Friday Five: Garden Pics

1. Yellow Jacket

I devoured the words in The Nest by Kenneth Oppel as well as the fabulous illustrations by Jon Klassen. It's not my usual type of read, and thankfully, I pulled it off the shelf for the cover and size alone. Not to mention, I'm a big fan of Jon Klassen's artwork in picture books (I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole). There was no blurb on the back or inside the jacket, so I dove right in and was surprised. It was creepy good! I couldn't put it down.

Naturally, what do I find in my garden this morning? A dead wasp and a cherry sized wasp nest under my eave. My husband knocked it down, but nobody was home. Just a few empty combs inside.

2. Wasp Nest

3. Poppy Bud

4. Hannah's Tombstone

5. Orb Spiderlings

Currently...

Top Pot 5K at Green Lake

Seattle,WA

It rained. It dumped, then it rained some more. My feet were sopping wet, too, but I plugged into some grunge and walked for my doughnut. I'm sure it was character building (grumble-grumble), and I suppose it did feel good to get out in it. I walked 3 miles and timed in at 57:35. Not winning any races here, but it's good enough for government work. So...okay, I confess. I enjoyed it :)

Unfortunately, the whole "Friday Five" thing is not working out for me because I procrastinate! Here it is, Sunday, and I'm now thinking about what I should have written two days ago. So, let's skip that and explore the "currently" option. Here goes:

Currently:

1. I love heated seats!

2. I've reached 10,572 steps on my Fitbit

3. I'm reading Whisper If You Need Me by Dina Silver

4. I'm listening to Puddle of Mudd on Pandora

5. I'm lounging on the couch with Bean and The Rug instead of editing my manuscript...doh!

All Wrapped Up

Procrastinate Later!

I'm working on the last chapter of Will's story, book #2. I haven't reread the manuscript yet, or made revisions, but to make life a little more exciting, I went ahead and told my developmental editor, Bev Katz Rosenbaum to get ready, because in two weeks, I'm sending her a manuscript!

Then, feeling all jazzed from the Seattle sunshine, I told my copy editor, Chase, to brace himself. Come June, I will have fixed the problems Bev found and will send him my completed story for his keen eye.

Crazy!

This might not be a sound approach, but I'm going with it. Procrastinating can wait, now it's time to light the fire.

"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." ~ Amelia Earhart

Friday Five: New to Me Authors

I've been off the grid for a week, vacationing in Boulder City, Nevada. Instead of blogging, I've been snapping pictures of lizards, visiting the Clark County Museum, touring the Techatticup Mine in Eldorado Canyon, swimming, and bowling at The Orleans casino in Las Vegas. Too much fun, but it's gotta end sometime, right?

Desert Iguana

So, while I was busy packing for home, I realized I'd missed the Friday Five. Being a day late and a dollar short, I quickly put together a list of new authors I've read within the year, ones I'm excited about:

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

One Pink Line by Dina Silver

All Played Out: A Rusk University Novel by Cora Carmack

Drama by Raina Telgemeier

If We Kiss by Rachel Vail

Friday Five: Quotes I Love

I love stuff like this! Making lists of my favorite things, little challenges and due dates. Here goes...my five favorite quotes by my favorite quoters:

"If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you."
~ Oscar Wilde

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
~ Martin Luther King

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." 
~ Confucius

"Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future."
~ Yoda

"Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."
~Marilyn Monroe

I'm part of Camp NaNoWriMo and in "My Cabin" is author, blogger Alexa Barry who also follows J.M. Kelly. I'm participating in their blogging prompt for the Friday Five. Fun! check them out!

Writing the Back Blurb

I just spent an entire day updating Dealing with Blue's back blurb. It's better than it was, but could be better still. Doing the indie thing is an incredible learning experience! First hand in every aspect from writing and formatting to marketing.

It's a slow build into something long lasting. Not to mention, the fluidity is freeing. I can make updates, changes, re-design the cover, or freshen up the back blurb at any time.

The phrase Don't quit your day job still applies, but don't forget the positive, which is fostering and maintaining control over your creative passion. No more jumping through hoops and writing query letters! Yeah!

Back to the book blurbs...here are a few links I found helpful, ones I want to remember:

The Art of the Blurb: How to Write Back Cover Copy
How to Write Kick Butt Back Cover Copy
4 Easy Steps to an Irresistible Book Blurb


"A blurb sells the book that you wrote, not the book that you suddenly feel you should have written." ~ KJ Charles
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Remember the classic Wizard of Oz TV guide listing?

Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets, and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.

You can pull in the Cormac McCarthy fans this way, but you won’t keep them once ‘Over the Rainbow’ starts.

~KJ Charles

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