Camp NaNoWriMo Win!

Well today's April 30. It's the final day of Camp NaNoWriMo. I achieved the goal of reaching the coveted 50,000 word count! My novel, Pagan Ways, still isn't quite done yet but I managed to get enough words written to achieve a NaNo win. That's enough for me for the night! I can spend May editing and working on improving this novel.

Last November when I achieved my first NaNo win I was a bit lost after the month ended. I'd gotten so used to coming home from work and writing until I couldn't see straight that when the month was done and I wasn't spending my evenings glued to the computer I felt odd. I will probably have that same sort of writing withdrawal for the first week of May too. However, there will still be plenty to do now that Camp NaNo is over.

The Search for Mrs. Claus will be coming out in six weeks! I can't believe the release date is so close! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this! It's a dream coming true!

Well, last Sunday we did successfully get the pool from my mom's house to ours. However, the filter pump cord was chewed through by some sort of little critter and there's an inch long hole in the bottom of the liner. We can buy a patch for the hole and my husband's going to order a new filter pump. Once we get those we can get the pool set up and ready to swim! My daughter will be so excited to have a pool at the house! I'm hoping this year we'll be able to teach her how to swim.

Well, my brain is shot and my fingers are tired. It's time for this gal to take a break from the computer for the night. Tomorrow is another day!

Writing and Life

Boy have things been eventful for me lately! I've been working on my Camp NaNoWriMo novel but have just been so overwhelmed during the past few days that I haven't had any time to write. Saturday night I was at a Highway Katz show and it was incredible! I tell you, if you happen to be in the Atlanta area, check them out if you can. I was able to sit in for a few songs at this show with my flute and I had a blast! It's not often that I'm able to get out and play like that. Music and writing are my two outlets for my creativity. I love both!

I am taking a vacation day on Wednesday from work and will be able to catch up my writing then. Unfortunately it's too late tonight to write. I promise I'm not throwing in the towel! Those 75,000 words aren't going to write themselves. I've just been tied up with some other projects that needed doing. I finished them tonight though so tomorrow it's back to Camp!

Yes! I am writing!

So today is the second day of Camp NaNoWriMo! Are you writing for this event too? I hope so! I'm extremely pleased with my progress so far! I am at 8885 words right now, which is really great for me! Perhaps making an outline ahead of time is the right way for me to handle a NaNo event. It really seems to be working so far. It's keeping me on track and allows me to keep writing without having to think on the fly the entire time. I'm really enjoying this so far!

Today I was introduced to my editor, Lisa Taylor, at Mountain Springs House. She'll be editing my novel The Search for Mrs. Claus. I'm really looking forward to working with her on this project! I hope she sees as much potential in my novel as I do. Lisa also blogs on Blogger. Please feel free to check out her blog as well!

Trust me, editing and proofreading are extremely valuable to writers! After all, I made quite a typo earlier this week at work. Oh how I wish someone had proofread this e-mail before I sent it! Of course, I've removed the customer's name, the recipients' names, and my employer's name to protect the innocent. Without a doubt I was quite shocked when I went back and read my message to my boss and three co-workers!

My apologies for the small print. I wasn't sure how to make sure it all fit on the page here and still keep the print large enough to read. Yep...that was a pretty good office typo there! At least folks got a good laugh out of it. Seriously though, it's errors like this that make editing and proofreading very valuable!

Sorry for the short blog post tonight but I've got a lot more writing to do on Pagan Ways tonight. The lure of the Word document calls to me! I'm off to Camp NaNoWrimo for more literary abandon and creative writing pleasure!

Camp NaNoWriMo 2014 Begins!

It's that special time of the year! The first of two Camp NaNoWriMo events begins tomorrow! Have you considered participating? If you've ever wanted to give this a shot, now is the perfect time for you! It's not too late to take part is this fun and fabulous event either.

My Camp NaNoWriMo novel is called Pagan Ways. It's a religious romance set in the modern era but centers around a very ancient religion.

Blythe Barton, a writer for a local magazine, is asked to write an article about real witches for an upcoming Halloween issue. As a Christian Blythe feels very strange about researching the pagan ways but reluctantly agrees to do it in order to earn a promotion. She meets with a local potter and Wiccan, Rick Conrad, who agrees to give her an interview if she agrees to study his religion for a few months to fully understand why pagans believe what they believe. She reluctantly agrees and Rick, along with his high priestess, Arden McMurphy, begin teaching Blythe about their religion. Arden's distrust in Blythe combined with growing feelings Blythe has for Rick complicate matters and could bring problems for Arden's well established coven. Will Arden's past, Blythe's future, and Rick's love all come together for the mutual benefit of all or will their own wishes break apart the coven for good?

I'm hoping tomorrow you'll grab your pens or laptops and begin that novel you want to write as well. If you've already signed up to participate, that's fantastic! Please friend me on my Camp NaNoWriMo profile. I look forward to connecting with you and seeing both of us reach that coveted word count!

Tomorrow I'm off to Camp NaNoWriMo!

TGIF!

Happy Friday everyone! I know I'm thrilled that I made it through this week unscathed and I am sure you are thrilled that you did as well. Good news has come my way though! The Search for Mrs. Claus is set for release on June 20, 2014! I'm excited to share this with you!

This has been a difficult week at the office but has been extremely productive for me as far as my writing goes. I outlined a very pivotal chapter for my upcoming Camp NaNo work that really gives me a guide to how the novel will end. It excites me to reach a point like that when I'm writing or outlining! Reaching a point like that really makes me love doing what I do! It's just fun!

This weekend's going to be a stay-at-home sort of weekend for me. I've got a lot that I want to get done at home. Spring has sprung and there's lots of spring cleaning that needs to be completed. And April's almost here so I really want to work on more outlining. I have a lofty goal of 75,000 words for this Camp NaNo project and it will take a lot of hard work, imagination, and direction to make that happen.

If you're looking for a good book to read over the weekend and love crime novels, you may want to check out Sketch of a Murder by fellow MSH author Aya Walksfar. It looks like you'll be on the edge of your seat while reading! Aya's a captivating author and I'm going to have to check it out myself!

I'm hoping you'll all have a fabulous weekend! Rest, relax, and read!

Progress Update

Today was a tougher day for me. I've been a migraine sufferer for the majority of my life and woke up with a real doozy of one today. I took my Imitrex and waited for it to get to work on my head. I still ended up calling in to work because the pain was just so awful. I really detest calling in, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Health takes precedence. It's now mid-afternoon and after one Imitrex, two Aleve, and the morning snuggling with my two dogs and one of my cats I'm feeling much better. I have a couple of hours before the family gets home so I am going to take this time and work on my latest novel idea.

Even when I am at work I can find a little space to jot down my thoughts. When I'm on lunch break I typically sit in a corner of the break room by myself. The photo above is my little corner of the office break room where I write in my green notebook. See, if something's important enough then you can make time for it anywhere! There are some friends who always invite me to sit with them but lately I've been declining because I really want to get my ideas outlined for my next NaNo project. Camp NaNoWriMo is just around the corner beginning in April and I want to have my outline ready to write come the first day of April! I've already signed up for Camp NaNo and am excited to get it started!

Mountain Springs House did receive my contract back earlier this week in the mail. Hooray! I'm excited for the next step in the publishing process. Several other authors from MSH will be participating in Camp NaNo as well and I'm excited to see their success at camp!

It's time for me to log off of the blog for a bit and go grab that green notebook. There are ideas in my head and need to get out and on to paper.