Hello December

Hi guys! 

Wow, it’s already December, and boy am I excited for it. November was nice. A bit cold. A mite stressful. But nice. 

What went on:

My dad, and middle sister both had birthdays, which we ended up celebrating on Thanksgiving. 

For Thanksgiving we went to my parents’ house, along with my grandma. The food was great, and it was really relaxing. My sister used to be an avid farm toy collector when she was little, so we let He to get some of the toys out...Im not sure who was more excited about it. 

My dad and I attempted to go pick up my oven, but when we got there the store had closed. Which was a real bummer, but what do ya do? 

It snowed somewhere above ten inches. The first day it was easy to measure, but after that it alternated snowing and raining so the snow technically melted, but then turned to ice. So yesterday was the first time since before thanksgiving that my car has been able to leave the garage. 

We attempted to do a little deer hunting, but didn’t get anything. Hardly even saw anything, actually. 

I set up my Christmas tree. Because I can. It was technically after Thanksgiving though. 

Henry spent the entire month sledding and playing with legos. My living room is a bit of a minefield. Watch your step. 

I got 90% of my Christmas shopping done on Black Friday. Online. Because going out on Black Friday is ridiculous. I only need to get a couple little things for some gift exchanges. I’ve never been done this early and I’m not sure what to do with myself. So I just check the package tracking way too often. 

What’s coming up: 

This weekend my church is having their ladies Christmas party. That’s usually pretty fun. 

Next weekend my mom, sisters, and I are taking a girls trip (plus one Henry) to go see Pioneer Woman in Oklahoma. 

We’re moving!! Things are falling into place with the house we’ve been working on, so hopefully we’ll be moved in within the next couple weeks. Cue the panic as I look at all the stuff I need to pack. I’m really excited though. More space, nicer house that’s going to be way better for my allergies, etc. I can’t wait to get it all set up and decorated. Although that’ll probably be after Christmas. 

Christmas! Obviously, can’t miss that. I think we’ll probably be at my parents’ house for that too. Although we’ll also have extended family get togethers with my mom’s side, dad’s side, and Jarod’s side of the family. 

Baby prep. I’m told it’s time to start packing a hospital bag, and things like that. Which is absolutely crazy. Can’t wait for baby girl to get here. Also can’t wait to decide on a name for baby girl. 

How was your November? Do you have anything fun coming up in December? 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Merry Christmas!

I mean...Happy Thanksgiving!

We got snow last night. Lots of it. And the forecast is calling for more over the next three days. 

Henry thinks it’s about the best thing ever ... oh to be young and innocent. I guess I’d think it’s great too if my only interaction with snow was sledding and making it into ice cream. 

The store got my oven in yesterday, so I’m really hoping we can get to town to bring it home. I really want my oven guys. Crock pots are great, and electric griddled are pleasant, but your girl needs some baked goods. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving after all. 

I hope you all have a great holiday. Or just a great day—looking at you, Canadians ;) Weather permitting, I’ll be stuffing myself with food at my parents’ house. 

Do you have any fun holiday plans? 

Say Cheese!

Hi guys!

I love pictures. It’s just a fact. 

Which is weird, because I also hate pictures. Also fact. 

How you say?

Let me explain. 

I love milestone pictures. Engagement, maternity, newborn. I gobble those up, and love finding time to have our own done. 

But I detest those pictures that happen at family reunions when six different people line your family up and all take pictures at the same time. Then we get these “cute” pictures where each member of the family is looking a different direction because everyone was saying “look over here! Smile.” It’s a mess. 

PSA: If you’re at an event and see a professional photographer taking pictures, back away. Do not jump in there with your phone and say “here, let me grab one too.” You want a picture? Wait until the photographer is done. Better yet, wait for them to make the images available later and download your own. I can’t tell you how many wedding pictures I have where half the wedding party is looking somewhere other than the photographer because of people snapping their own pics. Just don’t do it. 

Anyway. End rant. 

This past Saturday was 70°. It was beautiful out. So we arranged to have family/maternity pictures taken Sunday evening. 

Cue the 30° weather. 

I’m pretty sure my whole family was mad at me. No, you cannot wear big winter coats for family pictures. Layer up underneath your nice clothes and smile. 

It’s becoming a family tradition that someone goes without sleep right before picture day. For our engagement pictures, Jarod accidentally locked himself out of his house and ended up sleeping in the barn. This time, Henry was up all night with growing pains. So we were sort of zombies, and Henry wasn’t very smiley. 

However, the photographer was awesome and captured great shots despite the cold grouches before her. 

Here’s a couple of the preview pictures she uploaded last night. 

