2016 Goals

          2016 is right around the corner and I really want to talk about my goals this year... mainly because I think I've got them figured out. It took me a while since I needed to do revisions on it, but I finally figured out a very simple way of doing my goals for the year. I took a free excel calendar of 2016, and added three columns to the side of it. Because I am a whiz at naming things (see, sarcasm) I have titled each of these exactly what they are; Period Goals, Weekly Goal Expected and Weekly Goal Obtained.

          My period goals are the big things I'm looking to accomplish and how long I want to spend on them. Things like writing new novels, editing those novels and such. I have stuck to working on one project at a time, since in general that works a lot better for me. I can do the base checks of other stuff, but this way I know what I want to concentrate on at any given time. From there, I split up my base goals into sometime obtainable in a week. I could do these things faster, however, working a full time job can sometimes be the death of us so I've decided to make a modest goal that keeps me working and stretching without killing myself trying to make insane gains. I can adjust these week by week during that time as well, so if I can a killer week and write 17,000 words, I can scale down the following weeks to account for that. I can also do the opposite to cover for horrible weeks where say

I get sick and am only able to edit 10 pages instead of 25.

          Either way, I will have the Weekly Goal Obtained to show me how well I did. If I hit my benchmark for that week, I'm going to make it green as well as adding in my number. If I knock the ball out of the park, I can put it in a glorious light blue or something. If I didn't make my goal but was close I can make it yellow or if I failed utterly I can make it red. I can also put my excuses in there... an explanation of why I did miserably so I can tell later if that was valid and I need to account for it next year or if it was a one off that I need to count in the "sh*t happens" folder.

          And that essentially is my calendar for the year. Have you ever tried to work out Year-In-Advance? Do you find it helps you at all? If you don't, how do you decide what you're working on and when? Let me know in the comments, below!

Jόlabόkaflόd

          I've been out for a while taking my break after Nanowrimo; December is usually known as the month of no writing for me. This month, my blog hasn't been silent as the dead, but it has been quiet. That’s what happens when you get sick, are working overtime and busy with the holiday season, I suppose. Today though, I am not going to complain. It’s Christmas Eve, a holiday for some, though not one I generally celebrate, since I'm not Christian, Catholic or one of the others. For those of you now wondering, I'm Pagan. My personal path is a mix of general paganism (goddess/god worship, heavy focus on the moon and finding life and meaning in all things) and Shinto (specifically worship of Inari).

          However, instead of talking about religion today (we can do that in the comments if you’re so inclined, I suppose), I want to talk about interesting cultural practices. Specifically, one from Iceland that takes place on December 24 every year. They don’t celebrate Christmas Eve up there (or if they do, its done side by side with this other holiday). I am of course talking about Jόlabόkaflόd.

          The word apparently means Christmas Book Flood. Apparently, everyone in Iceland gives each other books and chocolates on the twenty-fourth and then after dinner they each retire to their beds with said awesomeness and read the night away. I find this to be a truly beautiful thing and thus every single gift given out this year consisted of a book and a box of caramel chocolates.

          Of course, they have a different culture up there in Iceland.

          First off, the books they give are not disposable paperbacks, but larger hard covers that you are expected to keep. From the websites I've read, books are not considered disposable items in Iceland and thus they don’t treat them as such. As well, nearly 10% of the population has written a book, though I don't know if that same amount has published. Also, I'm assuming that they don't give cheap chocolate, but expensive stuff, though I don't have any actual information to back that up.

          Still, I am determined to make Jόlabόkaflόd a thing here in Canada. I'll do that the best way I know how... by giving books and chocolate to everyone I know and wishing people a happy one on December 24th which gives me a chance to explain it to them.

          How did you spend your Christmas Eve? If you were reading, what were you reading? For those of you who are wondering I spent my Jόlabόkaflόd in bed reading Spice & Wolf, Vol 15, The Coin of the Sun I by Isuna Hasekura.

