FRIDAY STIR FRY - Can't Say I Don't Have Anything To Do

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Nope. In fact, I'm bordering on too much to do. I'm still waiting on line edits for Beyond The Horizon (the line editor's computer crashed, so she had to start over - bummer).

But, waiting doesn't mean lying around doing nothing. The publicity person at Breathless Press e-mailed me 12 - yes 12 - blog hop tours I need to compile and return to her. They are scheduled for the month of June. Apparently my release date will be sometime during the month!! Believe me, I will shout the date from the rooftops as soon as I know.

I still need to write a story for the Sleuths' Ink contest - check it out here.   http://sleuthsink.blogspot.com/p/whodunnit-guidelines.html
Only 2 days left, but, by golly, I can do it and so can you.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining, because I'm not. I'm thrilled beyond words. I couldn't have asked for a better or more supportive publishing house. The story and characters I love will soon be born to the world. I will be famous. Well, maybe not famous, but my name will be on a book. How cool is that!

And finally, this time next week I will be another year older. Here's to hoping I have a little time to celebrate.

Now, please tell me how busy you guys are because I know I'm not the only one.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - This and That and The Other Thing

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Still patiently waiting on line edits. In the meantime, here are just a few random thoughts that Maxine and I came up with.

Why are people in the West so afraid of tornadoes? Heck I'd be more afraid of those damn fires. At least with a tornado, you can hunker down in your home and have a fighting chance. With a fire licking your ass, not so much. And mud in this part of the country is a good time. Not something that slides down a hill and destroys you and your home. I feel so sorry for all those people who've lost everything.

Why do my clients think their problems are more important than anybody else? And no, I don't answer my phone at work very often.  - 1. I don't have time and 2. I hate being blindsided. Leave a message so I can do a little research before I call you back. And if you leave a rude message, I may not call you back at all. Or if you say the inspector was just flat wrong when he reported your house was filthy. Take a good look around and get back to me on that one.

What has happened to Memorial Day? I still decorate the graves of my family, but younguns nowadays don't show any interest at all. It's a matter of respect and remembrance, not just a fun time at the lake. Get with it young people! I'll come back and haunt you if I don't get at least a Pansie.

And some last words of wisdom from Maxine:  "At my age every hour I work should be considered overtime."

Do you have any burning questions? Maybe we can figure the answers out together.

FRIDAY STIR FRY - Oops

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Yep, I forgot to post last week. Hope somebody noticed.

My reason? I took off work last Friday. I needed a mental health, me day. Anyway, I post this blog while at work. (ssshhh) Don't tell anybody. So, since I was off, it totally slipped my mind. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I really need to make a to do list. Especially as Beyond The Horizon's release date gets closer. So much to think about and do. I received some publicity forms from Breathless Press that I need to complete and am expecting line edits soon. Then there is my end of the publicity spectrum I need to get going on. Like starting an author page on Facebook, sprucing up my Twitter account, sprucing up this blog. I've also been looking at promotional give away items for book signings.

In the next few weeks, I will be posting more stuff about my book. How I came up with the idea, maybe a character interview and a few excerpts. I hope it will be interesting and interactive. That's what I'm aiming for anyway.

Do you make to do lists or are you like me and muddle through and forget stuff?

FRIDAY STIR FRY - So Exciting

Yippeee!! I received my cover art for Beyond The Horizon this morning. And it's perfect. Can't share it yet, but I couldn't have asked for anything better. They really captured my characters. And, I also received my final content edits. OMG this is really going to happen. I almost cried when I saw my name on the cover.

My friends at work (yes, I have some) are almost as excited as me. They've seen the ups and downs of this whole process. The frenzied National Novel Writing Month when I first wrote this book, to my rejection letters and finally to my contract with Breathless Press. I can't believe it's been five years since this idea came to life. That seems like a long time, doesn't it? Such is the writing life. You write, you edit, you submit, you re-write, you re-edit, you re-submit. I've had people ask me why I would want to spend so much time on something that may never amount to anything. Why do artists of any genre put so much energy into creating?

Because we must.

Our town has a monthly First Friday Art Walk, where people flood the downtown area to mingle and meet artists. I bet if you ask anybody displaying their work, why they do it, you would get the same answer or something similar.

In the next few months I'll share more of this experience, but for now I just want to enjoy this moment in time. Thanks for coming along for the ride.