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Archive for November, 2017

Writing Wednesday: Finished!

Yes, that’s right, I finished NaNoWriMo early this morning. I almost had it finished last night, was less than 500 words away when I could barely keep my eyes open. So I decided to set it aside. I didn’t have any problem getting those last words this morning. I’m only a little more than halfway through the story, though. I might finish it in December, if it’s the main project I decide to put in first priority. We shall see.

Now, it’s time to WiPPet Wednesday again! And I’m still sharing from Jonas & Isaac. Last week, we had Konner giving Jonas a ride home after getting his prosthetic leg. Today I have the next 13 sentences(1+1+2+9).

Konner shook his head as he navigated the snowy streets. “Just that I had to run some errands. He was too busy studying for his last final to even ask what errands they were.”

Isaac had been distracted this week finishing a project and studying for tests. “So, he’ll be done after tomorrow?”

Konner sent him a crooked grin as he turned into the driveway. “No need to go fishing, Jonas. But, yes, he’ll be all yours for the next month.”

Jonas’ face burned now. “That’s not what I was asking.”

“Sure, it’s not. You coming to the center again tomorrow? Isaac should be there sooner, depending on how long that test takes him.”

Konner is so not believing your denial, Jonas. 🙂

As for all my progress this week:

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 50004/50000 words Bullseye!
    • “So, I should just live me life knowing he killed our parents, that he killed people who gave us shelter. And not do a bloody thing about it?”
      “Aye. Because it would mean you were still living. Why can that not be enough for you?”
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 17801/17500 Bullseye!
    • Still Burning – 668 words
      • Jess felt exhausted, but the last thing she wanted to do was go to her apartment and sit. She couldn’t remember ever feeling restless and so damn tired at the same time. All day she’d had to field questions from the men. About why they’d been pulled off a job then suddenly called back. Why they were letting some coward cause chaos on their own job. Why she was still in charge if she couldn’t even handle something like this.
        Okay, so mostly that last had been asked by her in her own head. She didn’t want the other men to know just how much her confidence had suffered because of this. Maybe [xx] had been right and she only had this job because her father was the boss.
        No. She wasn’t going to think like that. Yes, her father might have given her a chance another boss might not have. It’s not like she was the only woman on a construction crew, though. And he never would have kept her on if she wasn’t good at her job. So she shouldn’t have these doubts.
    • Whatever It Takes – 899 words
      • Then, there was the fact she hadn’t heard anything from Alexa. Konner had told her Gail had given the girl her phone back after a couple days. But, she still didn’t respond to any of Jayla’s texts. It was worrying her. She’d given a message to Konner for their sister, though, and she hoped she’d heard something from him today. Soon, hopefully. Of course he was probably spending time with Isaac while they were both on break.
    • High on Loving You – 767 words
      • “Because he loves you, too. And it would be damn obvious if the both of you would open your eyes. Now, go. I have houses to sell.”
        Anna laughed, but she did exactly that. And she really hoped the woman was right. Otherwise she was going to lay everything on the line for nothing.
    • By the Gun – 350 words
      • Alejandro closed his eyes, even though he was afraid that would mean falling back asleep. “We were getting ready to ride out of the clearing. Something hit me. Shot. I was shot,” he remembered.
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 2518/2250 Bullseye!
    • Patrick & Sarah –
    • Tavin & Haiwee –
    • Roman –
    • Dougal & Shae –
    • Jacob & Matthew –
    • Mike & Fadil –
    • Hawk –
    • Sean & Braeden –
    • Melanie & Garren –
    • Desmund – 174 words
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 15 /15 Bullseye!

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Got chapter 5 back Wednesday morning. Transferred comments for 2/2 scenes Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 23/23 Bullseye!

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 19/30 Off Target
    • The Hunter(Monica McCarty) – Started this Thursday(11/16) evening. Finished it Tuesday(11/28) morning. Enjoyed it.
    • Slow Burn Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Saturday afternoon(11/18). Finished it Sunday(11/26) evening.
    • The Girl with the Red Balloon(Katherine Locke) – Started this Thursday afternoon. At 62%
    • Beyond Reason(Kat Martin) – On page 99/388
    • Chasing Destiny(Megan Erickson) – At 55%
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 9/4 Bullseye!
    • Something About You(Julie James) – Started this Thursday morning. Finished it Sunday afternoon. Really enjoyed it.
    • When Tony Met Adam(Suzanne Brockmann) – Listened to this Monday morning. It’s a short story/novella in her Troubleshooters series. It’s a little farther along than where I’m at in the series currently, so I probably should have waited. But, I did enjoy it.
    • Mine to Possess(Nalini Singh) – On Chapter 25/50

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 17/21 On Target
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque –  Bullseye!
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf –  Bullseye!

