#ROW80 Check-in 12/6/17

I’m starting to have breakthrough TN pain again. 😦 Yesterday was by far the worst at a level 9. I took a break from all screens except the TV and read a hardcover book.

Two steps forward, two steps back. 😦

Here’s where I am at now:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project I am 71% in
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week ~Did not drink water yesterday. 😦
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Broken Glass by V.C. Andrews.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Lots and lots of hot chocolate!

#ROW80 Check-in 12/3/17

Here I am again!

Honestly? I’ve been exhausted. Too much too soon for too long. However, I am finally somewhat free so I can update and rest.

Here’s my update:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~ Submitted on Friday 12/1!
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. Still not finished.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ Nope. Between Fireborn, freelance jobs, and helping my mom, I’ve had no extra time at all. I am contemplating doing my own Nano once Fireborn is submitted.
~Begin edit of Secret Project  I am 17% in
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Most likely Covenant, with When She Sleeps as a secondary. Also toying with the idea of restarting Survivor Sundays.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week ~Did not drink water for 2 days. Bad Erin! No cookie!
~Read 1 book a week ~ Finished Cold Memory by Harvey Church and also FirstLife by Gena Showalter. Started Broken Glass by V.C. Andrews and Lifeblood, sequel to Firstlife by Gena Showalter.
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! Hersey’s kisses and dark chocolate mini’s! And lots of hot chocolate!

Fiction Friday on a Sunday!

It seems like forever since I’ve done one of these. Wanted to get caught up.

So let’s dive right in, shall we?

Rating system:

Yay – Highly recommended read.
Maybe – A mixed bag. Read at your own risk.
Nay – Did Not Finish (DNF) or did finish, but do not recommend

Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories by various (anthology) – This one’s a solid maybe. There were two really good stories that were scary. The rest really weren’t.

Road to Helltown by SM Reine (ARC)  –  A yay for sure! Last book in her Preternatural Affairs series. Must read books 1-8 first, though. Lots of action, hard decisions, betrayals, and a twist I didn’t see coming. Link to my review (spoilers herein)

Blood War by KJ Colt – Yay! Book #5 in her Healers of Meligna series. Really good. Kept me on my toes. Where is book #6? Must have it NOW.

Death Plague by KJ Colt (prequel to Healers series. Published as part of the Dominion Rising boxed set) – A yay for sure. Kind of sad. It explains what happened before the Healers series, and showed a different side of things.

Fool Proof Dictation by Christopher Downing – a yay for sure. I’ve been using dictation to write for years, but have never gotten totally comfortable with it. This book gives some neat ideas for how to get comfortable and helps look at it from a different perspective.

Queen Takes Knights by Joely Sue Burkhart (ARC) – MMF menage with vampires. A yay. A different take on vampires and the sex was hot, hot, hot. Can’t wait for book 2. Link to my review

And that’s it for now!

#ROW80 Check-in 11/5/17

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to update. My mom is still recovering from her surgery and things have been nuts. I’m just exhausted.

In cheerier news, it looks like my new medication has finally kicked in. My TN pain is definitely better, though not 100% but I’ll take it!

Here’s the rundown:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~Currently rewriting the ending. I hope to be done with it in the next few days.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Started, but my hand started complaining so I had to stop. May try to do more today.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~ I’m not sure if I can now, between helping my mom and Fireborn. I may do a late start possibly. We’ll see.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene. I also figured out how to end the current scene which has been giving me fits.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished reading Blood War by KJ Colt, Death Plague (also by KJ Colt, in the Dominion Rising boxed set), and Queen Takes Knights(ARC). Started reading Deviation by Heather Hildenbrand. 
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! I don’t think I’ve had any chocolate lately. Must fix this immediately!

#ROW80 Check-in 10/22/17

I have been not feeling the best for the past few days. I actually got carsick on Friday (I have a stomach condition that acts up sometimes when in a car if I’ve eaten right before) and today I am in a fibro flare. My first in literally years.

My mom’s having knee replacement surgery on Wednesday, and there’s a lot of prep and planning involved. She’s got an elderly dog who’s very attached to her, and he needs round-the-clock care. I am taking care of him, so there’s all these things I need to learn and remember. I suspect I am a bit stressed out.

