UPDATE: The winners are…commenters 1-8! Congrats, all!
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Yes, I’ve said it before—I am a word nerd, a true logophile, a “lover of words.”

When I was a kid, I loved finishing my reading assignments because then I could go to the front of the class and read through the very large dictionary my teacher kept open on a podium. I loved learning new words and finding out their etymology (their origins). I studied Latin for four years during junior high and high school and loved it because I learned even more about the origin of everyday words. So, yes. I’m a complete nerd, and I was meant to be a writer and editor—it just took forty years for me to discover that!

Today is an unofficial holiday: Dictionary Day. It’s a celebration of Noah Webster, born on October 16, 1758, who is best known for publishing An American Dictionary of the English Language. It’s the great-grandfather of today’s The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

If you’re a word nerd like me, check out the Merriam-Webster website! There, you have access to their on-line dictionary and thesaurus, plus you can play word games and pick out gifts for the word nerds you love! You can even subscribe to “Word a Day” and MW will send you a new word to love every day. There’s also a phone app you can download!

So, do you love words and dictionaries? Do you have a favorite word? For a chance to win a downloadable book on my backlist, comment below!

Also, don’t forget…

Releasing tonight after midnight…

Pre-order the eBook now!
Or order your print copy now!

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
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September

Work-related:

1. I completed work on Book #2 of We Are Dead Horse, MT — Hard Knox — and released it!
2. I wrote over a third of my upcoming book, Gunn’s Mission! (Have you pre-ordered your copy?!)
3. I revised and published an erotic/menage short story that was originally published by Harlequin Spice years ago—Eye of the Storm.
4. I completed 6 editing projects for other authors in September.

Health-related:

1. Swimming ended for me after my trip to my sister’s place in North Arkansas because I came home to a green pool.
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 130-150. I haven’t had a bad spike in a while.

Happiness-related: 

1. I have been working on and making more great progress organizing my art room, getting ready for the next push for art shows and reopening my Etsy store. I have accumulated the supplies I need to begin painting in encaustic wax BUT HAVEN’T DONE IT YET because I’ve been buried in work.
2. As for making new art, again, work has kept me too busy to do much. I attended the monthly art guild meeting, and as a group, we worked on sketching cats. The only piece of art I completed this month was this cat, which I watercolored yesterday because I wanted SOMETHING to share…

October

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete writing Gunn’s Mission, a Brotherhood Protectors story,  which releases on October 17th!
2. To begin & hopefully complete work on a standalone story I’ve been dying to write for years and years, called Little Green Dreams. We’ll see.
3. To complete 5 editing projects in October!

For health related, I plan:

1. To not make promises about counting points for my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s that time of year and I know I’d be setting myself up for failure. However, I will try to make healthier choices!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
3. To acquire and begin using a treadmill.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To work on art and jewelry-making to get ready for the Art Festival this month!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier, or tell me what you plan to read in October…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Tara Leavitt!
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I went to the ortho guy yesterday. He was set to give me a hard cast for my right hand, but I told him I’m a writer and I really needed mobility in a few of my fingers. So, instead, he gave me a removable splint. I have my thumb and forefinger back! Mousing is still slow as a snail, but I’m much less frustrated having to mouse with my left hand. Yay! As the swelling goes down in the hand, I might get my middle finger back. I saw the ex-ray, too. The break is in the bone that connects the wrist to the finger and is closer to all those tiny wrist bones. He said my bones look surprisingly good. He didn’t add “for an old lady.” 🙂

Anyways, I can edit more easily, but tapping out lines of a book is still difficult. However, the good news is that Amazon took pity on me and allowed me to move my release date for Mica out a month. So, all my book release dates are being pushed a month so I can heal without stressing about the deadlines or losing pre-orders. Not good for readers, I know, but I hope you all understand. Have your pre-ordered Mica…?

I’m still wearing loose clothes, so I can pull my own pants up. TMI? And my hair is frightful because I can’t blow-dry and style it like I usually do. Everything is harder to do one-handed. Took me 15 minutes this morning to straighten my bed. I’ll have to remember all the inconveniences, big and small, the next time I write a disabled character…

In the meantime, I’m rejiggering my work plans and editing a story for someone very close to me. A story you’re going to love.

I have a question for you. Answer for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card.

Since I have been able to move some book releases around, I might have room to fit another title in during early summer. Would you prefer a Brotherhood Protector story, like Guarding Hannah? Or Dead Horse, Montana story? Or something else?