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Sunday Summary: Falling Off

I fell a little off my track this week. It was going pretty good until Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday I only managed to meet my minimum goals but not much on bonus words like I try to. Thursday I met my minimum goal on Green Hills & Smoky Fields and I started another side project on my phone while we were at my mom’s for Thanksgiving. I did better on Friday, but I still hadn’t met my weekly goals. And on Saturday I had to do more outlining for 2 projects, so word count was once again a little low. I have less than 1500 to go between all goals. I may be able to get that today. We’ll see.

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 42374/50000 words On Target
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 15117/17500 On Target
    • Still Burning – 1093 words
    • Whatever It Takes – 990 words
    • High on Loving You – 1005 words
    • By the Gun – 543 words
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 2344/2250 Bullseye
    • Patrick & Sarah – 69 words
    • Tavin & Haiwee – 55 words
    • Roman –
    • Dougal & Shae –
    • Jacob & Matthew –
    • Mike & Fadil – 71 words
    • Hawk – 58 words
    • Sean & Braeden – 43 words
    • Melanie & Garren – 39 words
    • Desmund – 116 words
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 12 /15 On Target

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 19/23 On Target

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 17/30 Off Target
    • Barefoot at Sunset(Roxanne St. Clair) – Started this Thursday afternoon. Really didn’t care about the characters by 30% so set this aside Tuesday.
    • The Hunter(Monica McCarty) – Started this Thursday evening. On page 126/380
    • Take Me, Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Friday morning. Set it aside Monday evening. So tired of the woman has to be taught how to be feminine trope. And apparently a man knows how to make that happen better than a woman. Just, no thanks.
    • Slow Burn Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Saturday afternoon. On page 310/367
    • Into the Firestorm(Kat Martin) – Started this Tuesday evening. Finished it Saturday evening. Enjoyed it.
    • Forgiven(Rachel Morgan) – Read this Wednesday afternoon. Was a quick one.
    • Hands On Therapy(TL Watson) – Read this Thursday. Enjoyed it.
    • Mistletoe Mischief(Stacey Joy Netzel) – Read this Thursday. Was a quick and sweet read.
    • The Girl with the Red Balloon(Katherine Locke) – Started this Thursday afternoon. At 16%
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 7/4 Bullseye!
    • Crossroads(Riley Hart) – Started this Friday(11/17) around noon. Not sure if it was narrator or what, but not pulling me in. Finished it Wednesday night. Enjoyed it overall, though I had some issues with it.
    • A Seditious Affair(K.J. Charles) – Started this Saturday afternoon. Finished Sunday afternoon.
    • A Gentleman’s Postition(K.J. Charles) – Started this Sunday afternoon. Finished it Tuesday evening. Loved, loved, loved.
    • Something About You(Julie James) – Started this Thursday morning. On Chapter 22/29

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 17/21 On Target
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque – Started this Tuesday evening(11/7). Cast on & knit 7 rows & finished brim, knit 48 rows of main pattern, Knit 14 rounds of decrease rounds. Finished Saturday morning(11/18)  Bullseye!
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf – 17/17 remaining rows on Prayer Square. Started Dreamy Scarf Saturday afternoon(11/18) About 54/66 inches long, but I ran out of yarn, and really it’s probably long enough, so I’m calling it done. Bullseye!

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writing

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WeWriWa: “What Damon Meant”

Welcome back to another visit with the Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop for anyone who likes to write. I hope everyone in the US had a good Thanksgiving and got all the deals you wanted Friday. Me, I sat at home Friday and did my shopping from my desk. Crowds and I just do not get along. Plus I got more writing done. Good enough reason to stay home. And now I have the next little bit of Hawk’s story for you.

 

“Where’s Dam-Devil?” Anyone there would know who I meant with either name, but he preferred having his road name used, except when we were in bed.

“He went for a run,” Icarus said, glancing back down at his paper.

“On his own?”

“That isn’t exactly unusual. You know how your man is.”

