Adventures Without a Laptop

FARRO IS AVAILABLE FREE THROUGH AMAZON

December 24th through the 28th

The holidays are over -- at least for me -- and now I have a brief window between now and the start of winter quarter to get as much writing done as possible. Many of you have heard about my failed hard drive, and many of you have wished me luck recovering my work. Many of you are writers yourself and understand what an unfortunate blow losing all that work is to your motivation. I'm currently working on repairing my laptop to a usable state, but I require some key components that will invariably cost money and a bit of searching.

Until then, I will be sharing my husband's computer (the same one he works from, so the time-share may be difficult to manage at times) and really hitting the keys in order to recover that which I had lost in the hard drive failure.

When I have my feet under me again, I plan to post a sneak peak of my next novel's protagonists, as well as a general synopsis and teaser!

Writers of the world: take a moment this holiday season to back up your work!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

What a long, long week it's been. Full of highs and lows, I stagger, feet dragging, towards the New Year. Here are a few highlights from my December:

1. Last Thursday: Finals -- all three of them.

2. Last Thursday night: Laptop hard drive breaks with a catastrophic clank and whir.

3. Last Friday: Moving out into our new apartment (with only a week's prior notice)

4. Last Weekend: When not at work I'm unpacking, unpacking, unpacking.

5. This last week: When I'm not at work I'm knitting, knitting, knitting my Christmas presents!

But you know what? It's okay. I've been without a laptop for over a week and without the internet for nearly as long. It's fine, I realized after a couple days. This is the first vacation I've had from writing in over a year. This is the first time in too long that I've had time to curl up with a book, knit a hat, or simply nap on the couch with my cat. After finals and moving, this break is like an oasis of peace, and I've learned to come to terms with the fact I've lost the 30,000 words I had written on Scorpion King (advice to those reading: back up your work frequently).

I've decided I'm going to write it all again, all a little differently. I'm going to produce something better than the original. And while I'm waiting for my laptop to be fixed I'll work on my writing, my research, and my craft. When I'm at last allowed a day of writing, I want to be prepared, fresh, and ready to assume my new character's much milder voice. She's no Khensa, but she's no less amazing, and this break gives me a chance to connect to her as an author.

So this holiday season you, too, might be stressed and flagging and stumbling towards the finishing line, but don't fret. As it's said, when life shuts one door it opens another. So let's head into the New Year with our heads held high!

Hug your loved ones, enjoy that hot buttered rum, and I'll see you next week.

Happy Holidays!

I haven't reported in lately, and I'm sorry for it. Writing is going well, albeit a little slowly due to Skyrim distractions. I've been positively delighted with the overall favorable feedback I've been receiving from Sulfur! Thank you so much for supporting me at this time!

You might have noticed that today the e-book "Farro" was pulled from the Barnes and Noble store. This is a temporary change, as I try out Amazon's new "Kindle Select" program. What's so great about the program? I'm not sure yet, but it allows me to give away my book for free for five days at a time. It also makes my book available to lend for Amazon Prime members (any of you out there?). So for 90 days Amazon will be my exclusive distributor of the e-book, Farro. Sulfur will still be available via Barnes and Noble!

What does this mean for you, though?

It means I will be giving Farro away for free through Amazon Kindle. I've already picked the days, too: December 24th through the 28th. Note: come Christmas time Farro will be available for free.

I look forward to seeing how this works out. If you don't already have a copy of Farro or you would like to get a copy for a friend, consider marking your calendar: Farro will be free Christmas Eve!

Happy Holidays!

p.s. Next chapter of Sulfur will be up tomorrow. I may or may not post a chapter to Scorpion King as well.