, I’d donate the rest). Then I’d never have to worry about the weather!

Then again, we could just move somewhere warmer for the winter. Hmmm…

So… What type of books are you a junkie about? And did you play the PowerBall?

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

Convention Prizes, My Laptop, and a Book Sale

Hey, look at this! I remembered Monday follows Sunday and got something posted! J

Woke up to snow yesterday. And wind. And cold. I hate winter, but have set 4 books in that season. Guess it makes good conflict for my characters. I certainly don’t mind tormenting them with lousy weather!

It’s official – I will be attending the Reader/Author Get Together (RAGT) this June in West Chester, Ohio. I’ll be co-sponsoring a Thursday pre-con boardroom with authors Teri Anne Stanley, Meg Cooper, and Eden Ashe. Of course, sponsoring means swag and prizes. I ordered these mugs to giveaway (one for the boardroom, one for the gift basket I’ll donate). Aren’t they the coolest?

 

I like them so much I’ll probably get some for RomCon (Denver convention 9/30-10/1). I need a basket to giveaway there, too.

I’m also crocheting some pot holders for RAGT that say READ MORE BOOKS (I’ll take a picture when I finish one). I’ll make as many as I can, they may come in handy for RomCon, too. Or any kind of giveaway! Especially if I can get my name on it easily. I’m hoping I can stich it on the back. Gotta have my name on them somewhere!

Since I had the camera out to take pics of my mugs, thought I’d take one of Big Red, too. Isn’t he pretty?

 

Dell kept bugging me to review my new laptop. Since I’m sure they couldn’t care less that I love the color the best (or maybe they do care), I only gave the laptop 4 out of 5 stars. There’s some goofy stuff happening and I don’t know if it’s the laptop or Windows 10. I do also love my back lit keyboard and made sure to mention that.

I also said I wasn’t a techy or gamer, that I was just a writer and it worked fine for that. And it does.

Hey—in case anyone is interested, the e-book of Bite Me, I’m Yours is on sale at Amazon, Kobo, and iBooks for $1.99 (you can find buy links on my website HERE). Don’t know how long the sale will last (or if B&N will eventually have it). I just stumbled across it.

Saturday night's football game was nerve wracking. I was so sure the Steelers were going to lose. So glad the Bengals played stupidly. Next up—Denver on Sunday. Whoo hoo!

So…Do you like being bugged to review (cause if you do, I can bug you—haha!)? Dell did it. Windows 10 did it. These weren’t e-mails, but pop ups on my screen. So annoying! I was tempted to review low. Oh wait… I did on Windows 10. Then again, I’m not a fan.

Have a great Monday. Hope no one or nothing bugs you!

Stacy

It's Friday Already?

Well…so it is. How’d that happen? And why do I keep forgetting Friday follows Thursday? You’d think I’d know that by now. Haha! J

Not much going on, which is good. Means I’m writing (and I am). However, I do have a funny story to share.

Last weekend hubby and I bought another large storage container (50 gal) for the new Christmas tree. We figured since the new tree is bigger, we’d need to store it in two containers instead of the one we had (for the old tree). And we were right. Sort of.

Last night he helped me dismantle the tree. Got the top and middle section in one box (with a little pushing), but then we put the bottom part in the second box. Or I should say we TRIED to put the bottom part in the second box. It’s too long. And not by a little, either. More like by 10”! Here’s a picture:

Talk about PPPP (Piss Poor Prior Planning). That’ll teach us to throw out the box the tree came in.

We searched the internet and couldn’t find any affordable containers that were long enough to hold the bottom part of the tree. Since only the rod is sticking out, I told hubby that maybe he should just cut a notch on the lid and it just sticks out (and then I would wrap it in a towel or bag or something to keep it clean/dust-free). He liked that idea.

So… Have you ever made a colossal goof like that? Really, I never even THOUGHT about measuring the bottom part of the tree before buying it. If I had known it wouldn’t fit in our box, I probably wouldn’t have bought it. Sheesh!

Have a great Friday! Hopefully the weekend doesn’t just fly by. J Oh, and Go Steelers!