Yes, I did. That was the problem. He could be reckless, impetuous, and so damn honorable, and if my father happened to still be around and saw him, if he knew what Damon meant to me…no, I couldn’t even think about that. “You know which way he went?”

Is Devil going to do anything reckless while he is out, or will he save that for another time?

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writing

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday: “Ink”

Bridgette stepped into the dining room and saw that Eamonn was the only one there. He didn’t even seem to notice her presence though, as he focused on the paper in front of him. He scribbled a few lines over it, pressed the end of the nib pen against his lip then put it back against the paper. He only paused in the scribbling to dip the pen back into the inkwell.

“Writing a letter?” she asked as she moved closer. She hadn’t really seen much of him recently. Not as much as she had seen of Torin. She felt a little bad that she wasn’t more disappointed by that. But, he was here now.

He jumped a little at her voice, and a few drops of ink fell across the page. He wiped at them, but they only smeared across the paper. He shrugged and set the pen aside. “Not a letter, no.”

She moved a little closer, hoping to get a glimpse of what he was writing. If not a letter, then what could it be? But he slid the paper under a blank sheet. Right, so he did not want her to see. He had been fairly charming to her over the days. She hadn’t expected this turn of behavior.

“You are not going to let me see then?”

“Nay, I do not think that a good idea,” he said, but he did flash her that smile. The one that liked to make her knees a little weak. It wasn’t as strong as it usually was. And it had nothing on what just Torin’s hand on her elbow did to her.

And there was still a sadness in Eamonn’s eyes. He was not as despondent as when they’d first arrived, a little more than a month ago. But, she still saw flashes of it, especially when he didn’t think anyone–mostly his brother it seemed–was watching. She did not know why he didn’t want her to see what he was writing, though. What could the harm be if it was not a personal letter.

But, she moved away and from the corner of her eye saw him dip the pen again. She tried to catch a few words without getting too close. But none of those made much sense to her. Not without seeing all of them. But, she couldn’t seem to help looking over from time to time.

It wasn’t until he was starting to fold the paper, and she got a glimpse of the name at the top of what he’d been writing she got her first clue. Keagen Aislinn. She’d seen that name before. Along with a rather stirring diatribe in The Nation. She couldn’t believe that was Eamonn. He could be charming when he chose to be, but this had gone beyond that. It could see him transported if not hanged.

“Have care,” she murmured as she stepped past him. “I know your brother enjoys your presence.”

He met her gaze for a moment, awareness in those eyes. She’d been caught by them from the first moment she’d looked into them. But, he simply nodded after a moment and turned away.

What was he doing to her? Not even two months ago, she’d sworn she’d never let  a man control her. Now, she was being turned and twisted by two of them. No, she would not let it happen. Especially not for a man who seemed to be willing to risk being charged with sedition.

She definitely wasn’t going to let herself fall for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt was to use “ink” either as a noun or verb. Wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do at first. But, Eamonn decided to start speaking to me, or writing as it is. 😉 The Nation was actually an Irish newspaper that would have been published around this time, and by this time, several of the contributors had been transported to Australia for exactly what Eamonn is doing, which would be why he’s writing under an assumed name. 🙂

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Writing Wednesday: Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, here in the States at least. One thing I’m thankful for: We never host Thanksgiving dinner, so I don’t have to worry about doing a special cleaning of the house or cook or have to deal with people in my house. We’re going to my mom’s for the day and may stop at husband’s aunt’s on the way home. I’ll be taking a book/my kindle so I can hide away when I can’t take socializing any more.

Another thing I’m thankful for: We have internet that works again! Our old service kept going out(the modem said it was connected but nothing would work). I’d basically have to only have 1 thing connected at a time for it to work and if I connected my phone, it would completely go out. So, husband called the local cable company we used to use and he came Monday and reconnected our service. Now, I won’t have to go through all my data package on my phone in a month(it was pretty close last month).

Now, I just have to get a new wireless keyboard it seems. Mine periodically stops working. If it sits for a length of time, it won’t type when I try to use it again. Loosen one of the batteries and put it back in and it works again. I thought batteries might be low, but I changed them out yesterday and it was still doing it. So, yeah, I think it’s time for a new one.

And now it is time for WiPPet Wednesday!! I have more of Jonas & Isaac for you today. I had thought of rewinding and sharing a Thanksgiving scene for today. Instead I’ll share a scene with something Jonas is thankful for. I have 7 paragraphs today(22-11+2+0+1-7).

