Happy New Year!

Fri. Dec. 29: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Today was all about getting the play polished and out the door. So there! It’s done!

Now, I’m going to have a yoga/retreat weekend to see in the New Year.

Jump over to the GDR site for the Year-end Wrap, and, on the 2nd, for the answers to the 2018 questions.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I’m looking forward to our next year’s journey together!

Devon

Thurs. Dec. 28, 2017: Holidayish Reading (How Very Icelandic of Us)

Thursday, December 28, 2017
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Bitterly cold

This week is gosh darn cold!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I’ve been up and down emotionally since the Solstice, for no discernable reason. Just hit with the blues and the blahs, and then manage to pull myself out of it.

Saturday, I gave myself a much-needed break. I needed time off. I read a lot. I’m keeping a notebook of my reading. Not to boast about it or make people who read differently feel bad, but because I’m interested in how I read and how what I read leads me to other books. Some of the entries in the notebook will be developed into “Conversations with a Book”, a new section for A Biblio Paradise.

I read several books over the weekend, some good, some mediocre. One was just awful. The protagonist was nasty and not very bright. The book was anti-environment, anti-gay, pro-church-style conformity, anti-city, pro-stupidity. A pet cat was needlessly murdered — and the protag called the cat “stupid.” A dog was shot without cause or any believable repercussions. And I’m supposed to like this protagonist? Root for her? I kept hoping she’d be the next murder victim. This particular writer has a long-running series; I’ve read some of the books and thought “meh.” This book has turned me off her completely. Kill the pets and don’t heavily punish the perpetrators and you lose me for life.

Read some interesting books, including some fiction and non-fiction. It’s because I found myself “arguing” with one of the books and taking notes that I came up with the idea of “Conversations with a Book” for A Biblio Paradise. With all the webhost shifting and email address shifting coming up, it will probably debut in February.

Christmas Eve was fun. Quiet. The roast beef turned out well, but next year, I’m making plum pudding instead of buying one. This one didn’t cut it. We always open our gifts on the Eve, so that was fun — since there were more books, and, in Icelandic tradition, we read well into the night and ate chocolate!

I wrote. Quite a bit. But not on SERENE AND DETERMINED, whose deadline is coming up this week.

The Day was nice, although started out stormy. We have the stockings on the Day. I made scrambled eggs to go with the pannettone. I made the devilled eggs for the dinner party, and we went out to dinner with friends up the street, who’d also invited other friends, a philosophy professor and his wife, a special ed teacher. Good conversation, good food, good times.

Tired, though, coming back.

Tuesday, I ran errands (including picking up pieces of Winterberry china on sale, a pattern I’ve loved for years) and did some revisions.

Wednesday, I was onsite for most of the day with a client, as I will be today. Late Wednesday, the December newsletter went out, including a holiday story that’s just for subscribers. It’s much longer than I planned, and gentler, but I like the characters, and think it might, somewhere down the line, grow into something else.

Working on finishing and polishing SERENE AND DETERMINED, which should go out tomorrow, but, in a pinch, could go out on Saturday.

I’m tired with “end of year exhaustion”, but must keep going. There’s stuff that needs to be finished, and things that need to be sorted for 2018 on many fronts.

Tomorrow, I’ll post the Year-End Wrap of the Goals-Dreams-Resolutions. On Tuesday, the new ones for 2018 will post, and Wednesday, the To Do List for January goes up.

I have to sort out my schedule so I stay on track, but build in enough room for creative percolation time and to play with new ideas.

Hope you’re having a great week!

 

What I’m Doing on Boxing Day

I’ll be blogging again on Thursday!

Hope you’re having a good one.

Merry Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Fri. Dec. 22, 2017: Have a Great Holiday Weekend!

This is just a wave to wish you all a great holiday weekend. I’m running around like a lunatic. I thought I was so organized, but there’s still stuff to do.

But at least there’s less than if I hadn’t been organized!

I won’t be blogging until next Thursday — have a great time!

The newsletter will also go out next week, because the 500-word holiday story I promised — is a lot longer than 500 words!

Love to you all. You MATTER to me!

Devon, Ava, et al

Thurs. Dec. 21, 2017: Winter Solstice

Thurs. Dec. 21, 2017
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and cold
Winter Solstice

Late getting online today, because I’ve been delivering cookie platters! Almost done!

Then, my mom had to get her pneumonia shot – hopefully, that won’t make her sick for the holidays. Instead of going to CVS, where they treat her like an inconvenience, we went to Whole Health Mart, suggested by her doctor, where they were lovely.

Yoga at noon, and now I’m headed home to write, and then prepare for tonight’s Solstice ceremony.

I will be online at some point tomorrow to blog, and then I won’t be blogging again until next Thursday.

Visit Kemmyrk for a Winter Solstice note.

