Happy 2025! I hope your year is filled with accomplishments and good things.
I wrote 712,515 words in 2024. Not my best year, but certainly not my worst.
Now I am gearing up for 2025 and the things I hope to accomplish. Not just in writing and publishing - I want to lose weight and drink more water as well.
One thing that will happen in 2025 is the second volume of HERitage. The Kickstarter begins in February - click here to go to the preview page.
Have a great beginning of the year!
I know, I haven't posted this month. It has been a difficult month. My husband wound up in the hospital with influenza and pneumonia, and gave me the flu as well. We're both fine now, still trying to get back to normal.
Christmas found us on the road, meeting a need from afar. We got to our stockings at 8:30-9 pm that night. Hope your Christmas was less eventful and more fun.
I'm currently going over end of year stuff for my writing. I will talk about that more in January.
Just wanted to say I hope whatever you celebrate was/is special. And that you have a happy (and safe) New Year!
I have been having a few rough days due to the not-so-small issue of lacking one of my medications.
I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD as an adult a number of years go (I'm a little uncertain if we found I had the hyperactive part of it, but I know I have the rest). This meant going on some medication that is tightly controlled.
I ran out of this medication at the end of last week. I didn't notice it until I went to set up my pillbox for the week. It explained some things - lack of focus and wanting to sleep a lot. But I had to get it filled.
My regular pharmacy is constantly out of the medication, so, armed with a paper script, I had Don take it to another pharmacy for me today. The pharmacy called me after a bit, informing me that they were no longer accepting prescriptions from my particular doctor. The reasons why weren't clearly expressed, and I plan to let my doctor know there's a problem.
So we tried yet another pharmacy. This one has delayed the prescription due to - wait for it - insurance issues. They will get a call tomorrow asking what is going on.
In the meantime, I'm having to function and get things done. When you've been on a medication as long as I have, you grow dependent on it. It's hard for me to get things done right now. This includes writing stuff.
I'm thankful for my 1500+ day writing streak. That will get me to the computer and get words made tonight. They may not be many, but they will happen.
So if I strike you as flakier than usual recently, just put it down to lack of medication. But I'm sure I'll be fine - oo, look! Squirrel!
The above picture is of my granddaughter Lavinia and her sweet mama from six (!) years ago. Lavinia is dressed as a squirrel, her daddy's favorite animal.
Where did the time go? That cute little squirrel is now six and in first grade. She continues to be adorable and I love her and her brother so much.
I don't know what Lavinia and Matthias dressed as this year. I look forward to seeing pictures.
The year is speeding to a close. It will soon be time to evaluate my goals for 2025. I look forward to sharing them with you.
Hope your Halloween was fun. And that there was someone cute in your life.
I live in Central Florida. We got a piece of Milton earlier this month. The picture below is of the drainage ditch in front of our house during all the rain that he dumped on us:
Despite the wind and rain and all that water, we came through relatively unscathed. We only lost power for 24 hours and aside from knocked over trash cans and a couple of pieces of roof shingle we suffered no damage.
I even wrote while the power was out, maintaining my streak. I used my phone for a hotspot (I save my documents to a cloud) and wrote enough to keep my streak going, mindful of the fact the laptop was running on battery power.
I'm praying we have no more storms to deal with this year. This one was plenty.
Hoping you stay safe as well. And that nothing is preventing you pursuing your passions.
As a writer who still has much to learn and many more words to write, I am blessed by the people around me who not only pay lip service to this venture, but actively support it.
Ask a writer how important it is to have a positive support system, and you'll probably be told it can make or break a writer. Without support on the home front, it can be difficult to start or maintain a career. If you keep getting negative input from those you are closest to, getting to the keyboard can be that much harder.
I'm fortunate to have people like my husband Don, who will ask me before he goes to bed if I've written my words for the day yet and will urge me to get to my office if I haven't. He reads what I place in front of him and doesn't imply I'm a failure because I'm still not making a whole lot of money yet. When I am discouraged, he will remind me that this is a marathon and to do what I know to do.
He even invests in my workshops and conventions because they are part of the learning process and the business of writing. He's my personal cheerleader and I'm grateful to have him in my life.
My friends want me to succeed and cheer me on to get going and write more stuff for them to read. I appreciate them and their patience.
Hopefully you have an excellent support system as you go after your passion. I hope there are people in your life cheering you on and encouraging you to pursue your dreams. May that be as true for you as it is for me.
It came to my attention that today is National Read a Book Day. This is one of those days I can get behind.
Besides my daily Bible reading, a plan that allows me to read the entire Bible in a year, I am currently reading "The Whole Enchilada" by Diane Mott Davidson. Truth to tell, it might be a reread - the book came out in 2013 and there's a chance it's hiding on my bookcase somewhere (I'm currently reading the Kindle version).
I love Davidson's books. Her main character, Goldie Schulz, is a Colorado caterer who solves murders while whipping up delicious food. Recipes are included and I've tried a couple of them.
I'm a little sad to note that her last book in the series came out in 2013. A quick Google search reveals that she decided to step away from writing to pursue other interests.
I hope she is healthy and happy. I will enjoy this last book and may revisit the whole series. The books are worth checking out if you like cozies. A list of the books in order can be found here.
What are YOU reading currently? Let me know!
Happy 2025! I hope your year is filled with accomplishments and good things. I wrote 712,515 words in 2024. Not my best year, but certain...