He used the crutches to keep himself steady as he walked–actually walked! He was still having trouble believing that– out of the office. The sky had dumped snow on the city earlier that day, but the sidewalk was shoveled and parking lot cleared. A dark blue car idled at the curb.

Jonas took careful steps toward it. The last thing he wanted to do was fall out here and mess something up already. When he reached the car, he opened the door and caught Konner grinning at him. “Looking good there,” Konner said. “Of course, you always do. But especially so with that walking.”

Jonas felt his face warm. It always did when Konner said things like that. When he flirted, with Jonas himself or Isaac. But, he just slid his crutches into the backseat and climbed in. “Thanks for agreeing to give me a ride. I wanted to show the whole family together.”

“Not a problem, man. Glad you were able to get it today.”

So was he. Jonas had thought he’d be able to take the leg home the week before when he first went in for the fitting. But, they’d had to make some adjustments. So he’d had to wait.

“Did you tell Isaac what you were doing?” He didn’t know why it mattered. But, he wanted to be the one to show him. Over the last two weeks, some sort of connection had formed between them again. Not what they’d had before, but maybe they could at least be friends.

He kept telling himself he could be content with that.

Sure, Jonas, you can believe that all you want. 😉

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Not Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 36882/50000 words On Target
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 13775/17500 On Target
    • Still Burning – 679 words
    • Whatever It Takes – 648 words
    • High on Loving You – 669 words
    • By the Gun – 293 words
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 2075/2250 On Target
    • Patrick & Sarah – 69 words
    • Tavin & Haiwee – 55 words
    • Roman –
    • Dougal & Shae –
    • Jacob & Matthew –
    • Mike & Fadil –
    • Hawk – 58 words
    • Sean & Braeden –
    • Melanie & Garren –
    • Desmund –
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 11 /15 On Target

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 17/23 On Target

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 13/30 Off Target
    • Barefoot at Sunset(Roxanne St. Clair) – Started this Thursday afternoon. Really didn’t care about the characters by 30% so set this aside Tuesday.
    • The Hunter(Monica McCarty) – Started this Thursday evening. On page 81/380
    • Take Me, Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Friday morning. Set it aside Monday evening. So tired of the woman has to be taught how to be feminine trope. And apparently a man knows how to make that happen better than a woman. Just, no thanks.
    • Slow Burn Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Saturday afternoon. On page 119/367
    • Into the Firestorm(Kat Martin) – Started this Tuesday evening. On page 48/368
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 6/4 Bullseye!
    • Crossroads(Riley Hart) – Started this Friday(11/17) around noon. Not sure if it was narrator or what, but not pulling me in. On Chapter 20/43
    • A Seditious Affair(K.J. Charles) – Started this Saturday afternoon. Finished Sunday afternoon.
    • A Gentleman’s Postition(K.J. Charles) – Started this Sunday afternoon. Finished it Tuesday evening. Loved, loved, loved.

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 14/21 On Target
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque – Started this Tuesday evening(11/7). Cast on & knit 7 rows & finished brim, knit 48 rows of main pattern, Knit 14 rounds of decrease rounds. Finished Saturday morning(11/18)  Bullseye!
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf – 17/17 remaining rows on Prayer Square. Started Dreamy Scarf Saturday afternoon(11/18) About 35/66 inches long On Target

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Sunday Summary: Rolling Along

Not too much to really say up here. Words have been flowing. Things are about to get hot in my NaNo project. And not in a sexy way. Why would I be nice to my characters, after all?

I’m not sure how the words will go this week with Thanksgiving. But, I’ll still be working on it. At the rate I’m going, I might hit the midpoint by the time I reach 50,000 words. Which should make this my longest novel. but, we’ll see how thing goes.

Now, for my progress so far:

