Writing Wednesday: End of 2014

This week, I’ve adjusted my routine and my goals slightly. It’s more of a trial period for the new year, or rather, the new year once the kids go back to school. I’ve done a time goal before, and usually I end up going back to more of a word count approach. We’ll see how long this lasts. But, I’ve found recently that I’ve been seriously underestimating what I can get done in a day. So, I decided to change that. I’ve been working on editing 4 hours a day(which this week has mostly been doing a 2nd read through of Stained by Ashes), and hour on plotting, and an hour for social media. In there, I get chores done. After that, I spend an hour on crafting then I have the rest of the day to read. Kids start back to school on Monday, and I’m planning to throw in some workout time in there as well. We’ll see how long I can stick with this.

This is the last Wednesday of 2014, so my last WiPPet for the year. Still, sharing from Scars and All. I’m likely to continue with that next month as well, since the WiP I’ll be working on then will probably contain quite a few spoilers. Today, I have 17 paragraphs(12+3+1-2-0-1+4) from Chapter 8. There are still a few minor characters I need to name. Until then, I have [xx] in their place.

Doren walked down Main Street, nodding to the few people who looked his way. [xx] had been busy working on a state inspection, so he’d offered to come down and pick up their lunch order. [xx] had been writing up an order for a customer, or he would have just asked her. The last few days he’d barely left the garage except to go home. The fight with his father had taken more from him than he’d wanted to admitted. It might be nothing new, but it couldn’t be okay, could it? Not when he saw the way his father looked at him.
He drew in a long breath then let it out slowly. He should be used to it by now. His father wouldn’t believe him no matter what he said. He’d tried to tell him once, and his father had just walked right out of the room. He hadn’t tried again. What was the point?
He pushed through the door to the diner and took a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting. Few tables were occupied which seemed odd to him since they were still in the middle of what should be the lunch rush. He moved up to the front counter, and the waitress there looked up. Her mouth dropped open, but only for a short moment.
“Doren. I didn’t expect you to come in. You getting the lunch order for the garage?”
“Yeah, Anna. What’s going on? It looks pretty slow in here today.”
Her lips thinned into a grim line. “You didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?” He asked as he signed his name to the credit card receipt. “I’ve been under cars all morning. No time to listen to the latest gossip.”
“You never have,” she said, her gaze flicking to his neck. To her credit, she looked right back up at him. “This isn’t gossip though, it’s news.”
He sighed. people around here had a way of dragging things out. “Well, what is it? I should really get this back to the garage.”
“[xx] came into Pizza Village this morning and found it had been robbed last night.” Doren felt the blood drain out of his face. Anna kept talking though. “They haven’t caught anyone yet, but the state police are coming in.”
His hand jerked on the bag once. “That’s awful. I hope they find him. I better get back to the garage though.”
Doren kept his eyes on the ground in front of him as he hurried back to the garage. His leg started to ache though, and it was more of a limp by the time he stepped into the front office.
“You okay, Boss?” [xx] asked, looking up at him.
He forced air past the blockage in his throat. “Yeah. You hear about Pizza Village?”
“The robbery? Yeah. Everyone’s been talking about it. I’m surprised you didn’t hear before.”
“I tend to block out the gossip. The state police are coming in though.”
“Of course they are. We don’t have anyone else to deal with it.”

I may have mentioned before that this town is modeled after my hometown, quite closely, actually. And her last comment goes with that. My hometown(and Kurztown) doesn’t have it’s own police department. So, when something happens, the state police are called in. One stoplight, one back, a couple small restaurants(although there is a subway there now), and a grocery store. Not a lot happens.

Most of my goals for this week are finished.

• Stained by Ashes – round 1 revisions – like I said, I’m already doing the 2nd read through. More than 60% through that. Should finish it today. Since I’m shifting back to drafting next month, I’ll let this sit until February.
• Freeing His Heart – Outline – this is just about done. Just have to finish the scene summaries.
• Read: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes(Sara Ramsey) – finished this. Also read Let Me Be the One(Bella Andre) & started Between Now and Forever(Barbara Freethy)
• Read: The Wars of the Barbary Pirates – just the conclusion left to read for this. It’s sparked a few thoughts for a story idea I had.
• Knit: Vertical Stripe Tie(if I get the needle I need for it) – haven’t started this, but the needle I need is on its way, so I’ll be doing it this next month. I did do a pattern I found in with some needles & hooks my grandma gave me, so I did that this week. Turns out it was a dishcloth(there was no title to the pattern, so I wasn’t sure what I was making).

