Country Roads

The Carolina Book Fest is over, and I've returned to Indy with Roo. I had a blast meeting readers. I also met top shelf authors including Tabatha Vargo, Beth Flynn, LP Dover, Alyssa Rose Ivy, and Tara Brown. I enjoyed hanging out with my tablemate Valerie Twombly who writes paranormal romance. During quiet times, we discussed marketing. She shared a few ideas she'd seen online while I told her a few tricks I use to increase my ranking with new releases.

At the table next to mine was Kelly Walker who writes YA romance. She was super sweet, even though I kept bumping her table with my big butt every time I got up to rearrange something. An author I nearly missed meeting is Inger Iversen who writes contemporary romance. I met her during in the last hour when I was looking for signatures for a giveaway I'm planning.

The signing was well organized and a lot of readers showed up, so I can't complain about a single thing. In fact, I'll likely sign up for next year even though I've already hit my four signing maximum for 2016.

The signing was held at the Hilton hotel, and I was able to upgrade my room. The view from our 11th floor bay window was so impressive that even Mr. Nonchalant Roo was impressed.

Despite all the fun, I had a stressful week. I'm rushing as always to get another book out. Thunderstruck took longer than I planned (heard that before) but thanks to Candy Girl (again I've said this before), I'll make the Thursday release date.

I planned to contribute a novella to a box set later in the year. Unfortunately, this plan fell through, and now I'll publish the story myself. The upside is I can flesh out the romance without worrying about word counts.

The rest of the year should be busy. I have three more signings scheduled along with three books to publish after Thunderstruck. I'd love to get a fourth book out, but with the change in the box set situation, I don't see that happening.

During the drive to Charlotte, I came up with a new idea. I'm thinking the two or three book series could be written next year. I'm allowing my gut to dictate what to write next rather than forcing stories.

My next project is to clean up Wounded Soul (FINALLY) and publish the fourth Angelic Redemption novel next month for my Dakota pen name. I'm giving myself a week to edit the book before I start my new Bijou story.

My next signing is the Kentuckiana Authors Book Blitz in Louisville. I'm excited about this one for several reasons. One is I'm able to do a little pimping for Dakota. I figured since this signing has such a wide range of genres represented, I could show off the new covers Miranda created for the AR series. This is the first signing where I'm able to give my Christian fantasy series any attention.

Another reason I'm excited is that Tigger and Roo will join me for the day. The theater where the signing takes place is quite beautiful and I knew they'd enjoy looking around. Most romance signings would bore them, yet the various genres at the KABB should keep them entertained.

Finally, I decided to join the signing when I saw one particular woman on the author list. I admit I fangirl Shyla Colt, but can anyone blame me? She's desperately cool and charming. We'll be at the same signing next year in Mississippi, but I'm hoping we get a chance to chat next month too.

I can't believe August is nearly over. I still have plenty of work to do. Hope everyone is enjoying the end of their summer (or winter if you live on the other side of the equator).

Cacapoopoopeepeeshire

How is July over? The month flew by, as it tends to do every summer.

I spent the month decluttering the house and collecting things for a charity pickup. Like most families, we keep things we don't need. I still have clothes and toys from when the boys were babies. It's my hope to move to a new house in a few years. Downsizing the amount of belongings we have now will gives us fewer things to move later.

July marked the eleventh year we've lived in Indianapolis. This is the longest I've stayed in one home. As a kid, we tended to move every five years.

Moving from California to Indiana remains a great decision. The cost of living is better and we enjoy four seasons. I had no idea how much better the schools were or how easily the state allow parents to home school. I never saw myself homeschooling, to be honest. Yet this will be my third year doing just that with Roo.

He begins 6th grade this Monday. Like many kids, he isn't thrilled to start school. He'd rather spend all day playing Xbox or Roblox. Oh, well, he'll survive a few hours of schoolwork a day.

Pooh's health remains improved, but it'll always be a struggle. He's doing well at the residential facility, playing softball on the weekends and visiting the zoo last week. Soon, he'll be moved to a home for his adult care. My hope is Pooh will be settled into a more permanent location by the holidays.

Writing-wise, I'm still working on Thunderstruck. A few times during this book, I've lost my way and had to step back. In fact, I've been rather stuck creatively this year, publishing only three books. I had expected to be farther ahead in 2015. Despite the slow start, I still hope to have eight books out by the end of the year including one for Dakota. Considering August is here and I'm still working on Thunder, eight books out by December 31st feels like a foolish dream, but I'm all about aiming high and falling short.

I remind myself that since July 2012 I've published 24 books (Angela - 8, Dakota - 3, Bijou - 13) True, many of them are now unpublished since I don't have the time or focus to finish the Angela series. One day, I'll clean them up and republish. First, I need to finish my Dakota series, which should be completed in 2017.

On the 25th, I joined a fellow author, Aimie Grey, for lunch in Richmond, Indiana (halfway between her home in Ohio and mine in Indy). We enjoyed pizza at a quirky place and talked about writing for hours. It's always fun to discuss the creative process. I'll see Aimie again in October when we attend the Queen of the West signing.

August will be a busy month. I'm publishing Thunderstruck on the 20th. I have the Carolina Book Fest on the 15th. I'm also hoping to finish the edits on Wounded this month. Oh, and I need to get started on the novelette I'm writing for a box set due in mid-September.

Here's hoping August is a fun and productive month for everyone!

 

FYI, the post title comes from an episode of Family Guy. This joke had Roo and me in stitches.