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Not Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 31273/50000 words On Target
    • “I’m going to saddle Ceallach,” Torin said, heading for the back of the cottage. Desmund saw his aunt heading after him. He knew she wouldn’t be trying to talk him out of leaving this time. Torin and Eamonn did have to leave now. Otherwise they likely would all hang. He hated he would have to say good-bye to Eamonn after all, though.
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 11288/17500 On Target
    • Still Burning – 1182 words
      • Austin wouldn’t let himself look. He would not ruin the good time she was having. “Aren’t big brothers supposed to threaten the guys who want to get with their little sisters?” he asked.
        Nolan just laughed at that. “You do realize Jess would kick our asses if any of us tried that. Tate may anyways, but just mention Emilia, and he turns into a big teddy bear.”
    • Whatever It Takes –1209 words
    • High on Loving You –1334 words
      • She just wished she could say the same for herself. But, that was a choice in his hands, and it almost seemed like he had made it. And it wasn’t in her favor. She wasn’t just going to give up, though. Not on Morgan and not on what they could have between them. No matter what he had to say about the matter. She had faith in them, and she would find a way to prove he should as well.
    • By the Gun – 590 words
      • Carlos wished he could be as sure as the other man. But, he just knew he needed to make sure he didn’t let his brother die. If that happened, he’d only have Pedro left. He would have failed everyone else. And he wasn’t sure how he could claim he hadn’t failed him as well. If he’d gotten back to the ranch sooner that day, if he’d kept Patrick and those other men from riding off, maybe then he could have stopped it all. But, he hadn’t, and now almost all his family was gone.
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 1893/2250 On Target
    • Patrick & Sarah – 54 words
    • Tavin & Haiwee – 36 words
    • Roman – 108 words
    • Dougal & Shae – 51 words
    • Jacob & Matthew – 60 words
    • Mike & Fadil – 32 words
    • Hawk – 63 words
    • Sean & Braeden – 46 words
    • Melanie & Garren – 76 words
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 10/15 On Target

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 14/23 On Target

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 13/30 Off Target
    • Dangerous in Training(Sidney Bristol) – Started this Friday evening. Finished it Tuesday morning.
    • Softly at Sunrise(Maya Banks) – Started this Saturday night. It’s a novella included with Shades of Gray. Finished it Sunday morning. Enjoyed it.
    • The Rogue Prince(Lindsay Buroker) – Started this Monday afternoon. Finished it Friday night. Had trouble getting into this one, which has never been a problem for me with any of Lindsay’s books. I did end up enjoying it, though, and got the next book(she’s one of the few authors I autobuy instead of putting on a list and waiting for chance at sale)
    • All He Ever Needed(Shannon Stacey) – Started this Monday evening. Finished it Saturday afternoon. Was okay.
    • A Gentleman’s Position(K.J. Charles) – Started this Tuesday morning. Finished it Thursday afternoon. LOVED it.
    • Barefoot at Sunset(Roxanne St. Clair) – Started this Thursday afternoon. At 20%
    • The Hunter(Monica McCarty) – Started this Thursday evening. On page 11/380
    • Take Me, Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Friday morning. On page 16/190
    • Slow Burn Cowboy(Maisey Yates) – Started this Saturday afternoon. On page 104/367
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 4/4 Bullseye!
    • Imprudence(Gail Carriger) – Started this Friday morning(11/10). Finished it Friday morning(11/17). Really enjoyed it.
    • Crossroads(Riley Hart) – Started this Friday(11/17) around noon. Not sure if it was narrator or what, but not pulling me in.
    • A Fashionable Indulgence(K.J. Charles) – Started this Friday afternoon. I’ve now read all the books in this series, so I decided why not listen to them straight through. They’re included in the Audible Romance package so I can download them for free(well, for the monthly subscription fee, but I can get as many as I can listen to a month). Finished it Saturday morning. Think I loved this even more listening to it than when I read it. And I believe I LOVED it then. 🙂
    • A Seditious Affair(K.J. Charles) – Started this Saturday afternoon. On Chapter 9/17

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 14/21 On Target
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque – Started this Tuesday evening(11/7). Cast on & knit 7 rows & finished brim, knit 48 rows of main pattern, Knit 14 rounds of decrease rounds. Finished Saturday morning(11/18)  Bullseye!
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf – 17/17 remaining rows on Prayer Square. Started Dreamy Scarf Saturday afternoon(11/18) On Target

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writing

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WeWriWa: “For My Benefit”

Welcome back to another visit with the Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop for anyone who likes to write. Skipping forward to the end of the scene I started sharing last week. I think we all knew where that was heading. 😉 The ending of a sweet moment between them.

When we were both spent, I rested my head on his chest. His fingers drifted through my hair, then he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Will you sleep now?”

“Trying,” I said, already drifting off.

“Good,” he said, his hand resting against the back of my neck. “I love you, Gavin. Everything will work out.”

Devil had never been the optimistic type, so I knew he said it for my benefit. I just really wished I could believe it was true. “Love you, too.”

