Finally I feel good enough to sit at my desk and get some work done. This morning was all about production. I got two new books prepped and ready for publication.
Murder Next Door is a murder mystery taking place in 2178. Death in the apartment across the hall throws Eloise Franklin and Ronan Turner into each other’s lives. Turner is arrogant and condescending of Eloise profession as a stripper until he finds out she’s raising her younger sister. Eloise and her younger sister experience danger and abuse. Ronan discovers a respect and love for Eloise he never expected. It’s available on Amazon and Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/532856 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VO23JIS
Wayfarer Trials is the next installment of Adara and Decker’s story. Returning from their honeymoon, Decker and Adara are thrown in the deep end of the cases under investigation. Women are being attacked and taken by an unknown group of people. Franklin and the rest of the investigators work to close the complicated case against the Castitate Colony and Patrick Richardson, putting the Pritchard and her crew in grave danger. It’s available on Amazon and Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/532878 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VO4UAOC
I’m so happy to have these two novels out and available. I loved writing them and believe the readers will enjoy reading the stories. With all the issues I’ve had lately, I was beginning to doubt I’d be able to get them published but fortunately that isn’t the case. Please check them out and tell your friends.
Busy weekend equates into compressed time for working on writing or crocheting. Yesterday I got together with my family to have lunch for mom’s birthday. It was a good time and I think she enjoyed herself. There are several people who have March birthdays including one of my sisters and that sister’s mother-in-law. They always like to have a birthday lunch with mom to celebrate all of their birthdays.
After lunch TJ Jahns came to my house and we worked on several projects. I’m creating a website for her and her artwork. She has some pretty amazing stuff. I had gotten so far with it and needed input from her which she gave. It is now published but still a work in progress. (Check it out at TJJahns.weebly.com)
TJ and I are working on a new book. I got to see her drawings and talk about her ideas for the pictures for this project. I’m so excited. She is taking one of my poems and turning it into a graphic poem. It will be wonderful when she gets through all the pictures and I can’t wait.
After she left, Ken and I watched a little tv before he went to bed. I worked on manuscript editing last night. I was so tired by the time I was done, I crashed. Purposefully, I didn’t set my alarm for early today but woke up on my own. I usually do better when I can wake up of my own accord.
Today promises to be busy. I have several projects to work on as long as my legs can stand me sitting at the computer. One of my friends is coming over this afternoon. It will be wonderful to see her. Once she goes, I’ll be working on manuscript editing again. Murder Next Door is close. I want to read through it one more time – I feel it needs something but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Here is the cover for it – done by TJ Jahns. I’m LOVING it. It fits exactly what I wanted. Wayfarer Trials has a couple of large edits to it so it may need a second round of edits as well. When I rearrange scenes as I’m planning to do, I have to let it sit before I edit it again. It has to make sense the way I rearrange. I like the scene I am moving but to have the flow better, I need to move it so I have to write the transition for the scene in a different place.
It is going to be a busy weekend, has been already and I’m not slowing unless I’m forced to. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I’ll have three manuscripts ready for final edits and moving towards production.
Last night I worked on editing Murder Next Door. It is a murder mystery, romance set in 2178. After talking to one of my daughters until after 8 pm, I started editing. I really just wanted to go to sleep when I started but it was too early for me if I wanted to sleep all night.
I put on classical music, turned off all but one light and set to work on editing. Somewhere around 11 or so I realized how late it was. I looked at the number of pages and decided to stop by midnight. At 12:30 I looked up and realized how late it was but was in the middle of a chapter. I said at the end of this chapter, I’ll quit and finish it tomorrow.
That didn’t happen. I finished editing it last night – or more correctly this morning around 1 am. It felt good to work on writing, to think about plot lines and characters, to look at verbage and decide the tone this word or that one gave to the story.
Tonight I’ll be working on Wayfarer Trials. This is the sixth book in the series and I think full of action and craziness. I know there is one major rearrangement I want to make in this book but there are a lot of loose ends to tie up for plot lines so I have to make sure those get done.
If I can get this one done tonight, I will only have one left to do the edits on, which is Wayfarer 7. I don’t have a name for it yet though one or two options are floating in my head.
My restlessness of last week evaporated with me editing. I lost time as I worked and the tiredness I felt dissipated as I sunk into Murder Next Door. The book drew me in, kept me occupied. The act of editing soothed me in ways I find difficult to explain.
In the back of my head, I’m working on writing the last Defenders story. I think it’s time to finish it. I just need to sit and write it. I have the next two scenes (part of a bigger scene) in my head, the major parts of it starting to coalesce and take form. Soon I’ll have to write it or I’ll be dreaming about it again.
A week off was good, I guess. But I’m glad to be back to writing, editing, and getting stuff done. Interestingly, I didn’t miss the tv stuff at all last night. I was more entertained by my work. Now I just need to look at my to do list and decide what’s next.
It’s been a rough week. I’ve had higher pain levels and less motivation for a week. I’m still struggling with pain but I can’t let that stop me from moving forward with things that need to get done.