Have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate!

Wed. Dec. 20, 2017: Almost Solstice! Writerly Preparations

Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde

We’re having a mini-thaw, which means it feels colder, because it’s the wet cold instead of the dry cold. I hope we have just a dusting of snow this weekend, for the holiday.

I was saddened by the Amtrak accident in Washington State. When I moved back east from Seattle, back in the mid-80s, I took the train from Seattle to New York. It was an amazing journey.

Of course the Narcisstic Sociopath tried to make it all about him. What a waste of food that moron is.

Cookie platter deliveries are going out; I’m trying to get my e-cards out; I’m working with one particular client on site most of this week, and then my full focus goes back to SERENE AND DETERMINED. It’s chugging along, just more slowly than I’d like, and it’s due at the theatre next week.

Doing another pass on the TRACKING MEDUSA proofs. When those go out, and SERENE AND DETERMINED is out, I have to look at two other manuscripts (should just be a proof-read). I have to finish FIX-IT GIRL, so it can go out on submission early next year; I have to prepare workshop proposals for a couple of places that are interested; I have to ramp up the submission of DEATH OF A CHOLERIC; I have to get both THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY and NOT BY THE BOOK back into the daily work queue. THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY is due in February to my editor; NOT BY THE BOOK doesn’t have a hard deadline, but I want to finish it and get it out the door by spring.

Next week, I have to sit down and figure out the manuscript schedule for 2018, both hard and soft deadlines. Yeah, because THAT was so successful last year! But with some contracts settled and the promise of a new webhost who actually gives me what I pay for, maybe I can get back on track.

I have to build in time for new ideas that are worked on in tandem with what I have scheduled. It means being even better at time management. I’m decent at time management now, but I need to be brilliant.

I also have to remember to build in time for what looks like “doing nothing”, but is actually the creative process at work.

Tomorrow is the Solstice. I’m looking forward to celebrating!

Tues. Dec. 19, 2017: Holiday Hamster Wheel

Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde

Busy weekend, but not as productive, writing-wise, as I wanted.

I wasn’t able to get the rest of the cookie platter deliveries done on Friday, due to weather. I knew most people wouldn’t be around over the weekend, so they’ve been bumped to this week.

I was exhausted by the car repairs Friday, even though it went well. I find it stressful. But the car purrs like a tiger, and is happy.

I turned around the proofs for TRACKING MEDUSA, and have the next set to proof. Hopefully, we’ve caught everything. I should have done them this weekend, but I wanted to come back to the text with fresh eyes. Yeah, right. I needed a break and procrastinated!

Continued decorating Friday, Saturday, and it was Sunday by the time the decorations were all up and the boxes put away. Took me a month to decorate the house, but it looks great! It feels good, too, and that’s so important. For all I love to travel, I’m very much hearth and home.

Friday afternoon, I finished the gifts that had to be mailed and got them to the post office. We are so lucky — the people who work at Centerville Post Office are amazing!

Saturday, I sat my butt in the chair and wrote the holiday cards. Once I actually sit down, I enjoy the process. I love to reconnect with people; while I send cards to many of those with whom I interact regularly, there are also those where we only connect that once a year.

I realized I should do a direct mail piece, once the two novels move distributors and the new websites are up, about my books to this targeted list. They know I write, but I haven’t given them enough information.

Because my webhost, 1and1.com, is so slimy — I mean, have you ever heard of a webhost that won’t allow simple jpgs to go up on a site without additional charge? Anyway, it’s put the kybosh on the holiday promotions I’d planned. I lost the holiday market this year, because I couldn’t properly promote. Because of the distribution move, I need to be able to have the information, along with the covers and media kits, ON MY WEBSITES. And my host won’t allow it. The repeal of net neutrality early for their customers, I guess.

I didn’t expect to make a gazillion dollars on holiday sales, but I usually make a reasonable amount that helps push me through January and February. Not this year.

I’m going to demand my money back for this final quarter. They did not deliver the services promised in the contract.

Anyway, once everything is moved, I’m going to do a direct mail promotion to my holiday list, and then I’m also working on some other cool promotions winter going into spring, with a nice big one for the Coventina titles while THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY releases, joining PLAYING THE ANGLES on the shelf.

I ran out of stamps on Saturday — I’d miscalculated. Well, math has never been my best subject. The post office was open an extra hour and I ran down to re-stock. Well, the line was out both doors into the parking lot! I couldn’t believe how many people were mailing stacks and stacks of packages! Most people mailed at least five; many mailed at least ten! Everyone was in a good mood, though, and we were laughing and joking and talking about how great our post office is, and how we love supporting them.

Came back, finished the cards. One mail carrier took the first batch when he dropped off a package; our regular guy arrived just a few minutes after I finished the last card. All good!