Is this the calm before the storm? Will things really work out? Or will there be some bad trouble coming?

 

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday: “Psst”

“Psst.”

Maddix glanced over to the next rack of clothes from what he was pretending to look through. And there stood Maribel . Looking as bright and sweet and pretty as always. Damn it.

“What are you doing here, Mari?” he asked in a whispered hiss. “I’m on a stakeout.”

She covered a giggle with her hand. “And here I thought Dad had just sent you to try to figure out what Mom wants for Christmas.”

His lips were tempted to pull up into a smile. She always made him feel like doing that. But, it was a mistake. He knew it was. Going after the boss’s daughter would never be a smart decision. And Mark had done so much for him, he couldn’t betray him like that. “Like I said, I’m on a stakeout.”

Her eyes were still dancing above her hand. “If that’s what you want to call it, Mad. You know, you could have just come to me to get your answers. I actually talk to Mom. I know what she wants.”

Except talking to Maribel always led him to thoughts he knew he shouldn’t be having. Boss’s daughter. Keep your hands off your boss’s daughter. He could do that, couldn’t he? “I could have done that,” he finally said. “Why don’t we do it now. Want some coffee.”

She dropped her hand and he saw the grin that spread across her face. “That sounds wonderful, Maddix.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s Stream of Consciousness prompt was to use “psst or any other attention-getting word or sound”. Maddix and Maribel pushed their way into my head. if you’ve read some of my Jonas & Isaac pieces or snippets(on Wednesdays), you might recognize Maddix as Konner’s brother. Maribel has shown up on the edges of one or two earlier stories in the series. Her father(and older half-brother) is a private investigator and by Jonas & Isaac, Maddix has started working for him. I don’t know when I’ll get to their story, but they have been murmuring to me.

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Writing Wednesday: In the Middle

We’ve come to the middle of the month. I’m halfway to my NaNoWriMo(or was very close to it as of Tuesday night. Won’t have a problem hitting it today Hit it this morning). I’m at the halfway point of Whatever It Takes(and nearly ready to outline Act 3). And that’s about all the middle stuff I can come up with. 🙂

On Sunday we went to a birthday party for one of the boy’s friends. His older brother is also in the girl’s grade, and their father is friends with my husband, so both kids were invited. The birthday party was at Chuck E Cheese, which is basically my personal version of Hell. Up until now I’ve gotten away from having to go to any parties there. Usually only 1 kid is invited, so I take the other one to do something else(if the girl stays with me, we usually go to the bookstore, the boy prefers Toys R Us). It was…not as bad as I feared. We followed the kids around a bit at first, and there were too many people among all the games. But when we sat down, it wasn’t quite as…socially claustrophobic(this is the term I used before I knew social anxiety was a thing). I felt on edge the whole time we were there, but I survived, so there’s that. And the kids had a good time.

During last week’s writing of Green Hills & Smoky Fields(really need to come up with a different title since book 1 takes place all in the Green Hills part), a new character popped up, surprising me(If you want, you can meet him in the Stream of Consciousness Saturday post I have linked below). And he has me adding quite a few words and scenes I hadn’t planned on into it. And it also already has me thinking about what might happen in book 2. Except I’m not even halfway through this one yet. Oops?

And now that it’s Wednesday, it’s time for WiPPet Wednesday!! A blog hop, hosted by the amazing Emily Wrayburn for us to share a snippet from a current Work in Progress that someone pertains to the date. I’m still sharing from Jonas & Isaac’s story. I have the last 6 paragraphs(1+5 for the day) from the scene I started sharing from last week.

“You did say you wanted to know why he keeps coming by, hanging out when you’re not busy. But, he leaves just as that tension starts snapping between you.”

That wasn’t quite what he’d said. And Jonas did seem to get enjoyment out of helping the kids. But, there had to be more to it, didn’t there? “I don’t need a private investigator for those answers. I don’t need those answers.” Wasn’t sure he wanted them.

“You keep telling yourself that, Isaac. I can see the truth. Hell, everyone around here sees the truth.”

“I will,” Isaac said, ignoring the last two statements. “Thank you very much for your permission.”

Konner snorted again and bumped his shoulder against Isaac’s. Then, he started rambling on about…something. Isaac barely followed the conversation. Because why did Jonas keep coming by? Was it really only about helping? Or something more?

He shouldn’t care about the answer. But, he did. and he was afraid finding out would destroy him.

