Writing can be a wonderful pursuit. Unfortunately, bad folks try to steal your money.
All the lotions and potions and surgery in the world won’t help you stay young unless you eat right and exercise. Don’t forget to exercise that brain too!
It’s time to make new goals for the coming year. Things I want to do. BUT – if I don’t do them, it will be ok. No pressure.
Why not stick to writing books for the Through the Mist series? As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? Well, sometimes, it breaks!
I'm excited to be working on the seventh book in the Through the Mist series. If you take a peek at the picture I shared, you'll get a glimpse at my wonderfully messy desk.
News stories everywhere herald AI as either the end of civilization or the great promise to make our lives better. Everyone wants to sell a particular narrative. The way it is presented depends on the source.
It is impossible to avoid the topic. As a writer, I should be gravely concerned. AI will write stories and take away any hope I have of telling them.
But – I’m not worried, at least not yet. Instead, I am intrigued.
One book down… now it’s time for the next book. I’m working on another installment in the Through the Mist series. Although I feel hesitant about writing this one because it will contain some difficult scenes, what happens is essential for the story.
Becoming a better person does not happen overnight. It is a lifelong journey. Listen whenever people try to help you – and ignore them when they aren’t.
Isn’t it strange how time seems to fly now? When we were kids, the passage of time was so painfully slow. It took FOREVER for Christmas and birthdays to come…it was horrible! Now, in the blink of an eye, another year is gone. #Adulting sucks. But there's a certain charm in reminiscing about those slow, carefree days, isn't there?
Here we are again – the holidays. Christmas…Hanukkah…Kwanzaa…whatever you celebrate (or don’t), we all find ourselves at this same point every year.
The next time you are ready to snap at someone, pause. Take a breath. You don’t know what that person is going through. After all, they could be from WNC.
Writing is wonderful.
Researching things mentioned in the books? Well, believe it or not, that can be pretty cool too.
I have been hard at work lately on several different projects. I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s just get to the two biggest things right now.
Is there anything more annoying than the slow blink of the cursor?
If you follow me on Facebook, you know that sweet Gracie passed away last week. It has taken some time to write this tribute to her. Not because she didn’t deserve it. Precisely because she deserved it. How do you write something like this without bawling like a baby?
A tremendous amount of work is involved to bring the story to the reader. In the case of self-published work, the writer must take on a lot of extra work. With a traditional publishing arrangement, that work might be handled by others.
The weather has been great this week. The temperature is just about perfect, between 60 and 70 degrees. The grass turns green more and more each day. Daffodils are emerging from their winter slumber. The weeping cherry tree in my front yard is in bloom. After a cold, dreary winter, it feels great.
The season has also sparked creativity.
I read a lot about history when I research topics for books in the Through the Mist series.
I don’t really like to make the dreaded “New Year’s Resolutions.” Who ever sticks to them? By the middle of the month or even the end of the month if we are lucky, they are abandoned. It is just easier to stick to the same old, same old, isn’t it?
I prefer to think of things I want to accomplish. More of a goal than a resolution.
With that in mind, I have some goals for 2024.
I devoted a lot of energy to getting side businesses off the ground in 2023. The Gift Over Yourself shop on Etsy was a complete disaster. I took it offline on 12/31/23. I am not going to waste any more time or money on that venture.
After my mom passed away, we had a tremendous amount of stuff to sort through. Anyone who has been through the process knows what that’s like. Seeing how she accumulated so much made me think about all the stuff I had. I intend to spend 2024 culling my collectibles and listing them on eBay.
My stuff isn’t worth millions of dollars (unfortunately). For example, I have about a million dalmatian dog figurines - not because I collected them. I had a dalmatian once, and my parents thought I would LOVE dalmatian stuff. Why not make a little money, which I need, and give someone else the opportunity to enjoy something? I bet someone out there does collect dalmatian stuff - you never know!
I started a second blog, 52 Things. This year, I will offer tips and tricks gleaned from my years at a wealth management firm and, well, my life. We old dogs learn a lot. Time to share the knowledge. You can find the blog on this website.
Speaking of knowledge, wow, I have learned SO MUCH. I look forward to learning even more about marketing in the digital age, graphic design, and similar creative topics in the coming year.
It’s also time to look for a job. I work extremely hard now on the website, blogs, eBay, books, et cetera. Unfortunately, these endeavors do not provide the income I need. It is time to see what’s out there. Don’t worry; even if I am lucky enough to find a job, I still intend to pursue all of these projects.
Last but certainly not least – I will return to the world of the Through the Mist series. I have dabbled a bit in recent weeks on a collection of short stories, based upon three characters from that world. The stories might turn into a book for next Christmas. The characters are also whispering to me about the sixth book in the series, so I have some good ideas there. (No, hearing voices in this case is not a sign of mental health issues. It’s part of my process.)
Here's to accomplishing our goals in 2024. Slainté!
It is the time of year when we are flooded with messages about gratitude. I admit that, after a while, it is a bit taxing on the nerves.
Still, I firmly believe that we must be appreciative of what we have. As we all know too well, good fortune is fleeting.
I would like to end my year with a few expressions of gratitude:
I am grateful to every person who reads my books. It never ceases to amaze me that someone actually finds the darn things and then decides to read them. Thank you so much for taking the time. It truly means the world to me.
I am grateful that, somehow, I find a way. Call it luck, divine intervention, whatever you like. Financially, things have been very tight for a bit. Yes, it is a disaster of my own making. My mental health has dramatically improved, though. It takes a lot of work, but I manage.
I am grateful for Gracie and Chewie. Gracie is 17 now which is old for a dog. I would love to have 17 more years with her. Realistically, that’s not possible. I am glad she continues to endure and seems to be in relatively good health.
Chewie’s presence pushes her to walk farther and keeps her calm in anxious situations. In turn, he enjoys seeing the variety of wildlife on our daily walkies, eating homemade goodies, and snuggling on the sofa.
What are your three things?