Space and SciFi

I don't know if there is a bigger variation in genres than there is in SciFi. It's a big stretch if you think of one end of it being Mel Brooks "SpaceBalls" and then look all the way to the other side with "Dune". 

Those two movies are creatively light years apart, although they are still under the same umbrella.

Which is what had me thinking about where I wanted my books to land. While creating detailed worlds like in Dune is beyond what I wanted to work on, I do want more substance than the campy side of the genre. (Anyone else remember "Ice Pirates"). 

I'm trying to stay in and around the Firefly - The Expanse area of the genre. Thought out worlds but not super detailed to the point of information overload. I'm writing romance, so I still want the love story to be the focal point, which makes for a delicate balance act between the two. 

But, there are advantages to being able to create what ever I need around my characters to push them forward or throw more obstacles in front of them. 

Edits on this book are taking me a while because I don't want to mess this balance up, but I'm still hoping to have it ready for submission by the end of the month and then focus back on Sophia Meets Seduction.

It feels good to flexing these stiff creative muscles every day again. 

Winter Storms & New Family Members

Obviously I didn't get an update on here last weekend. We had a hella storm blow in over the East coast that knocked out all our power. It was a chilly 24 hours until the lights came back on. Thankfully we have a generator that keeps the necessities running...water, septic, fridge, coffee maker. 

As my cell service was also spotty it gave me the guilt free excuse to sit around under a blanket, knit and read for a whole day. (Am I a bad person for hoping the power goes out again soon. lol) 

Yes, there is a glass (cough*bottle*cough) of wine in the picture but I swear I took that in the evening. I wasn't day drinking...although it' would be a lie if I didn't. And storm chips are a "thing" out here on the East Coast and this particular mix is my favourite. 

My other life distraction is this sweet little boy, Hershey. He's a shepherd like our other dog and as adorable as can be. Don't let the lazy sleeping face fool you, he's as rambunctious and high energy as his 9month old furry sister. They've been having a great time chasing after each other. 

On the writing front I've spent the last couple days working on a query and synopsis for my sci-fi Romance - "Beneath The Surface" and today I'm back at the edits on it. My goal is to have it submitted by the end of the month and then I can focus back on writing my rough draft of Sophia Meets Seduction. 

Have a great week!

Does it really count as writing.. if I'd doing everything but?

So much to accomplish and I'm behind as usual...but I have a valid excuse!

I've been taking some online how to craft workshops, Beat Sheets, Plotting,  Email Intensives, and Organization Techniques. All of them had great information that I can use, but it's kept me busy enough that I've fallen behind my writing goals....I may have spent 3 hrs watching the Hobbit the other day too ;)

But, I'm not so far behind that I won't meet my goals this quarter. I just need to stay focused and not panic because my two youngest are starting online school tomorrow. UGH. I feel for the teachers being forced back into this madness...all while I'm contemplating day drinking to combat the lack of quiet in my home. 

Such is the madness in a "pan-dammit". This will pass, and I won't let my liver be too damaged. 

I wonder how the gods in my books would handle this madness....and if one of them started this whole thing??

Feels like something Loki, Lugh or Eris would be behind. Just so they could sit back, drink and laugh while observing humans race around and try to figure it out while fighting with each other. 

New Year Reflection and Goals

    Much like everyone else in the world, the last couple years have passed in a massive blur. It feels like December 2019 was just yesterday and here we are at the beginning of 2022.

    Personally, I've had a lot of false starts and failed attempts at much of my work. Along with a constant battle with imposter syndrome which fed my blocked creative flow....or vice verse. I'm not sure which came to the party first but they have both stayed far too long past last call. The lights are on and the bar is closing.

    We made a massive family move this past fall and relocated to the East Coast. I resigned from an employer I've been at for over twenty years. In the last three months I've realized I had been working in an incredibly toxic environment for a company that no one is allowed to say anything bad about. 

    It took leaving to realize how bad life had been.

    Having a successful NaNoWriMo went a long way to bolstering my confidence. I went in a completely different direction and wrote a SciFi romance. Which was a lot of fun and still is. Editing is a challenge as I'm still developing this work and the language that goes along with it. But, writing hasn't been this much fun in a long time. 

    I'm keeping my goals simple and obtainable for this year. If the last two years has taught me anything, it's not to trust reality to go sideways again. 

    Currently I'm editing my SciFi romance and plan to submit it to a publisher in February. I'm also writing the 3rd book to the Temptation of the Gods trilogy. You can see my progress in the column to the right of this page. :)

    I'm not sure what this year will bring, but I'm going to take it as it comes and adapt as I go.