UPDATE: The winner is…Michelle Levan!
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I’m a planner by nature and education. I make lists. FOR EVERYTHING. That doesn’t mean I’m super-organized. It just means I track my achievements and know all too well where I fall short.

I teach a free goal-setting class every December to other authors, hoping that while I kick their butts to think about what they want to achieve that I’m inspired to do the same.

So far, I have listed everything I want to do writing-wise. I started out with a goal of making my life a lot easier next year with a sedate writing pace… Yeah. By the time I figured in everything I NEED to write, that easy plan went out the window. Crazy as it is, I have my 2019 writing plan mapped out. But work’s not everything, right?

What about real life? Family fun and obligations. Fitness goals (ha!). My artistic goals (paint for fun, re-open my Etsy store, produce something to sell…). Build my savings. Get ready for retirement (like that will ever happen!).

To get all my goals in alignment, I set up a Bullet Journal. I’ve kept one for about three years now. It’s time-consuming. A pain in the ass to set up and maintain, but everything I need to do is captured in one little journal book. That’s what I’m trying to wrap up today.

So, my question to you is whether you worry about the coming year. Do you plan? Set resolutions? Set up journals or calendars? Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

What a lovely day…

This year, the Devlin family decided to destress a bit. Christmas has always been: get up early with the kids, then rush to prep the Christmas meal. This year, my mom and my daughter decided that neither of them really wanted to cook. (Don’t look at me. I’m never in the equation when it comes to the big meals. I can manage a decent breakfast, but turkey or ham? All the fixin’s? Not in my wheelhouse, and not if you want to enjoy it. 🙂 )

So, we decided to go out, en masse, for a meal at a local restaurant on Christmas Eve. Afterward, we had the adults’ gift-giving (because Christmas morning is all about the kids), and then home for early bed. So, here I am at 8 PM, finally remembering to post. And it’s perfectly quiet. Peaceful. I think this became a new family tradition.

That’s how I feel anyway. Hot, cold, nauseous. I’m going to let my dd pamper me today…

Okay, so you’re wondering what a picture of an array of Post-its has to do with Christmas, right?

First, let’s talk about the picture. Isn’t it lovely? All those bright colors? All the variations of sizes and shapes? I get giddy just looking at them. My faves are the lined ones, because I am an inveterate “lister”. I love the shaped ones because they’re perfect for jotting pretty little notes as reminders to my minions (er, family members). See that hint of yellow beneath the array? That too is an AWESOMELY huge Post-it!!!!

And only Post-its will do! Have you ever bought the cheap rip-offs? They tear your papers, pull off paint and dry-wall, or they curl up and flutter away. No!

I can’t remember what life before Post-its was like. Certainly dreary. Certainly filled with tape to attach my notes to papers and boards. But some smart person divined that there were obsessive people out there who would love to peel a paper and stick it somewhere without having to search for the Scotch tape. And they found me.

So, back to Christmas.

My family always sits me down to ask what I want for Christmas. Guess what always goes to the top of the list? You got it!

They roll their eyes. You have tons of Post-its! they say. I shrug and widen my eyes. Your point?

I never have to buy my own because I do have a huge stash of Post-its, which doesn’t mean I don’t buy my own. The second I spied that huge yellow pad I knew I had to have it!!!!

This year, I added variety to my Christmas list. Just to make them feel like they could surprise me. Here’s what my letter to Santa looked like…

1. Pretty Post-its!
2. Notebooks — small ones for my purse; a Bullet journal; some Filofax inserts
3. Cute, zany, fuzzy socks (I wear them inside year-round)
4. A soldering kit with metal to get me started

I added the soldering kit to get them used to the idea of me adding one more tool to my already over-filled craft room. Every time my daughter walks through it, she threatens to call one of those hoarder shows. But a soldering kit would be nice. For my birthday, I’ll start laying down hints that I really, really need an enameling kiln…

So, now you know something else about me. I’d love to know what your short list of “Christmas Wants” looks like! Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

For you Americans, today is a big holiday! In the Devlin house, we’re gearing up for the big meal. My cousin, author Brent Archer, flew in from Seattle with his husband, Greg, last night. They began cooking for us last night! (I have clean-up duty. No one trusts me at the stove!) My sister, Elle James, and her husband are here. With my dad fresh out of rehab, our goal is to give him and my mother a stress-free celebration.

