Satisfying Cravings

So far, I've managed to avoid the COVID Ten, those extra pounds that some folks put on during their enforced isolation. I've worked very hard to remove excess baggage on my person during the first half of the year, and don't want to slide the other way. But then, I discovered Peanut Butter Sundae ice cream. Thankfully, it's only a seasonal flavor, so it will be gone from the store shelves soon. But for a peanut butter fan like myself, it's the only ice cream flavor that makes sense.

I get cravings in my writing life, too. always wanted to write a story about mail order brides, but never quite got it going until I discovered ghost writing. I'm now in the process of putting together my fifth novella about a mail order bride. It's satisfying my craving to write in this genre without all the money and hassle that comes with producing it under my own name. My satisfaction comes in the form of payment up front for my work. 

I just put the finishing touches on the final book in the Revolutionary War trilogy, so I am wondering where to go next with my work. Shall I dip my toe again into Contemporary, which is still so popular? Is there a way to combine my love of history with a Contemporary story line? How about a female history professor who unearths something startling when she decides to explore her ancestry? It could be fun. I'll have to give it some more thought. 

I get cravings in my reading, too. You would think, with this enforced isolation, I'd be ahead of my goal of reading 50 books this year, but I can't seem to lose myself in a book. I pick them up, read a couple chapters, and put them back down. I'm craving a series where I can totally immerse myself and not have to worry about the state of our union. So far, though, no luck. 

What are you reading these days? Recommendations, please.

Setting Goals, Not Making Resolutions

I love this week of the year. The frenzy that is Christmas is over, but the lights are still up so you can take a breath and enjoy the season. And it's not quite New Year's. It's the one week of the year where I reset my internal clock, wipe my desk clear of unfinished projects, and set new goals for the next year.

So, how is that different from making resolutions? It's a known fact that people who make resolutions to join health clubs, lose weight, eat better, finish that book, give up in February or so, since we quickly become overwhelmed with what we've set out to accomplish. Goals are more relaxing, in my mind. You have an entire year to accomplish what you've set out to do. If it doesn't get done in January, or even started, that's okay. There are still eleven months.

Of course, goals need to be worked on during the year, and mustn't be ignored until December. But for some reason, when all the lists of resolutions are balled up and thrown away, I look at my set of goals for the year and keep plugging away on it.

Since you've now listened to my line of rationale, I think it's only fair to share with you my goals for the year. Here they are:

1) This one's non-negotiable, since I'm under contract to finish the last two books in my Cotillion Ball Series, one in June and the last in December. A Widow's Redemption features Pepper, the eldest in the Fitzpatrick family. Her husband dies at Ft. Sumter, during the first battle of the Civil War, and after a year of mourning, she begins to volunteer at a local army hospital and meets a doctor who is as wounded as the men he's attempting to repair. The Forgotten Debutante is about the youngest in the family, Saffron. She comes of age during the Civil War and all the men who should be courting her are off fighting in the war.

2) Finish the rewrite of my contemporary, Barnswallow Summer, and hand it off to my agent.

3) Write the second book in my contemporary series.

4) Get better with social media.

5) Volunteer more hours to my RWA chapter, and make our conference a huge success.

6) Figure out a way to afford the RWA conference in New York City.

7) Take at least one vacation for pleasure rather than to do research for my next book.

8) Spend more time with my family.

9) Lose the cane and walk without aid. (This one should be easy.)

10) Finally start to write Raoul's story.

I'm going to be busy this year, but can't help but think more will crop up than I've thought of. If you can think of anything I've left off the list, please let me know. And let me know what your goals are for the year.