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8-17-15 Monday Word Count

concerned fosterdog mia at vet
Fosterdog Mia

Company is finally all gone and I don’t expect anymore this season.

Red wine is now my nightly prescription thanks to a high LDL Cholesterol level. It wasn’t horrible. It was 120 and should be under 100. Having that double cheeseburger at 11:30 the night before a fasting blood draw might not have been my best idea ever. I’m not a fan of red wine but my brother-in-law left a few bottles and so far, it’s all been quite good. On the plus side, I don’t wake up feeling dehydrated and tired like I do after a big glass of white wine.

We’ve added planks to our marathon training. My core muscles hate me very much right now. (why couldn’t my husband’s midlife crisis have involved fast cars or loose women?) We have a 10 mile race in a month and we’re looking for our next half marathon. There’s one in New Orleans in Feb that we’re considering. I’d love me a hurricane at Pat O’briens and am ready for nice long visit with a favorite friend who blew that way a couple of years ago.

I’m finally back to multiple hours in front of the computer. Since it had been awhile, I sat down with a copy of the book and read end to end. I like to do this periodically to make sure it’s flowing with plenty of June-ness. Most was. Some parts, not so much. This led to an extra 400 words at the end of ch 2, 1ooo replacement words in ch 11, about 1000 words dropped and then another 1000 new ones scattered here and there.  Or something like that. In the end, my words count did not jump by much.

How to Sex Your Snake

Genre – Mystery
New since Thursday –  438 words
Total Count – 34470 words
Release date: Pre-orders mid September 

Goals for next week: The complete book printed out and shipped off to my editor. She said she can get it back to me the first week of September. Then it goes out to 4 lovely volunteers that my beta reader Rosie found. They’ll look for any formatting issues. The total word count should be around 40k.

Of course, this is all dependant on me finishing by the 24th. As you can see in the top photo, fosterdog Mia is a bit concerned that I won’t be able to pull it off. I’m gonna pour a really big glass of the red stuff and do my best. See you next week.

Write on,

Melissa

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7-26-15 Sunday Word Count

cookie photo
Best mother-in-law ever. A whole bag. Just for me. Whoo-hoo. Wait. I’m suppposed to share? Riiiight.

On Thursday, I decided to stay at it till I wrote the words, The End. When I was done, I was going to celebrate by making a delicious pizza at the bar and eating it all by myself. 

Well, I didn’t get the pizza, cause the kitchen closed before I could get in there, but hallelujah, praise the saints, and stand to one side while the peasants rejoice; I got the first draft of the last chapters done. (yes chapter 18 is one long paragraph of dialog and action but it will get fixed.)

This happy camper says onto the word count. 

How to Sex Your Snake

Genre – Mystery
New since Thursday –  2024 words
Total Count – 34032 words
Release date:  late Summer 2015 

Goals for next week: attacking various parts of chapters 11-18. I don’t plan on doing this in any particular order. I will probably jump from here to there and all around until it’s finished. I’m going to shoot for sending the book to my editor on August 9th. 

The August 9 goal probably means How to Sex Your Snake will have a release date in September because my editor still has to have her way with it.

Cover design update: I’ve been in touch with an excellent artist who said he’d be in touch shortly. Not sure he’ll take the job but I’m hoping. I think his style would work really well with my June Nash series.

And now, I’m exhausted. We were up at 6 for a set of 8x800s at the gym. Run fast for 8 half mile stretches, walk slow for 3 mins in between each. Whatever you run on average is what you’d run for a marathon. We won’t talk about our times. We’re in it for the pics with Disney Characters.  We’re looking at you Tinkerbell half marathon at Disneyland in May.

Have a good week and write on,

Melissa

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Mid Week hoopla

pizza pic
Eat me I’m delicious

I plan to make a replica of this yummy pizza at the bar tonight after I finish a rough of the last two chapters and type, the end.

Then, I’ll pop some antacid, cause I’m gonna eat the whole thing, before I go back and fix what needs fixing in chs 11-16. Or 17. That last chapter might have to be split into two. Hopefully all that doesn’t take more than two weeks.  Rosie, my beta reader has been tapping her foot waiting for the next chapters. She hates when I leave her hanging.

It’s not Sunday, but I’ll end with the word count. When it’s all complete, I figure it will be around 40k.

How to Sex Your Snake

Genre – Mystery
New since Sunday –  2863 words
Total Count – 32,008 words
Release date:  late Summer 2015

Write on,

Melissa

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7-20-15 Sunday Word Count

golf cart art
Interesting water damage on one of the golf carts.

I know. It’s Monday. Oh well.

No bear sightings since the last post. Things like that make my husband sad while things like that make me breathe a little easier.

287 laps at the gym last night just to get to 13.1 miles for a practice half marathon. Today, I’m still leaning to the left. On to the word count.