I hope you all enjoy visiting with friends and family. Stay safe if you’re traveling!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had such big plans! A workshop to run, NaNoWriMo to complete, family events…

It’s the 17th of the month, and I’m falling behind, big time!

First, the Mindmapping workshop is ongoing, although I haven’t been there much to prod folks along to create their 2019 Writing Mind Map. I haven’t even begun mine!!!! How crappy is that of me to abandon them?

Next, I’m only 11,552 words into NaNo’s 50k wordcount requirement. There’s no way I’ll get there now!

I have tons of great excuses…

A sh*t-ton of last-minute, short-fused editing jobs plopped into my inbox. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at budgeting my editing time. I want to help everyone! So, I shove other commitments aside and go to work.

I’ve done a crapload of babysitting and petsitting for my dd while she’s been up to her eyeballs in kid’s events and medical appointments. No way will I ever tell her NO! She does so much for me in return.

Supporting my dad through rehab and his transition back home haven’t been horribly time-consuming, because my brother is visiting and doing everything he can to take the pressure off of us! So lately, that’s not been a huge time-suck.

Because I haven’t had a lot of time to write on my own projects, I’ve had to push back release dates.

I’ve pushed the release date for Wolf from November 20th to December 7th. I’m hoping I’ll finish the book sooner, but I thought I’d better give myself room to fail (that sounds so negative, doesn’t it?). Thanksgiving’s coming up, so I’m sure I’ll have more household duties, since it looks like we’ll have 20 people coming for dinner, and many of those will be staying in the house with us! I am hoping to release it by the end of this month but don’t hold your breath. Are you horribly disappointed?

I have two more books up for pre-order—the last pre-orders I’ll get for a year because I had to change my release dates. I hate losing that privilege with Amazon, but there’s just been too much happening. Worse than not knowing whether you’re eager for the book (as evidenced by your pre-orders), I won’t have hard deadlines, and I’m not good about producing without deadlines! Y’all will just have to nag me for what you want next!

As for those two pre-orders, have a look here. I can’t tell you how excited I am about Animal! I hope you are, too! I don’t know much about it yet, because I haven’t written a single line, but I do have a great, really funny opening scene in my mind. With that cover pic, maybe you can imagine one, too! As for With His Client, I’ve started that story, and a strongman with the Russian mafia is our girl’s target for seduction…

With His Client is a shorty coming December 18!
And Animal is scheduled to release January 22nd!

 

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me two things:
1) Which story are you most eager to read?
2) Does the cover for Animal inspire any ideas for scenes in your own imaginations?

UPDATE: The winner is…Charlotte!
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HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

Is the pic festive enough? I love busy images, so this one’s fun for me! Halloween is our family’s favorite holiday. We go all out with costumes. And then we make a mad dash around the surrounding area, looking for fun, kid-friendly trick-or-treat parties. And then, there are the photos. We take them every year. These are a few of my favorites…

I think the 5-year-old was 2 when this was taken. She was already great with the camera. She still loves getting into character.

Here’s the pic of all the kids, taken in the front yard. We’d had hay delivered for the horses…

This was a couple of years ago. Note the werewolf in the wheelchair. We took the photo in front of the town’s cemetery gates…

There’s an “extra” kid in the mix in a ninja outfit. My dd tends to gather kids for these events. This year, we’re taking the van and an extra car to ferry everyone around. I’m not 100% sure I’m going. I had a late night. But I’ll try to get a nap, because I’d hate to miss the fun!

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card,
tell me what your Halloween plans are!

Oops! Adding one more fave! The 14-year-old way back when. She went as an Aztec princess…