Author Journey: June 23, 2023 - Getting it Together

 Welcome! It's great to have you here on my scenic route today. I'm happy to say I worked a little more on my writing this week and have been keeping up with the word prompts fairly well this month. Read on to hear more about how things have been going this week.

Author Journey: Getting Things Together

It's finally happening y'all! The Tale of Outh'n Durr is so near to publication I can hardly wait. I finished refining the cover this week. The back blurb wasn't working for me. Instead of writing something descriptive about the book, I decided to let the story speak for itself and shared a favorite snippet instead. If you scroll to the end of this post, you'll be able to read it for yourself. Please let me know what you think! 

I also had to adjust one of the layers on the cover which wasn't sitting under the frame like it should. I'm not super happy with the spine, but I'm not sure it'll be large enough to have the title written on the spine. I may still have lots of work to do before putting print copies out, but the ebook should be out within the next two weeks or so. Please pray!

In other writing news, the second round of Camp Nano is coming up next month. I'm going to participate and this time, I plan to rack up another win. The goal is to finish the current edit of Surge, book two in the Children of Y'Dahnndrya series, so I can get it to the finished point as soon as possible. After all,  Outh'n's story is supposed to help prep readers for this book. If I work really hard, I could feasibly have this ready for proofing in probably two to three months, I think. 

Writer's Life: Upheaval, You Say? Madness & Mayhem Aplenty, I Say!

Yes, it's been so crazy since the beginning of this year. My grandmother has been fighting more sickness than usual, which is, I suppose, as it is once you reach ninety. It's been good to spend a little more time with her than we were, but I wish it was under better circumstances. It's hard to see her so weakened (though she still gets around on her own within her own house). She still enjoys company and the family singing together, though. And the board games! Oh, she is such a fan. My grandmother helped me memorize all the books of the Bible. She taught me basic city safety (because I was raised on a farm). What I know about how family should look like and what the goals and function of a family should be, I learned from her (and my mother). She and my grandpa taught me what a husband/wife and pastor/pastor's wife should be. I love my grandmother very much. I'm going to enjoy visiting with her while she's still with us as much as I possibly can. 

My mom and dad have been navigating some new changes in their lives. Stress levels have got to go down for them. You'd think after fully retiring, life would get easier. Yeah, nope. I won't go into details here, but your prayers for their health and success would be appreciated. 

Our youngest graduated high school this year and I feel so weird not having any schoolwork to plan. Our oldest daughter asked me how it felt to be through teaching after 23-24 years of home schooling. And that was my answer...weird. It's both disappointing and odd. I liked being able to share things with them which I'd learned in school. It was also fun to learn new things alongside them. We celebrated our youngest's graduation with a party for her friends and our family. The party consisted of live music, singing, chilling, and visiting. 

And then there was more unexpected, disappointing news. Our son and his family need your prayers, too, please. 

It's just been crazy, y'all. Every little bit of author work I get done is a huge accomplishment these days. And this week, I was able to do more of that than usual. I'm thankful for both the craziness and the calm. Because it's in the tough times we learn the most -- about ourselves, and about those around us, and if you're a Christian, when we learn most about how our God comes through and remains faithful. I'm thankful for the calm because it's the point when I can actually stop and breathe for a moment. I can take time to appreciate what's happened, what I've learned, and how that has changed my perspective or goals. 

Spartacus is doing well. I want to learn more about how to feed him whole food because I do believe it would be better for him. I had to rescue him from his own instincts a couple days ago when a red wasp got into our house. Thank goodness he didn't get stung! I didn't either. Yea!

Just Keep Writing: Friday Fascicles

If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.

Rules:

1. You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.  
2. Please keep the material you write clean (i.e. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to. 
3. Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.

Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required. 

That last word reminds me of the 1980s movie 'Clue'. Do any of you remember that one? I bet there will be a lot of stories generated from these words. What do you think?

Just Keep Writing: The Tale of Outh'n Durr Blurb 

Here's the tagline and snippet I chose for the back cover of my up-coming fantasy novella. In this tale of adventure, Outh'n learns what he is made of and made for. 

When Outh'n Durr's path darkens, and giving up is the easiest way out, will determination be the light which leads him to true freedom? 

~~~*~~~

Wuveia. It had to be. And this close, the pack would already have his scent. They’d probably picked up his conversation with the bizhal moments ago and were biding their time. Deciding it was now or never, Outh’n made his move and rose from the thorny thicket. Coming to his knees, he met the golden-eyed glare of one of the beasts. 

Dear Tugansol in Zoleta, it was massive! He’d never seen one up close, only from a distance as he’d watched over his babeiya’s cattle. The domesticated wuve, relatives of these forest dwellers, never grew this big.

Outh’n sat back on his heels, resigned to a fast, bloody death. Shaking violently, he closed his eyes and bared his throat. If he made himself an easy target, maybe death would be swifter, less painful. He’d had enough of pain over the course of his life and what did he have to live for, anyway? He was more than ready to die. 

~~~*~~~

Keep coming back to get the most up-to-date information on the publication date. Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Thank you so much for taking some of your valuable time and spending it here with me on the scenic route. I hope you enjoyed your visit. If you came for the writing prompt, let me know if it was helpful in the comments below. If you're a fan and enjoy reading my written works, let me know what you think of this story snippet and the tagline. I'd love to hear from you!

Please visit again Monday. I'll have a new word prompt ready to help with your creative endeavors. 

Until next time,
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