Friday Five for October 16, 2015

(Today my blog post is wearing pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.)

1. One week until the release of Poltergeist's Pleasure (The Paramours #2). This is a great read for people who want a ghost story but don't want to be scared. Add it to read on Goodreads.

2. One short story rejections this week. It was a hard one since I had been short listed by a pro venue. I submitted it elsewhere the same day. I also got a rewrite and resubmit for a noirish police flash piece. Did that too! Plus tomorrow is my local critique group meeting. I sent in an old flash piece. Hopefully they found some potential in it and I'll have another story to send out.

3. I caught up on everything I missed the previous week, and I wrote out several blog posts for the next five weeks. It feels good when I have everything ready to go and I can spend my time reading other people's blogs.

4. I was hit by a nasty bug on Wednesday and lost my day of writing. I slept 17 hours in total and couldn't manage to eat a thing. I feel better now, and thankfully my husband and son haven't caught it.

5. I booked a blog tour for The Paramours the first week of February. Yup, I'm planning way ahead! I'll keep you updated on the details.

Have a great weekend!

(We had tons of fun at the pumpkin patch last weekend!)

Friday Five for October 17, 2014

1. It was a good week for writing. I got a good chunk of the first draft of the second D&D novella done. If I push it, I might be able to finish it in a few days. It feels good to be back in the swing of writing things.

2. I had two short story rejections this week. Both were short-listed at pro venues, so I won't complain. I'll just submit them again. Hopefully next year I'll get a little more time to write short stories. The folder I keep all the unpublished ones in is getting thinner.

3. It's only two weeks until Halloween! Are you dressing up this year? My son is going to be Batman. Tomorrow, we're going to a local event called the Trick-or-Treat Trail. It's a very family friendly event where the kids walk along the trail and meet fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters who do a little act and give out treats. A ton of fun!

4. I've been critiquing and writing and scheduling blog posts since November will be a busy month for me. I do love it when I see my blogger posts and there are a month's worth of posts done. It's only these Friday posts that I type up quick the night before!

5. This week, Twisted Earths was released. Woo-hoo! Nine twisted stories from nine twisted worlds. It's an awesome collection from the authors of Untethered Realms. And something wicked is coming the last week of October. Wicked good! Creepy Freebies is returning this year. I'm giving away books including a signed copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wicked Wednesday - more about blogging

Last week I talked about blogging and set up my schedule. Thank you to everyone who commented. There is no question most folks are tired of cover reveals, blitzes, and the same old interviews.

On my blog, many of my most popular posts are guest spots. Any time I'm hosting another author, I see a jump in visits and comments. The highest rated ones are those posts that are different too.

Giveaways also attract attention. Yet many people seem bored with Rafflecopter and prizes of ebooks. Giftcards are the most sought after prize. My Goodreads giveaway last year had a huge response.

A lot of people stated they enjoy posts that are personal. Nothing long and rambling. A peek into that blogger's life. Maybe something funny, a goal reached, or an issue that means a lot to them.

Writers like reading about writing, of course. But there are so many articles about the craft out there. Posts about the author's personal writing journey are more interesting. This is one of the reasons the IWSG is so popular.

After all the talk about blogging in the community, have you or do you plan on changing your blog content?

Good start to February

February is starting off well. I'm nearly done my Steampunk Cthulhu story. It's a little longer than I anticipated, but I'm not surprised. I usually end up writing more than I plan. That's okay. I have a character named Zedock who pilots an airship and he has a wicked handlebar mustache. Just the image of him in my head is worth the extra words.

I have all my Tuesday and Wednesday blog posts done for the month.

I wrote up my posts for the two great blogfests I'm participating in: I'll tumble 4 ya and Origins.

I'll have an interview with sci-fi romance author Aubrie Dionne on the 25th and the Catch Fire event for Alex J. Cavanaugh's new book, CassaFire on the 28th.

I've done my first four posts for the A to Z Challenge and I'm having so much fun with it. It's distracting me from my other writing.

I made an appointment for my son's first dentist visit on the 21st. He has another new tooth. Finally a molar!

I haven't done any more revisions on my WIP, but I'm okay with that. It's only the beginning of the month. With everything else done, I'll be able to concentrate on it alone after my short story is finished.

Time for an ice cream reward. Mm-mmm!

How's your February going so far?