UPDATE: The winner is…Chelsea K!
*~*~*

We have a full weekend before Halloween hits, and the kids are on pins and needles waiting for the day. Their mom and I figure we can spend one night this weekend watching something fun to get ready—so forget about horror movies, y’all!

We’ve already watched Hocus Pocus and the second movie. We couldn’t wait for this weekend to do that. So, what’s left?

Make your recommendations for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! What’s something you like watching with the family on the holiday?

UPDATE: The winner of the Amazon gift card is…Amy Fendley!
*~*~*

So, first—that’s a horribly unflattering picture. 🙂

Had to get that out of the way. We dressed for messy fun, and it was cold outside, so…layers!

What is this? A big painty mess! The local art guild that I’m a part of held an acrylic paint pour. Most of us had never tried it. Mine turned out an awful mess, but I had a blast and learned something new.

When I first started writing and publishing, I tried all kinds of genres. Over time, I’ve found my groove, but I had to experiment a lot. Now, that I’m there, I’m just a little bored with the entire process.

Thank goodness for art! I’m obsessed learning new media, playing with color, making messes… All of it is a learning journey. Is paint pouring for me? Probably not, but it did teach me how fluid acrylic paint can act, and I have some ideas for “mini-pours” that might be something I could work into collaging or pendants… See? My mind won’t stop. And that’s a good thing.

Anything that keeps us excited and engaged is good—especially as we grow older. It really does keep us young.

So, my question to you is, do you have anything new you’re trying or want to try? Have you taken steps to DO IT?
Comment below for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner of the GC is…K. Campos!
*~*~*

It’s Saturday. I’m posting a little late for no good reason. I’ve been piddling. I have edits to work on and rooms to clean. I have to get started, but I’ll piddle some more, no doubt.

I found this picture for the puzzle. It appeals to me because it represents things I love. The item in the background represents my work. The item on the left is my drink of choice. The one on the right is something I love to paint.

If you were to find a picture of things to represent yourself, what would be in the picture?

Solve the puzzle then comment below for a chance to win! 

Open Contests

1. What our stories are about! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE anthology!
2. Gabbi Black: How I wound up writing a BDSM trilogy (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Puzzle Contest! (Plus, Open Contests!) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Carol Burnside: It’s Christmas…in October? (Contest & FREE Book!) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Amber Daulton: Interview with Benjamin Starwell from ARRESTING BENJAMIN — On Sale for $0.99! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Guarding Hannah Word Search! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Genevive Chamblee: Fall Fun and Giveaway — Win an Amazon gift card!

I’m up to my eyeballs in work today. Did you think writers have days off? Pffft!

I have to make my final selection of stories that will be featured in my next anthology, Silver Soldiers (again, thank you Reina Torres for the title!). That task is sooooo hard. I have to trim six stories from my YES pile, which means I have to let go of some wonderful stories and authors.

I have to complete another chapter of my upcoming Brotherhood story. A book I HAVE to finish this week, come hell or high water.

And I need to clean my space. I let too much slide while I was under the weather. Here’s hoping my stamina is up for today’s tasks.

In the meantime, please take a look at the open contests. Some are closing soon, like maybe tomorrow! Enter while you still can!

Contests

1. Michal Scott: Where There’s a Will There’s a Way — Josephine Napoleon Leary (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday Puzzle Contest! Theme: My favorite hot beverage! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Flashback: Breaking Leather (Contest + Open Contests) — Win a FREE book!
4. Favorite Romance Settings Word Search! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. September into October (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Saturday Puzzle Contest! — Win a FREE book!

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

I had a guest lined up today, but I can’t find her content. So, I’m hoping I can still get that and post it either later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, I may as well do my end-of-month wrap-up. You do know that these are mostly for me—my way of stating out loud, to the world, what I accomplished and what I plan to do. It keeps me honest about my productivity, which has been slipping of late. Not sure why.

I went to the doctor yesterday and discovered I have high blood pressure. For years, my blood pressure was low, then normal—and now? I have to make changes. My dd insisted on accompanying me, because she knows I tend to blow off medical concerns. She says changes will be made! Gah. I have to cut out salt, and there’s a list of foods to avoid and incorporate. I’m so excited. *yawn*

Anyways, onto my wrap-up!

September

Here’s what I accomplished…

Work-related:

1. I began work on a story that comes out in my sister, Elle James’s Brotherhood Protectors world next month! I had hoped to finish it by the end of the month, but I’ll be writing up until the date I have to turn it in. She’s going to kill me.
2. I completed 3 editing projects for other authors in September.

