Some observations...

 I'm taking a writing course that addresses the concept of writer's block. My latest assignment involved taking stock of what I've written and what is published/sold.

I discovered that I've written over 200 short stories since I started my path to fiction writing in 2005.  This doesn't include the number of Star Trek stories I wrote for the Strange New Worlds contest.  It also doesn't include the eleven short stories I've started and not finished.  43 or 44 of those short stories are for sale, either as stand-alones or in collections.

This doesn't include the none novellas (7,500+ words) I've written, one of which sold.

I have published six novels, with a seventh on the way.  I also have cowritten six novels in a fantasy series, with a seventh on the way.

That's a lot of words.  I need to update this site with everything for sale.

I need to do something with the stories and novels gathering virtual dust on my hard drive.  I have more than enough short fiction to create a number of collections.  

It is sort of exciting to see what I can do this year.  I didn't publish anything last year, something I do not wish to repeat.  So, stay tuned.  I hope to have great news coming soon.

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.

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?

Fall is here...

 ...unless you live in Central Florida, where today it was in the mid-eighties and fall has not yet made an appearance.  When it finally does, it may well be a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of thing.  Summers are long around here, part of the price we pay for being able to go outdoors in February and not freeze our noses off.

Last post I said I needed to send out stories.  Last week I managed to get three sent out before a looming September 30th midnight deadline.  I have no idea how these stories will fare at the markets I sent them off to.  But time will tell.

I am currently finishing up a short story I will submit to an anthology magazine called Thrill Ride.  Below is a picture of me holding the latest issue, called "No W.W.M. (White Western Males)".  My story "One More Time" tells the story of a former female hacker dying of breast cancer who is persuaded to do a final job.

You can click here to see where to purchase your own copy.

I've still been writing every day but September seemed to be a light month for that.  But now we have a new month and I'm looking forward to getting words done and out.

Talk to you in a couple of weeks.  Hope you have cool weather to enjoy.

Sending stories out.

 I currently have over one hundred short stories that are gathering digital dust on my hard drive.  I know I need to do something with them.

One possibility is to send them out to markets that buy short fiction.  Note: "buy," not get for free.  Some publications claim that "exposure" is just as good as getting paid.  As for as I know you can't pay for your groceries with exposure.

This sounds simple enough.  And it really isn't hard.  It does take time, and recently I've found myself falling into the (bad) habit of not taking the time out to send stories out.

And yes, usually the answer that comes back is "no."  Sometimes it's a nice "no," as in, "This is really good but we can't use it,"  But one thing you learn quickly in this business is that "no" is a more common answer than "yes" when it comes to selling your short fiction.

I could also bundle my short fiction into collections.  I've done this in the past and am tentatively  planning to release a holiday collection in November.  This also takes time.

I know I can do it.  I have a system to ensure it gets done.  Time to blow the dust off it and get going again.  Those stories aren't going to send themselves.

Wish me luck.

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.  

Want to give a head's up...

 A friend of mine, Matt Buchman, an excellent writer and editor, is currently doing a Kickstarter for an action adventure/thriller quarterly magazine called Thrill Ride.  He's got nearly 50 stories lined up for the first year - two of them are mine.

I believe in this project and would like to see it happen.  If you are so inclined, could you click here and check it out?  I assure you it's well worth your time!

Happy New Year!

 I hope your year got off to a decent start today.  

I took a look over my accomplishments in writing in 2022.  I wrote a total of 246,529 words.  Not the 300k I was aiming for but it still counts as my second-best year ever writing.  So I'm counting that as a win.

I wrote 15 short stories and a novel in 2022.  I sold 3 of the short stories and published one.  I also published a collection .

Getting things sent and published is a weakness for me.  It's something I want to work on in 2023, as well as continuing to make new words.

In the weeks and months ahead, I'll try to share with you what I'm doing in these areas.  The next big thing on my list is a Fantasy Caper workshop in Vegas that starts a week from tomorrow.  I'm having fun writing a story for the workshop.

May 2023 be an improvement over 2022.  Thanks for walking this road with me.

Writers of the Future

 Writers of the Future (https://www.writersofthefuture.com/) is a quarterly contest for writers of science fiction, fantasy, or horror short fiction.  

I hadn't entered in a while - I wasn't sure I was still eligible.  After my mentor assured me I still was able to enter I sent in a short story, not expecting anything.

To my delight and surprise, my urban fantasy "Wishing, Well" received Honorable Mention.

I'm waiting for my certificate and will share it when it comes in.  And yes, I plan to enter this quarter as well.

Just goes to show it never hurts to try.

Want to Hear What I Sound Like?

 I'm going to be on the radio show "D&D Live" Friday, October 14th, at 9:05 am Eastern.  I'll be talking about my latest collection and whatever else they ask me about.  If you live in Highlands County, Florida you can tune in at 730 AM or 95.3 FM.  Not local?  You can tune in the livestream at https://www.newstalk730am.com/

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

 ...or in this case, home. 

The last half of August was interesting, but not always in a good way.  I developed an eye infection (boo) and the pressure in my right eye has gone up considerably (double boo).  I already have glaucoma, and the upshot is I'm on 4 different eyedrops that must be administered at various times of the day.  Not fun, but it beats damage to my vision.

One good thing that happened is that I got to order a new couch to replace our current one which is, to be honest, in sad shape.  It comes in tomorrow.

On the writing front I'm still making words and planning what to do on the publishing side between now and December.  I've also started sending short stories to magazine markets again - I currently have six out and I'm trying to add two more to that number each week.

Did you know I have a newsletter I am striving to post 2x a month?  Today I include a cover reveal for my upcoming collection, Seeking Refuge and Other Bible Stories.  If you're not getting the newsletter you can subscribe to it using the link on the left-hand side of the blog here.  When you sign up, you also get a free short story!