 

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and a Foot Update

A new year and a new goal. I decided to go with 93 as my reading goal. I’ll try to make sure my average page count goes up, too. Unless I get desperate there at the end, then…forget it! J Here’s what I read this week:

Jan 5: “Fatal Secrets” by Allison Brennan, second book in the FBI trilogy, a romantic suspense at 428 pages. Blurb from book: When a top lieutenant in a notorious ring of human traffickers agrees to turn state’s evidence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement senior agent Sonia Knight believe she’ll finally take down the illegal operation’s devilish mastermind, Xavier Jones. But when an FIB sting on Jones’s criminal enterprise collides with an ICE stakeout, Sonia is enraged: Her informant’s life and her evidence are in grave jeopardy. FBI agent Dean Hooper has been chasing Jones for years on money-laundering and tax-evasion charges and doesn’t need or want a hot-headed ICE agent second-guessing his every move. When the Bureau is ordered to join forces with ICE, Sonia is just as livid: Her job is to save lives, not money. But their team effort pays off as fierce mutual resentment fades and passion flares—along with risk. For Jones is just one piece of a deprave puzzle, answering to an even more dangerous predator. Denied his expected prey, this pitiless fiend intends to make Sonia and Dean pay with their own blood. I stayed on the bike until I finished this (I had about 30-some pages left to read at the time), which should tell you something since I hate riding that thing! I was a little worried at the beginning of this book, thinking this would be an “I-hate-you-I love-you” kind of couple, but it wasn’t. Yeah, there’s some friction at the beginning, but only because they don’t know one another, so no hate involved. Yay! (I really don’t like couples who hate each other in the beginning. Annoyed is okay, but not hate. Hate is very hard to overcome. I don’t care who you are). There’s also lots of suspense in this. Really, the perfect read for me (as her other books have been, too).

So far my foot is on the mend; it’s getting easier to walk on it. I’ve been riding the bike as a warm up to my exercises and I may stick to that all week just to be on the safe side. Plus, I’ve been doing the strengthening exercises the physical therapist said I should do.

I’ve been surprised that the fitness center hasn’t been all that busy this week. Of course, I get there at 6:30am. It’s probably packed after 5:00pm. So glad I can go in the morning.

So… Have you taken down your holiday decorations yet? Mine are still up. Maybe I’ll get to it today since I doubt I get any writing done anyway. I have to take a trip to Springfield to meet the former treasurer of COFW (Central Ohio Fiction Writers—a local chapter of RWA) so she can pass on the responsibilities. Yep. I’m the new treasurer. J

Happy Reading!

Stacy

I’m Sick and Tired of Getting Hurt!!

Two weeks ago, I went to the physical therapist and was given some exercises to do to strengthen my knee. On Wednesday I went there for a follow-up and was given additional exercises. By Wednesday evening, I had trouble walking on my left foot. Really? I expected if I was to have ANY pain, it would be in my knee!! I have absolutely no idea what I did to my foot, either.

Why? Why? Why? I’m trying so hard NOT to get hurt. I just don’t understand. I swear, I feel doomed to exercise.

I think I might have plantar fasciitis, except the pain is on the back of my heel and it hurts the most when I’m lifting/bending the foot while walking (I’ve had plantar fasciitis before, but the pain was on the ball of my foot and hurt when I put pressure ON it). By Sunday evening it was getting a little better, but I have a feeling I’ll be warming up on the bike this morning before my exercise routine. I will exercise, though. I work on the upper body on Mondays. Maybe by Tuesday I’ll be able to work on the legs without much (or any) pain.

I can only hope. This is such a hard time of year for me to exercise anyway. I have a feeling the fitness center will be busy (all those New Year’s resolutions), which tends to keep me away. But I want to overcome that. Then there’s the winter weather. It hasn’t snowed yet, but I tend to not go when it does. I want to overcome that, too.

Injuries, though… How can I overcome that? Especially when I don’t feel like I did anything to hurt myself. Ugh.

