ROW80 Sign-up

Hi folks, it’s time to declare for the next ROW80 round. I had planned a lot for this, but Life seems to be slowing my down a bit. Ah well, it’s a sure sign of Spring. Over all I was pretty successful with the goals I set for myself last time. Perhaps now is the time to pull back, just a teensy bit.

Ok, here are the goals for ROW80, Round 2.

1.      Blog twice each week over and above my ROW80 check-ins

2.      Continue to read and comment on the blogs of my fellow writers

3.      Write at least 2K words on a WIP each week

4.      I set out to publish six novels this year. I managed three last round, and two more between rounds, so that leaves me with one more novel to publish. I will see if I can get it out this round.

5.      Read and review two or more first novels by new writers this round

6.      Publish two or more short works (between five and twenty five thousand words)

Well, there they are, another six goals for this round. Should be easy, right?

Ah, we writers have such a hard life.

Drop by and say Hi, I'd love to hear from you all. :)

Return of the Witch

What, another book published today? Are you crazy? How are you doing that? I can hear you now, but I’m not cheating. I will explain. I’ve been writing novels for years, but was unable to sell them traditionally. Since I have started self-publishing them, it looks like I write a book a month. I could, and I have done so, but that’s not what’s happening here. Over the past year or so I have self-published most of my back list of completed manuscripts, plus written and published four new novels. There, my secret is out.

New Book Just Out

Hi folks, here's me blowing my own horn again. My latest book is just out. I write the original manuscript many years ago. In the fading years of the 20^th century, a friend of mine (a transsexual woman) grew tired of the abuses heaped on her head by the system that was supposed to be helping her. (Aversion therapy, shock treatments, humiliation therapy, this is helping?) She also grew tired of the constant mental abuse from her family. Felicia took her own life in the most violent way she could find.

Advice for First Time Authors

 As many of you know, I have been seeking out new authors and their first book to read. I have read some amazing stories, but noticed a few disturbing trends in some books

Avoid the Drama

Hi folks, this is an old post revisited, but it bears another look. Events of recent days has brought this home to me once again. For some people, it is all about the drama, but who needs it really?

We all have drama in our lives, we can’t escape it completely.  We can, however, avoid a lot of it, and the more we practice, the more we can escape it.  Drama, for the most part, is the work of an ego that is desperately seeking attention.  This is a distraction that we do not need.  Drama is like a fog that clouds your view, your judgment, and destroys your sense of well being.  It blocks your ability to learn, to focus externally, and is almost always focused on the negative.

Final Row80 Check-in

Hi folks, this is it, the final check-in for this round of ROW80. It has been a lot of fun and it has helped to keep me on track when life got bizarre and interesting. Will I do it again? Absolutely, where do I sign up?

How did I do over all? Better than I expected to do, some things got a bit derailed, but all in all I am pleased.

Using Brain Power for Success

The human brain is like any other muscle in the body.  Use it and it will grow stronger.  Here’s a trick I learned long ago to get the brain flexing and helping to improve the quality of life.  Practicing this will work pure magic for anyone. Stick with it for a few weeks and marvel at the results.

Book Review and ROW80 Check-in.

Hi folks, it’s ROW80 check in once again and this has been a successful week for me. I’ve met my goals, plus I have a short book review for you on Phoenix Child. So, on with the show.

Using Language Powerfully

I have come to understand that the only thing you can carry with you from this realm of existence to the next is the quality of the relationships you have developed and nurtured in this one. This is the focus of my life and the lens through which I see my world.

I know, I promised to help develop a positive life focus. Well, building loving, supportive relationships is a very positive thing in my book; keeping this in mind at all times will help you stay focused. The purpose here is to build that new and beautiful life we all want; this is one of the ways we go about it.

We all want to feel good; that is our prime motivation. Just as all things are made of a single substance (energy), all actions are motivated by a single desire, (the desire to feel good). Sorry folks, but if you look deep enough inside, and be honest with yourself, you will find that it is true. It is not a bad thing; it just is what it is. Knowing this, is the key to building those loving, supportive relationships. It is also the key to having a lot fewer bad days yourself.

Hitting Targets

Well, it looks like I’m back on track once again. It’s been a strange couple of weeks, but things are smoothing out a bit. Taking a short time out to refocus helped me get things going again. I’ve got some great stuff on the go and it looks like this month will see me publish two new books. One will be another of the romances that I wrote years ago, but couldn’t sell. I know why.

