Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Job Today, No Job Today

The large insurance company that my husband works for started its slashing the gray hairs from the payroll firings for this year, an annual event (oh, excuse me, they call it job eliminations in impersonal corporate bullshit jargon) last week. He's known that what happened today has been coming because they have basically been maneuvering him into a position where they could easily boot him out the door since at least last year. Not being stupid, we'd already put two and two together quickly enough, but still, he went in to work every day and did his job even with the shadow of the axe hanging over his head. And he went in this morning prepared to work knowing that the IT area where he works was going to get shotgun sprayed with casualties today despite the stress overload in his life from the recent loss of his mother earlier this month. Unfortunately, he was one of the victims. He went to a meeting (that just appeared on his calendar for no reason) at 11AM and was out the door by noontime. What a thoughtful and considerate way to treat a longtime employee who has worked hard for the company for over 30 years- like he's yesterdays garbage. Just toss it out. He was basically told he can't talk about this but I don't have a gag order on me and I am furious that this company treats people like this- with callous disregard and no respect whatsoever. Corporate greed- pure and simple. They don't care about Americans and jobs. They are disgusting and a major reason why this country is failing economically. Americans are losing jobs and they are right there in the thick of it because people don't matter to them, only making more and more money matters.

Well, I'm glad he's out of there!

Now we need to pick up the pieces of our shattered life and start putting it all back together again. Not an easy thing to do when we're still dealing with grief and his elderly, frail father and my health issues and all the other things Corporate Asses fail to see because they only see numbers, not human beings.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Work Has Begun

Well, with the beginning of March quickly approaching it's time for me to start work on the Massachusetts State Button Society Bulletin, a usually 42-page magazine I have been producing for MSBS since 2007. This is my 10th year as editor and contributing writer. I'm thinking it might be time to step down as editor and let someone else do this for a few years before I burn out. I don't know what the longest length of time anyone has been editor for, but ten years is a long time in my opinion.

I also want to be ale to continue work on my own projects. I have two novels that I'm working on and two books put together that need some further editing and proofreading. I've accomplished way more than I had originally set out to do, but most of the books I self published in 2015 contain novels and stories I'd already write. Life Skills is new material since I wrote it in November as my NaNo novel. The two books I have to finish editing also have previous written material in them, not new work. The two novels I'm working on are new although they use characters from previous published stories (one from Yuletide Stories and one from Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volume III.) I have  two other novels ready to be edited and prepared for publication. I'm clearing out my house of binders full of stories- just self publishing all the better stuff so I an have a dining room again and not a storehouse of stories!

But my own projects have to go on hold now as I work on the magazine that needs to be put together and ready for the April 16th MSBS show when they'll be distributed. The next month will be crazy with work, putting the magazine together and fitting in time to write my own stuff, but I'll get through it- althought my blogs may suffer from neglect due to time constraints! Sorry!

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales Giveaway #3

At midnight tonight the next Goodreads giveaway begins for 6 signed first editions copies of Miss Peculiar's Haunting Tales, Volume III. This volume goes back to shorter stories and one novella. One of the stories in this volume is being developed into a novel- I started writing it last night. I'm not saying which one yet, too early to let the cat out of the bag! Good luck!!

Boy, was she surprised....

My best friend from college days sent me an instant message last night. I'd given her a number of my books but she hadn't had time to read any of them- until this week after some surgery while she was home recovering. She said that she had read My Magical Life and then she wrote, "You are an awesome author!" (She sounded surprised!)

That certainly made my night.

Now I hope she has time to read one or two more of the books.

Every novel that I write is crammed full of practically non-stop ups and downs- they are emotional rollercoaster rides and there's usually a lot of action going on as well. I guess she thought I was pretty boring because I am the quieter one in this long time friendship. I suppose it's true, it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for because they're the observers, the listeners, the thinkers, the plotters and the writers. She's a do-er. When we were in college she was the ring leader, I was the minion. We still get along great together forty years later because we complement one another so perfectly. My daughter was fortunate to find that kind of bestie in her college roommate, too.

Anyway- I was happy to learn she liked My Magical Life.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

A Sincere Thank You

I just want to take a moment from my life here (where I am developing a new novel) to say thank you to those of you who have read my books and have posted ratings, reviews and feedback on Amazon.com and Goodreads, or who have contacted me through my two blogs or via email. I truly appreciate hearing from readers.

