Remember last week I reported having a wee bit of writers block? Lying in bed, just on the verge of sleep, night before last, I had the sudden realization that this last month when I couldn’t seem to get any writing done, I’d been trying to write sequentially from the opening chapters. But I’m actually a pantser, I write best when I’m writing random scenes, and connect them later. So I got up the next morning and sat down at the computer and had NO problem thinking up a scene that came farther along in the story, and a minute later (or so it seemed) I’d written 832 words!

This week I also worked on the Character Interviews and Archetypes for the hero and heroine of Runaway Rogue, my 2021 NaNo project and the 5th book in the Wishes & Dreams paranormal romance series.

Night before last, I took my daughter out to Olive Garden for Mother/Daughter Date Night, and we spent most of the time brainstorming over salad and breadsticks, pasta, and Italian Donuts for dessert. She is my BEST brainstormer, she really gets my stories…   you’d think we shared DNA or something 😉 Anyway, not only did we brainstorm the NaNo WIP, but also she reminded me of a subplot I’d totally forgotten about for the current WIP, plus we brainstormed the overall direction the series should take, and THEN suddenly she’s moving forward to the NEXT book, and I’m like, “Wait! What? Are you talking about book SIX?!” And she’s like, “Yeah, so get going!” No pressure or anything.

Weekly Progress:

Coveted Mate: 1,192 words

NaNoWriMo Prep!

Yes, it’s Preptober! National Novel Writing Month is coming up, and October is the prep month! I have a checklist on Asana that I save and use from year to year, of things to be done before November. At this point it’s still mostly thinking up plot points for this year’s NaNo project, and making freezer meals. The morning of October 31st is when my life gets nasty with a ton of things to get done to be ready to dive into writing at midnight… I can’t wait! 🙂

Also, last but not least, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter and keep up on important news, previews, cover reveals, and so forth, as well as a monthly excerpt from either published books or works in progress, and a Recipe of the Month!

 

In Other, Non-Writing-Related News……

• Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been vaccinated, and am back to driving part-time (as the whim strikes me) for Uber, and having a blast!

 

The Books

1. Truck Stop
2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)
6. A Cat for Troy (Wishes & Dreams #3)
7. Wishes & Dreams Boxed Ebook Set (Books 1-3)
8. When Darkness Falls: Book I: The Palace
9. When Darkness Falls: Book II: The Dark Lord
10. When Darkness Falls: Book III: The Prophecy
11. When Darkness Falls: The Trilogy (Boxed eBook set)
12. An Almost Marriage: A Short Story

 

The Manuscripts

1. In-Progress Manuscripts:
   1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
   2. COVETED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #4
2. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
   1. RUNAWAY ROGUE, Wishes & Dreams #5
   2. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
   3. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
3. Planned Manuscripts:
   1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #6
   2. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except if indicated)

1. Work on Coveted Mate
2. Keep brainstorming for Runaway Rogue
3. NaNoWriMo Prep!