Back at Home Base, Hooray!

 

After 11 weekends of events in a row, I'm finally back to a more manageable schedule. This month's events are only traveling to and from home with no overnights or long distances. Hooray! Do I endeavor to break this record of insane booking? No. No, I do not.

 

Did I intentionally schedule myself so heavily? Sort of, but when doing so, I had not planned on having exchange students. I also didn't plan on having storm damage that wiped out my entire home network including work stuff that put me a week and half behind at my day job, nor did I plan on having a major day job equipment issue that required an bringing in a tech to fix that also set work behind a week before the storm damage happened. All of those things required a lot of $ that I'm not exactly swimming in because continuing to breathe air is expensive these days. It's been a stressful time, to say the least.

The good news is that day job work is back up and running so $ is coming in to pay bills. The exchange students have been fun, but are nearing the end of their time with us so that will free up evenings a little more for writing time. Because, holy cow, I do not write when under stress. I'm even out of stuff to watch on Netflix. You may have a problem when you look at the 'because you watched this, you may also like this' lists and you can say that you've already watched all of those suggestions that look even remotely interesting. So I've been reading. This is a good thing I suppose, because it's making a little dent in my towering To Be Read stacks. Yes, I have multiple stacks. Four of of them, actually, and that's not counting what's lingering on my Kindle. Wooooo boy.

Ok, enough of the state of the author... on to positive things. I'm hoping to add another book or two to this stack before the end of the year. 

That means it's time for the monthly project update.

I9 is glaring at me and supporting fans are nagging me. Yep, I know I need to get on this one, but I haven't had the brain for it lately. Edits take a lot of brain.

Interface is also glaring at me, however, I'm so used to angry looks from this book that I can shrug it off. I'll get back to it. Really, I will. Yes, really, I mean it this time.

Nugget #2 has been the only project making a little progress because kids' books are my brain level right now. That said, I'm only four chapters from the end, yet I still haven't written those four chapters. (headdesk)

Sahmara's audio book is still in progress. The narrator tells me she's on chapter 7. This one is out of my hands currently so, um, yay? I guess? To be fair, our agreement was for a fall release, so that's on track.

One project is on track! woohoo! Small victories.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

Let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: What books impacted you as a child or young adult?

All of the books.

Oh, you want examples? Ok, fine. 

As a kid I was a huge fan of the Black Stallion series. I still have all those books. It was my 'I like horses' phase, even though I rarely got to ride a horse—as in it was a one or twice a year thing— but..but...horses! I also read a lot of Linda Craig mysteries, because horses! But also because: mysteries! My mother was an avid reader of mysteries so that's where I went in my first forays into chapter books and series. That included the entire Trixie Beldon series at one point. I think I'd gotten over horses by then. After that, I veered hard into Tom Swift books and then vanished into Narnia. I've been on a fantasy/sci-fi jag ever since.

Did your childhood genres stick with you?

I'm Still Alive. The Kicking Is Questionable.

It's been a busy streak of weeks. As you can see from my event list on the side over there --> , I'm in the midst of 11 weekends in a row. June 7&8, I'm very much looking forward to you. That said, I'm also having fun meeting readers and making book sales. It's fun to write books and all, but it's also nice to pay bills and that means getting my books out there for people to find.

Events have been going fairly well, my favorite for the year so far was Viking Fest in Whitestown Indiana. I had a fun booth neighbor and other than some light rain on Friday, the rest of the weekend was gorgeous. Books were sold, beer was imbibed, acts were enjoyed, and I got to introduce my newest little chicken into the world of meeting people and traveling in the car. Peep did well.

My least favorite event of the year was this past weekend at the Southern Indiana Renaissance Faire. This was a new to me event and pretty much all the things went wrong. I've been doing events for ten years and hands down, this is was the biggest mess I've ever had to deal with. Yep, it even beats the year we had hail at Viking Fest making it so cold that I didn't realize I'd broken my finger loading out until later during the car ride home when my hand thawed out, and the Sturgis event where the organizer thought it would be a great idea to place the author tent at the far end of the field with nothing else around to make it a 'destination' for patrons to venture over to. Hint: they did not venture over.

Rather than rant about all the bad things, I'll skip to the star of the show. 

