Last week…

• I worked on two editing projects for two other authors, finishing one.
• I wrote the opening chapters of What Happens in Bozeman.

This next week…

• I must continue writing chapters of my upcoming book, What Happens in Bozeman…  
• I need to complete one editing job and begin two others!
• I’d like to read through most of the rest of the stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities.
• I will continue creating some small art for #The100DayProject.
• I’ll spend Thursday at my local art center to keep the doors open to the public for our current exhibit.

Does that sound like enough?

Open Contests

1. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. FREE Read: Two Hot — This offer ends tomorrow! Get your FREE read now!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: A Romantic Dinner — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Anna Taylor Sweringen/Michal Scott: Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Deb Robinson: 5 Shades of Brothers Browne (FREE Read) — Get your FREE read now!
6. Invent a Holiday Contest + Open Contests & Giveaways — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. February into March (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. World Compliment Day! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
9. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Revisiting Past Work — Win an Amazon gift card!

The winner is…Stacey Kinzebach!
*~*~*

February

 

1. I completed work on Malcolm (Book #10 of Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT) and published it!
2. I began work on What Happens in Bozeman, my next We are Dead Horse, MT, book!
3. I completed 3 editing projects for other authors in February.

Health-related:

1. I visited my heart doctor, and he was so pleased with my progress I don’t have to see him for another year!
2. I continued concentrating on drinking more water, plus, I continued drinking water mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar twice a day to improve my liver health. I began drinking one cup of Turmeric tea a day.
3. I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 135-155, despite the fact I haven’t lost any weight. Gah.

Happiness-related: 

1. I began the #the100dayproject art challenge.
2. I led a hands-on program for the local art guild using Gelli plates to produce pretty papers for things like collage. (See the tags I made below, which were painted using Gelli plates!)
3. Here are some examples of art projects I completed in February.

March

 

1. To complete writing What Happens in Bozeman, my next We are Dead Horse, MT, book, which releases on March 19th!
2. To begin work on my next Brotherhood Protectors book!
3. To complete 4 editing projects in March!
4. To finish reading and selecting stories from among the submissions for the upcoming collection—Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology!

For health related, I plan:

1. To start back on my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s time to get serious! I HAVE to get back in the saddle!
2. To continue to reduce salt and processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas) and my liver (apple cider vinegar, flax seeds, sunflower seeds).
3. To begin daily workouts using my recumbent bike and some chair yoga exercises.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue #the100daychallenge where I’ll be painting something every single day!
2. To meet three of my favorite author-friends for a luncheon to get some writer time!

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 March…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Last week…

• I worked on two editing projects for two other authors. I’m getting close to The End!
• I published and promoted the release of Malcolm!

This next week will be insane for work and play!

• I must write the opening chapters of my next book, What Happens in Bozeman…  
• I need to complete two editing jobs! Then begin two more.
• I’d like to read another five to ten stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities.
• I begin the #The100DayProject, where I’ll be producing one piece of art a day.

Just shoot me now.

Open Contests

1. Flashback: Bad Moon Rising (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Coming Next Tuesday — Pre-order Malcolm Now! (Contest & Excerpt) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Getting ready for Valentine’s Day! — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. MALCOLM releases tonight, but let’s not forget those who came before him… (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
5. Gabbi Grey: The Tropiest of Tropes (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Show me what you made… (Contest) — TWO PRIZES! Win something made by me/Win a FREE book!
7. Cameron Allie: What’s happening in my world… (2 FREE Reads + Excerpt!) — EVERYONE! Two FREE reads!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: What I want for dinner tonight! — Win an Amazon gift card!

Last week…

• I finished writing, formatted, and uploaded Malcolm to KDP! Yippee! Can’t wait for you to read it!
• I worked on two editing projects for two other authors. I’m not nearly done with either!
• I only read a handful of the stories submitted for my next anthology, Secret Identities.

This next week looks insane for work and play!

• Malcolm releases on Tuesday! I have to promo it—ads, blog, newsletter. That’s all work you don’t see!
• I must write the opening chapters of my next book, What Happens in Bozeman…  
• I need to complete two editing jobs!
• I’d like to read another five to ten stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities.

That’s enough, right? Ha! I also have Art Guild responsibilities, like getting the word out about our membership drive, the drop-off for a special exhibit we’re sponsoring at the center, and I have a class to teach on working with Gelli plates on Thursday! So, yes, I have a crazy-busy week ahead of me.