Health-related:

1. I fell off the Weight Watcher’s wagon again. At least, I’m maintaining my loss. 🙁
2. As for physical activity, I swam every single day (until the Art Festival), and while I spent two days baking in the sun, the pool turned green. So, no more swimming. I’m usually the kind who swims until the water’s so cool I’m gasping.
3. I went to the doctor to find out why I feel like shit and found out I have high blood pressure.

Happiness-related: 

1. I met with the local art guild and the humanities council. Yes, I mingled with real people. I’m on two boards now. I’m not sure why I raised my hand, but I guess it gets me out of the house.
2. I participated in the Festival of the Arts and sold enough to pay for my tent and supplies for next year! Woot!
3. I worked on pieces all the way up until the festival.
4. Here are a few of my September pieces…

October

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete Guarding Hannah! It will release October 11 come hell or high water!
2. To write Hard Knox, my first We Are Dead Horse story! I hope to have it in time for my pre-order release of October 25, but that is looking extremely iffy. I will try.
3. To complete 5 editing projects in October! And therein lies my problem with items 1 & 2 on this list.

For health related, I plan:

1. To return to counting those points for my Weight Watchers diet (I hate that word) and hopefully shed at least 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
2. To review my diet plan to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas, red wine).
3. To replace swimming with walking.
4. To begin some low-impact aerobics. I’ll re-dedicate myself to doing more housework, too, because my art room is a disaster after the show. I have to find room for everything!

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To begin one of the many already paid-for online art classes I’ve wanted to do.
2. To begin working on the crafts projects I want to sell in the local Christmas arts and crafts sale in December.
3. To blog about art (on my Emerald Casket site) just to keep myself honest!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read…

Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Friday and Saturday, I was part of the local art festival! The city board did well with the setup. The tents were lovely and provided shade. They had portable airconditioners pointed down the rows of tents to try to offset the heat. But the heat… It was killer this weekend. 88 degrees on Friday. 97 on Saturday. And we were there from 10:30 to 7:00 both days. I wilted.

Can you see how flushed I was? Both nights, I came home, showered in cold water, drank a sh*t-ton of water (see the bottles next to me?), and I was in pretty good shape compared to some of the more elderly artists who had to close early or limit their hours to prevent heat stroke. I guess all those years in the Texas Army National Guard trained me how to survive—don’t move around too much, keep out of the sun, and drink, drink, drink.

There were so many intrepid art enthusiasts who came. Maybe they were there for the live graffiti artist painting a mural, or staying for the food trucks and live bands, but they strolled through the tents. I can’t imagine how much more foot traffic we might have had if the festival had been held in October. But still, it was fun. And something to trade “war stories” about. 🙂

My dd was there, popping in, or having one of the girls keep me company so they could run for iced drinks or food, or just to make sure I wasn’t fainting from the heat. LOL

She was also responsible for setting me up, bringing in some fall decor to spruce up my tent.

My favorite piece was the first sold.

The postcards and bookmarks were very popular.

I sold those blue pumpkin earrings very quickly, too. See the wooden box? I found it at a flea market. It was yellow and very dirty. My dd painted and distressed it, then used chalk paint on the front so we could use chalk to write in our pricing on the little items. Cool, right?

And paintings were sold. I still have many, many items to bring to December’s craft fair and to post on Etsy. I have to get photos ready and then open up my Etsy shop. I made a ton of bookmarks and still have some left, so I will be thinking about how to gift them away… (Psst… Susan…)

But I still “feel” like a real artist. I’m glad I did it, but next year, if they schedule it for September again, I might not be there. Unless the forecast is for actual fall weather.

When I worked in the corporate world, I underwent all kinds of efficiency training. To-Do lists are supposed to be small, with the most important things at the top to tackle first. However, life doesn’t work that way.

Some things have to happen first before you can get to the highest priority things. Plus, once you finish something that requires a brain cell, you need something that requires less of the gray matter to follow in order to rest your feeble aging brain, right?

I’ve already failed to follow the order of my list that I made last night. I started at #1 because as soon as I’m up, I make kids’ lunches so that they can get out the door to school. But #2 felt like too much exercise before my first two cups of coffee, and I didn’t yet know what I was going to blog about, and #4 requires too many clicks, so I skipped to #5. Now that I finished #5, I’m trying to get back to the “proper” order of my list, and I’m doing good with this blog, right? That list was top of my mind, so I’m typing word-vomit while I’m sort of complaining about the fact my list is too long and I want to blame that piece of paper, but it’s all my own dang fault for committing to too many things this week… And on, and on.

And now, I’m ready to turn the list over on my desktop and just do wtf I want to do. What’s the worst that can happen besides two clients having heart attacks because their edits are due and me missing a book deadline? I’m turning it over….slowly…I haven’t yet laid it down…

Fuck. On to #4.