Clik here to view.
Book cover
I’m trying to work out my book cover for The Cardinal’s Choice. I know I want a red hat. I also want a pair of white gloves and the background has to be The Vatican. I want a mysterious figure in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An opinion
When an author has an opinion, you must be careful that your characters are still true to themselves. You don’t write novels to push a point of view. The place for that is op-ed pieces. That doesn’t...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tightening a novel
Tightening a novel means cutting any scenes that aren’t necessary to the plot. Sometimes a cut means you also eliminate a character. I’m thinking as I continue my work on The Cardinal’s Choice, I will...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Spring Break
Spring Break is finally here. I was beginning to think it would never come. I have nine, count them, nine glorious days to use, waste, fritter away, and do just about anything I want. We don’t have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Waking up without an alarm
Waking up without an alarm is wonderful! Yesterday I woke up without an alarm. Today is the second day of my spring break and I’ve woken up without my alarm again. Not at the time that I would have to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Audiobooks
I was reading about audiobooks and how they fit in the self-publishing world. There are fewer audiobooks than e-books. It takes a beginner ten hours to produce one hour of audio. If you get good, you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Cardinal’s Choice
I finished editing The Cardinal’s Choice (the first two chapters are in an earlier post linked here) before submission to my editor on Friday. I’m ahead of my writing schedule for my vacation. I spent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The sun is hiding
The sun is hiding this week. The weekend was absolutely beautiful but Monday and Tuesday have been true PNW gray. My sun calculator is having a hard time making a decision due to the lack of sun. I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Twenty-four hours
Twenty-four hours aren’t enough in a day. Today was a wonderful day. I woke up before the alarm but snoozed a bit before getting up. We went to Portland and had a great time walking in The Pearl...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A passport
Today we applied for a passport. We don’t have a destination in mind, yet. Somewhere in Europe. We had a passport years ago when we went to Australia in 1973 and came home in 1976. Living in Australia...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do it now
Today I gave my novel The Cardinal’s Choice to my editor and said be brutal and thorough. When I get it back, I will also be brutal and thorough. I’m hoping to have it available this summer for Kindle....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Total relaxation
Yesterday was a day of total relaxation. We went to Jurassic Park 3D with one of our daughters and then had lunch at the salmon place near Ridgefield. At home we watched the movie The Hobbit. After the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Back to work
After nine glorious days off, I’m back to work teaching math. Did I do everything I wanted on my vacation? Nope, but pretty darn close. I got my novel The Cardinal’s Choice to my editor who is already...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Assignment from my editor
I got an assignment from my editor today. I need to make my women characters less fatalistic, except for Maggie–she’s fine. I find it ironic that on the day Margaret Thatcher died that my Maggie is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Day job
I spent four hours correcting tests. I still have one class to go but I need to call it a night. My day job called teaching is definitely more than a day job. There were four different versions for a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Snuck in some writing time
I snuck in some writing time today. Not a lot, but a little time on Alternate Reality and it felt good. Fatigue is such a factor in a busy work week and Wednesday is an extra long day at our school....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another day without writing
Another day without writing due to work. I had a former student return after school and thank me for the work I did to help him get ready for college mathematics. At the time there was a student...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The race is on
The race is on for the end of the school year, novel, fill in the blank with whatever is making your life too fast! I like life when it is going on at a balanced medium speed. When I have enough time...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Print publishing
We had dinner in West Seattle last night with all my husbands siblings and their spouses/life-partners. It was a night of talking, laughing, and eating. We don’t see them as often as we want because...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hours and minutes disappear
Such a long time in a day but the hours and minutes disappear quickly. Today started out with me waking before the alarm which I did both days this weekend. I got some time for writing on Saturday...
View Article