Whew! Had to come up for air...

I've been working on some stories for my holiday collection, wrote one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday and now one (almost done) for today to add to the title story I did a while back. So far, it's a little over 8,000 words.

Once I'm ready to publish the collection, I'll post more details about it, show the cover and give a list of the stories that are included. I'd like to have at least five stories, with the collection to be sold for $2.99. That's the plan, anyway.

I'm feeling really good about how the collection is coming along, and hope to have it ready to publish next month. I might shoot for the 7th, as that is Sis#1's birthday.

It's nice to be writing again, after spending so much time crafting and getting ready for the show I did with Sis#2. We've now set up a booth in a local antiques and collectible mall, so we have a place to put our things that aren't really suitable for most craft shows. I'll have more about that on my crafting blog, with some pictures once I can get back there and take them.

Well, off to get dinner on the table. For some reason my boys seem to expect to eat. Until next time, Gentle Readers.

words words words!

Well, it's been a good day writing so far. I've been energized by both my own schedule, and by the sales of my short stories. I just had a sale reported on Smashwords through the Apple store, to a buyer in Great Britain. And I had my first Amazon sale in the UK as well. It's pretty exciting to sell some where other than in America, I'll tell you!

My Author Central pages for the UK, France and Germany are now up, also. Amazon uses the same format for all stores, so it was pretty easy to do. So now all the non-US people who stumble upon anything of mine can check the page out to see all the work published so far. I just love the Internet!

I've been working on a collection of shorts with a holiday theme, after reading a post a while back on the Kindle Boards by Franklin Eddy about doing such a collection. I now have two completed, with an idea for another. I'd like to get two more stories after that, for a total of five. The holiday is Christmas, with the stories centering around Santa Claus and that mythos.

I've got just over 5100 words so far, it could be as many as 15,000 words, depending on how the writing and edits go. I need to figure out what to do for a cover, make sure everything is edited as well as possible, and get it uploaded

I'd like to get this collection out, and finish up a novel (first in a possible series) and get it done by the holiday shopping season. With all the excitement about the new Kindles, with their new prices, this should be a great time for us self-publishers/indie writers.

Well, I'm off to burn up the keyboard on story #3, so until next time, Gentle Readers.

oh, deer!

You know those phone calls that come in the middle of the night, and you just know it's not good news? Well, I got one last night. Number One called to say he'd just hit a deer.

He normally calls just as he's getting off work, to ask if we need anything from the store before he comes home. So, a little after that call, the phone rang again, and I knew it wasn't good news.

So, long story short, my boy is okay, but the car may be totaled. I had a long, pity-party post here, but it just doesn't matter. My boy is okay.

Later, Gentle Readers.

some good writing done last night!

I finished the first story in a planned holiday collection, and I'm liking how it turned out. Going to let it sit for a while before editing. I hope to have five stories total, and I've got ideas for three so far. I'd like to have this collection published by the end of the month.

The tentative title for the collection, which is also the title for this story, is "A Visit From St. Nick". I've got the idea that each story will use an actual holiday song/movie/book title, or a play on words of a title. I have "Miracle in 34B" and "It's a Wonderful Life" as well. Not sure if this will work out, but we'll see.

I finally made it to the grocery store today, in the rain yet, and man, has the damp played hell with my arthritis. Bummer. I think I'm overdosed on pain relievers now, and it's late so I'm off to visit with Dresden* for a bit and then to bed.

So, good night, Gentle Readers. Until next we meet.


*Dresden is my Kindle 3. I'm about half-way through George R. R. Martin's A Feast For Crows.

back to writing for a bit

I sat down last night and got 500 words done before I crashed again. The craft show was Saturday, and yesterday I had to rest a lot. Boy, my legs were cramping! I'd meant to sit down more, but we were so busy I didn't get much of a chance.


I've been catching up on the forums I visit, and getting my blogs updated, and today I absolutely must get to the grocery store. I don't think my boys would be happy with our empty cupboards, much less an empty belly!


My sister and I are looking at taking a booth at the local hospice organization's annual car show at the end of the month. Don't know if her work schedule will allow it, but there's always shows in November and December. I've got enough inventory, plus some partially done stuff, that I think I'll be okay if we do the show. There will be more information on my other blog whatever we decide.

We've also started a shop on zibbet.com, which currently has nothing listed, because I couldn't manage to get anything up, what with preparing for the show and trying to write. I'm pretty amazing, but Wonder Woman I ain't. Don't everybody faint at once, and if you tell on me, I'll deny it!


On the writing front, I'm behind on editing the short stories that are finished, and the novella/novelette. I've got the beginnings of a holiday collection of shorts I want to get out by the end of October, and the first novel in a series about a witch family that I hope to get out in November. My SF novel is chugging along slowly, maybe I'll be able to get it done by the first of the year.

In addition to all this, there's still the editing job for my other sister, and a collaboration we'd like to work on at some point, Whew!Thank goodness for day planners.

Well, that's it for today, Gentle Readers. I must finish combing my hair to I can hit the shower and get on with the day. My shopping cart awaits...