Checking the tasks off the list

We’re just over half way through the month and I’ve been doing pretty well at staying on top of the Game Plan I let everyone in on the end of January.  My list of to-do’s included writing often, joining a writer’s association, editing and publishing a short story, continuous studying of the craft, entering a contest and attending a book fair.  Overall, I have to say I’m very pleased with my progress.

My writing schedule isn’t fixed but I write as often as I’m able and I’m really excited about how the third book in the Jorja Matthews series is working out.  I love, love, love how my characters tend to surprise me and I’m having so much fun with the book as I also anxiously wait to see what’s going to happen next.  Sounds odd coming from the writer but I’ve said this before about how I write…I share the story as the story unfolds, or as it’s told to me by the characters.    

I’m also really excited about the short ghost story I wrote over the holidays.  I wasn’t really sure what I’d be doing with the story because I originally wrote it at the request of my boys, who wanted either a ghost story, suspense or horror, but I’m happy to be able to make additional work available to those who are waiting for my third book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series.  I finished the final edit of what is titled “1313 Psycho Path” and once I receive word that the interior and book cover meet with submission guidelines, I’ll be able to hit the publish button and make it available to anyone who might be interested, both as an eBook and in a small paperback.  I’ll keep the eBook at 99 cents since it is a short story and while I’d have preferred to sell the paperback for less (it’s a 5×8 soft cover, around 12,000 words and 80 pages long), it’ll be priced at $5.50 in order to meet Amazon’s minimum pricing requirements for that size of book.  I’ll definitely post here when the book is actually available on Amazon.

I haven’t joined a writer’s association yet…I’m debating on two and haven’t quite decided which association might be the better fit for what I need.  However, I have been studying daily the craft of writing, the necessity of branding and the give and take behind marketing.  My main study book right now is The Writer’s Workout, which includes 366 tips, tasks and techniques, by Christina Katz.  I like how it’s broken up into different relevant sections and it really is full of tips, tasks, techniques and also inspirational quotes and ideas.

I’m very much looking forward to the book fair in Seattle at the end of the month, as well an on-line study course the last week of this month.  The weeks until these events take place have really appeared to pass by s-l-o-w-l-y.  That’s how much I’m looking forward to both events.

And I did enter Best Kept Secrets in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest this morning.  I’ll do my best to Stay Calm and Keep Writing as I wait for the monthly results…but it will undoubtedly be difficult.  With these sorts of contests you can only hope for the best but not expect too much so that you’re not disappointed if you don’t get very far.  With No Mother of Mine I made it as a quarter-finalist, or the top 100 out of 10,000 entries.  I’m hoping Best Kept Secrets makes it as far but no matter what, I’ll post here as the results are provided.

So the month has been pretty productive and there’s still more to look forward to – that makes me a happy camper, or happy writer anyway.  How about you?  Is your February working out to be a productive month?