Hope September starts out well for you.  Talk to you soon!

141

 So I've spent this past week going over my inventory on my hard drive.  I tried to figure out how much fiction I have that hasn't been published or sold.

I knew it would be a lot.  I wrote 52 short stories last year.  I've been remiss in sending stories out or publishing.  I was prepared for a number over 100.

But even then I wasn't prepared for what I came up with.  According to my calculations, I have around 141 short stories sitting on my hard drive.

141.  That's a lot of fiction.  

Obviously, they're not doing much good sitting on my hard drive.  So I'm making plans to up my game.  Sending things to magazine and anthology markets is a priority.  Self-publishing is also a consideration.

Wish me luck on this journey.

A Milestone

 Today marks a special day in my writing journey.  

Today is the 500th day in a row that I've written either fiction or creative non-fiction (column is one example).

To my knowledge, this is the longest writing streak I've ever maintained.  It has meant writing when I was tired, writing when I was grieving, writing when I wasn't feeling well, and even writing when I just plain didn't feel like it.

I've written on vacation.  I've written well past midnight some days.  I've written during the day.  I've written when I wasn't sure what the story I started would be about.  I've written when other things tried to tempt me away from the keyboard.

Currently my minimum word count for a day is 500 words.  Beginning next year I plan to up that to 750 words.  Later in 2022 my goal is 1000 words a day.  Baby steps.  But I'm getting there.

Along with this I've been writing a short story a week.  I'm up to 45 short stories done - the goal is 52, or one year's worth.  Seven to go.  I think I might pull it off.

But I admit I'm proud of that 500.  It represents a lot of words.  A lot of exercising my creative brain.  And while it hasn't always been easy, it's been fun.  And I've learned a lot from it.

So now?  Let's aim for 600.  Wish me luck.

Some Updates and Publishing News

 Hoping everyone is surviving the insane times we're in.  Today my state apparently was hit with a little hurricane - in November!  Yes, we're still in hurricane season but come on now, this is getting ridiculous, 2020.

In positive news, today marks day 135 of writing every day!  I started at the end of June, attempting to get some words done every day.  In the beginning, there was no minimum - I just had to get some words down.  My record low was 68 words.  As the months went by, I decided to set a minimum of 250 words/day.  

This has been an incredible ride.  The writing is better, because I'm giving it the time it needs.  I feel better about it because I'm making it a priority.  And it's a lot more fun.

I also got a new short story out - my third in the Eli Leafrunner series.  It's in ebook form only, wherever you buy yours.  Here's the cover:

I hope you enjoy his latest adventure.

Will have more news soon - stay tuned.  And stay safe.

P.S. I'm involved in Nanowrimo this year - if you want to friend me, my username is bookwormlady.  See you there!

New Short Story out!

 My short story, "The Case of the Human Body," the second story in The Eli Leafrunner Case Files series, is out!  To celebrate it's publication, I've lowered the price of the first story in the series, "The Case of the Perishing Pixies," to 99 cents!  Click here to purchase the new story on Amazon.

Want a free short story?

Hey, would you like to get a free short story to read?  It's easy.  Simply join my mailing list.  It's easy - check the left-hand column on the site here and fill out the short form.

I promise not to make your email box overflow, nor will I sell your information.  But it's a great way to keep up with news about me and upcoming publications.

So give it a shot.  I look forward to communicating with you!

Updates!

Life has been insane the past couple of months.  In addition to dealing with things on the home front, I attended a writing workshop at the end of February/beginning of March, read for a contest, played Magic at a tournament in Tampa, and at the moment am getting ready for the annual Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes convention in Orlando.

Along with all that, I've had two short stories published.  "Who Loves the Unloved?" appears in Fiction Rivers' Feel the Love anthology.  As the title implies, it addresses those that society may deem unlovable.  Are there people out there that care for them?

You can buy the anthology from your favorite ebook or print provider. 

"A Chance to Escape" came out in a bundle called Fantasy Portals.  A frazzled full-time mom discovers a portal that promises her a wonderful life - at a price.  I've included links below.

eBook universal link https://books2read.com/u/bwqreO
paperback https://www.amazon.com/dp/109295659X

Happy reading!  Talk to you again soon!

A Very Mysterious Christmas

My short story, "An 80 Degree Christmas" is a part of the Very Mysterious Christmas short story bundle available for $2.99 at BundleRabbit. Check it out at https://bundlerabbit.com/b/very-mysterious-christmas

Feel the Fear and Nanowrimo

I am going to blame Hurricane Irma for the current lapse in blogging. The storm (I live in Florida) messed up September and some of it carried over into October. But I want to share good news. My story, "High Places," is a part of Fiction River's Feel the Fear anthology, which came out last month. If you like to be scared, it's a great anthology. My story deals with a woman afraid of heights, and as one who has this fear in spades, it was great therapy to write. Hopefully you will "feel the fear" when you read it. You can buy the anthology at the usual sites, and I will post an Amazon link in the Bibliography section of this blog. And if you're interested, I am doing Nanowrimo again this year. Unfortunately, my word count is currently abysmal as I work on things. But hopefully it will grow as the month progresses. If you are doing Nano and want to friend me, I'm Bookwormlady there. Hope you are all having a wonderful month of reading!

New Short Story Published!

My short story, "Choices," is now published and available where ebooks are sold (check my ebooks link on this page for links to Amazon, Nook, Kobo, and other versions).

This story was originally published in "Fiction River: Past Crimes (Special Kobo Edition)."  It was my first sale to Fiction River, but not my last.

Hope you get a chance to check it out!