It rained intermittently for four days. When I got there to set up, it looked like this:

By the Sunday, the area in front of my booth looked like this:

We could not drive in to load out and so all the vendors had to carry or cart their items through 6 inch puddles and shoe sucking mud all the way to the parking lot to get out of there. 

Having done shows for ten years, I'm prepared for a lot of things, but this was a challenge I'd be happy to never repeat.

Onward to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: What are your greatest fears as a writer?

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

1. A reader discovering a plot hole or inconsistency that I missed. This is what my brain tells me is going to be revealed every time someone starts a conversation with #3 on this list.

2. Inadvertently reusing a name from another one of my novels. With 18 books currently published and several more in the works, this one becomes more challenging every year. Is this actually a huge deal? Probably not, but in my head it is.

3. Anytime someone comes up and says: "I read your book." Readers have no idea what kind of anxiety this lead in instills in a writer. And? Did you hate it? Loved it? Give me a little something with those words so I can either relax or brace myself. 99% of the time, it's good things, but that line still makes me wince.

Springing into Spring

 March was fun, with some new to me events. 

We started the month at Mona Shores Comic Con, which was great because it was free for vendors, and also, many of my fellow author and vendor friends were there so we got to catch up. This one was put on by a high school so we met many students as well as some of the general public. I've been informed that next year, the chicken should also be in attendance. 🐔

 I even had a few early copies of Nugget for Fantasticon.

Next, I ventured over my first Ohio event in Toledo. Fantasticon was full of new to me vendors. New friends were made and I got to chat with a few old ones too. It was great to get to meet a new audience and introduce them to my books.

I had a tiny table for Third Coast so we had a book 
mountain instead of my usual spread.

Then came the inaugural Third Coast Book Festival near to home. The short travel time was much appreciated after the trek over to Ohio. Stationed throughout Grand Haven, 140 authors sold books to the public and then we dispersed for a few hours, during which, my local author gang hung out at one of the breweries for a tasty beer. We spent the evening at a Gala where we made lots of new author friends and also got to chat with readers and enjoy delicious snacks from local restaurants. Much networking was accomplished.

Author friends, old and new

I wrapped up with month with my annual across the state college con in Alma, MI. Attendance was down this year due to a lack of advertising, but I did meet some new readers, as well as visiting with a few fans and I got a lot of reading done.

There are lots of places to find me in April on the list -->

Now that Nugget the Space Chicken is out in the world, I'm onto the second project of the year, I9. I closed the window on beta comments on Monday so now comes the fun of compiling feedback and digging into revisions.

Audio narration of Sahmara is also in the works. I'm guessing I'll have a few more chapters in my inbox at some point this month.

Interface is making slow but steady revision progress and going well with my critique group. 

I also may have started writing the second Nugget book.

Can one have too many projects going at once? Nah. Ok, maybe, but I'll do it anyway because that's how I roll.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other participating writers.

Onward to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group Question: What fantasy character would you like to fight, go on a quest with or have a drink with?

Have a seat, Vlad, we're gonna have a few beverages and see what happens.

It would probably start as a drink, then we'd get talking and either end up in a fight or find ourselves on a quest or a combination of the two because really, what's a quest with a fight in there somewhere?

 

New release: Nugget the Space Chicken and the Dragon of Ishenor

March begins the busy times that will continue until September. Deeeeep breath and GO!

The first book in my new Nugget the Space Chicken series releases on March 22. Pre-order links are live on all the usual online locations. Book two is outlined and on my writing schedule for 2025, along with Interface. I9 is currently in the hands on beta readers, and I've been hearing good things. Hooray! I also wrapped up an editing job and the first two chapters of the Sahmara audiobook are in my inbox for approval. #somanyprojects

Nugget the Space Chicken aims to fill the early reader gap in my book catalogue, offering something fun for kids between picture books and full chapter books. Aimed at ages 6-10, this fun sci-fi  series will follow the adventures of Jasper and Opal and their pet chicken, Nugget as they explore new worlds with their parents. 

Jasper and Opal’s first mission with their scientist parents is to study the world of Ishenor to see if it could be a home for humans. They travel to the planet’s surface with Nugget, their pet chicken, to collect samples. Everyone has a job to do.

While their parents explore the landscape, Opal gathers plants and Jasper collects rocks. Nugget’s job is to stay out of trouble, but hunting for bugs leads her to a lost baby dragon.