Linda Bloodworth Cover Reveal!

Today we get to see the cover of A Raven's Touch, by Linda Bloodworth.

Who is Linda Bloodworth?
Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the misunderstood semi colon; Linda enjoys camping and getting away from the city on day trips.

Synopsis:
Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about who Justice's real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay the demon before all Hell breaks loose.

Ready?

5....



4....



3....



2....



1....

Here we go!




What can you expect in A Raven's Touch?
Adventure, friendship, and bit of romance mixed into a very different kind of paranormal story. It's not the formulaic story where there's one type of paranormal hero. Be prepared for Half Angels, Witches, Elves, demons, and a dragon for good measure.

Sample:

       Moira squeezes my arm. 

“We need to get up. Come on. We aren’t going to be sitting ducks. He looks like he wants to start trouble.”  

My heart starts beating faster and I stand up. Moira has already packed her bag, and she pushes mine into my hands. With her hand on the small of my back, she urges me along.  

“It’s a public place, Moira, he won’t hurt us here. He’s all talk, right?”
She looks me in the eyes.  

“Don’t underestimate crazy.”  

We hear a low wolf howl that causes a ripple of fear to flow through me. I stop momentarily. No way is that for us, surely not.

***

Add A Raven's Touch to your TBR pile. Get your Pre-Order on Amazon! 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WJX1YC

If you miss the pre-order, don't worry, the official release day is December 28, 2015. 

What did you think of A Raven's Touch?

Connect with Linda: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Email Linda

Cover Reveal Countdown Day 1: A Raven's Touch

Today we're counting down to the cover reveal of A Raven's Touch, by Linda Bloodworth. Check out the final sample from the story below.

Who is Linda Bloodworth?
Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the misunderstood semi colon; Linda enjoys camping, and getting away from the city on day trips.

Synopsis:
Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about who Justice's real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay the demon before all Hell breaks loose.

Sample:

“You’re mind blowing." he whispers.

         “Not really. I just have a temper.” I laugh.

         He leans closer until our faces are mere inches apart. My breathing becomes labored as his proximity is too must to bear. I close my eyes and find his lips pressing against mine. With gentle pressure, I meet his lips, reveling in the sweet delight that his touch incites. Sparks fly down my back, and back up to where our mouths meet.

         I feel so hot I want to ignite into a flame. He holds me tight cooling me down with his natural chill. Where flame meets ice, there’s steam, and I can barely restrain myself from wanting to go further. My hands grabs at him as my mouth searches for more. Ever so kindly, he holds my hands down and pulls away.

***

What can you expect in A Raven's Touch?
Adventure, friendship, and bit of romance mixed into a very different kind of paranormal story. It's not the formulaic story where there's one type of paranormal hero. Be prepared for Half Angels, Witches, Elves, demons, and a dragon for good measure.

Add A Raven's Touch to your TBR pile. Get your Pre-Order on Amazon! 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WJX1YC

If you miss the pre-order, don't worry, the official release day is December 28, 2015. 

What did you think of A Raven's Touch?

Connect with Linda: 
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Email Linda

Linda Bloodworth Cover Reveal A Raven's Touch Day 2

Today we're counting down to the cover reveal of A Raven's Touch, by Linda Bloodworth. For the next few days, get closer to the cover and read a different sample each day.

Who is Linda Bloodworth?
Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the misunderstood semi colon; Linda enjoys camping, and getting away from the city on day trips.

Synopsis:
Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about who Justice's real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay the demon before all Hell breaks loose.

Sample:

My nerves start taking hold, and I tremble slightly.

         “I will protect you with all that I am. No harm will come to you,” Darien says.

         I look Darien's way, and he risks a quick glance from the road. For that brief moment, our eyes connect, and I see him—really see him—and he's scared. No way I’m going to let anyone else I care about get hurt.  

         “Seliki is the one who should be worried,” I crack my knuckles. A flash of heat runs wickedly through my body. The entire car heats up, and Darien lifts his arm to shield himself.

