Greetings post-Milton

 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.

I am blessed...

 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.

Today is National Read a Book Day

 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!

I am officially traveled out...

 Okay.  I clocked three trips from the end of June to the beginning of August.  First, there was a journey to South Carolina to see my wonderful grandkids.  

A few weeks later, near the end of July, we attended Shore Leave in Pennsylvania.

Less than a week after I got back from Shore Leave I flew to Las Vegas for a four day Anthology Workshop.  Stayed in Vegas almost a week and staggered back home with a decent case of jet lag.

The Anthology Workshop was intense, informative, and fun.  While there I sold two short stories that will come out in anthologies next year.  I got great feedback on my writing and caught up with friends I hadn't seen in a while.

Now I am home and not wanting to get on a plane anytime soon.  I'll drive to Lakeland, Florida for a gaming event (about 1 1/2 hours away) but that's it.  Just call me a homebody.

Until November.  Then it's back to the grandkids.

Hopefully I'll be recovered by then.

Summer marches on...

 As I type this, I am between two trips.  Don and I got back from Shore Leave on Tuesday evening, and this upcoming Sunday I will be winging my way to Las Vegas for a writing workshop.  My suitcase has not been fully unpacked: I took out t-shirts and dirty laundry and added clean underwear and t-shirts about writing.  I'm a long way from pre-trip panic, but stay tuned.

Shore Leave was a great deal of fun.  Below is a picture of my table at Meet the Pros, where convention goes had a chance to meet writers and maybe even buy books from us.  I shared the table with my wonderful cowriter Rigel Ailur.

Looking at my calendar, if i continue to write at least 250 words/day, I will hit the 1,500th day on August 6th.  I am bemused at the fact I've kept this streak up this long.  It has meant writing when I didn't feel like it or I didn't have a lot of time or I was tired.  

I plan to celebrate somehow.  I will be in Vegas but will probably get some decadent dessert that night.

More on the workshop later this month.  Try to stay cool out there.

Shore Leave Schedule

 Shore Leave 2024 will take place July 26th-28th at the Wyndham Lancaster Resort and Convention Center in Lancaster, PA.  This is different from past years but I'm looking forward to checking out the new location.  Besides, Hershey, PA is in striking distance - what's not to like?

Below is my schedule for Shore Leave this year.  If you're in the area, come check it out!  I'd love to meet you.

Greetings from South Carolina!

 As I type this I'm sitting in my oldest son's home in South Carolina.  My husband Don and I are taking a few days to visit with him and his precious family.

There's his wife Amanda, who is the best daughter-in-law I could ask for.  She and John make us feel welcome and she does all kinds of sweet things to make us comfortable.  Just one example: even though she doesn't drink coffee, she bought a Keurig coffeemaker for me and her parents so we can have coffee when we're here.

Of course, there are the grandbabies, though "babies" is misleading.  Lavinia is six and has just completed kindergarten.  Her brother Matthias is four.  They are both adorable and the high point of our visit here, and certainly two of the most wonderful children in the world (yes, I am biased).

We've had a great time so far this trip.  While I intend to continue my writing streak while I'm here, I'm also letting myself have some down time.  We all need that occasionally.  I'm grateful to have the opportunity to spend such time with people I love.

I hope you also have a chance to rest and recharge at some point.  What works for you?

A Lovely Compliment

 Most writers I know, myself included, love to hear from readers.  Telling us they liked something we've written and put out there is almost guaranteed to bring a smile to our faces.

Earlier this week, a friend of mine approached me following Bible Study.  She blamed me for her not getting much sleep the night before, because she was up reading one of my books, The Silent Witness.

I grinned like an idiot and didn't apologize.  

Readers, statements like this can make a writer's day.  It can be a ray of sunshine on days the words fight us.  When we question our abilities.  When it just overall seems hard.

If you know a writer, find something nice to say about their work.  Even a quick text saying, "I love your stuff" will do.

Trust me, we appreciate it more than you know.

We're nearing the halfway mark of 2024...

 Things are gaining steam here at the Ware household.  I am looking at three different trips this summer, two with my husband Don.

The first trip later this month will be to visit my most adorable grandchildren in South Carolina.  Don and I always enjoy the time with our oldest son and his family.  John and his wife Amanda are gracious hosts and the grandkids are a delight.

The second trip is about a month later and sees Don and I heading to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the convention .Shore Leave., a scifi/fantasy event that is a lot of fun.  Because I've written a Star Trek short story that was published in an anthology (Strange New Worlds 10) I am a guest author at the event.  I will be speaking on some panels and participate in "Meet the Pros," an opportunity for fans to say hi and maybe buy a book or two.  If you are in the area, I hope you come say hi.

Before leaving Pennsylvania, I will make a pilgrimage to the town of Hershey, as a good chocoholic should.

My last summer trip takes place in early August.  I will be attending a writing workshop that I am currently writing stories for.  The Anthology Workshop ran a number of years before Covid, and the creators have finally decided to bring it back.  It's fun and nerve-wracking all at once, if you can imagine having your work critiqued in front of over thirty other writers by eight editors.  I'm so looking forward to it and seeing old friends.

That's my summer.  What about yours?

Some observations...

 Lately I've been looking at how I spend my time when it comes to writing and writing-related projects.  I do this with an eye to make some changes that will benefit my struggling career.