It’s the end of December, so I’m going to evaluate how I did for the month(and the year, after that).

Writing:

• Flames of Redemption: finished beta edits & proofread – this is done & up on Amazon, B&N, and Kobo for pre-order
  
• The Choice: apply CP edits – My CP has been having a rough time and hasn’t gotten this back to me. So, I’ll be shifting it to next year.
• At Her Hands – Outline – done and put on the drafting schedule for late next year.
  
• Patrick’s Story(Gilbert #5) – Outline – like I said, I’m almost finished with this.
  

Reading:

• Listen to The Retribution of Mara Dyer – done & also listened to Slave to Sensation(Nalini Singh), Wild Heat(Bella Andre), & Unbreakable(Kami Garcia) as well as re-listening to the Chronos Files books(Rysa Walker)
• Read 15 books – 16/15
• Read 1 craft/research book – I skimmed a couple other Pirate books but they weren’t what I was looking for. The Wars of the Barbary Pirates had some interesting information though.

Crafting:

• Knit: 3 projects – finished Polarspun Baby Hat, Sock Monkey Hat, and Grandma’s Dishcloth
• Crochet: 4 projects – finished Flower Hot Pad, Slouchy Textured Beanie, , Starfish Washcloth, and Baby Bear Hat

As for how I’ve done for this year:

1. Publish. I want to get Slow Revenge published for sure. And hoping to get even more out. I have a plan for getting all my various WiPs revised and polished and out there. Now, I just have to stick to that plan.

Well, I got Slow Revenge published(although the title changed to Duty to Protect). And Flames of Redemption will be out in less than a week.

2. Read. I read about 168 books during 2013. Some of those were short, of course. For 2014, I’m aiming for 175. I tend to read fast and in the little moments throughout the day.

Well, if I count the audio books and craft/research books, I’ve read over 260. Even without those, it’s around 230. Definitely met this goal.

3. Crafting. Last year, I finished 20 knitting and 21 crochet projects. This year, my goal is 25 of both. Plus I’d like to learn something new. I’m leaning toward loom knitting.

I just got to both of these. Although I didn’t do the loom knitting. I may look to that for next year though.

I hadn’t realized I kept these so general for the year. Because I’m weird like this and love numbers(although I hate math):

Projects: 16(3 of these remain unfinished)

Words Written: 559,603(8591 of those were plotting)

Monthly Average: 46,634

Highest Month: November – 82020

Lowest Month: December – 10634

Days Worked: 294

Daily Average: 1903

Not a bad year over all. Hoping next year will be even better.

2015 goals:

Writing:

• Outline – I have 19 stories on this year’s list to outline. I may not get to all of them, or something else might strike me so I move them around. So, I’m not listing them all here.
• Write – 9 on this list. The first 3 are the unfinished ones. Again, I may not finish them all, but I have some to choose from. 🙂
• Edit – 5 on this list to at least get sent to my CP. After that, it depends on when I get them back from her.
• Publish: At least Flames of Redemption. Also hoping to get Stained Snow, The Choice, and maybe one more out this year.

Reading:

• Read: 250 books, which means 21/month. I’ve done at least that 3 times this year. It will probably average out.
• Listen: 12 audiobooks(will probably end up being more, but that’s at least one a month)
• Research: At least 1 craft/research book a month.

Crafting:

• Knit: 25 projects
• Crochet: 25 projects
• Learn New Craft

And for the month of January:

Writing:

• Outline: Flames of Restoration(Flames #5 – Nolan’s story) & at least start Gilbert, CO #5
• Write: Finish 1st drafts – Chasing the Ghost(Gilbert, CO #4) & Flames of Justice(Flames #2.5)

Reading:

• Read 21 books
• Listen: Written in My Own Heart’s Blood(Diana Gabaldon)
• Forensics for Writers

Crafting:

• Knit: Vertical Striped Tie & Baby Doll Dress
• Crochet: Sleigh Bell Scarf & Flower Pop Hat

My revised goals for the week:

• Finish Stained by Ashes Read Through & Compile Notes
• Finish Freeing His Heart Outline
• Write 5000 words on Chasing the Ghost
• Read: Finish Between Now and Forever, Unbridled Magic(Angela Wallace), Against the Wind(Kat Martin), Shadow Spell(Nora Roberts), & One, Two, Three(Elodie Nowodazkij)
• Crochet: Sleigh Bell Scarf(pattern came with yarn my mom got me for Christmas)

Hope everyone has had a great year and looking forward to the new one!