Open Contests

1. Happy Groundhog Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Tell me what’s happening here… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. My Perfect Day (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
4. Word Search: Random Malcolm Things & an Excerpt! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Send a Card to a Friend Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a hand painted card!
6. Flashback: Bad Moon Rising (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Coming Next Tuesday — Pre-order Malcolm Now! (Contest & Excerpt) — Win an Amazon gift card!
8. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Getting ready for Valentine’s Day! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Diane Sallans!
*~*~*

December

 

1. I continued to work on Malcolm (Book #10 of Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT).
2. I completed 5 editing projects for other authors in December.
3. I didn’t write a lot in December, between the craft fair and getting ready for the holiday/having kids underfoot, but I don’t care. It was a fun month!

Health-related:

1. I have been concentrating on drinking more water, plus, I added drinking water mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar twice a day to improve my liver health. It’s weird, but after the first couple of times of drinking it while wrinkling my nose, I actually like it.
2. I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 135-155, despite the holiday excesses.

Happiness-related: 

1. I finished some last items for the Christmas craft fair and participated in early December. It was so much fun!
2. Here are some examples of things I completed before the fair. And yes, I painted tags for potholder sets. 🙂

January

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete writing Malcolm, my next Montana Bounty Hunters book and publish it!
2. To begin work on What Happens in Bozeman, my next We are Dead Horse, MT, book!
3. To complete 4 editing projects in January!

For health related, I plan:

1. To start back on my Weight Watchers diet, because it’s time to get serious!
2. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas) and my liver (apple cider vinegar, flax seeds, sunflower seeds).
3. To pay attention to my daily steps, trips up and down the stairs, and to incorporate some chair exercises and more walking.
4. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To participate in the Gel Print January challenge where I’ll be making painted pages for collaging—at least one every day!
2. To assume the presidency of the local art guild, much as I don’t want to, but someone’s got to keep the organization going!

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 January…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Beverly!
*~*~*

Today, in between working on my book and an editing job, I’m going to be working on my Mind Map for 2024.

What is a mind map? It’s a terrific brainstorming tool for all sorts of things—book plots, vacation plans, grocery lists… I know, I get obsessive about organizing tools! I actually used to teach an online class in mind mapping that was a leadup to the “Write 50 Books a Year” workshop my sister and I developed and taught online. The picture above is the result of my 2015 class.

It’s way too busy for me now. My chart will start with a central hub for 2024 Goals but won’t be writing-consumed this year. I’m adding things that make me happy—like family goals and artistic goals. Maybe by the end, it will be just as cluttered as this one was.

I already have my large piece of watercolor paper ready with a few hubs written in. When I finish, I’ll add colored pencil or paint pen embellishments so I can stand to look at it. But it will be something I go back to when I lay out my annual work plan and calendar.

I kind of miss teaching the class because it made me think farther ahead then the final week of the year to get my plans in order, but hey, I’m doing it now. It’s never too late!

I love facing a New Year. It’s a chance to start over again. Twelve months of accomplishment are on the horizon. It’s new territory. What will the year bring? Am I ready for it?

What about you? Do you physically write down your goals or resolutions? Does your planning consist of a simple list or an elaborate spreadsheet?

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC, tell me.

This doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to do something foolish this week. Let’s study the card. The god displayed here is kind of easy to guess. He’s wearing a crown of grape leaves and grapes. He has tiny horns on his head. So, he’s Dionysus, the god of so many fun things: wine, parties, insanity, theater, and more. See the eagle sitting on the branch above him? It’s likely his dad, Zeus, making sure young Dionysus doesn’t do something really stupid. There’s a cave behind him and the sun is rising in the background, so I’m assuming he was partying all night and is just coming out. Is he drunk and ready to fall? He looks too merry. I think he intends to jump.

What on earth does this mean for me? There’s a hint of impulsiveness and high spirits here. So, that falls in line with the plans for the week. The kids only have half a week of school, so they’ll be underfoot creating chaos. We’ll be cooking meals together. The adults’ Christmas (the kids give us gifts before Christmas so we can concentrate on Santa and their gifts on Christmas Day) will be sometime this coming weekend because of my SIL’s shift with the PD. So, there will definitely be some celebrating going on. I envision movie nights, fun dinners, game nights, etc. We’re a fun-loving crowd. What does this mean for work for me? I likely have to plan to get it done in the early hours of the day, before all my little chaos agents rise.

Open Contests

1. Today is Letter Writing Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win a FREE book!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: When winter comes… — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Favorite Christmas/Winter Holiday Movie Quote! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Saturday Puzzle-Contest — More Christmas Cheer — Win an Amazon gift card!