Hiatus

It appears I have inadvertently taken a wee blogging break along with my writing break....  Apologies.  I have been very busy relaxing (or trying to), and forgot all about blogging.  But in a way, it feels right to take a break here too.  I feel like my blog posts of late have been dull and uninteresting, and I hope to find some fodder for more scintillating blogs while I am away...

At this stage I'm giving myself 2 weeks off, but I know what I'm like and know that taking that time might make me snaky.  But let's aim for a return to the blog at the end of next week.

Have a great couple of weeks!

Celebrate the Small Things 26-9-14

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. Head on over there to join up! 

So, what am I celebrating this week?




Spring has arrived in earnest.  The blossoms are out on my peach tree and there's nothing prettier than getting up in the morning and watching the sunrise on the blossoms.  I've been enjoying brief moments of sunshine too, although I've been at work so many of the fine days, I feel like I've missed most of it.

I got my hair cut yesterday and it's amazing how good a nice haircut can make you feel.  I recommend indulging whenever you're feeling a little flat.

My whole family are going out tonight to see my best friend play music up the coast.  I'm really looking forward to it, even if the kids are apprehensive about how late a night it might be.  I figure it's Friday and the last day of the school terms, so what the hell?  They have 2 weeks to recover....

What are you celebrating this week?

Weekly Goals 22-9-14

I'm still recovering from my major revisions, so I'm taking a little writing break to recover and catch up on some of the sleeping I didn't do while I was finishing off my book.  So this week's goals are pretty small.

I'm trying to decide which of my 4 ideas would be the best one to use for my NaNo project.  I like all of them, but none of them are stories that I'm burning to tell.  Usually when I want to start a new project, one idea burns much brighter than the others and feels like it's desperate to be told.  None of the stories I have churning through my mind right now feel like that.  So I'm hoping something will jump out at me in the next few weeks so I have a way of choosing what to write next.

What are your goals for this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 19-9-14

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. Head on over there to join up! 

So, what am I celebrating this week?





I missed last week's celebrate post, I realize....  So caught up in revising my book to meet my deadline, I guess.

But I did it!  At 9:58 on Monday night, I sent my MS to my agent.  So now I'm sitting here nervously, gnawing my nails as I wait to hear back on whether I managed to do what I was asked to do.

I'm on a break for a week or so now.  That revision really knocked me on my ass, so I need a few days off from writing to recover and regroup.  So I'm celebrating having time to watch TV, read books and go out with friends.  Sometimes it's nice to be free from the writing routine for a while.  I know by the middle of next week though, I'll be itching to do something again....

What are you celebrating this week?

Done!

Please excuse my absence from the blog over the last week.  I've been in the depths of revision hell as I tried to get my book ready to send to my agent.  You'll be pleased to know I made it.  I just sent the revised MS off.

It's been hard work and I've added a good 8K to the already too-long word count, but I think all the elements are there, even if I'm not 100% sure everything works as seamlessly as I'd like.  I figure there will be another round of editing before this one goes out, but I'm prepared for that.

Now, I'm so exhausted, I'm going to fall into bed.  I've had about 8 hours sleep since last Wednesday because even when I went to bed, I couldn't sleep for obsessing about words and phrases.  Give me a couple of days to recover, and I'll be up and at 'em again.

How do you feel when you've finished a huge round of edits?

Celebrate the Small Things 5-9-14

This post is part of VikLit's blog hop, Celebrate the Small Things. Head on over there to join up! 

So, what am I celebrating this week?





I've had a very productive writing week.  I'm almost to the end of my revisions and the extra chapter I've had to add has been amazingly easy to write.  After revising for so long, just tweaking words, adding a few here and there, cutting swathes, I was concerned I might not remember how to write new stuff.  But I did.  And it was easy and fun.  The words just kind of fell out onto the page.  I love writing days like that.

I'm also celebrating my amazing CPs.  They have been working so hard to keep up with this revision.  I owe them all a huge debt.  That they are finding barely anything to comment on in the chapters is also a great confidence booster.

I had a great weekend away last weekend.  It was fantastic to spend time with my bestie.  It's something I need to do more often.

Work has been okay too.  I had a new chef start this week and he's great, and I have a potential head chef coming in Monday to see if he wants the job.  I have my fingers firmly crossed because my workload will drop considerably if I can get the kitchen under control and managing itself.  And that will mean more writing time for me because I won't have to work 50+ hours a week.

What are you celebrating this week?

Weekly goals 1-9-14

It's all about writing this week.  I have 13 days until my deadline, so I need to get stuck into my work.  It's definitely do-able, but I will need to work hard.  I just finished rewriting chapters 32 and 33, and there are currently 44 in the book, so I only have another 11 to go.  But I know there is at least one place where I may need to add a chapter, possibly 2.

So life, and my job, are just going to have to try and settle down this week.  Finishing this revision is my top priority. I know it won't be the end of the revising.  I just hope I'm actually on the right track and my agent will be happy with the changes I'm making.

What are your goals this week?