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Monday Mentions: New Releases

Another new release edition of Monday Mentions for you. One of them actually released last month, but it was the end of the month, so it’s still new(my definition is flexible). I haven’t actually read any of these, but they’re all ones I’m looking forward to getting to.

To Get Me To You – Kait Nolan

I’ve loved everything I’ve read of Kait’s, especially the novella in her Wishful series(Be Careful, It’s My Heart), which actually takes place after this book. I have this one sitting on my Kindle, but haven’t read it yet. I’m looking forward to it though.

Wishful, Mississippi. From the post Civil War fountain on the town green, to the gossip served along with grits and coffee at Dinner Belles Diner, it will always be Campbell Crawford’s hometown–preferably just as it is. The way he sees it, the corporate big-box store that wants to unpack on the outskirts threatens everything he holds dear, but the town’s economy demands some kind of change. He’s not sure city girl Norah Burke can possibly understand Wishful enough help him turn things around–no matter how much his dog loves her. Norah falls for the charms of the town as hard as she falls for the charms of the man, and she’s determined to help. But even if they can get the votes to send the suits packing and get the town on its feet again, can she really give up her corner office and power lunches for the corner booth at the local diner? What’s a nice executive like her going to do in a place like this?
Down and Dirty – Liliana Hart

This is the latest book in Liliana Hart’s J.J. Graves series. I love this series, as well as her Addison Holmes series. I haven’t read this one yet either, but I’m hoping to get to it soon.

Wedding plans are in full swing in Bloody Mary, Virginia. J.J. Graves is ready to walk down the aisle and start a new life—despite the fact her father is still on the loose, blood money is stashed in her closet, and an unidentified body is missing from her parents’ bunker.

But it isn’t her personal life that’s threatening her chance to say “I Do.” It’s the remains of a brutally murdered corpse found buried beneath a prize-winning rose garden. And the message attached leaves no bones about it—the body is meant for J.J. The clock is ticking as J.J. and Jack search for a killer before he becomes the ultimate wedding crasher.
Last Will and Testament – Dahlia Adler

I haven’t read Dahlia Adler’s other book(Behind the Scenes), although it is on the list. This one looked really good though.

Lizzie Brandt was valedictorian of her high school class, but at Radleigh University, all she’s acing are partying and hooking up with the wrong guys. But all that changes when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, making her guardian to her two younger brothers. To keep them out of foster care, she’ll have to fix up her image, her life, and her GPA—fast. Too bad the only person on campus she can go to for help is her humorless, pedantic Byzantine History TA, Connor Lawson, who isn’t exactly Lizzie’s biggest fan.

But Connor surprises her. Not only is he a great tutor, but he’s also a pretty great babysitter. And chauffeur. And listener. And he understands exactly what it’s like to be on your own before you’re ready. Before long, Lizzie realizes having a responsible-adult type around has its perks… and that she’d like to do some rather irresponsible (but considerably adult) things with him as well. Good thing he’s not the kind of guy who’d ever reciprocate.

Until he does.

Until they turn into far more than teacher and student.

Until the relationship that helped put their lives back together threatens everything they both have left.

Any new releases that are interesting you? What good  books have you read recently?

Sunday Summary: Post-Christmas Wind down

I know RoW80 is on break now, but since I don’t seem to get the concept of breaks, I’m still posting. Well, I did take the second half of Christmas Eve and all of Christmas day off, but that was enough of a break for me. I posted a bit about those two days on Friday. On Saturday, we had our last Christmas gathering for the year. I have no idea if we’re doing anything/going anywhere for New Year’s Eve. Honestly, I’d be just as happy(maybe happier) to stay home.

We had Christmas with my husband’s stepmom and his siblings yesterday. More toys for the kids, and I got another gift card for Amazon. I already spent the one I got from my dad earlier this month on my new Kindle Touch, and a few e-books. Now, I have 2 of Roni Loren’s books(both have bonus short stories available in the paperback version), the Divergent movie, and the needles I need for a knitting project ordered. And I still have more than half the gift card left.