For a long time now, my goal has been to write "before bedtime."  While this sounds good in theory, I discovered I was putting off the writing later and later in the evening.  Because of fatigue, it meant I didn't write as much because I was too tired.

There was a time this wasn't an issue.  However, age has crept up on me and I have to accept I am no longer in my twenties or thirties.  While I can still stay up late, there is no guarantee I will have a lot of brain to work with.

I made the decision to switch the goal to writing before dinner instead of bedtime.  This means I still don't have to write first thing in the day (I am still not a morning person) but I do have to produce words in the afternoon, a good time for me to write brainwise.

It's not perfect yet but I'm discovering I write more and like it better when I pull it off.  There may come a time I back the time up some, but I'm trying this for now.

As for the rest, I know I need to set aside time for writing-related work.  That I might be able to do earlier in the day.  The trick is to set a time period I can work with.

For now, I might have to set up the time the night before, depending on my schedule for the following day.  I will try that and see if I get more done.

Hope May started off well for you.  Talk to you later this month!

Keeping on keeping on...

 There is a lot going on in my life right now.  Sometimes it feels like too much.  I didn't even realize how much I was dealing with until my counselor pointed it out.

I'm behind in things I want to accomplish on the writing front.  I need to get caught up on some publishing matters, plus work on a Kickstarter I want to do hopefully next month.

I'm still writing and keeping up my daily streak of at least 250 words.  Every little bit helps, so each day is a small victory, even if I get nothing else done that day.

Here's hoping you are enjoying victories, however small, each day.

Greetings From South Carolina!

As I type this, I'm sitting in my oldest son's home visiting him, his wife, and two perfect grandchildren.  Don and I will be here a few days spoiling aforementioned grandchildren and enjoying time with their parents.

I plan to keep my streak going while I'm here.  It may be slow, but I will get words in.  I already know my upcoming column will be about this trip, so that makes planning easier.

I have a few projects in various stages, but nothing coming out before April or May.  Will let you know more about them as those dates get closer.

In the meantime, I will take time to enjoy a break from the routine.

Hello, Unwelcome Life Roll...

 The past week has been a difficult one.  I don't want to go into gory details, but I will assure you my marriage and health are okay.  But what's happening in my life right now has affected me on numerous levels, and I have been sad a good part of the week.

Fellow writers and I talk about "life rolls."  There are events, good or bad, that seriously impact one's life.  Some life rolls are minor - a cold, or maybe you had a tiff with your spouse.  Some are gigantic - a death in the family, a move, a change in employment.  

My particular life roll isn't minor, but it's not gigantic.  However, it's big enough to have an impact in almost every area in my life.

Including the writing.

For me, writing can be a refuge from bad stuff.  Since the end of June, 2020, I've managed to write at least a few words every day up till now.  At times it has been something to keep me sane in an insane world.  Other times it was something I could fall back on, even when I was grieving or angry.

This time, the writing has been hard.  This particular life roll has taken a lot of space in my brain, and crowded out the words.

I had to put down a project I'd been working on because I just couldn't get into it.  I also need to finish my research for it, and I've struggled to do that as well.

Instead, I'm writing what I'm calling a "therapy story."  The circumstances in the story aren't quite like what I'm going through, but there are similarities.  I'm hoping getting some of the emotions out through my fingertips will help me process them better.

This life roll will eventually sort itself out.  There will be a point I can move past the worst of it and get my focus back.

Until then, I will try to take it one day and one word at a time.

Hello, mid-February...

 January really took it out of me - I had a hard time bouncing back from back-to-back trips.  It took several days, including one where I pretty much slept away the morning.  I'm feeling more normal now and trying to see what needs to be done in the upcoming days (one thing on the list is - ugh - taxes).

Right now I am also a part of two Kickstarters.  One is year two of Thrill Ride, a thriller magazine I had stories in last year and have one included in 2024. The other, called HERitage, is an alternate history anthology of how things might have improved for women if history had changed.  My contribution concerns Princess Diana - what if she and Charles remained married, and she became Queen of England?

You can get the details of both Kickstarters in my newsletter.  Not signed up?  Look on the left side of this webpage for instructions.  I promise not to spam you or sell your information.  

I hope February has been good to you.  Talk to you again in March.

January has been insane...

 ...on so may levels.

First, my husband Don went out of town for a few days.  He arrived home the day before I was scheduled to fly out to Las Vegas for a writing workshop.  We spent less than 24 hours together before he dropped me off at the Orlando airport for a late flight.

The workshop was fabulous, as I knew it would be.  It was a great opportunity to connect with other writers and learn about writing science fiction mystery stories.  I read a lot and wrote a lot and also walked a lot (the hotel complex was HUGE).

On Friday, I flew back to Orlando, where Don met me later that day.  No, I didn't return to Sebring.  After spending the night in a hotel, I went BACK to the airport to catch a flight to South Carolina, where my mazing daughter-in-law was recovering from rotator cuff surgery.  I am currently at her home, helping out where I can for a few days before finally flying home on Thursday.

So there's been a lot of travel and doing stuff and not as much sleep   But it's all good.  I'm still writing every day to keep up my streak and watching what I eat to keep down my weight.  

All in all, I'm looking forward to no travel for a few weeks.

So how are things with you?