Latest News
Latest News
October 31, 2020 - The Halloween 2020 issue of Nimue's Grotto has been published!
Stop by and enjoy the stories. And, remember, if you write flash fiction, you can submit your
story to the Grotto. I'm afraid we're not a paying market yet but we are working on it. Visit
Nimue's Grotto and, check out our
Guidelines.
September 2020 - Only had time for one new post this month. Been busy with
non-writing projects.
July 2020 - Been busy lately writing blog posts for Wild One Forever. Take
a look and see:
July 2020 - Been busy lately writing blog posts for Wild One Forever. Take
a look and see:
June 2020 - Been busy lately writing blog posts for Wild One Forever. Take
a look and see:
May 2020 - Been busy lately writing blog posts for Wild One Forever. Take
a look and see:
May 30, 2020 - I am working on a new collection! More Dreams,
my second collection of Flash Fiction is on the way to eBook sellers near you. Want a
sample? Visit my blog, Dreams in Transit: "Bottled Sunshine"
April 27, 2020 - Would you like to read a story about a protective
ghost? Read "Things that go Bump in the Night" in my book
Dreams in Transit.
April 11-12, 2020 - Geek Out Virtual Con I'm participating
online today and will be on from 2:45 to 3:30 on Saturday but there's tons of good stuff
going on! Check out their website: Geek Out Virtual Con for links so yu can watch.
Saturday, April 11, 2020 - We're into the new year and a new
way of life. While you're social distancing, why not buy a copy of
my book
Saturday, December 21, 2019 - The year is just about over.
It's been a good year too! Watch for my new book, Love is a Care,
which I wrote during this year's NaNoWriMo. What made this year even better
is that my son wrote his own book and won NaNoWriMo for the first time!
Believe me, I am very proud of his accomplishment.
Enjoy the holiday season and stay warm. I know I have a huge stack of books
I want to read in January and February when it's too cold to go out and
just right to curl up in a comfy chair with a pot of tea (or maybe a huge
mug of hot chocolate?) and a good book.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
NaNoWriMo 2019 Update
Friday, November 29, 2019 - At this point, it's all over but
the shouting. Tomorrow, the 30th, is the last day of NaNoWriMo 2019. How did I
do? Better than ever before. I've actually achieved a higher word count in the
past, but I've only added about 17k or so the total. I have concluded that I'm
not going to get to 90k on this project. My plan is to leave it alone until
January and then edit and start sending it out to agents.
In the meantime, I've ressurected a false start from the past and plan to start
working on it on Monday. Maybe Sunday, because I suddenly know exactly what I
want to do with it. My NaNoWriMo novel was a mainstream story about family, love,
and the things close proximity can do to our relationships. My "new" old story
is firmly in the realm of Fantasy and I can't wait to get started on it. The only
thing I can't decide is whether to pick up where I left off or throw it away and
start fresh as I did with Love is a Care.
Friday, November 13, 2019 - I've made it to 50,000 words!
This it the earliest that I ever finished a NaNoWriMo and I'm really proud of
myself. My plan is to continue adding a few words a day and I'm still heading
for a total count of 90k plus or minus.
So how am I doing?
Friday, November 8, 2019 - As of yesterday, the end of the first
week of NaNoWriMo 2019, my word count was 21,849. Obviously I have far exceeded
the minimum requirement for this point in the month. At a rate of 1,667 words
per day, I would have had 11,669 words. Since I have been doing so consistently
well this year, I have raised my daily goal from 1,667 to 4,000 words. Wish me
luck! And come back next week to see how I do. If things go as planned, I will have
at least 49,849 words on the 14th. Meaning that, yes, I can finish the 50k by
the 15th of the month.
Monday, November 4, 2019 - Things are going well. I have completed the first
10,077 words of my novel. The words are flowing, almost appearing on
the page as quickly as I can think of them.
I've tried something new this year. Instead of writing as long as
possible, I am making sure to stop at a point where I still know what
comes next. It makes me anxious to get started in the morning rather
than nervous about what I'm going to say.
I am not going to update here every day, unless something extraordinary
happens, like me finishing the book on the 15th. National Novel
Writing Month started on a Friday, so, going forward, I will update my
word count every Friday morning.
If you want more frequent updates, you can find me on the NaNoWriMo website here:
Irene at NaNoWriMo.org
If you're participating too, send me a Buddy request. I'd love to hear from you.
NaNoWriMo 2019
Are you particpating in NaNoWriMo this year?
Me too! Check out my 2019 novel cover. Actually, the title is the same
as my last year novel. I failed miserably last year but, well,
hope springs eternal. I'm outlining now and getting ready for
Friday, November 1st.
You can find me at NaNoWriMo.org as Irene, yeah, just Irene. Here
is a link to my profile (this will open in a new tab):
Irene at NaNoWriMo.org
Meet the Authors Brunch
On Saturday, October 12th, I attended the Meet the Authors Brunch at
the Port Jervis Free Library on Pike Street. It was a wonderful chance
to meet other authors and even share one of my stories with the group.
You never know who is a writer! The other writers at the event were friendly,
welcoming, and I had a great time talking about writing with like-minded people.
I'm looking forward to future events!
The best part of the day is that, while I've been having trouble getting
any writing done for the past year and a half or so, following my diagnosis
with macular degeneration, I came home bursting with story ideas and anxious
to sit down at the keyboard!
Tiny Microfiction Publication
I have had a small (tiny, really) story published at 50-Word Stories. Would
you like to see it? It's called
"Twinkle, Twinkle"
June 1, 2019...
June Challenge
For the month of June, 2019, I've set myself a challenge, to write a
flash fiction story (any length up to 1,000 words) every day. And, further,
by the end of the month, I have to submit at least half of the stories
for possible publication.
In other words, I can't just write them and stick them in an archive until
I am ready to publish another collection.
Lots of changes...
Where have I been?
I have been through a strange and difficult year. Towards Chrstmas of
2017, I discovered that I was having difficulty focusing to read, even
on the large monitors I have in my home office. I put it down to the
fact that I needed a new pair of glasses. Amazing how wrong you can be.
When I finally went to the eye doctor for new glasses, they told me that
I had more problems than that. I went to an opthamologist and discovered
that I had two problems: macular degneration, and bleeding and swelling
within my eyes. For the past year I have been receiving intravitreal
injections to clear up the problem.
When I received the diagnosis, I thought that meant I was going to lose
my sight altogether.
At first, I was not able to see well enough to read without a lot of eye
strain. I could write but I couldn't proofread my work. After a while, that
improved, to the point where I can now read quite well again. I no longer
have to read for five minutes and rest my eyes. Life is getting back to
normal.
For the past year and about three months, I have been focusing my life
on what I had to do for work and nothing more. It has set my writing back
and lost me some wonderful opportunities but I'm not giving up. Here we
go again...