I did pretty good on the last week of the round, even had just about everything for the week done by the time we left for my Mother-in-Law’s Wednesday afternoon.

• Stained by Ashes – Read Through – Done. First round of revisions will mostly be adding in a few new scenes and cutting a few extra bits. Still looking for beta readers for the first in this series, Stained Snow. I have one lined up, but wouldn’t mind 1 or 2 more
• Patrick’s Story – Character Work – this is done. Ready to start figuring out the plot.
• Read: Reaper’s Rhythm(Clare Davidson), How to Bring Your Love Life Back From the Dead(Wendy Sparrow), Clockwork Angel(Cassandra Clare), & Whiskey Beach(Nora Roberts) – enjoyed Reaper’s Rhythm and loved the three stories in Wendy Sparrow’s Halloween collection(which I read on Christmas Eve). Really liked Clockwork Angel and Whiskey Beach.
• Knit: Finish Sock Monkey Hat– this is done.
• Crochet: Baby Bear Hat – this is done as well.

There’s only a couple days of the month(and year) left. I know I won’t get to everything that was on my initial list for this year(or even this month). There’s a few things I didn’t get to, like working on The Choice, since I haven’t gotten it back from my CP yet. But, I’ve still gotten a lot done. And I’ll do my monthly and yearly evaluation on Wednesday. For now, my remaining goals for the year:

• Stained by Ashes – round 1 revisions
• Freeing His Heart – Outline
• Read: Scotsmen Prefer Blondes(Sara Ramsey)
• Read: The Wars of the Barbary Pirates
• Knit: Vertical Stripe Tie(if I get the needle I need for it)

Photo Friday: Christmas Fun

We have two of our Christmases(three actually, but the first was earlier this month) done for this year. One more to go tomorrow. On Wednesday, we went to my MiL’s for our Christmas with her. We had pizza for our Christmas Eve dinner then opened presents.

When we got home, the kids found Santa’s elves had snuck into the house again and left them each a new pair of pajamas. They put them on and we read The Night Before Christmas. Actually this year the girl read it to us, instead of me reading it.

In the morning, the girl was awake at 5:30, but the boy wasn’t. So, I told her to go in her room and read one of her new books until he got up. Which was about half an hour later. And she’d finished another 3 chapters. They didn’t get a whole lot, but Santa was a little mean and even wrapped some of the candy in their stockings(was trying to make it last longer than 10 minutes). The boy got a new bike and the girl a Kindle Fire, which didn’t leave a lot of money in the budget for other gifts. But, they didn’t seem too upset that they each only had a couple things under the tree. We’ve always kept things small at home, though. They also got gifts from “grandma carol”(husband’s stepmom’s stepmom who lives next to us, but is in Florida for the winter). And the girl got each of us a gift from the Christmas shop at school.

After they were done, we had doughnuts for breakfast and got ready to go down to my mom’s. This was about 6:30 and we didn’t have to be there until 10:30. So, we wasted some time and didn’t leave until 9:30. The first thing we did on getting there, of course, was dig into the sticky rolls my mom makes every year(this may sound familiar for anyone who’s read Flames of Redemption).

one half gone batch of sticky rolls

Once my oldest sister got there, we went downstairs to open presents. I don’t know why, but the clashing voices of 6 kids(aged 3-11) and the adults really triggers my anxiety. A few times I thought I’d lose it. I actually had to go upstairs to get control of it again.

We have nothing to do today, but tomorrow we have our Christmas with my husband’s stepmom and his siblings. Then, our Christmases will be over and it will be time to recharge after all the socialness of the last days.

Writing Wednesday: Merry Christmas

Getting this post started early again. It’s Monday afternoon, and I’m through almost everything for Tuesday. It’s been a pretty good week. Other than the sugar cookie disaster Monday afternoon. I mixed up some dough in the morning and stuck it in the fridge to chill until the kids got home so they could cut out the cookies. Not sure if I didn’t put enough flour into the dough(although I followed the recipe), or if I screwed something else up. But, the dough was so sticky, I could barely even roll it out. And when we tried to move the cookies they did cut out onto a cookie sheet, it didn’t work. So, we scrapped the dough. I had made some Magic Peanut Butter Middles earlier in the day though. So, I guess those will be what we leave for Santa.

I got Flames of Redemption back from the proofreader Sunday evening. And got through all the edits on Monday. And got the extra things added(dedication, acknowledgements, etc). Release date has been set for January 6, 2015, and it’s available for pre-order now on Kindle. And it’s uploaded to the other sites as well.

