I'm supposed to be writing, but I'm goofing off. Since the boys are gone all day, I figure I can get my 1000 words in after lunch. So, I've been surfing the net, researching markets, reading blogs, and decided to bore you with some of my most recent activities.
It's hump day, the first of July, and I've been on my Atkins diet for a full week now (has it only been a week????). I've lost 7 pounds according to the scale today, now, the odd part of that is that the scale indicated that I'd lost a sum total of NOTHING yesterday. What gives with that? My hubby used the scale to weigh our suitcases for all of our recent trips and it was right on the money. So, why is it that I can weigh myself three times a day and each time the scale reads a different weight. No wonder losing weight is so depressing.
On the upside, the all protein and vegetable diet has resulted in a significant decrease in the heartburn I'd been suffering from the last six months or so. I'm almost convinced that I'm allergic to carbs...two weeks ago, even a piece of toast and a glass of water in the morning would set my tummy on fire. This week, my breakfasts have been three pieces of bacon -- no heartburn; two sausages and some veggies -- no heartburn; two hardboiled eggs and some fried onions - no heartburn. Yep, I'm doing the happy dance! I know that Atkins isn't sustainable for the long-term (been here, done this before), so, starting in August/September, I'll be switching the entire family to something more resembling the SouthBeach Diet (lots of yummy food, lots of cooking, too.). Since all the kids will be in school at least 1/2 day (two kindergartners and a high schooler), I'll have some time to devote to menu planning and cooking.
I'm also contemplating sending out my Christmas cards. I was so busy at the end of 2008 that I simply couldn't squeeze in another activity. Things have slowed down a bit since I mentally scheduled time off this summer, so this might be a good time to get those sent out. To date, I have 18 novellas available at various publishers. Two came out in June, and I have one more releasing in August from Lyrical Press. After that, I have nothing.
Now, that's not to say I don't have irons in the fire. I have one full-length book out for consideration to traditional publishers, so even if accepted, it might not be published until late next year to early 2011 (yikes). I still may end up submitting it to e-publishers and perhaps get it published in early 2010, but I'm hoping not to have to go that route. We'll see, though.
In the meantime, I meant to finish a few novellas before I jumped into another full-length novel, but the muse wasn't having any of that. I opened a story file that I'd put down almost two years ago. Loved the characters...and honestly, I thought it was "almost" finished. I started revising the first chapter and then read through to find out that although I thought it was "almost done", in reality, there was so much more to explore, more character arc to add, and the spooky factor to be stretched out enormously. So, I chopped off the last three chapters, revised the front, and am busy writing to the end. I'm loving the story, although I still have one character's arc to figure out. But she and I are "talking" and I think we'll have it figured out by the time the black moment arises. If not, we'll hash it out in the second draft.
Aging parents have also been a considerable worry the past month. My father suffers from Altzheimer's Disease and lives in a nursing home. My mom, though still in relatively good health, had a scare with her knees early in June and I had to rush home to care for her. I'd no sooner settled in back here at home when my husband got a call that his mother was in the hospital with a very scary case of endocarditis! She's out of the hospital proper now, but still confined to a convelescent home in order to have the skilled nursing she needs to recover. My father-in-law, who is not in the greatest of shape, is being cared for by various relatives, but my hubby and his siblings (thank goodness he isn't an only child like I am) are working out a schedule to go home to take care of him for the six weeks or so that my mother-in-law needs to recover.
Well, enough about me, what's new with you? Any random thoughts to share? Good news? I'd love to hear it!
Ericka
3 comments:
Hey Ericka! Nice to have you back. :) Congrats on your latest CP release, btw. Yay!
Well, yeah, life's always throwing something at you, isn't it? I've been writing like a crazy person (nothing's changed there) and trying to write longer stories. So far, I'm having a great time with them. I'm even working on a YA idea at the moment. :)
This week, The Vampire Oracle Volume Four is released in print. That's pretty exciting. Yours is already available, isn't it?
Take it easy and I'll speak to you later!
It's the water weight sloshing all over the place. Even if you didn't pee, you'd still be losing some water weight with each breath. Then you get it back when you drink something. Let alone of you're weighing after eating.
Alice - that's enlightening. And being as we're 98% water...grrrr.
Dieting sucks...but I did give myself a "free" dessert on July 4th. Part of a big cookie with fruit on it (at least the fruit was good for me!). Then, I hopped back on the wagon today.
Yolanda - cannot wait to read your latest...I've been ordering all the oracle books, glad to know the last one is out!
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