Did some work on the aging novel. I’m going to add menopause into that. Too often, it’s depicted as cute and funny when, in reality, it’s miserable and interferes with life.

Sunday, we finished decorating and put things away –which took nearly all damn day.

In and around that, I wrote the first chapter and a half of a piece I’m playing with — it could be a valid novel in its own right, but it also serves a more personal purpose, as in trying to figure a few things out.

Yes, I SHOULD have worked on other things, but I needed the break.

Monday, was back to work on SERENE AND DETERMINED — I’ve figured out at least part of the second act, and where I want to go with it, but I need a good ending. I have to trust that, as I write, I’ll get there. This play has been quite a challenge. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s amazing how every play, every script, every novel, takes on its own life and demands its own process. If I tried to force everything into the same process (which I have tried — and it’s failed), it takes the life out of the work.

I needed an infusion of Janet Malcolm’s writing. I like her work. Over the weekend, I re-read THE JOURNALIST AND THE MURDERER, and am reading THE SILENT WOMAN. Both fascinating, and both bring up issues about journalist and subject that are more relevant today than ever.

I’m about two issues behind on my NEW YORKERS, but I’m hoping to catch up next weekend! (When I’ll be three issues behind).

One client meeting was cancelled yesterday, so I was on site with another client, and then has some other meetings.

I’m working on a proposal for a workshop — they might have their full roster, but just in case, I’m going to pitch to this organization.

This is a busy week, especially with the Solstice on Thursday, and Christmas next weekend into early next week!

 

Mon. Dec. 18, 2017: Intent for the Week

Monday, December 18, 2017
New Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde

Intent for the Week: Good will & peace.

No doubt, it will be a challenge, as Mercury is still retrograde! 🙂

Peace!

Fri. Dec. 15, 2017: More Snow = Writing Weekend

Friday, December 15, 2017
Waning Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and cold

How much do I love my mechanics in Plymouth? Car is all set. What a relief. And they loved the cookies!

Yesterday, cookie deliveries were cancelled due to weather. But I took my mom to her appointment — they’re happy with her progress.

I got the edits in to my editor on the short piece. I got my galleys back for TRACKING MEDUSA and am working on those. I’m getting some work out to a client ahead of our Monday meeting.

I’m hoping to reschedule some of the cookie deliveries for this afternoon — tomorrow we’re supposed to get more snow. But it may wind up happening next week.

This weekend is about TRACKING MEDUSA galleys, writing holiday cards, and finishing SERENE & DETERMINED.

Have a great one!

 

Thurs. Dec. 14, 2017: First Accumulated Snow of the Season!

Thursday, December 14, 2017
Waning Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Mercury Retrograde
Snowy and cold

Late getting on today, because we had three inches of snow this morning! Very pretty.

Busy day with a client yesterday. Lots of social media work, promotions, et al. I’m tracking to see what kind of return these promotions get. I’m doing that with the books, too. As an author, I am as much of a small business as anyone else. If the marketing dollars I put out don’t show a TANGIBLE return — meaning book sales — I will put them elsewhere.

Cookie platter deliveries in the morning, before meeting with my client. I was almost out of cupcakes (which I knew would happen, they have to be baked just before they go out). So, in the afternoon, I baked another 3 dozen chocolate chip raspberry cupcakes and frosted them.

A couple of gifts arrived from friends, which is always fun.

Got some writing done in the evening. An editor wants a revision done on a piece — I disagree with it, but I’m going to do it anyway. This is on the difficult gig, from which I hope to extricate myself in a few months.

The snow this morning means my morning cookie platter deliveries will be moved until after it clears up.

Finishing up the work on the new opening for BALTHAZAAR TREASURE, so that TRACKING MEDUSA can go to the publisher. Then, it’s back to finishing SERENE AND DETERMINED, and the FIX-IT GIRL revisions.

I’ve captured the text I need from my websites; there are some changes I will make in the re-design and the move. By late January, I hope to have the new designs on the new host. I’m also looking at getting some logos designed. Fearless Ink needs a more unique logo — and a more unique look for the website. I still want to keep everything simple, but the graphics need to be more striking, and more to the point.

When I put up the ocean graphics for both Fearless and the main Devon Ellington Work sites, that’s where I was, that’s who I was. At the edge of the ocean. The work and I have both evolved, and the websites need to reflect that.

So, today is about digging in to the work, about revising for an editor, about my mom’s appointment with the surgeon, and delivering cookie platters. I’m also digging in to the holiday card writing later — I need to get that done!

Tomorrow, I will be late blogging — car repairs will take up the morning, and then more cookie platter deliveries! But then, I should be done with the platters, and can focus on finishing the cards, and finishing up some work for a client meeting on Monday.

I love sitting here, watching the snow fall! (Although I dread going out in it later — there’s much more snow than predicted)!