         “Save your heat for Seliki. Kindly try not to cook my car seats, thank you,” he says, teasing me.

***

What can you expect in A Raven's Touch?
Adventure, friendship, and bit of romance mixed into a very different kind of paranormal story. It's not the formulaic story where there's one type of paranormal hero. Be prepared for Half Angels, Witches, Elves, demons, and a dragon for good measure.

Add A Raven's Touch to your TBR pile. Get your Pre-Order on Amazon! 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WJX1YC

If you miss the pre-order, don't worry, the official release day is December 28, 2015. 

What did you think of A Raven's Touch?

Connect with Linda: 
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Email Linda 

Linda Bloodworth Cover Reveal A Raven's Touch Day 3

Today we're counting down to the cover reveal of A Raven's Touch, by Linda Bloodworth. For the next few days, get closer to the cover and read a different sample each day.

Who is Linda Bloodworth?
Linda Bloodworth loves chips, like really, ketchup to be exact. Ketchup chips are only found in Canada. Lucky for Linda she lives in Toronto with her husband and three fur babies. In between writing, debating for hours about the Oxford comma, and the misunderstood semi colon; Linda enjoys camping, and getting away from the city on day trips.

Synopsis:
Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about who Justice's real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay the demon before all Hell breaks loose.

Sample:

The officer nods and scribbles in his note pad. 

“You’re going to have to come with me.”

“What?” I ask.

“Let’s go,” the officer says, guiding me by my elbow back down the hall. 

“Hey! You can’t do that!” Moira shouts. 

Immediately, two officers block her view from me and hold Moira back. 

“Justice! You don’t have to talk to them! You have rights!” 

Moira belts out as I'm being led away. I look back to see her coils of red hair bouncing as her eyes peek over the policemen in time to give me one last look of concern.

***

What can you expect in A Raven's Touch?
Adventure, friendship, and bit of romance mixed into a very different kind of paranormal story. It's not the formulaic story where there's one type of paranormal hero. Be prepared for Half Angels, Witches, Elves, demons, and a dragon for good measure.

Add A Raven's Touch to your TBR pile. Get your Pre-Order on Amazon! 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018WJX1YC

If you miss the pre-order, don't worry, the official release day is December 28, 2015. 

What did you think of this sample of A Raven's Touch?

Connect with Linda: 
Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blog | Email Linda

A Raven's Touch Cover Reveal Day Four

It has been too long... sorry guys. Nanowrimo kicked my butt this year. I made my wordcounts daily and finished the month with 68,635 words and, more importantly, achieved my goal of finishing my novel. To date, this is the only novel that I have officially finished during Nanowrimo.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I took the next week off.

Or at least, that was my plan. I ended up either working overtime, or having plans or both everyday. It tired me out to say the least. I'm back though and ready to blaze on to meet my goals. This week those include writing a synopsis rough draft (*hiss*boo*), reading and cleaning my house. Easy goals.

My third goal is something for all of you!

Nearly a year ago, my friend Linda Bloodworth and I agreed to exchange novels and do a critique on them for the other person. Now, I am very glad to say, she has finished the process and will be releasing the novel this month on December 28th! Follow this link to pre-order/purchase the book (depending on when you read this)!

To get the word out, she is doing a cover reveal! I'll be counting down for the rest of the days until it comes out!

What do you think so far?

A Raven's Touch by Linda Bloodworth

Bullied through high school, seventeen-year-old Justice St. Michaels is grateful for the help of her best friend Moira O’Fhey. Their only wish is to graduate high school, leave the sleepy town of Fallingbrook and all that happened behind them. The Heavens have other plans. Between growths on her back and being involved in explosive school fights, nothing seems to make sense. When an unexpected encounter with Darien Raventhorn causes worlds to collide it exposes the truth about Justice's real identity. To avenge a family death, Justice must embrace her birthright, and slay a demon before all Hell breaks loose