Will Isaac get those answers? Would he really like what they were?

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Not Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 26225/50000 words On Target
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 9904/17500 On Target
    • Still Burning – 1099 words
    • Whatever It Takes –948 words
    • High on Loving You –726 words
    • By the Gun – 388 words
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 1893/2250 On Target
    • Patrick & Sarah – 54 words
    • Tavin & Haiwee – 36 words
    • Roman – 108 words
    • Dougal & Shae – 51 words
    • Jacob & Matthew – 60 words
    • Mike & Fadil – 32 words
    • Hawk – 63 words
    • Sean & Braeden – 46 words
    • Melanie & Garren – 76 words
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 8/15 On Target

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 9/23 On Target

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 10/30 Off Target
    • Dangerous in Training(Sidney Bristol) – Started this Friday evening. Finished it Tuesday morning.
    • Softly at Sunrise(Maya Banks) – Started this Saturday night. It’s a novella included with Shades of Gray. Finished it Sunday morning. Enjoyed it.
    • The Rogue Prince(Lindsay Buroker) – Started this Monday afternoon. At 24%
    • All He Ever Needed(Shannon Stacey) – Started this Monday evening. On page 123/272
    • A Gentleman’s Position(K.J. Charles) – Started this Tuesday morning. At 11%
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 2/4
    • Imprudence(Gail Carriger) – Started this Friday morning. On Chapter 13/19

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 11/21 On Target
    • Fiction Friday: Dear Diary – A short story with Silas(from Playing with Fire) when he’s a teenager
    • Stream of Consciousness Saturday: Arm – a bit from Green Hills & Smoky Fields & Eamonn’s doomed crush.
    • WeWriWa: Out of My Head – a snippet from Hawk’s story
    • Sunday Summary – Weekly update
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque – Started this Tuesday evening(11/7). Cast on & knit 7 rows & finished brim, knit 28 rows of main pattern Target Sighted in
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf – 17/17 remaining rows on Prayer Square Target in Sight

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Sunday Summary: Getting Colder

Friday morning I woke up and sat this outside: . We knew it was coming, but the day before it had looked like this: . It’s supposed to warm up again during the week and be cold next weekend. Eventually I’m sure it will stay cold.

Thursday were Parent-teacher conferences. We had the boy’s first. And were told he’s a great kid, making friends, comes up with great ideas for writing, though his handwriting is very messy. for math and reading, he’s in the proficient range(basically a ‘B’) and for word study he’s advanced(an ‘A’). Then, we went to the girl’s. And were told she’s a “bright girl” she’s just very quiet. Not as in not talking, but talking so quietly no one can hear her. Yeah, that’s been an issue. She’s reading above her grade level(she started reading chapter books when she was 5/6, so this isn’t really a surprise), and is in the advanced range for all the subjects. So, both of them are doing good.

Color Code:

Monthly Goal Met/Finished

Weekly Goal Met

Progress Made

Nothing Done

Set Aside

Plotting:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Outline Act 2, Act 3, & Act 4 as I come to them – On Target
  • Secondary: Outline Upcoming Acts for Still Burning & Whatever It Takes – Target Not Sighted in
  • Stretch: Flames of Knowledge – Brainstorm – Target Not Sighted In

Writing:

