Celebrate the Small Things-July 27, 2018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

I've been out all day running errands, so this is the first chance I've had to write this post. The errands are now done, and I have some wine chilling so I can relax after the kids go to bed.

One of my sisters-in-law had a baby on Wednesday, so I have a new niece! She is absolutely beautiful, and my kids are all excited to have a new cousin.

I'm making my homemade lasagna this weekend. It always tastes delicious, but this recipe also takes three hours from start to finish. As you can imagine, I don't make it too often because of that fact, but I'm really looking forward to eating it! I will not be doing the dishes, though. I feel it's only fair that someone else handles that side of things after I put in that much work.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-July 20, 2018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

Posting late again, mostly because it's been a crazy couple of days and I forgot. Oops! 

The weather around here was a bit unstable yesterday, to say the least. There were 27 reports of tornadoes all over Iowa, and at one point, the tornado siren where I live went off. Right in the middle of Zoe's nap time, so she was a bit grumpy about that.  Still, I'm grateful we didn't have any storm damage here. Some towns weren't so lucky and sustained serious damage.

Today is the start of our annual town celebration, so there are going to be fun activities for the kids at the park tonight. They're looking forward to the facing painting and petting zoo.  Tomorrow we'll attend the parade, and there are going to be bouncy houses for the kids to play in. They always love that part. I have the feeling I'm going to be worn out afterwards.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-July 13, 2018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

I know I'm posting late, but it's been a busy day and I kept forgetting to sit down and do this.  I hope you're all successfully avoiding people in hockey masks this Friday the 13th.

We ended up visiting the zoo last Saturday, and the kids had the best time.  Zoe absolutely loved the giraffes.  Afterwards we also spent some time with friends we hadn't seen in awhile, and that was nice.  Then on Sunday, my son Jude got to try out his inflatable boat that he got for his birthday this year.  He loved it!  So all in all, last weekend was a good one.

I have a bottle of wine waiting for me for later, so I'm definitely celebrating that right now.  Oh, and tacos for dinner tonight.  Tacos are also amazing.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-July 6, 2018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

I'd like to start by wishing my husband a happy birthday! Though today is his special day, he still has to go to work, but at least it's Friday, right?

We all had a great 4th of July weekend. We got to set off and see lots of neat fireworks, and all of us remained safe.  The kids had an amazing time, and they were disappointed that the fireworks are now done until next year.  

I'd also like to celebrate the release of the Normal Deviation anthology.  It's always a thrill to see something I wrote published in a book.  I think that's a feeling a lot of writers can relate to. I try to remind myself of that feeling every time I get discouraged about my work.

What would you like to celebrate?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group: July 2018

It's time for another meeting of The Insecure Writer's Support Group.  Our host Alex J. Cavanaugh has recruited another bunch of fantastic co-hosts for this month: Nicki Elson, Juneta Key, Tamara Narayan, and Patricia Lynne. 

Be sure to check out the IWSG website!

Before I get to the optional question for this month, I'd like to announce that the Normal Deviation anthology is now available for purchase.  My short story "Becoming Death's Personal Assistant" is part of this wonderfully weird collection.

Here are some purchase links for anyone who may be interested in getting a copy.

Ebook:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Paperback:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

You can also add it on Goodreads.

Now on to this month's question.

What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?

I first realized I wanted to be a writer when I was six years old.  I used to look at the bookshelves in my childhood home and marvel at all the exciting stories contained within those pages.  I diligently began to scrawl my own imaginings on a stack of wide ruled notebook paper.  The results were largely incomprehensible.  My vocabulary was limited, the spelling wasn't always the best, and I had no idea how to construct a paragraph or use most punctuation marks.  Nevertheless, that was the beginning of a lifetime love for writing, and it started because I too wanted my books to sit on bookshelves someday.  I wanted to be able to see my work for sale in bookstores.

That goal has remained firmly in place, and I've been working toward it ever since.  Now I can happily say that I have a number of short stories published, as well as a few novellas, all of which sit on my bookshelf at home.  I will continue writing, and hopefully one day I'll walk past a novel I wrote in a physical bookstore.  I think that's a goal a lot of writers share.

What are your ultimate writing goals, and have they changed over time?

Celebrate the Small Things-June 29, 2018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

We had a safe and fun trip to Illinois last weekend.  We left on Friday morning, and we made it back late Sunday night.  We visited family and ate lots of good food.  All in all, fun was had by all.  Yes, the drive was long and tedious, but the kids were all surprisingly well behaved the entire time.  I was impressed.

My boys went camping with their cousins and my in-laws on this week.  That left the house a little on the quiet side, and Zoe didn't seem to know what to make of that.  Still, the quiet gave me a good chance to get some writing done, and the boys seem to have had a fantastic time.

Writing continues, and I think I'm really close to finishing this first draft.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I can do this.

What would you like to celebrate?

Celebrate the Small Things-June 22, 1018

It's Friday! Let's Celebrate the Small Things with Lexa Cain! I am her co-host.

We're going on a trip today!  We're heading to central Illinois to attend my sister in law's baby shower.  Her baby girl is due later this summer, and everyone's pretty excited about that.  The drive out there should take several hours, and with three kids in the car, it should be an interesting trip.  I'll need plenty of coffee to sustain me.

My writing progress, while it will undoubtedly suffer slightly with the busy weekend we have in store, is still worth celebrating.  Are the words spilling easily onto the page?  No.  The work may be somewhat slow, but it is continuing.  The ending of this book is starting to take shape, and I know I'll get there in the end.  I just can't let myself give up.

What would you like to celebrate?