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Autumn TBR Final

Titles with a red slash through it means I didn’t get to it before Halloween. After that I changed titles to include those with a Christmas flare:)

While I failed at NaNoWriMo due do kitchen revitalization and then Christmas chaos, I did succeed in reading a ton of books. So that’s soemthing. I may have to change this to a reading blog. Just kidding. I will get around to writing…eventually.

Autumn TBR

  1. Search for the Dead by Sheila Connolly
  2. Pumpkin Killer by Stacey Alabaster
  3. O’ Happy Dagger by Monica Knightly
  4. Off the Leash by D.D. Van Dyke
  5. Kissing the Werewolf by Kendra Ashe
    Better than expected. More sex and language than a traditional cozy
  6. Yesterday’s Thief by Al Macy
  7. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahme-Smith I enjoyed this more than expeced. Goes well with the movie.
  8. Pumpkins in Paradise by Kathi Daley
  9. Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
  10. Candy Corn Murders by Laslie Meier
    I enjoyed this read but found it a little heavy handed at times
  11. The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
  12. Fairy Eyeglasses by Emily Martha Sorensen
  13. Familiar Trouble by Carolyn Haines
  14. Ghostly Interests by Lily Harper Hart
  15. In for a Penny by ?
  16. Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase
  17. Darkness Echoes by L.A. Starkey
  18. False Identity by Jennifer Youngblood
  19. Spelled by Betsy Schow
    Funny read. Wonderful YA fairytale retelling of the Wizard of Oz. First in the trilogy.
  20. Nightmares by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller I enjoyed it but I think I’m a little old for it.

Other books read:

  • ‘Tis the Witching Time by Monica Knightley
  • Haunted Mobile by Elizabeth Parker
  • Nun Too Soon by Alice Loweecey
  • Hook, Line, & Blinker by Jana Deleon
  • Murder at the Book Fair by Steve Demaree
  • Bones on the Bayou by Carolyn Haines
  • Ino’s Love by Marianne Sciucco
  • Zero Trouble by John Lange
  • You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato, She Says Murder by Duncan Whitehead- I really enjoyed this. So much so that I need to find other books he has written.
  • The Faerie Key by Denise D. Young
  • A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg- I love Fannie and have been looking for a copy of this book. Finally found one at the library. Sweet story.
  • A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd- Yes, that movie but the story. Or rather a series of short stories the movie is based on.
  • Dashing Through the Snow by Mary Higgins Clark
  • Gingerbread at Moonglow by Deborah Garner
  • The Christmas Chronicles by Tim Slover
  • All Through the Night by Mary Higgins Clark
  • Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark (not my favorite)
  • A (Gingerbread) diorama of Death by Gin Jones- Surprisingly good and will read more.

I told you I read a lot! Since Sept. 22 I read 31 books! If I counted properly which can’t be trusted at the moment. I’ve had a lot of caffeine.

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NaNoWriMo Prep 4

We are finally having cooler days. That means it only reaches 80* instead of over 90*! Looking forward to our first frost…soon I hope.

Last week was very productive. I did have a brief moment of panic yesterday when I thought my computer had lost all of my pre-writing work for NaNo. Luckily I found it. Then I backed it up on a thumb drive. Always have a back up!

Goals from last week:

  • Make a list of “locations” and describe– DONE
  • Begin assembling a list of minor characters just the few that I know I need. Most will be added as I write.
  • Plot, Plot, Plot- I have my first draft of plots. It’s a flowchart. I need to go through and scratch out ideas I don’t like.- working on it.
  • If possible visit local history library for research there’s a few things I need to research for my story
  • create a list of synonyms for walk– started on it. I’ll add to it I’m sure.

Okay. On here it doesn’t look like much. But I did finish round 1 edits on Origins. That’s a big accomplishment because I won’t have that hanging over me during NaNo.

Week 4 Goals for Preptober:

  • If possible visit local history library for research there’s a few things I need to research for my story. This is actually on my list for today 🙂
  • Finalize my plot as much as I can
  • Begin assembling a list of minor characters. Now that most of the plot is in my chart, I can work on this.
  • Assemble writing materials
  • Plan word counts needed for the month: by day and week. I don’t write on Sundays, too busy. I won’t write most of Thanksgiving week. That means I need to write more early on. So plan that out.
  • Plan a series of easy meals. I’ve started to stock the freezer with pre-made meals. NaNoWriMo is a great time to use the crock-pot and make large quantity meals that render left overs. Like chili. I’m also not above making sliders!
  • Make a list of rewards. I’ve never tried this. Could be fun.
  • Stock up on easy to east snacks for writing. Yes, I plan on eating Halloween candy! Popcorn too.

That should keep me busy. Here’s the cover for the 2017 NaNoWriMo project.

-What are you working on this week?

-CK

 

 

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NaNoWriMo 2017

NaNoWriMo 2017 Participant Flair

One of the fun badges you can earn with NaNo is creating a playlist for your project. I’ve discovered I love playlists. Making one for writing projects also helps he prepare to write. Listening to the music helps my brain realize it’s time to write. My current playlist has 105 songs! Don’t worry I’m only hitting the highlights here.

What’s on your playlist?

-CK

 

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Weeki Wachee Springs

I promise I did not make-up that name! Click here for proof.

You go to Weeki Wachee for two reasons:

  1. the beautiful clear spring (20 feet deep in areas)
  2. live mermaids!

 

That’s right– live mermaids. Weeki Wachee has had an unwater theater featuring a live mermaid show since the 40s. It is now a state park. Which means it’s very affordable and fills up quick. Get there before the doors open.

Weeki Wachee Springs has been at the top 10 of my bucket list for ages. I was more excited than my girls! Yes, I had my picture taken with a mermaid 🙂

But it’s more than that. Inside the very vintage park, there is a swimming area with slides, a lazy river, and an animal education area. Let’s not forget about the free range peacocks! A useless tip: when you swim underwater in the swimming area if there is a mermaid show going on you can hear the music 😉 That was cool. In winter, manatee’s swim at Weeki Wachee and have been known to make an appearance during the shows. We saw a turtle trying to push a mermaid out of the way!

If you swim, you know how hard it is to stay submerged. Your body is buoyant. These mermaids never popped up. They were able to stay perpendicular to the floor of the spring. How do they do that?

We had a great day. Spent the entire day in the sun and playing in the chilly 73* water.It was awesome. I leave you with a peacock. -CK