Can Opal, Jasper, and Nugget get the dragon home safely before their parents return, or will they all be grounded forever?

Amazon / B&N / etc. and also signed copies direct from me on that handy tab above

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This month's ISWG Question is: If you could be anyone or anything in the world, what would it be?

I'm pretty happy with being me so other than the improvement of being me with enough $ that I don't have to worry about bills being paid every month, I'm good as is. If you'd like to help the improvement come to fruition, links to all my books are over there <-- 

Last month was my return to book signing events after the holiday hiatus. Our Michigan Author gang had a good time at the Mid-Michigan Women's Expo. 

After three long days of pitching books, most of us 
still managed to smile.

I also did a small comic con and a tiny library event with Laya.

Hanging out at my booth at the Women's Expo

Last weekend was the Mona Shores Comic Con, another small local high school event, but with lots of author and vendor friends. Next weekend, I'll be driving to Toledo, Ohio for Fantasticon, then staying closer to to home in Grand Haven, for the Third Cost Book Event, and finally, venturing over to Alma, MI for Alma Con. Busy busy!

We're Off and Running!

Last weekend was my first comic con of the year. A small show but perfect for getting back into the swing of things after the holiday break. It was fun getting the con vendor gang back together and meeting new readers. 

This weekend I'll be remembering how to do three day events again at the Mid-Michigan Women's Expo. Our author alley will feature eighteen Michigan authors (who will likely be chugging a lot of caffeinated beverages). Books are stocked and my event gear is ready to roll.

In writing news...

Nugget the Space Chicken and the Dragon of Ishenor is ready for ARC readers. If you're interested in a review copy of this early reader chapter book aimed at ages 5-9, there's a sign up form here.

I9 is out with beta readers while I ponder cover art. The blurb is done. It's looking like a May-June release.

In non-writing news...

We've been attending small concerts almost weekly. Lots of great music! Including blasts from the past Big Head Todd and the Monsters and an excellent ABBA tribute band. 

The exchange students are halfway through their USA adventure and are doing well, enjoying snow days off of school, and doing their favorite thing: taking naps and reading books. Two things I can get behind.

Which brings us to...

This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question:

Is there a story or book you've written that you wish you could go back and change?

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

Change as far as go back and entirely rewrite? No. 

That said, I do go back and read my published books every couple of years for two reasons. 

One: Because I wrote a story I wanted to read. 

Two: To fix little things that I now see with my more experienced eyeballs. So, no, not rewriting, but tweaking here and there. Not changing the content or story, but more the mechanics behind it. Smoothing out a sentence, inserting a better verb, or fixing formatting errors or ninja typos.

Thankfully, my books are all printed POD so I don't have to sell off a couple hundred copies before new readers get the most polished version of my books. If you pick up a copy with a current 'Also by' page, it's likely the newest edition of that book. 

I don't publish and forget it. These are my book children and even through they're grown up now, I nag them get a hair cut now and then and I still buy them new socks for Christmas.

2025 Goals

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the 

other participating writers.

Welcome to the first Insecure Writer's Support Group post of 2025 (AKA my incentive to write a monthly post - and yes, I'm posting early. Look at me go.). I'm bypassing the optional question this month in favor of a quick chat about goals. Every January I update my new goals and check in on the old ones to see how I did. Goals are what keeps us going. Well, that and breathing.

Let's see what was on the agenda for 2024 and how I did.

New books I hope you'll see in 2024:

Frayed - out with ARC readers RELEASED!

One Shot At The Sphinx - in the last round of edits RELEASED!

Laya's Vacation - waiting for illustrations RELEASED!

Projects I hope to get to or wrap up in 2024:

Godmother - currently just notes I did start this one. So yay? Is it wrapped up? Nooooooo

i9 - first draft in progress First draft complete! Hooray!

Interface - first draft in progress Ooooooh, yeah, so uhh..... FAIL. AGAIN. Sorry, Interface. 

On the bonus side, I did write Nugget the Space Chicken, which wasn't even on my list (currently out for edits and a reading by my target audience). Woohoo!

Other goals for 2024:

As always, I'm hoping to read more. I have so many books on my TBR stacks and on my kindle.  I did get at least one if not three books read a month, so I'll call this a win. Did I also add to my TBR stacks so I looks like I accomplished nothing? Yep.