I just love them so much, and I can’t wait to see the rest. 

Phot credit goes to Morgan Curlo of 56 County Line Photography. 

What about you? Do you love taking pictures? Do you find yourself reaching for a camera to document every major moment in your life? Or are you more of a Sherlock Holmes? 

Another Month Bites the Dust

So....it’s November already. I’m kind of in shock. 

Have things gone according to plan? Absolutely not. Has everything under the sun happened in the space of three hours? No, but it feels like it. 

What went on:

October brought two trips to the pumpkin patch, which was super fun. My sisters took a bunch of pictures of me that I’m assured were super cute, but they haven’t actually sent any of them. So just know, I looked stunning. 

Harvest was completed! It was a little rough. Things weren’t great due to some of the weather mishaps that struck early this year, but they could have certainly been worse, and we’re all glad to have the corn in the bin instead of buried in a snow bank. 

It did snow. Only a skiff of it, that melted in a day, but Henry was thrilled with it. 

My mother in law came for a week and we worked on painting the ranch house we plan to move into. There’s still a ton to do, but I’m so thankful for all of her help, and I’m hopeful we will be moving in the near future. 

I was supposed to finish my line edits of Blood and Dust in October, but alas, I did not. I’m close though. Should be finished this week and I can put together the new and improved synopsis and proposal. 

Karen was here for Halloween, so she got to enjoy trick or treating with Henry. We only made it to about ten houses before the grumpy little pirate got cold, but that was more than enough candy for me and him to share. 

My oven, can opener, hot water heater, and bathroom fan all quit at the same time. I was thinking I should write a survival manual or something, but my secrets aren’t that great. Call the electrician. Buy a manual can opener. And make sure you have all the extra kitchen appliances. Electric griddle, toaster oven, crock pot, instant pot—get it all. Can’t go wrong with microwaveable food either. Well you can, but you know. Survivalists can’t be picky. 

My sisters came over for a Halloween sleepover. We watched Shutter Island and The Woman In Black. Both excellent, edge of your seat movies, with terrible, throw up your hands and scream into the void endings. 

I don’t even know. It feels like everything came crashing down in October and now everything is hanging in limbo November, waiting to see what happens next. 

I’m not doing NaNoWriMo. I had planned to work on Mad Hatter for it, but like I said—things didn’t go according to plan. 

I’m ready for Thanksgiving. I don’t even know why, I just know I’m ready for it. Comfort food. 

I also want to sleep for a week, but no one can seem to accommodate that. 

Oh well. Such is life, I guess. 

My dad and sister both have birthdays coming up this month, and I’m trying to find birthday presents, but apparently what I want to get doesn’t exist, oh and by the way, Christmas shopping is coming up too and I’ve got no time and money so if someone could just put me out of my misery, please and thanks. 

Current Mood: 

A Guide to Major Book Revisions

Hi guys! 

I am thrilled to announce that I finished the major revisions on Blood and Dust. 

I’m now working through and doing a line edit, checking for areas where I pasted something together and got a stray word in there, and for minor inconsistencies with the new storyline. My goal is to have it polished enough for #faithpitch, #pitmad, and querying in general. 

I’m actually pretty thrilled with myself, as I’ve never done major revisions—or book surgery, as the gals at Go Teen Writers like to call it. Editing, yes. I’ve gone through a novel and tightened up prose and fixed major plot holes. But never have I taken the bare bones of a story and taken it in a totally new direction. Quite frankly, the idea was absolutely terrifying up until last week when I finished it. 

I learned a couple things along the way that made it easier for me, and might be of value to you guys with your own writing. 

I’m no master, obviously. I’ve only accomplished this with one novel, and the jury is still out on beta readers how successful I was. But finishing that first round is the first step. So if you’re terrified to take the first step, like I was, these tips might be just the boost you need. 