We went and saw my husband’s grandma last night. It was funny watching the kids interact with the little Pomeranian(I think) over there. They’re used to bigger dogs. Never seem to know what to do with, and are slightly afraid of, smaller ones. Yet, they go right up to my dad’s Great Pyrenees. Even funnier, they opened their cards from her on the way home, and we hear “I got a dollar!” I look back. “No, you got $20.” Then, my husband says “I’ll trade you one for that.” Apparently, we need to work more on understanding the value of money. 🙂

This afternoon we’re going over to my MiL’s. Having pizza and opening presents. Thursday, after we open gifts at home, we’ll go to my mom’s. 6 kids, eight adults. It gets interesting…an usually more chaotic and loud than my nerves can handle. So, after we open gifts, I usually seek at least some time to myself. Usually we have ham for lunch. Apparently this year, we’re having tacos. So much for tradition. 😉 At least my mom’s still making sticky rolls in the morning. Then we’re having Christmas with my husband’s stepmom and siblings on Saturday. Since we have four different Christmases to go to, I’m glad they’re at least spread out. There were a couple years where we’d go from my mom’s to his mom’s and it felt like we were constantly running. This works out so much better.

It’s Wednesday, so I have another snippet from Scars and All for you all. 14 paragraphs(1+2+2+4+1+4) from Chapter 7. Doren’s father comes to the garage.

There was a heavy sigh from behind him, but he ignored it, not saying another word until the office door was closed. “Seriously, Dad, what are you doing here? You haven’t showed your face here since I took over. I know you’ve been taking your truck to that place in [xx]. Mom still comes here.”
His father didn’t make eye contact with him, glancing around the room then focusing his gaze out the one small window in the office. “I got my reasons. You’ve done good with this place though. You should be proud of that. Didn’t get your business sense from me.”
“I know what I got from you, Dad. I got the build that made me a good linebacker in high school and college. Now, that’s gone, so we have nothing. What do you want?”
Doren saw his father blink quickly, and the color drained from his face. His gaze didn’t leave the window though. “You got more than that from me. You got my bullheadedness, as your mother hasn’t stopped telling me since you left the picnic yesterday. She told me I needed to apologize.”
Now, it made more sense. “I see. Why? You didn’t do anything. You didn’t say one single word to me in the time I was there. Instead you sent Susan over to see if I was drinking. I don’t drink, Dad. Not if I’m going to be driving anywhere. You should know that.” These last words were said in a whisper. This was the longest conversation they’d had in six years.
His father’s gaze finally swung to him, but only for a moment. He still couldn’t stand to look at him. “If you’d ever believed in me, you’d know that.”
His father’s face had paled, but now color flooded back in. “You have no idea what I believe, Doren. I wasn’t worried about you driving. I was worried you’ve slowly been killing yourself. I thought you’d stay longer.”
“And deal with all the judgmental looks? Why would I want to do that?”
“Talk to them then,” he cried. “Talk to somebody. I can see all the pain you’re carrying. I-” He broke off, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning away. “You’re as impossible to talk to as you’ve ever been. I came here to apologize for the way I acted yesterday.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” he said, his voice thick. What had his father been about to say? “Go back to work. I’ll let Mom know you came and talked to me. You won’t be in the doghouse with her.”
“Doren,-”
He shook his head. “I know how you feel about me, Dad, and I have to get back to work. There’s no point rehashing it.”
His father hesitated a moment then turned and left the office. But, Doren thought he heard him mutter, “You don’t know anything.”
Doren dropped into his chair once he was alone. Would they ever be on the same page again? They’d only ever had football and cars in common. Doren could barely be in the room when football was on anymore. He’d loved it at one time, and now…well, even thinking about it depressed him. And his father refused to talk cars to him anymore. Hell, his father hardly talked to him at all.

I actually thought they were going to figure things out when I started writing this scene. These two just weren’t being cooperative about that one.