On a happy note, I finished watching “Gotham” on Saturday. I really enjoyed Season 1. Don’t know when I’ll get to Season 2, but it’s on the DVR waiting to be watched. I may watch it with my daughter, since Hubby starts teaching on Thursday nights again next week. But if she’d rather watch “Supernatural” (we’re on Season 9—and I got her Season 10 for Christmas), then I’ll just watch them on my own. Editing will come first though. It has to! I have a deadline to meet.

So… Are you sad you have to go back to work today? I’m not. I’m actually looking forward to getting back into Ghostly Interlude. I love my job! J

Enjoy!

Stacy

2015 Writing Stats

Happy New Year!

This is posted later than usual because I’m actually writing it today. I guess this is what happens when you binge-watch a television series. Two more episodes of Gotham to go and my life can go back to normal. Whatever normal is nowadays. J

I’m looking forward to getting back into Ghostly Interlude, which is a good feeling. Those characters are talking to me again. I just hope I don’t take forever to add meat to this project. So maybe I should set a goal. That’s what New Year’s is all about, right? Setting goals and trying to keep them? So here’s one (I’ll have to come up with more, but that’s for another time): Finish Ghostly Interlude by March 1. That’s two months. Two months with no holidays and no vacations. Now that I’ve put the goal in writing, let’s see how I do.

I’m fairly confident I will succeed. Why? Because despite all that stuff with my heart messing with my head, 2015 was a good writing year for me—word-count-wise, anyway. I keep track of my writing on an Excel spreadsheet (I do love Excel—guess there will always be an accountant in me!) and have been since 2011. If I had known when I started writing that it would be my life—that I would end up writing several novels—I would have started keeping track then. But we never know what will impact us until it does, right?

Anyway, on with the stats!

Words Written (these numbers are from first drafts):

• 2011: 121,972
• 2012: 84,797
• 2013: 53,334
• 2014: 60,653
• 2015: 76,653

I’m still kind of amazed that my writing went down the year I lost my job (2012). Didn’t mean I wasn’t writing. Unfortunately, revising/editing doesn’t show the amount of time I spend on a project.

Words Adjusted (these numbers reflect revising/editing):

• 2011: 8,388
• 2012: 17,489
• 2013: -7,929
• 2014: 12,441
• 2015: 4,479

2013 was a traumatic year for me—writing-wise. A negative number! I had to cut out pages of a project that was written before I kept track (so it doesn’t really reflect the words I had written the year before). It also shows why I didn’t write as much fresh stuff—too busy editing. I have thought about keeping track of my time, but that would feel like way too much work and even though writing is my job, I like the fact it doesn’t FEEL like a job. You know?

I could list how many days I spent on each project—the information is there—but that’s too much work for me to do now (maybe later, when I get stuck on a project—it’s certainly doable).

 

Blog (yep, I even keep track of what I write on this blog):

• 2011: 31,816
• 2012: 50,897
• 2013: 64,929
• 2014: 60,131
• 2015: 65,906

Some of these numbers are kind of skewed, since it also includes the blurbs for those books I’ve read. Still, it shows that I’ve stuck with this blog no matter what. Kind of impressed myself there!

First Draft Projects:

• 2011: Finished Book 3 in March. Started Book 4 in April
• 2012: Finished Book 4 in January. Started Book 5 in April. Finished Book 5 in October.
• 2013: Started Book 6 in April
• 2014: Finished Book 6 in February. Started Book 7 in March.
• 2015: Finished Book 7 in August. Started Novella in August. Finished Novella in December.

I do know, based on this data, that when I’ve got projects to edit, I don’t do much first draft writing. 2013 showed me that. Now, 2013 was a very GOOD year. That was the year I got my first publishing contract. It just wasn’t a good year for first draft writing (same with 2014). Somehow I’m going to have to figure out a way to do both, especially if I want to get books finished SOONER.

Let’s see if I can get Ghostly Interlude ready by March 1. Because I do love starting new projects in April (Books 1, 4, 5, & 6 did).

So… How was your New Year’s Eve? Had a wonderful dinner at our friend’s and then sat around and watched Michigan State get blown away. Bugger. I had hoped differently. I don’t really care for the two teams remaining, so I doubt I watch the championship game. Today at 1pm is OSU and Notre Dame. Go Bucks!

Have a great Friday!

Stacy