Tag: Writing

A rose walk in the snow

So technically, it isn’t winter, not yet. It’s sure doing a good imitation of it:

Brrr. It’s cold out there today. And tomorrow? We’re getting three to six inches of snow, which I think means winter has officially arrived, no matter what the calendar says.

This made visiting the Giardino delle Rose even more enjoyable. Just for fun, I used a free Photoshop template and pulled together some of my favorite sights from the Rose Garden.

I also made a utilitarian one of images that directly related to the scenes I’m writing. That’s been helpful to place myself there as I write. Of course, I also have to put myself there when it’s dark, and the garden is closed. There’s not much I can do but make up that part of it. I did not sneak into the Giardino delle Rose after dark; I have no desire to cause an international incident.

Honestly, I doubt there’s a bad view from the Giardino delle Rose, but this is one of my favorites:

When the turkeys come to you

So I was working at my desk and happened to glance out the window in time to see this:

The turkey on my deck railing

So … is she visiting? Volunteering as tribute? I’m not sure, except she’s part of the gaggle that’s been wandering around the neighborhood and in and out of the woods this week. I suspect they sense what my weather app is currently predicting: cold rain, snow, and dropping temperatures.

I took what might be my last morning walk of the season this morning. I had to get at least one more in (and frankly, the afternoon is so lovely, I may take another).

In writing news, I get to visit the Giardino delle Rose in Florence this week!

Well, virtually, that is. I’m setting a couple of scenes there. This means scrolling through my Italy photos and creating a collage. The pain of it all!

I don’t suppose I actually need to do that, but I took pictures in part because I had a notion of setting at least one scene there.

In any event, it will be a nice counterpoint to the cold and snow coming my way.

Quiet Sunday

I’m happy to report that, a week later, kitty is so much better. I’m relieved. I’m also relieved that it’s the last day of antibiotics as well. Because, yes, there’s nothing like giving a cat some medicine.

So, I’m hoping for a much quieter Sunday. Knock on wood.

Some fun things from the past week (or so)

This last bloom of the year:

This view on this morning’s walk:

This hockey game (my son, playing for the Frost Giants):

I also started, in earnest, work on The Marigold Miracle. Mainly notes and thinking on paper, but that’s all part of the process.

Today’s goal, I hope, is to finish Possession. I’m not behind in the reading, but I’d like to finally finish the book.

Interview over at Long and Short Reviews

I meant to post this yesterday (and managed to send it to my email list), but then … the carpet installers showed up. They were awesome! The basement looks great! But! Chaos reigned for the rest of the day.

So, I’m sending you over to my interview on Long and Short Reviews. I think the contest to win a $25 bookstore gift card is still open. So comment and enter to win!

Take stock November

Sunrise on this morning’s walk.

First, how is it almost November? Seriously? How?

Second, I am looking forward to November. I want to take stock, look ahead to the upcoming year, and consider what I want to write in the coming months. Obviously, more Pansy. That goes without saying.

Now that I’m no longer in burnout from the day job, I’m trying to figure out how much writing I can tackle.

Full-time writing isn’t something I have experience with. I’m so used to squeezing in my fiction writing in the margins of my life. I want to be more expansive without burning out on the writing itself. I suspect this will take experimentation and balance.

In other news, my daughter and I have cleared out the basement and pulled up the carpet and the tack strips. Y’all, we did this Friday, and I’m still sore and achy. But hopefully this week, we’ll have the new carpet installed (this is not a task we’re performing—we’re not that masochistic).

In a week or two, this should be the cozy space we’ve been wanting for a while. Perfect for pondering plans (or possibly world domination, but I’m feeling a little too sore for that).

Here’s to November! (I think.)

The Pansy Paradox in the wild!

It’s release day for The Pansy Paradox!

You can buy the novel almost anywhere. You can read for free with a Kobo Plus subscription. Or request it from your local library (in eBook or print).

It’s also release day for The Capstone Conundrum, also known as that time when Henry almost met Pansy.

It’s free for my newsletter subscribers as well. But it’s also on sale everywhere, since I know a lot of people don’t want another newsletter in their lives.

If you’re on the fence about The Pansy Paradox, you can always download the extended preview.

If you decide to read, I so hope you enjoy Pansy, Henry, and their adventures.

Getting ready to switch gears

The moon keeping an eye on me during my morning walk

Did a few marketing things this week for The Pansy Paradox (out on Tuesday!), but I’m also looking ahead to what’s next. Namely, The Marigold Miracle. Because the best marketing is the next book.

Also, I’m excited to head back into the writing cave.

In other news, my daughter and I have committed to clearing out the basement. We are determined to turn it back into the cozy oasis it is meant to be. Still, we have a carpet tear-out this week. Wish us luck. But today I’m putting my feet up and catching up on the slow read of Possession.

Two Giveaways for The Pansy Paradox

Quick news! The Pansy Paradox has not one, but two giveaways happening right now:

And if you haven’t grabbed it yet, don’t miss the extended novella-length preview. You can download it here.

Wait. Where did September go?

No, seriously. How is it almost October? I don’t understand. Granted, I’ve been heads down, wrapping up everything for the release of The Pansy Paradox in two weeks. Two weeks! Again, how did that happen?

This week, I attended a book release/launch deep-dive sponsored by Becca Syme and The Better-Faster Academy. One thing I learned is that the number of “touchpoints” required to make a sale has increased from seven to twenty-one. (And a quick search tells me it could be even more, depending.)

Y’all, I feel like I’m annoying people if I mention a release more than once.

On the other hand, I don’t mind hearing news about releases from authors. In fact, I’m always happy to discover a new release.

The other takeaway was to experiment, learn, and do things that sound like fun (or are relatively easy), and don’t sweat it.

So that’s what I’m going to do.

Also, what I’m going to do, at least today, is get out of the house and away from screens. It’s gorgeous out (see the photo above), and I’m not sure how many more days like this are left in 2025.

Things that go bump in the morning

So, the other morning, I was working upstairs when I heard a solid thump come from the basement. At first, I thought it was the cat knocking something over.

But kitty is a feline of a certain age (seventeen!). While she still gets the zoomies on occasion, she spends most of her time napping on my bed.

Another thump.

I got up and peered into the bedroom where kitty was, predictably, napping.

THUMP.

This was not the sort of noise you can ignore. It was almost humanlike.

Cautiously, I made my way downstairs. I arrived just in time to see what was causing all that racket.

In the raised flowerbeds, weaving among the phlox, were two turkeys—a couple. And Tom Turkey was trying to make an impression by unfurling his tail feathers. Every time he did, the tail fan went THUMP against the window.

Let’s just say Henrietta Turkey was not impressed.

In actual writing news, I’ve been working on the print covers all week. As an experiment, I decided to try the Barnes & Noble print option in addition to Amazon KDP and Ingram. I know many people would prefer not to buy on Amazon, so this gives me an option to offer economical print versions at a different retailer (while still making a decent royalty).  

Y’all, it’s a lot. Because not only am I creating print versions for The Pansy Paradox, but I’m also doing so for the bonus novella, The Capstone Conundrum (which, oh look, has a cover).

Each retailer has slightly different cover templates (because, of course, they do). And really, you need to order physical copies to ensure everything looks like it should.

But I’m hoping to wrap that up this week, upload the final versions of everything, and heave a huge sigh of relief.