• Stained by Ashes(follow-up to Stained Snow) – Read Through – Finished this. Just have to compile all my notes & maybe start first round of revisions next week. Also, still looking for beta readers for Stained Snow.
• Patrick’s Story – Character Work – I have all 3 of the back stories written. just need to put everything into my story tracker.
• Read: Reaper’s Rhythm(Clare Davidson), How to Bring Your Love Life Back From the Dead(Wendy Sparrow), Clockwork Angel(Cassandra Clare), & Whiskey Beach(Nora Roberts) – Finished reading Reaper’s Rhythm last night. Enjoyed it. Also started How to Bring Your Love Life Back From the Dead. Only 12% into it.
• Knit: Finish Sock Monkey Hat – finished this Tuesday.
• Crochet: Baby Bear Hat – got this started. Have the body of the hat done. It certainly wouldn’t have fit either of my kids’ heads even as newborns. Of course, their heads were consistently in the 90-95 percentile. Still, it looks really small.

And I just remembered since it’s the end of the round, I should evaluate how I’ve done overall this round.

Writing:

• Flames of Justice(Flames 2.5) – finish 1st draft
  I did add 3597 words to this.
  
• Chasing the Ghost(Gilbert, CO 4) – finish 1st draft
  Added 30,172 words to this one. About halfway through now. I’ll be picking it back up in January.
• Guarding the Heart(BC Secruity 1) – finish 1st draft
  Didn’t get to this one at all.
  

I also wrote the first draft of Scars and All in November.

Editing:

• Healing the Heart(Gilbert, CO 2) – send to CP
  It’s ready to go, but I’m still waiting until I get The Choice back from her.
  
• Stained Snow(Stained 1) – revise again send to betas
  It’s revised but still looking for betas.
  
• Stained by Ashes(Stained 2) – 1st read through
  Did that this week and just need to compile notes and stick in scenes I want to add.
  

Also edited Flames of Redemption when I got it back from the beta reader.

Plotting:

• The Hunt(fantasy project) – outline
  done.
• Pirates idea – outline
  nope. Have been doing a little research toward it though.
• Nolan’s story(Flames 4) – outline
  Started this, then decided to outline Callum’s story first, which will be Flames 4. Nolan’s will now be Flames 5.
  

Also outlined the first book in a new series, At Her Hands and started outlining a novella for my Gilbert, Co series.

Reading:

• listen to 3 books – listened to 8 books. That’s not counting me relistening to the Chronos Files series by Rysa Walker. I’ve listened to the first book, Timebound, 3 times and still chuckle over the same things.
• Read 26 books(would be 30, but I’ve already read 4 this month) I’ve read 43 books so far this round.
• Read 3 craft/research books – I read 2: Rise of the Machines(Kristen Lamb) & How to Write Dazzling dialogue(James Scott Bell). Also reading The Wars of The Barbary Pirates for some research.

Crafting:

• Knit 6 projects I’ve finished 5. 
• Crochet 6 projects
  Finished 7 projects.  

I didn’t get everything I’d planned done, but I did write over 120,000 words during the round. So very good progress. I hope everyone who celebrates has a Merry Christmas!

Monday Mentions: Plotting Tip, Achievements, and Precious Time

I didn’t share any posts last week since I was revealing my cover for Flames of Redemption. This week, I have three posts to share, though.

First, Jami Gold talks about a plotting tip that will help insure a story works.

And Ava Jae discusses what she hopes to achieve with her writing. What about you? For me, I want people to read and enjoy my stories. I hope they entertain; that they make the reader laugh, cry, swoon.

And Kristen Lamb wrote about how time is precious and if we’re investing it wisely. I know I don’t always use my time the best I can. But, I do always try to get to my writing goals first. Unless, of course, we’ve run out of forks. Again. Then, I may have to put doing the dishes a bit ahead. It has gotten a bit easier now that both kids are in school most of the day. I can get more done when they’re gone, especially the writing, and get to the other things during the less quite times(otherwise know as, when the kids are home).

What are your thoughts? Have you read any good posts lately?

Fiction Friday: Stained Snow

I have finished editing Stained Snow, the first in my western series, again. I’ve rewritten and revised this story more than a few times. So, I really need to get some other eyes on it. I just don’t think I have any objectivity left for this story or the characters.

Sometimes blood isn’t thick enough.

When everything is taken from him, William Jensen knows just who to blame. It’s finding him that’s the problem.  When he’s wounded and taken in by a rancher and his daughter, he starts to see that there might be more to his life now than vengeance. But, when he’s faced with losing even that, can he face down the man who is willing to take everything until he has nothing left? Even if it means killing his own brother.

This is a little under 65,000 words now. If anyone would like to read it and give me some feedback, I’d greatly appreciate it. 🙂