I am a firm believer in feedback- positive, negative or neutral. A writer needs to contact like this with their readers in order to continue to grow and develop their skills. If something is not quite right I will work harder, but I don't know if something isn't working if no one tells me so. I also like to hear positive things about my work. I don't actually view writing as work because the ability to tell  a story comes so naturally to me it doesn't feel like work, however it is work to physically sit down and write the story, proofread it, edit it and make a book from all of that. It takes a lot of time to put the polish on a rough draft and make it shine like a gem in the literary world where there are so many other writers who sparkle and shine.

I appreciate your taking the time to rate and review my books.  I appreciate your comments on my blog sites, your emails and the cards and letters I get in the mail.

You keep me grounded and focused on what I am doing-which is entertaining you from the vast and varied panoramas inside my head, bringing these worlds and the people who inhabit them alive in print. Without readers all these words I write would only serve to be self-entertaining and that's not why I write.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Two Entries Submitted

I just finished all the paperwork and packaging of two books to enter into the Writer's Digest Self Published Book Award Contest. Will be sending The Archetypes-First Generation and My Magical Life as entries in the genre fiction category. This is the first time I'm entering this contest so I'm kind of excited about it!

Also just finished packaging up two copies of Cupid's Darts; A Sweet Hearts Collection to mail to the Library of Congress to apply for my LOC copyright.

It's been a busy night here!

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Valentine's Day

I used to love Valentine's Day in school in the 60's- making a shoebox mailbox to receive Valentines from classmates in, going around desk to desk to deliver my Valentines. Valentine's were corny, loaded with puns and had cute graphics back then. They weren't based on Disney characters and super heroes, although I think there were some Disney classic character cards with Mickey Mouse and Goofy, etc. on them but they cost a little more than non-character ones back then. So, feeling nostalgic today for those sweet little Valentine's from when I was young...

On Friday the 12th I gifted my good friends and co-workers with copies of my new book, Cupid's Darts: A Sweet Hearts Collection. Last evening I picked up my best friend to take her to a co-worker's baby shower and she told me she had started reading the book, had read three stories. Then she complained that when she got to the end of the stories she wanted them to go on, to know what happened next! I said, "Well, they're short stories so it's like you get a peek into the character's lives- the moment they met, the moment they rediscovered their love for one another, the moment they fell in love...it's just a glimpse, not the whole story." She looked miffed, as if she'd been cheated! So I told her to read all fifteen stories and then tell me which one was her favorite and I would write an entire novel based on those characters and give her their whole story!

That might be interesting and fun!

Happy Valentine's Day to All!!

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

The Best Laid Plans...

I sat down Saturday night to start writing a short story, a sequel to a story that appears in Yuletide Stories called Christmas Bells. I liked the characters so I wanted to see what they were up to five years later. It was just going to be a quick story, maybe a Christmas one. 78 or so pages later, nearly 40 thousand words in-  this little story has blown itself up into nearly a novel and probably will end up as such. I guess the characters had a lot going on that needed to be told!

I just never know where my characters will lead me to in their world.

I love writing!!

Saturday, February 6, 2016

On Snow

I was out riding around with my husband this morning. We had about 3-4 inches of snow yesterday, a rarity here this winter. It was the sticky kind of snow that kids craze, the kind that you can pack tightly into snowballs, mold easily to build snow forts from and roll to make snowmen from. It's the kind of snow that clings in clots to the barren tree branches giving the world the look of having been caught in an explosion of a cotton ball factory. It's the kind of snow that clings to the overhead wires and falls in wet splats on your windshield and uncovered head as it melts. it's beautiful-absolutely beautiful. Picturesque. I love this kind of snow, even though it is also the kind of snow when combined with freezing rain wreaks havoc on my ornamental trees. Fortunately we didn't have the freezing rain part that glazes everything over.

Made Belgian waffles for breakfast this morning. The leftover waffles were torn to pieces and strewn across the back deck off the kitchen to make "birdie TV' for the cats to enjoy watching. Joh n and I went out for an hour and when we came back there was nary a crumb on the deck- you'd have never known there had been any waffle at all there- two big round waffles- vanished like magic! No word from either cat as to whether or not they had enjoyed the show, but there are nose smudges on the dining room window that may indicate their presence from this side of the glass! 

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Cupid's Darts: A Sweet Hearts Collection

Cupid's Darts: A Sweet Hearts Collection is now available on Amazon.com. This is a collection of 15 sweet little romance stories. This volume contains Tangerine Twist and The Best Man, both of which are on wattpad.

My Magical Life Giveaway

The Giveaway for copies of My Magical Life has opened on Goodreads. The Giveaway for Love Me Knots ends tomorrow, February 4th.