I have been stupidly lazy

But also, I cleaned my stove. And went to a protest.

The big news is that I am no longer looking for a house. No, I didn’t find one. We have just decided not to move right now. Moving wasn’t a necessity. We were just going to downsize, but financially speaking this is not a good time. Interest rates are too high, and our mortgage would go up (we refinanced during Covid so have a ridiculously low interest rate right now), and we are paying for three kids in college. So moving is on the back burner. This is big news only in that it was the inspiration for the title of my last Substack, so I though I ought to address it because a few people might be wondering down the road, did she ever find a house? And I hate leaving loose threads like that.

I have been stupidly lazy on the writing front the last week. At least one of my critique groups is in slow motion mode right now because of summer. And somehow I’ve found each day filled with “other things to do besides writing”. Fellow writers, you know what I’m talking about. P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N. It has gotten so bad I even cleaned my stove this morning. Other that a daily swipe to keep it free of crumbs, I have not given my stove a deep clean in…well, since I bought it. Which is years. This morning I randomly decided to use the little brush I bought last year specifically to clean it and just cleaned that sucker right up. Put the burner grates in the dishwasher and got to scrubbing. So, to recap, my stove is clean, I didn’t write anything. I have not, I repeat not, resorted to cleaning the oven yet. There be dragons that way, matey.

I have not been completely idle on the book front, however. My voice actor narrated audiobook of The Courage to Love has been uploaded to Findaway Voices and ACX (Audible.) It is available at the following retailers:

• Nook/Barnes and Noble

• Kobo/Walmart

• Google Play

• Libro.FM

• Storytel

It is still under review at ACX. They take forever to approve audiobooks, apparently. But as soon as it is available on Audible I will let you all know.

I have also been prepping my book Cherry Pie* for the adaptation contest. Beyond the Paywall today is a new version of the synopsis. I would love some feedback from my paid subscribers on the new version! I had to condense the original from six pages to three. Remember, in a synopsis for a potential agent/editor/contest you should reveal all the important elements of the book: setting, main characters, plot, story arc, and conclusion. It’s not like a book blurb, which you use to sell a book. In a blurb you don’t want to give all the good stuff away.

This weekend I attended my first protest! It was a No Kings protest here in my dinky city, and I bet it pulled a couple thousand people at least. I didn’t even know it was happening until my daughter asked me if I wanted to go with her. We had fun, and dang it felt empowering. Not sure how much of a difference we made, but it felt like we were doing something instead of sitting around feeling powerless. Full disclosure: I have no beef with anyone who attended the military parade. That was going to happen whether you went or not, and I actually have family who are very proud of their Army service. Do I think, particularly in the current climate, that money could have been spent more wisely? Yes, yes I do. Do I think, for Trump and MAGA, the parade had more to do with pride and ego than with the birthday of the Army? Yes, yes I do, and that’s a shame and a disservice to service members and vets, who could have been honored in a financially responsible and respectful way, such as a t.v. special on Veterans Day. But I’m not going to disparage the soldiers who marched or the people who did attend.

Just a note for my readers in Minnesota, I’m so sorry for your loss and the violence you suffered this past weekend.

My Favorite Things This Week:

• Guys. Guys, seriously. I finally watched The Accountant* with Ben Affleck. Twenty years later. It was so good. So good. I can’t recommend it enough. The writing was tremendous. So many different story threads that all wove together seamlessly. I was massively impressed. I’m going to watch the sequel this week.

• I’m listening to Evvie Drake Starts Over* and I love it. I’m about 63% done. Not only do I love the story, but I love the narrator, Julia Whelan. I haven’t done a deep dive to find out what else she’s narrated, but I will. She is the first female audiobook narrator I really like. The book is great. I love the relationship between the heroine and the hero. It’s a slow burn from quirky friendship to love.

• This was a fun quiz. You answer a series of questions based on if you think you are more or less than average on a wide range of characteristics. The premise is you are in a room of 100 strangers and answer according to how you think you rate compared to the others in the room. After you answer each one it tells you the percentage based on other people who have taken the quiz. For instance, do you walk slower or faster than average? That sort of thing. It has no other purpose than to entertain you and give you some insight into how others think about themselves in relation to the same characteristics. It did make me reconsider my answers, though.

  *Amazon links. I may get a commission if you click and buy anything.

Quote of the Week:

“If you want to be happy, be.”

Leo Tolstoy

P.S. Things I didn’t even discuss this week because this post got so long: my son returns from Japan today! Has it rained every day where you live like it has here?! I’m going to get bangs again.