1. Get feedback. It’s hard to know what to revise in a full length novel—especially a messy one—if you don’t have some outside eyes on it. Over the course of Blood and Dust’s life, it has been through several rounds of beta readers, I hired two editors to go through my first couple chapters, as well as hiring Kara Swanson to do some coaching sessions where we tore my plot apart. Due to my pregnancy causing exhaustion and lack of funds, I wasn’t able to continue those sessions as long as I would have liked, but the time spent with Kara was invaluable. She was such a help to this story, and in general a sweet soul all the way around. If you are in need of some one on one help with your writing, I would highly suggest her coaching services. I also entered the first two chapters of Blood and Dust in a contest, not because I thought it would win, but because I knew all entries got extensive feedback from multiple judges. I also had some feedback from an agent I had queried. 
2. Assemble and prioritize the feedback. Now that you’ve got all the feedback, start going through it. I wrote my list out on paper, but you could do it on the computer too. Any issues that came up from more than one person I paid special attention to and set as a priority to resolve. Things that came up occasionally but were valid points got jotted down to try and resolve as well, and some critiques that just didn’t fit got discarded. Having the revisions prioritized gave me a clear vision of what needed to be done, on a full story scale or simply clarifying one scene. 
3. Brainstorm and outline. I’m not a major plotter for first drafts, but Kara helped me realize that it’s kind of necessary for major revisions. We’ve got these major problems that need logical and exciting solutions. It takes some forethought. Kara and I brainstormed a whole bunch of ideas. I bounced them off of what I knew about my characters, as well as some of my beta readers that had read the full story and knew it well, then decided which ones I’d like to pursue. One thing I did that was super helpful was write a basic chapter by chapter outline of what happened in the current story. Then write a chapter by chapter outline of what I wanted to happen, noting old scenes that should be kept or discarded. Seeing what I had to work with helped me come up with good alternatives that stayed in character. It also helped me see unnecessary subplots and scenes, since one major issue agents had with the story was the length (123k). 
4. Save the darlings. Before starting out slashing the story, I created a duplicate version of Blood and Dust and named it Revisions. I’ve got the full original in case there is a scene that got cut that I decide I want back. I also created a scrap file for scenes I was cutting out of their current place, but knew for sure I could use in a different place. That way they were all right there and I wouldn’t have to dig through the original story to find them. 
5. Kill the darlings. Start writing. Or chopping. Whatever it takes. I kept my list of critiques handy, as well as my two outlines, and tried to weave in the new themes and plot lines string from the beginning. There were a lot of scenes and plot lines that I was fond of, but  that just honestly didn’t benefit the story. So I cried, said a few words, and hit delete. And told myself I still had the original version safe and sound. 
6. Don’t worry. I set out to trim the story down and in the first few chapters it gained 25k words. That frightened me and I was hesitant to write the new material that needed to be included. But trust me. I’d you’re really honest about each scene, you’ll be able to chop it down to proper size as the story progresses. Currently Blood and Dust is sitting at just over 90K—over a 30k drop. Whatever issue you might be worried about, don’t. You’ve got yourself covered. You saved the original. No change is permanent. You can go over it again. Just keep writing. 
7. Make notes. A couple times later in the story I realized there were some things I forgot to foreshadow earlier, so I made myself a note to go back and do so. Or to check the description of a character who is present in the beginning, but then doesn’t return until the end, to make sure I’m consistent. I won’t remember. You probably won’t either. Make the note. 
8. Talk to people. I sent chunks of the revised story out every so often so the people I knew liked the original story could give me feedback on if this was staying true to the heart but improving the issues. You don’t have to send out chapters yet, but keep open dialogue with writer friends you trust to give solid advice as you encounter issues with plot and character. 
9. Ta-da! That’s it! That’s what I did. Like I said, it’s not done, I’m still going through minor tweaks, but the major word chopping revisions are done, and I’m so happy. 

What about you? Have you undergone major book revisions? Any great tips that helped you through? (Coffee. Coffee helped me through.) 

The Book Spooktacular Linkup

Hi guys! 

Thank you to everyone who promoted and took part in my giveaway last week! 

The lucky winner is Jennylyn G! 

Ink Calamities and The Mad Dragon Hatter are having a blog tour this month called the Book Spooktacular and the first is a linkup of all the fall things. 

It looks like fun, and you can join the linkup on both of their blogs. 

Today I’m joining in and answering their autumn infused questions—though I’ll warn you, it’s going to be unorthodox. 

The Autumn List

1) movie with all the autumn vibes

So...I can’t actually think of one. But the movie I start craving come autumn time is Centennial. It’s a 24 hour mini series, and my family always watched it in the winter, but I’ve been pushing my viewing date up earlier and earlier every year. 

2) song that you associate with autumn

The Best Day by Taylor Swift 

3) book with ghosts

Christina’s Ghost by Betty Ren Wright terrorized me as a little kid. I loved it, and read it probably fifty times. 

4) scariest movie you've seen

Lights Out. Practically slept with the lights on, and turned on every single light in the office at work the next day. 

5) the best autumn quote

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are October’s —Anne of green gables.

6) book cover with all the autumn vibes

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. Those colors.

7) your favorite candy of the season

Peanut butter cups. Always. 