I'd like to get out in my flower garden more. We'll see if my body cooperates. I did return to the flower garden and cleaned out / replanted several large sections, redid my stone stairway, AND built a large raised vegetable garden out of five pallets full of very heavy blocks. #muscle  

Maybe work a little less. Yes, I'm laughing at that one while looking at my 2024 events over there on the right, but we're back to that hope thing. On paper, I did work less. A little. I only did one book event Sept - Dec so yay me. The down time would have been fantastic had I not also taken on two exchange students in Sept for the rest of the school year. Are they fun kids? Yep. Are we having a good time? Yep. Am I relaxing? Umm Nope.

Which brings us to... Goals for 2025:

Publish Nugget the Space Chicken

Publish I9

Finish writing Godmother

Finish writing Interface (Shaking my head at this one. Poor Interface)

Successfully juggle enough book stock for all those events ---> 

Read two books a month

Keep working on the overgrown flower garden

Did you have a good year? Do you have goals for the year ahead?

Plowing through December

November's writing month was a success! While I'd hoped to get to more than one project, I did at least manage to finish i9. 66,951 words spewed from my head to the the keyboard.  The rough draft of i9 clocked in at 117K. There are definitely some spots than need fleshing out so I'm guessing that will increase a bit but we'll see how the edits shake out when I get that far.

I had a goal of at least 1K a day. Other than the one day 
I was gone at a comic con for long hours, I was able to at
least touch my WIP every day. Yay!

So what's next on the agenda? Editing? Nope. That story needs to rest for a bit. More writing! Those other two projects aren't going to write themselves. Sadly.

While I take a day to ponder which project I'll be diving into next, let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other participating writers.

Do you write cliffhangers? Are they a turn off for you as a reader?

As a writer, I endeavor not to write cliff hangers. The book needs to end. Does the main conflict need to be resolved? Yes. Do the characters need to have meaningful growth? Yes. Can there be a few unresolved tidbits floating around to tease the next book? Yes, that is acceptable.

Would I ever end a book with: to be continued? I have strong words on that topic so we'll leave it at a HARD NO (see the toned down version below).

As a reader, if I invest time and energy into a book at it ends with any version of 'tune in next time to find out', that book is flying at a high velocity into the nearest wall and I will not read that author again. For the love of all that's holy, end the damned book! If an author cannot end a book,  my faith is lost in this little contractual thing we have going on. I purchased a book. I did not purchase a book with the unwitting obligation to by two to twelve other books to find out how it all ends. There need to be 'endings for now' along the way. If the author can show me a gratifying end to a book one and I enjoyed book one, I will likely give book two a try. Leave the choice to continue in the reader's hands.

It's Writing month!

November marks my 19th foray into pouring out a novel in 30 days. 

I used the last half of October to get back into the writing groove, because I'm here to tell you, if you haven't been writing at all seriously in nine or so months, the brain gets a little rusty in that department.

To get back into the swing of things, I set a goal to write (at least) 500 words a day from Oct 14 to 31. Setting a goal lower than I know darn well I can do helped alleviate the pressure of  'having to do the thing'. While it was a rough start and there were three days early on that I wrote less or nothing at all, I did manage to grease the gears enough that my brain and fingers remembered how this noveling thing works. By the end of the month, I was hitting my usual NaNo pace of 1,800 words a day.

I used Trackbear, a nifty new to me app to help set my habit goal that I can also use to set word goals and combine word counts to meet those goals across multiple projects. This is super handy and much easier than trying to math while in writing mode. Check out this free app if your interested in setting writing goals and establishing good wordy habits.

How do I have time to hit 1800 words a day with a job, surprise kids, pets, and all the usual life things?  When I'm in full noveling mode, I write three times a day. Morning (before everyone else is up) tends to be pretty productive. A quick twenty minutes after work but before making dinner. And then whatever time I have between after dinner and before running the surprise kids around / spending time with my husband / becoming unconscious. 

Can I crank out 1,800 words in one sitting? Yes. Can I do that in an hour and half? Sure. Do I like to? No. It's mentally exhausting and hard to maintain day after day. For me, anyway. Your word mileage may vary. Breaking up the word load over the whole day is easier to handle and less stressful. And who needs stress? Save that for your characters. 