How to Sex Your Snake

Genre – Mystery
New this week –  1435 words
Total Count – 29,145 words
Release date:  late Summer 2015

Goals from last week: A rough draft of 12-14. Well, I didn’t get much done until company of ten days, left. I have most of 12 done, but I realized I needed to do a better job of showing June’s inability to remember names. So, I spent most of my time, going back through and editing. That led to more editing. Blast you editing. You’re a time stealer. Yesterday, I was back on track. I wrote most of the new words while hanging out in the course clubhouse. (if you’re just joining us, I work as a bartender at a golf course owned by a family member) I’ll be hanging out there as much as I can for the next week or so to see if that helps. I’ve never been one to write at home, not that I’ve ever mentioned how home is too quiet and too close to the tv remote and the bounty of netflix and pitifully droned on about how I’m weak. Oh so weak. When I lived in civilization, I wrote at public places. Coffee houses, Denny’s, the library. I could knock off a 22 page script, for my webseries, in an afternoon and my feature in 6 weeks. (If I hadn’t shot it, I could have used the time to write 2 or three more before moving to Key West and being distracted by a whole new set of obstacles) Here there’s not really any place to loose yourself in the writing without someone wanting you to order something or get the hell out. Parking myself at a back table at the clubhouse might work. Yes, I will shut up about this and get over there. In 90 minutes. We really need to try to set in the bones of the closet so I can hang everything back up. I’m getting tired of going into the guest room to work my way through a tangle of clothes wearing hangers tossed on the guestbed. Did I mention we’re redoing our highly disfunctional walk-in closet?

Back to the word count. Some headway was also made on the book cover. Another reason I need to fnish these last chapters and get the book to my editor. My fingers are crossed that I can post a cover in the next couple of weeks.

Goals for next week: Geez. Let’s see. How about 12 done and to the editor and a rough of 13. I won’t aim too high cause, you know, of how weak I am.

Look out for bears and write on,

Melissa

 

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Rolling with da Mangos

mikes mango
Better than a thesaurus

For the last couple of weeks,  we’ve been drenched in rain here in the north woods. (This has been the rainiest spring in decades) I blame the weather for my lack of progress.  Cause, you know, I’m certainly not at fault. Due to the rain, neither hubby or I have been able to work on the golf course as much as we normally do.  You’d think that would mean more time at the desk. But, sadly, no. It means more games of hand and foot with the in-laws and binge watching entire seasons on netflix.  (Looking forward to season 2 of Sense8 and in love after the first ep of Star Talk)

Today is the first sunny day in ages and I’ve already gotten a ton done. Well, not really a ton but I fixed a paragraph that was really buggin’ me.

I’d been deep in 12 when I realized I’d gotten off track. I retraced my steps to the last thing that felt right and I found myself at that crappy non June-feeling paragraph in 10. I have until about 9 tonight to work uninterrupted so I’m hoping I can keep rolling through small fixes in 10 and 11 and get back to 12. Mike and his incredible mango are along for the ride.

Until Sunday.

Write on,

Melissa

P.S.

I plan on waiting until I finish the last few chapters before I send anything else to my editor. I’m really close now. Total word count should be between 30 and 40K.

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4-19-15 Sunday Word Count

chicken in key west cafe
A chicken strolls through a cafe in Key West

Most of this week was delightfully lost to chats with mom. I only get to see her twice a year, because of how far apart we live, so I’m okay with that. And the best part is that I’ve now got notes tucked away for a novel based on one of her early careers in ’48. (mom did a lot of cool stuff including working for the FBI in DC when she was 17) Thanks to all the stories I’ve heard this past month, there is potential for a regular series. I will pencil this one in to start researching this summer.

On to the Sunday Word Count.

How to Sex Your Snake, June Nash 1:
Genre – Mystery
New this week – 1814 words
Total Count – 24,531 words
Release date: Late Spring 2015 – still on track

Goals from last week: Finish 9, 10 and 11. Get the beats done for 12.  Well, I finished ch 9 and that went to my editor, Lisa. Ch 10 is about half done and I didn’t get to 11. I did however, get all the beats down for the rest of the book. That took me two days and none of it is included in the total word count. At this point in time, it all clocks out to 17 chapters. That could change as I do the actual writing. Sometimes, a chapter will morph into several. Ch 5 became chs 5-8.  I am running out of time though. I really wanted to finish by April 26th. I’m back on the road again for 3 weeks starting the 27th and I wanted to just relax. Especially after May 4th cause I’ll finally see my husband again after 2 months apart. I kinda forget what he looks like. 

For now, I will keep the release date as still on track until next Sunday. Then I will adjust, depending on how much of the book I have left to write.  I have not checked in with the cover artist recently. I need to do that at the end of the week. And that’s it. 

Goals for Next Week: finish the book. I still have a lot to write but my outline is extremely detailed so that will make things go faster.

Have a good week and write on,

Melissa

p.s.

The photo is from a cafe in Key West. Chickens are feral on the island. The tourists love them. The locals hate them. Now that I’m away from my happy place, I miss the chickens. If we move back, I’m sure I’ll hate them after a week or so.

 

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4-12-15 Sunday Word Count

mustache tea cup
a mid 1800’s cup for mustache wearing tea drinkers.

I’m still on the road and missing the family. Right now, I’m sitting in Starbucks for the free wi-fi and I’m losing feeling in my keister so let’s get right to the word count.

How to Sex Your Snake, June Nash 1:
Genre – Mystery
New this week – 1561 words
Total Count – 22,717 words
Release date: Late Spring 2015 – still on track

Goals from last week: Finish 9 and 10 and get a good draft of 11. Well, 9 is very close to done. I have less than a page that needs to be edited. I’m just kinda stuck on one little part so I’m calling it quits for the night. I wrote most of the beats for 10 and a couple for 11. I also figured out the exact ending down to the last line and wrote the beats for the first chapter of the next book. 

Goals for next week: Finish 9, 10 and 11. Get the beats done for 12. If I can’t get through these goals I will fall behind and most likely miss my deadline of April 26th.  I do not want to miss my deadline, so I will by kicking butt this week to get through these chapters. I was a bit distracted this week and lost a whole day, yesterday to the salon. 7 hrs and 45 mins to get my hair re done. I kid you not. I’m still irked but might be able to write about it in the near future.

In the meantime write on,

Melissa