denise Leora madre

My husband has a navy blue zipped hoodie with a white lining. I will not include a photo to protect the innocent, but remember the white lining. It's important. He likes this hoodie for its simplicity and functionality, and it is his go-to outer layer from spring to fall. Rather, it was… before I ruined its lining in the wash last night. I am not inept at this favorite chore. But Hubbs does not want me taking the initiative with his laundry. Never has. He is particular about his clothing, and though he will give me items to add to a certain load, he prefers to do his own laundry to avoid accidents. Like my ruining his blue hoodie in the wash. Hubbs often calls me hard-headed, and I usually smile. Laugh even. But this week I’ve realized how snugly that shoe fits. And hurts.

My son’s godmother texted me at 4:15 Monday morning and wrote, “My mom passed.” “My mom passed.” Three words, three simple, monosyllabic words that blew her world apart. Image Courtesy of phanlop88 / FreeDigitalPhotos.com I don’t know the exact cause of death. I don’t know when or how my dear friend was told the news. But I do know her mom passed and nothing will be the same in her world again. Ever.

Image Courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net I am a frustrated writer. I promised to continue blogging as I marched toward my goal of finishing my draft by September 30th, that if I could post weekly to my fanfiction story, surely I could do as much for my blog. That was two three weeks ago. And my fanfiction story has been updated but once. Double sheesh.

The End of All Things by Lissa Bryan My rating: 5 of 5 stars "The End of All Things" has everything: action, suspense, heartache, romance, and humor, expertly blended into a compelling, cohesive, and wholly enjoyable story that leaves you thirsting for the sequel. But for all it has, its most prized possession is its heart, a stubborn, courageous, tender heart so large it needs be divided among a man, a woman, a horse, a wolf, and a cat. No, that's not a typo. But rest assured: this is no wacked-out Animal Farm-esque traveling roadshow. This is a story about survival, about finding the will to rebuild as the world you knew crumbles around you in virus-riddled heaps on the side of abandoned roads. It’s about following your instincts and developing new ones as the old ones fail. And it’s about discovering the true definitions of society, freedom, life, and love.

When we last saw our fearless writer, she was at 40k in her manuscript, still in Act One, and very encouraged. My, my… what a difference a month makes. Today is September 1 st , the end of the Second Round of my self-imposed Nano. The good news is I am a few hundred words from the 70k mark. The better news is I am in Act Two of the book. The surprising news is I have switched manuscripts altogether. That’s right: I’ve put away my former book and picked up another work-in-progress.

Today is August 1 st , the official end of my self-imposed Nano. (Sidebar: Didn’t know there was a Camp Nano in July in which I could have participated. I’ll keep that in mind for next year.) I started this Nano on June 12th at 17k with a goal to finish my novel. I am at 40k and still in Act One. Believe it or not, this is good.

Image Courtesy of kjnnt / FreeDigitalPhotos.Net So. I have had this blog for almost three months. A blog dedicated to the completion of the redraft of my original novel and its subsequent publication. Yet… I am a few words shy of 17,000 in my redraft with no real idea of when I will finish. I recognize the folly in using word counts as an accurate measure of progress. But I also recognize that unless I buckle down and focus, this novel will idle in a perpetual state of redraft for the foreseeable future. And that will not do. So I—along with my Moo Sisters, Jess and The Ghostwriter—am beginning a self-imposed Nano today, 30 days of working on my novel without interruption. I am also giving myself a few weeks of cushion to fully complete the draft, giving me a prospective end date of August 1st. The good news is I smoked Nano when I did it two years ago. And with a 17,000-word head start, I am practically guaranteed a workable finished product. The… uh, othe...