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is: What creative activity to you engage in when you're not writing? 

I paint, doodle, go on random new craft binges, and when in the mood, do cross stitch. What do you like to do?

Oh Thank Goodness, It's September!

I made it through the six weekends of events in a row of the August frenzy! I won't say I'm coherent or brimming with anything other than good memories, money for groceries for the next few months, and a hankering for a week of nothing but naps and reading, but I'm here.

 August highlights include:

Author Joan Young and I spent a long weekend in Michigan's Upper
Peninsula at the Wild Blueberry Festival.

I made some time for a beer and a book on the shore of Lake Superior.

Author Ingar Rudholm and I spent a weekend meeting readers
at the South Haven Blueberry Festival.

Magical creatures at the Michiana Ren Fest enjoyed
 visiting with Laya and picking up her book.

It was a hot weekend at the Michiana Ren Fest, but I met lots of readers
and managed not to poke any eyes out with my fairy wings.

Now that I have Laya's Vacation out in the world, what am I working on next? Resting. Do I have projects lined up? Yes. I'll get back into them sometime between now November, when writing begins again in earnest for National Novel Writing Month. Until that urge returns: Naps and reading and one author event a month until the end of the year. A much more manageable pace.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

Onward to this month's, Insecure Writer's Support Group portion of the post. This month's fellow co-hosts are: Beth Camp, Yvonne Ventresca, and PJ Colando

We're back to school and talking about English class and the one writing rule we learned that messed us up. But honestly, I can't think of any rules that I've had issues with or that my editors  repeatedly have thrown back at me. There are things I've forgotten and had to look up because it's been... umm, 35 years. Other than that, I loved English classes. I took all of them, even the elective ones! It was one of the few subjects, other than art and the sewing portion of home economics, that I was really good at. Let's not talk about math or science, well, the math parts of science, anyway. Numbers bad. Letters, good!

To stay on topic(ish) though, I was recently talking with my father and he mentioned running into his English teacher, who asked if he was still writing. He had stopped before I was born and I've never read anything he'd written (in a creative writing sense), but he mentioned I was writing and published, which his teacher was excited about. This is so very weird to me because: Numbers. My English teachers and my art teacher have passed away - people I would very much have loved to share my accomplishments with - from only 35 years ago. Yet, his teacher is still out and about and remembered that he used to write. At least one English teacher, even if it wasn't mine, is excited for my accomplishments. I'll take it. :)

 

New Release: Laya's Vacation

It seems like it's been a bit since I've had a new release. Ok, it was March, which, in the grand scope of things, wasn't that long ago, but I'd really hoped to have this book done by June and well, that just didn't happen. Will I have another book out this fall? Odds are not likely, but I won't rule it out.

But we're here today to celebrate the release of Laya's Vacation! Woohoo! After months of trying to do the illustrations in between events, work, and life stuff, I finally finished this labor of chicken love. Even more stressful than trying to get the book finished was the fact that Laya was ill twice and at four years old, I was worried things might not work out for her. How long do chicken's live, is a question I get asked all the time. The answer: not as long as you'd like. My oldest chicken is 9 and she's not in a good way, but she's still kicking so we let her go about her days until she's ready to tell me she's done.

The good news is that after some meds and a lot of love, Laya is back in good health and ready to promote the release of her book. Hooray!

This book is based on Laya's adventures with me last year in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We'll be returning there later this month so at least we made this book happen before that show. #goals

The art is all watercolor paintings and this book has more pages than the Kay-Kay book so I knew what I was in for, but still...I did it anyway. See also: Why it took so long to finish.

Short-tempered from the summer heat, Laya takes a vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, far away from her family and friends. She travels to Paradise, Whitefish Point, and Tahquamenon Falls to see what animals and sights exist beyond the chicken yard.

The official release date is August 10. You can order signed copies now from the "Buy Signed Copies" tab above (within the US) and I'll get those out as soon as I have books in my hands. The book is also available from all the usual online retailers including Amazon / B&N

You can also get your signed copy at these upcoming events:

August 10&11    South Haven Blueberry Festival 
August 16-18     Wild Blueberry Festival in Paradise, MI 
August 24&25    Michiana Renaissance Festival in South Bend, IN
Aug 31 & Sept 1 Newaygo Logging Festival 

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question is about using AI, which is a topic it feels like we just talked about a couple months ago and my answer is still the same: No, I don't use AI for book creation, marketing, or research. All these weird and twisted people, creatures, and plots come from my brain. Yay me!