  • Primary: Green Hills & Smoky Fields – Write 50000 words – 19321/50000 words On Target
    • Desmund grinned at him. “Come on. I should get this t’ the house. Aunt Mair will be waitin’ for it. And she’ll be gettin’ breakfast on soon. Ye do not want to miss that.”
      Eamonn wasn’t sure he wanted to miss anything with Desmund. Even if nothing could ever come of it. They would not be here long anyway. Might as well enjoy it while he could.
  • Secondary: Other main projects – Write 17500 words – 7171/17500 On Target
    • Still Burning – 1204 words
      • “You’ve both got it so damn bad, I guess it’s a good thing this place is filled with firefighters.” Jess raised a brow at that comment, and Jaya laughed. “One of those sparks the two of you are putting off is bound to light something on fire.”
    • Whatever It Takes – 1203 words
      • “I don’t think any of that,” Carisa said firmly. “I don’t know who told you all that, but what you did with your body before has nothing to do with the way I feel for you. If you don’t want to do anything, we won’t do it. Just tell me. I could just kiss you for the rest of my life and not give a good damn about anything else.”
    • High on Loving You – 1205 words
      • He buried his face in his hair and just breathed deep for a moment, ignoring when one of her curls tickled his nose. He didn’t care right now. Raina was gone. Anna was here. His life was spiraling out of control, and he needed just one moment of calm. “This isn’t supposed to be happening,” he finally said.
    • By the Gun –614 words
      • Carlos hoped that holding tight to the reins of his horse would make the shaking of his hands less obvious. It didn’t matter what he’d said to his brother. He was not nearly as calm as he’d pretended to be.
        He’d seen Alejandro go down and for a moment was so sure he was going to lose one of the last remaining members of his family. He couldn’t let that happen.
  • Stretch: Side Projects – 2250 words – 1367/2250 On Target
    • Patrick & Sarah – 51  words
    • Tavin & Haiwee – 81 words
    • Roman – 68 words
    • Dougal & Shae – 86 words
    • Jacob & Matthew – 110 words
    • Mike & Fadil – 69 words
    • Hawk – 89 words
    • Sean & Braeden – 74 words
    • Melanie & Garren – 65 words
  • Stretchier: Jonas & Isaac – 15 pages – 6/15 On Target

Editing:

  • Primary: Stained Blood – Edit chapters as I get them back – 0/22 Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Secondary: Flames of Renewal – Edit once I get it back from CP – Target Not Sighted in Yet
  • Stretch: Transfer Ready When You Are from Word to Scrivener – 8/23 On Target

Reading:

  • Primary: Read 30 books – 8/30 Off Target
    • Killing Fear(Allison Brennan) – Started this Thursday afternoon(when my kindle had to charge). Read the prologue(10 pages but was numbered with roman numerals. Chapter 1 started with page 1, which seems weird to me, but oh well). Finished this Wednesday afternoon. Enjoyed it.
    • Concourse(Santino Hassell) – Started this Friday evening. Finished it Tuesday afternoon. Loved it. *In my head, I kept calling this Intercourse. The last book was Interborough, and for some reason my brain mashed the two together. And I’d snicker every time I realized what I’d called it. Because I am so very mature.
    • Unicorn Tracks(Julia Ember) – Started this Saturday night. Finished it Tuesday night. Enjoyed it.
    • Once Upon a Wedding(Kait Nolan) – Started this Sunday morning. Finished it Sunday night. Was a quick, sweet read.
    • Those Sweet Words(Kait Nolan) – Started this Wednesday afternoon. I finished this Thursday afternoon. LOVED it!!!
    • Rebel of the Sands(Alwyn Hamilton) – Started this Wednesday evening. Finished on Saturday afternoon. Enjoyed it.
    • Shades of Gray(Maya Banks) – Started this Friday afternoon. Finished this Saturday night.
    • Dangerous in Training(Sidney Bristol) – Started this Friday evening. At 10%
    • Softly at Sunrise(Maya Banks) – Started this Saturday night. It’s a novella included with Shades of Gray. On Chapter 4/15
  • Secondary: Listen 4 books – 2/4
    • Tower of Dawn(Sarah J Maas) – Started this Wednesday afternoon(10/25). Finished it Monday morning(11/6)
    • A Merciful Truth(Kendra Elliot) – Started this Monday afternoon. Finished it Friday morning. Really enjoyed it.
    • Imprudence(Gail Carriger) – Started this Friday morning. On Chapter 2/19

Social Media:

  • Primary: Post Writing Wednesday, Fiction Friday, Stream of Consciousness Saturday, Weekend Writing Warriors, & Sunday Summary each week – 10/21 On Target
    • Writing Wednesday: Midweek check in and snippet from Jonas & Isaac
    • Fiction Friday: Dear Diary – A short story with Silas(from Playing with Fire) when he’s a teenager
    • Stream of Consciousness Saturday: Arm – a bit from Green Hills & Smoky Fields & Eamonn’s doomed crush.
    • WeWriWa: Out of My Head – a snippet from Hawk’s story
  • Secondary: Post to Patreon 4x – 1/4 Off Target
    • Green Hills & Smoky Fields – The Beginning

Crafting:

  • Knit: Slip n Purl Toque – Started this Tuesday evening(11/7). Cast on & knit 7 rows & finished brim, knit 12 rows of main pattern Target Sighted in
  • Crochet: Prayer Square  & Dreamy Scarf – 17/17 remaining rows on Prayer Square Target in Sight

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writing

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