Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Publishing news!

 First, my short story, "The Jerusalem Plot," will appear in the premiere issue of Thrill Ride Magazine.  It's currently available for preorder here.  I'm excited about being a part of this and I hope you'll check it out.

Secondly, my Christian suspense novel Death on the Air will be coming out later this month.  Subscribers to my newsletter have already seen the cover (if you want to subscribe, there's a link on the left side of this page).  Here is the blurb:

Sandra Benson appears to have her life in order. A Christian with a popular talk radio show, she makes sure no one sees her struggles with alcohol and tries to tell herself it’s not a big deal. 

Then a caller who names himself “Lucifer” makes a startling statement - he killed a woman. Sandra is rattled by the call, especially when she learns she has a connection to the dead woman. 

As her life slowly unravels thanks to Lucifer, Sandra struggles to help stop him. Because he isn’t done killing - and she fears she may be next.

And I'm ending this post with a question for those of you who read my weekly column "Laura's Look."  Do you have a favorite?  I'd love to hear about it.  drop me a line at my email address laura@laurahware.com.  


Thursday, March 2, 2023

Getting Rid of "Only"

 In some ways, February was a challenging month.  It was busy, I started the month with a nasty cough (thank you, pine pollen), and in general wasn't feeling at the top of my game.

My column still went out every week.  I still wrote every day, even if it wasn't a lot.  In the end I wrote 12,226 words in February.

Talking with a couple of fellow writers, I bemoaned that I'd "only" written around twelve thousand words.

Carolyn, one of the writers, encouraged me to change my thinking.  She framed it like this: despite having a difficult month, I succeeded in writing over twelve thousand words.

That gave me pause.  Looking at it that way, it wasn't a failure on my part, but something to celebrate.  Feeling good about the writing increases the chance I'll do it.  

"Only" was a weight that held me back from what I'd truly accomplished.

So, despite a difficult month, I wrote every day, my column went out every week, and I wrote over twelve thousand words.  (I also have a book out to my copyeditor - look for Death on the Air later this month)

If you, like me, find yourself saying, "I only did..." see if you can reframe it.  Turn it into a positive.

You'll be amazed at how it helps your attitude.