If we could get AI on washing dishes and doing laundry, maybe mowing the grass, and cleaning toilets, now that, I'd be up for. Leave the creative stuff to humans.

How Do You Write? July IWSG

June was busy. July will also be busy. August will be insane and then things get better. September through January are my writing months. I'm looking forward to those months. Nice sedate, quieter months.

Not that the busy months are all bad. During those months, book sales at all these events pay for my groceries, my house cleaning, a little extra income so I can have fun now and then, and they also have been subsidizing my major garden project. Thank you to everyone who has purchased a book so far this year. I enjoy eating.

Laya and I were included in a local news article about the Lakeshore Art Festival.

I'm wrapping up the artwork for Laya's Vacation and am aiming for an August release. When in August is yet to be determined. Am I running behind? Yep. Am I stressing about it? Eh, what can you do?

Critiques on I9 continue to bode well. Now I just have to continue writing it. Is it September yet?

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

This month's IWSG question asks: What is your favorite writing software/tools/apps? My favorite is good old Word. Yep. I don't need bells or whistles. Let me count the ways I love thee:

I know Word. 

My fingers know Word. 

It does what I need it to do: sit there quietly while I put words on a page. 

It autosaves for me. 

It keeps all my current stuff projects in the 'recent' folder so they are easy to find. 

I don't get distracted from writing on an internet hunt to figure out how to use some feature of it. 

Both Grammarly and Pro-Writing aid have a plug in for it. 

The .doc format easily imports into InDesign when I'm ready to format. 

Everyone accepts a .doc or .pdf from Word for submissions and critique. 

The newer version has a built in narrator that makes read aloud edits super easy. 

If you set up your document correctly, Word event makes jumping around between chapters super easy with it's side bar menus.

Are there plenty of other options? Sure. But Word is what works for me. 

IWSG June?

How is it June already? Time flies when your schedule is full. And then you get a cold. Twice. And drop all the balls and then scramble to pick them all up. I don't have time to be sick! Get thee away from me germs!

I bought my spirit t-shirt.

How is progress on Laya's Vacation going that I planned to release at the end of June? Slowly. (see above). We're now looking at August or September. Not ideal (given my event schedule) but it is what it is.

Laya doodles

Writing in general? Out the window. I am getting some reading done after hours at events though, so yay?

Yes, September is a long way off, but I'm looking forward to quieter times. Does this mean I'll slow my event roll next year? Mmmm probably not. But I will attempt to better organize and protect my writing months (Sept-Feb) so I don't have to stress about fall releases. 

Sales have been good at events since April. Which is wonderful because Jan-March sales were pretty dismal. Now we're in tight inventory management times with 3-5 events per month. No stress at all. Everything is fine. *grimace*

The weather has been playing relatively nice, though this next ren faire looks like a rainy weekend. Ah, the perils of outdoor events. 

Meet Ziggy, my newest chicken buddy.

Other distractions have included: 

Building a large raised garden bed with 70lb+ blocks because my wooden ones rotted after 7 years. This giant bed is going NOWHERE:

Progress!

Sewing a ren faire outfit for my daughter:

Tunics for everyone!

Weeding flowerbeds (a losing battle that maybe I'll catch up on this fall) No pic needed here. Imagine a hill full of weeds and small unwanted trees with flowers poking up through them. Yep. You got it.

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

And now let's get to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group question: In this constantly evolving industry, what kind of offering/service do you think the IWSG should consider offering to members?

Clones. As long as my clone and I don't get sick at the same time, we could be so much more productive. One could stay home and work on the flower garden and sew and paint and write and the other could go off on road trips to events and work on Amazon ads. One of us could sleep now and then. That would be super cool. We might even make notable progress on my towering TBR stacks. Maybe. Hmm. But that might also mean two of us lose in the bookstore. Nope. Only one clone is allowed to buy books. We must have rules!

Ok, I should probably have a serious answer here but my brain to too scrambled to offer constructive suggestions.