8) movie or book with themes on death and rebirth

Uh...let me look at my shelves. I don’t grasp themes easily you guys...I got nothing. My bookshelves are too young adult and straightforward. The Bourne Identity. Everyone thought he died. He comes back and makes life interesting for everyone. That’s obviously a death and rebirth theme. 

9) Youtube channel you associate with autumn

To be honest I haven’t kept up with a YouTube channel since 2013. 

10) your favorite fall beverage

Apple Cider!! Down with pumpkin spice! Anarchy!!!

So there you have it. My take on all things autumn. Hop on over to the participating blogs to read much better answers than mine. 

It’s A Giveaway

Hi everyone!

Recently I hit 500 followers on both Instagram and Twitter. 

I’m so excited, and to say thank you to everyone who supports my writing I’m hosting a giveaway! 

The prize:

One winner will receive—

One paperback copy of Five Poisoned Apples, with the cover page for my novella, Red as Blood, signed. 

A Halloween themed travel mug

A silver dagger necklace

A cute notebook

The Rules: 

US entries only. Sorry international peeps. Shipping is evil. 

Giveaway is open now till October 14, 2019, and I’m hoping to announce the winner that following Wednesday. 

Here is the Rafflecopter giveaway where you can enter to win. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

However, I am hosting this giveaway across all of my social media platforms, and each one has special instructions for how to gain extra entries, so check them out. You can find all the social media links on my contact tab. 

Thank you guys, and enjoy! 

Hello October

Hello everyone! 

I can’t believe it’s already October. I thought I was so ready for fall, but it’s 48° outside. Two days ago it was 90°. I can’t handle changes that drastic. Especially when I have nothing to wear! 

I’m not a sweatpants kind of person. I think I own one pair. But I’m also in a weird stage where maternity jeans don’t fit well enough to stay up, and my regular jeans are too tight to wear. 

I think I’m going to start a petition to make all maternity jeans have belt loops. I’ll wear a belt low on my waist if it means I don’t have to hike my jeans up every thirty seconds. Also, they need pockets. 

Anyway, enough of wardrobe lamentations. On to the actual blog post. 

We found out we are having a girl! Beyond excited about that. Everything has been checking out good and healthy, and we’re neck deep in the struggle of choosing a name. Apparently I’m a modern gal who married an old soul. Our name tastes are so different. He’s also got to deal with my writer side, and endure all the weird literary names I come up with. 

Canning. Lots of canning. Tomatoes, apples, you name it. My house has been a sticky, delicious smelling dungeon all month. They’re talking we might have record snows this year. Gotta stock up on salsa and jelly if we’re going to survive. 

We chopped silage and Henry and I got to be the cook crew. Casseroles and cookies and Gatorade, oh my! 

It’s one of my favorite and most stressful times of the year. 

Henry has been loving having a friend over every day to play. I love it too, except for the weekends when Henry asks where Lige is every ten minutes. 

My sisters, Henry, and I went Junk Jaunting, which is like state wide garage sales. Henry made out like a bandit, with new tractors and a spring horse, and I found a few treasures for the house we’ll be moving into sometime this winter. (The bear did not come home with us.)

We watched lots of Husker football. We laughed, we cried. It was intense. 

October started off raining. And it hasn’t stopped yet. I so want to get outside and hang Halloween decorations, because as fun as Christmas is, I firmly believe the other holidays should be enjoyed first—looking at you, Hobby Lobby. 

We did start on decorating inside the house. I’ll save the really insane decor for closer to the week of Halloween. My mother in law will be staying with us during that time, so she’ll get to appreciate the full extent of my weirdness. 

Weather permitting, there should be more harvesting and cooking this month. Cooking for the harvesters is a little more low key than for choppers, since they eat in the tractor to harvest. Sandwiches and chips are a staple, though I try to mix it up with runzas and sliders. 

I’ll be hitting the third trimester, which is exciting and horrifying. It seems like this pregnancy has gone so fast. I don’t have anything ready. 

I got a bunch of awesome books last month and I’m hoping to read some of them. 

Last month I revised Blood and Dust like crazy, and I’m currently forty pages away from the end. That number will fluctuate as I cut and add scenes, but I’m getting close. I plan to have it done this month, and rewrite the synopsis, etc, to start querying and pitching in November. 

Speaking of November, October may or may not be a prep month for nanowrimo. Though I’ll for sure be a nano rebel if I do participate and work on editing Bad Boy or Mad Hatter instead of writing a whole new draft. I’m not super inspired on any of my new ideas currently, so I need to get those old ones done before they go too long and stagnate in the swamp of unfinished stories. 

How is your fall going? Do you love fall? Hate it? Love it but need a slower transition into the cold weather? I’d love to hear.