That said, I have gotten some things done:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline. ~Revision is coming along. I’m in the rewriting phase of things. I hope to be done by the end of the month, then I can start the final proofread/edit.
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Nope. I was hoping to get this done this weekend, but it’s not looking good.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~Still planning for this.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene. I also figured out how to end the current scene which has been giving me fits.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished reading Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, a horror anthology. It was okay. Not spectacular, but not a total waste of time. Also read Fool Proof Dictation by Christopher Downing.  Started on Road to Helltown by SM Reine (ARC). 
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Several slices of chocolate ice cream cake (but not all at once!) It was DIVINE.

#ROW80 Check-in 10/15/17

I’m been soooooooooo busy, you don’t even know! Been mostly copy editing a TDP novel (which is awesome and releasing next month), revising Fireborn, and playing Guild Wars.

Here’s the rundown:

~Finish rewrite of Fireborn, revise it, edit it, and submit it for Dec. 1st deadline (the rewrite is almost done now). ~Revision up to page 72 of 98 pages. I will need to do some substantial rewrites, however. 
~Transfer Survivor outline to notecards, for reals this time ~Nope.
~Participate in NanoWriMo with an amended goal of 30k (Survivor) ~Still planning for this.
~Begin edit of Secret Project ~Have not started.
~Decide on next project and start working on that (Covenant and When She Sleeps are the top contenders) ~Currently, it’s When She Sleeps, and I recently wrote 300 words of a new scene.
~Finish In Flames cover or hire someone to do it  ~A writer friend generously offered to make me a cover. Cover reveal soon!

Non-writing stuffs:

~Water 5x a week 
~Read 1 book a week ~Finished Letters to an English Professor by Joely Sue Burkhart. Currently reading Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, a horror anthology. About 60% in.  
~Chocolate consumption reports, of course! ~Dark chocolate covered caramels, milk chocolate covered caramels..and I think that’s it! I am falling down on the job! Must remedy this.

Fiction Friday – Friday the 13th edition

Today, I only have two books for you. I’m starting to speed up some, but apparently I am not going fast enough yet.

A reminder of my rating system:

Yay – Highly recommended read.
Maybe – A mixed bag. Read at your own risk.
Nay – Did Not Finish (DNF) or did finish, but do not recommend

Suicide Queen by SM Reine – A definite yay. Final book in her Dana McIntyre Must Die series. Lots off twists and turns and surprises. You do need to read the first three books to get what’s going on. A truly epic ending. Link to my review – WARNING: spoilers herein

Letters to an English Professor by Joely Sue Burkhart – Yay. Been meaning to read this free prequel* to her Dear Sir, I’m Yours but never got to it until now. Really good. But try to have Dear Sir, I’m Yours handy because you’ll want more!

*Free on her website, http://www.joelysueburkhart.com

I am also reading a horror anthology called Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories and so far, I am not impressed. I’m about 60% in so maybe as I get further into it, I’ll like it more. Maybe.

And that’s it for this installment.

 

Fiction Friday – Aug 25th edition

It’s been awhile. As usual, I am totally behind on my reading. However, I have four books for you today.

Once again, my rating system:

Yay – Great book, would recommend.
Maybe – Read at your own risk.
Nay – Was a DNF (Did Not Finish) or finished but would not recommend.

Let’s do this!

Cashing Out by SM Reine – Another solid yay. Book #3 in her new Dana McIntyre Must Die series. You would need to start at the beginning because there’s a lot of stuff that starts in previous books and is now coming to a head. Really enjoyed it. Link to my review.

Mirror Sisters by V.C. Andrews – Yay. I used to be a rabid V.C. Andrews fan back in the 80s and 90s (along with Danielle Steel). But I started moving away from her stuff and over to fantasy, paranormal romance, and sci-fi. I just never found anything else that interesting until this book. It’s about these twins that are more or less forced to be identical in every way by their neurotic (possibly mentally ill) mother. And let’s just say that one of them doesn’t like that and takes some very drastic action. It was somewhat predictable — the final twist I had figured out in two seconds — but I enjoyed it and will be getting book #2 in the trilogy.

Vile Magic by Holly Hook – #4 in her Abnormals Underground series. A yay. I liked it because it forced the main character, Alyssa, to face a pretty big revelation and things are heating up story-wise. Lots of action. There’s one more book coming, I believe.
Link to my review

Mine to Break by Joely Sue Burkhart – a solid yay. I’m a longtime fan of Joely’s and just love her stories. This one also features BDSM, but a bit lighter than she normally writes. And the romance was awesome! I loved both main characters and what they went through to get their HEA. (If you haven’t read her Connaghers series, you are missing out!) Link to my review

And that is it, unfortunately. I have a few books on my radar, including:

A Demon Bound by Debra Dunbar
Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh

Fiction Friday 7/21/17 – and a surprise!