The good thing about a rough week – I listened to a number of audio books while I crocheted. It is about the only thing I can do that doesn’t hurt. I finished three gifts and two other small projects.
The purple shawl is supposed to have buttons on it but I want to have Vicki here so I can place the buttons in the right spots. This was a pattern I liked the looks of but had to rework it. The person who designed it gave only directions for a magic ring start and a non-chain double crochet. I’ve done them. I don’t like how they look. I rewrote the pattern and I think it turned out nicely. The blue scarf isn’t done yet though I’m close. It is baby yarn that will make a nice light weight scarf for spring / summer / fall. I still need to get some length on it but I’m pleased with how it is working up.
I finished my niece’s afghan, the throw for my student worker and a hood / wristers set for another student worker. I’m not posting pictures of them for obvious reasons but I do have to say I think the afghan turned out particularly nice.
I finalized the cover for Wayfarer Aegis and got preliminary covers for Wayfarer Trials and Murder Next Door. TJ Jahns did a wonderful drawing of what I needed for Murder Next Door.
I finished my preliminary edits on Wayfarer seven. This gives me four manuscripts to edit and I’m hoping to get them done soon. Wayfarer Aegis has the final paper edits done, I just need to get them on the computer and read them one more time before it hits production. I’ve posted a look at the cover and a description on my web site. http://eileentroemel.weebly.com/
Most of what I need to get done can be done on my netbook but production work – finishing edits on manuscripts and prep for publishing – has to be done on my computer in my office. When I’m in pain, this is difficult. Until the pain eases, I will work on whatever I can on my netbook. I certainly have a litany of tasks I can work on up until production becomes necessary.
This week I’ve struggled with attitude and self image. When all I can do is sit in the recliner and hope the pain will ease enough so I can think, it drags me down into a well of grumbliness. I hate not being able to get done the things I know need doing. I keep reminding myself it will pass, it will get better. All I can do is what I can do when the pain washes over me.
People genuinely care and are concerned about my welfare which is nice. It helps remind me to keep looking up. When they ask ‘are you feeling better’ I hate telling them no. It’s hard for people to understand that there are layers to the pain. There are the days where I start out feeling fine but go downhill. There are days I start out feeling awful but can force myself to get through the day. There are days when I can’t do anything more than sit in my chair and hope the pain goes away. The thing is…. the pain is always there, always tearing at my joints. I can’t remember the last time I went without pain. All I can do is manage and hope I can get through what needs to be done and not fall into that well of darkness where the pain wins.
Accomplishing things, like the crocheting or writing which take little movement, helps clear the grumbliness I feel. It helps me be able to say, at least I can do this. At least I can accomplish something for now. Even in my worst moments, I know it will get better and I’ll batter back the pain to a level I can tolerate so I can keep moving forward.
Ken went off to visit the girls and I’m just back from dropping him at the airport. I get to be home alone for the next week! I am very excited about this as I plan to WRITE until my fingers fall off.
I sent Ken with goodies for the girls. I’ve been crocheting for them for the last two weeks. They got two scarves and something like twenty six coasters. Virginia requested the purple and gray combo and then Stephanie sent me her color choices. I got baby yarn for the scarves so it would make a nice light scarf. They both turned out beautifully. I LOVE the yarn and will be purchasing it again.
Now their stuff is done, I have to turn to my other projects. I have a scarf I’m working on for Vicki which is almost done. When it’s done I’ll be working on the gifts for my student workers and my niece who is getting married. I have four gifts to get done by beginning of May and one by July.
While I’m alone this week though I’m going to focus on writing. My short story didn’t place for the contest I sent it to but I think it’s good enough to publish so I’m going to polish it up some more, add a couple more scenes and put it out there for purchase. For the rough draft, I have two or three more scenes to write and then it can go in the editing pile.
I just finished writing Murder Next Door. I know exactly what I want for a cover (I think) so I have to figure out if I can get a photo of it or if I will try to get a picture (drawn) for it.
This week I have three things I want to get done – Wayfarer Aegis (which is just the two or three scenes), the Defenders third book, and the Wayfarer sixth book. All three projects are started and in varying degrees of being written. I just need to finish them.
On the drive home, I tried to settle into one of the stories to see if I could plot out the first steps. I think the Aegis is going to be the first one. Part of that is because it is so close to being done. I need to write about so little to polish it off and then I think I can send it to my test readers. If they don’t have any problems with it, I can start the editing process and get it out for publication. The other two are going to be longer and more complicated to write, edit and publish.
Enough with sharing for now. I’m on to writing. Adara and the Aegis here I come.
Finally I feel good enough to sit at my desk and get some work done. This morning was all about production. I got two new books prepped and ready for publication. 
Wayfarer Trials is the next installment of Adara and Decker’s story. Returning from their honeymoon, Decker and Adara are thrown in the deep end of the cases under investigation. Women are being attacked and taken by an unknown group of people. Franklin and the rest of the investigators work to close the complicated case against the Castitate Colony and Patrick Richardson, putting the Pritchard and her crew in grave danger. It’s available on Amazon and Smashwords: 
