Writing Update

I did not get as much writing done during Christmas home time as I was expecting and planning. I'm bummed about it, but I couldn't help being too sick to do the things I wanted. It wasn't until almost New Years that I even got my laptop out of my backpack!

But I did manage to get some new words down after that, so it wasn't a complete failure. It's still frustrating though, because the book is done in outline form, I just need to write it out and good God it's been harder than I thought it was going to be. Writing out the outline was supposed to make it easier!!

Oh well. One thing at a time. At least the outline IS done, so it's only a matter of time before I'll be releasing book three. I have no real goal other than by the end of the year. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but there's no point in giving myself anxiety by picking any other unrealistic goal. Life is hard enough as it is! Life as a writer who is also a truck driver is also hard enough as it is!

I did release The Ring of Fire again, both for Kindle and paperback. I have added links to the side where you can find both my novels at Amazon. I'm still giddy about how nice the new cover for Ring of Fire turned out. It looks even more gorgeous on a physical paperback. I had a couple physical copies, but I mailed them out the intended recipients without taking a picture. Slacking, I know.

Valentine's day is coming up and I'm thinking of doing another paperback giveaway. I'll probably do the random number generator again and have people chose a number on my Facebook page. I don't know whether to offer Ring of Fire or give the winners a choice of which novel they'd want. I'm leaning toward the latter.

The outline...such as it is lol

One thing I should start doing is the outline for book 4. Some of it is already written since I ended splitting what was originally book 3. Of course, some of it is now...not right...as things have changed, but I'll deal with that as I go. I've already had to cut things I had written for the book 3, Bigger than the Beetles. I was telling Mr. Janney about how I was cutting stuff and saving it in a separate file in case there was something I was going to want to include in an different spot with a new twist. He found that amusing, for reasons I don't understand. But then, he is a man who isn't a reader so I should probably just be grateful that he's willing to listen when I talk about my writing.

I have very few people I can talk to about writing. Some of that is due to my job. It's not the most conducive for maintaining any kind of friendships. Today's technology and social media platforms help, but there's an element of isolation just the same. People are afraid to call me on my cell because they don't want to bother me when I'm driving, but they don't understand that there are times I need that human contact while driving because it helps me fight fatigue. Even if I've had decent sleep, driving in the wee hours can be hard. Especially in the winter when there's so much darkness...ugh, I can't wait for the days to start getting longer. I'm usually okay once the sun comes up, but that's not even a guarantee if I'm on the west coast.

Mr. Janney and I do 12 hours shifts and we stick to Eastern time to maintain some kind of schedule. And on the west coast, than can cause some confusion...I get more dark hours and Mr. Janney gets more daylight. It's also hard, because most of my friends and family live on the east coast, so they wouldn't appreciate a phone call at 4am just because I'm feeling drowsy. I usually take a break when that happens, take a walk into truck stop or a rest area even if I don't have to use the facilities, get little snack or drink.

My favorite pic of Mt Shasta
because of the bird flying through

But I do get to see all sorts of beautiful scenery, once the sun comes up, so there's that. Nothing against the beauty of the mountains I live in, but I love the views in the western states. I love driving up the middle of California and seeing Mt. Shasta growing in the distance. I love driving along the Columbian river in between Oregon and Washington. I love driving along 90 in Wisconsin and Minnesota. I love Arizona and New Mexico; I have yet to get a picture of Saguaro cacti. I got way too excited the first time I saw a Saguaro. I do not like the high bridges and overpasses in any state, but I10 in Louisiana has some doozies, which I couldn't take pictures of because I was driving. We're going to be experimenting with a GoPro for a dash cam, because the ones we've tried so far have not been performing as expected. Maybe I'll be able to get some more scenery shots that way. One can only hope!

Until next time, stay safe!