Language of Success

The musings of a meandering mind, or, messages from myself in another realm.

I have spent a few posts rambling on about focus. This time I’d like to take you deeper into the mad mind of the Seeker.

This is me meditating and this is one of the things I meditate on.

I shall begin with a discussion on one of my pet theories, the use of language and its effects on our daily lives. Language is how we communicate with each other, the world around us, ourselves, and our creator. I believe that we all create our own lives by the way we use language. The language under discussion here is English as it is my native tongue, but the observations may well hold true for many of the western European languages.

Focused for Success

Hi folks, I’ve been rattling on about getting re-focused lately and I am here to tell you, I believe I’ve got it. My mind is back on track and things are starting to unfold as they should. I’m back to getting some writing done, sales are up, and I'm loving every bit of it.

Focused Thought

Since my last post spoke of re-focusing, I thought I'd pull up and old post on the subject and have another look at it. So, here we go:


Where you focus your thoughts will dictate your experience of reality. Please ponder this for a few moments and let that sink in, it is vitally important. Here is a small example of what I mean:

Refocusing

ROW80 check-in

It’s completely crazy; I know, but there it is. I’ve been banging my head on the desk in frustration for days now, you understand, you’ve all been there. Oh yes you have. Don’t lie to me, Buddy, I see you over there in the corner shaking your head. It’s written all over your forehead in goose eggs. You have been there, we all have.

ROW80 Check-in 04/03/2012

It’s check-in time again and this week went to hell in a hand basket.  This will be a sad little report, but I swear the next one will rock. Ah well, time to ‘fess up.

Goals.

One: Write something at least five times or more each week.

So far so good.

Two: Write a minimum of 2500 on my WIP words each week.

This week I only managed about eight hundred words. argh

Three: Publish at least six new novels in 2012.

Nothing new to report here.

Four: Read and review six or more first novels by new authors. (I don’t give bad reviews, so don’t panic, I’m friendly, honest. J

I did get a couple of reviews done.

Five: do more to be supportive of new and struggling writers.

I’ve been trying to read and tweet new author’s work.

Six: Publish a small collection of erotic short stories. Hey, I’ve been around for over sixty years, and this one is on my bucket list. I will make it happen in 2012.

This is still on hold indefinitely.

Ok, that’s about it for today folks. How is it going for you? Did you hit your targets? Let me know how it went for you.

Check out my Amazon page here:

 http://www.amazon.com/Prudence-MacLeod/e/B0079XOY8U

Short Story Review

Short Story Review: New York Story: Saying Goodbye to Ayn Rand, March 8th, 1982

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/136061

Normally I don't review short stories, but this one is an exceptional piece of work. Let’s take a walk down memory Lane with S.J.Driscoll.  This is only a short story, but well worth a review, for it will introduce the reader to the writing of Sally Driscoll. The story brings us the author’s reaction to the death of Ayn Rand. The blurb for the story reads as follows.

“One moonlit winter's night thirty years ago, I stepped out of my everyday life to attend Ayn Rand's wake. In this brief memoir, I share the sights, sounds and scents of that night, and the choice that her death made so clear.”

Perhaps my reading comprehension isn’t what it was, but the decision wasn’t all that clear to me. Perhaps if I was an American and more familiar with Ayn Rand’s work it would be different. Having said that, perhaps I missed the point because I was so immersed in the sights, sounds, and emotions of the event. The author’s writing style immediately grabs you and drops you inside the event. You see through her eyes, feel with her emotions, and experience the full impact of the event with her. I actually read it twice just for the sensory experience.

I don’t know anything about Ayn Rand, but I do know that SJDriscoll is an author to follow and enjoy. Folks, this is a wonderful read. Five stars, no question.

Book Review. Rojuun

It is time for another book review and this time I want to tell you about Rojuun by John H. Carroll. I quite enjoyed this little flight of fantasy. Rojuun is John first book, and also the first in a three part series. John is a natural storyteller, and sets up an interesting cast of characters. There is the rogue thief, the ghost of a long dead knight, the dragon in human form, and the naive country girl with a serious talent for magic.

John sends this unlikely troupe out into a magical forest filled with druids, abandoned cities, castles, and underground cities built by alien creatures. This is a rollicking good tale with dangers lurking around every corner for our adventurers. Great fun.

You can find Rojuun here:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/31154

The only rough spots here are the unpronounceable names and occasionally a little too much description, but these things are minor. I give this five stars for a debut novel. A nice fun read.