Fey Touched, book #1. A queen fleeing from her people. A Hunter searching the stream of time. Forbidden love.

Today’s Fiction Friday is kind of special. It’s because my debut novel, Fey Touched, is on Amazon for FREE right now for the very first time. Don’t delay! The promo runs till Sunday, and then it will go back up to its usual price.

So what would I say about Fey Touched? A definite yay, of course, but I’m probably biased!

A reminder on my rating system:

Yay – A must read
Maybe – Read at your own risk
Nay – Do not recommend or was a DNF (Did Not Finish)

Let’s get started, shall we?

Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs – A yay. I’ve been reading her books for quite awhile, and they do not disappoint. This one had a complex mystery that had me stunned as to who was the culprit. And I love the character Tempe Brennan’s narrative voice. So much fun! (Also? The show Bones, which recently ended, is loosely based on these novels.)

Kill Game by SM Reine – A huge yay. Book 2 in her new series. Dana McIntyre is still searching for a cure for vampirism, and there’s a mystery involving imported iron into Vegas. Also, one of the villains is creepy and fascinating and I’m curious to see what her next move is. Great book!

Save Me, Sinners by Jess Bentley – So far, a yay. This one is actually 4 stories in one, and I still have yet to read the last one. But I will talk about the first three briefly:

Save Me, Sinners – It’s about this religious cult that has their women “claimed” by men at a certain age, and the two men to do it are the clergy. Yeah, a bit controversial if that’s not your thing. But anyway, the main character captivates both clergymen and neither want to give her up…and, well, it’s very interesting how they solve that problem. My only complaint is that it was too short! I wanted to know more!

Save Me, Daddy – A young college girl is trying to get into a sorority and has to auction off her virginity as part of the pledging process. She is saved by an unlikely hero and they develop a relationship. An interesting one. Again, a bit too short but it was a good story.

Heat – This was probably my favorite. A woman who owns a popular restaurant is in direct competition with this guy’s restaurant across the street. The guy’s father, who’s narcissistic and rich, tells him he needs to seduce the woman so he can ruin her business. The guy does what his father commands, but learns that sometimes a game can turn real.

And that’s it for today. I am now taking recommendations! So leave recommendations or thoughts in comments.

Fiction Friday – at least for another 1 hour, anyway

I am a bit late posting this due to life being weird, I guess. Today was the last day of my vacation from work and my decided I needed more sleep than I thought which put me behind all day. #nofair

Annnyway, here’s today’s reviews.

As a reminder here is my reviewing system:

Yay – a definitely good read and I recommend highly.
Maybe – Read at your own risk.
Nay – Do not read or a DNF. Do not recommend.

I only have three books for you today. I have been so slow as of late.

~Fire Magic by Holly Hook (ARC) – Book 2 in her Abnormals Underground series. A definite yay. Very exciting, lots of action, and more development between the two main characters (I’ve been shipping them so hard, y’all). Stay tuned for my more complete (and hopefully more coherent) review on Amazon.

~Heads Will Roll by Joanie Chevalier – This one’s a maybe. I bought it on a whim because it dealt with head transplantation. Yeah. It’s fiction, and I was intrigued by the blurb. This book takes place in an unspecified time when head transplantation is now reality and there is an evil scientist doing it for the general public. There are three main characters who want it badly: a trophy wife looking for a new body (and the one she has is fine, apparently), a guy who’s in a wheelchair who has a condition that will kill him if he doesn’t get a new body (I don’t recall if his condition was ever named), and an Oriental girl whose father feels she is too overweight and won’t find a good husband, and so wants her to have the surgery. And they all feel they are worthy, but the doctor only does it for certain people. (I believe. The details are hazy now). I would have liked to see the aftermath of the surgeries more. Most of the book was about the various schemes and machinations of these three people trying to get the doctor to do the surgery on them. One takes very drastic action. It’s actually kind of scary. And what we do see of the aftermath…at the very end…let’s just say that the grass is not always greener on the other side. An okay book. I just wasn’t terribly moved by it. But it’s a quick read and you won’t be bored, at least.

~How to 3X Your Productivity Within a Month by Steve Pavlina – Nonfiction. A definite yay. It’s short and sweet, and my only real complaint is that it’s too short! But the methods Pavlina talks about are great, and are immediately able to be implemented if one so chooses. Good stuff.

And that’s it for this edition. Hopefully I’ll have more soon!