Wading Through Life...
We all need a little inspiration sometimes, right?
OK, that works too! **wink** But right now I am needing some inspirational focus for Book 2 in the Secrets of Thornbury Woods series (Psst: Title Coming Soon!). Visual images help the ideas flow little faster.
Here are some visuals that are really inspiring me for this book.
Or maybe these?
What ideas do these images bring to your mind? Do they inspire a story in you?
Looking for a Free Book?
I’m part of the Bad Boys & Good Girls BookFunnel event!
So many hot, steam bad boys and the good girls they can’t resist. Just looking at the covers made me drool. 😊
Find it HERE
Did you know?
The second book in the Backstage Pass series, SETTLING THE SCORE, featuring Michael’s brother Daniel, is on sale for a limited time at $1.99. Have you gotten your Backstage Pass yet?
This rock star can have any woman … except one.
Daniel Korvello, rock star front man, can have any woman—except the one he really wants. Becca Buchanan, the band’s publicist, has been burned before by rocker romance. But when Daniel exposes the molten heat beneath her Ice Maiden exterior, Becca may never be able to freeze him out again. Can he keep her safe long enough to prove that together they’ll sizzle only in the sweetest way?
Daniel Korvello isn’t your average Joe with a case of unrequited lust. He’s a world-famous rocker who wonders if his publicist will ever see him as anything other than a job. Then they team up to hunt down a threat to Daniel’s family ... and he seizes the chance to show her he’s up for more than just a one-night stand.
Becca Buchanan already lived through one rock-star scandal with her reputation barely intact. She’s determined never to put herself, or her family, through that again. But she can’t deny the desire she feels for Daniel. But when their amateur investigation takes a dangerous turn that threatens the lives of those they love, can their newfound trust extend past the bedroom? And can Daniel let go of old guilt enough to embrace a future with Becca?
Caution: Contains volcanic sexual tension, hiding from paparazzi, and judicious use of a blindfold in the bedroom--get your copy of Settling the Score today!
Find your copy HERE! Wading Through Life...
As the song says, life can be hard sometimes. Doing things is hard sometimes. Believe it or not, even words are hard sometimes. Many of us start out the new year wanting (sometimes desperately) to make changes in our lives. Myself included! But change is hard. This past November, I found a key that helped me accomplish a goal. It still wasn’t easy, but it was easier. I went from not writing at all to getting in several writing sprints per day. The key? Accountability. I asked a few fellow authors who were participating in the same monthly challenge as me if they wanted to start a small accountability group. Just post your goals and chick in daily. That’s all. We would hold each other accountable to work towards our goals, offer encouragement, celebrate our wins, and help find solutions to struggles.
Guess what? It worked! And so did I!!
After all, I’d be horribly embarrassed if I failed completely. That got me through the first few days. Then I was encouraged by the response and progress of my fellow authors. The writing got easier (most days), and I found myself looking forward to posting my progress each day.
I mean, I wasn’t perfect. I didn’t write every single day, because…life. Right? But in just 30 days, I got a hell of a lot more done than in the previous 6 months.
December came. The challenge ended. I stopped posting and—bam! No more words.
Suddenly all the other stuff on my plate became more important, more urgent, more—well—noticeable if it wasn’t done. More noticeable than the writing.
But I have a book I want to finish. Editing to accomplish. I have a series I want to publish this year.
I could struggle alone, or ask for some accountability!
So a small group of authors are joining me this year to Get Some Shit Done!
I believe this is part of creating good goals that can actually come to fruition. Most people have this idea that they have to do it all themselves. I don’t know why we feel this way. All work is easier if you have a helping hand.
Look at the obstacles and put a system in place that will help you take the steps. It will be so much easier! Whether its an exercise partner, or an in-person class to learn the thing you’ve been trying alone for the longest time, or a weekly meeting to give your family a time and place to decide on meals for the week.
What are your goals for this year? Do you have a plan to accomplish them?
I'd love to hear from you!
Dani
It Caught My Eye...
I've had stairs on my mind lately. A stairwell plays a prominent place in my current work-in-progress (WIP) as the location of a very tragic event, an event that the heroine is reminded of every time she has to pass or use this staircase in the house. It makes the home a very emotional place for her. What should be a beautiful centerpiece as you enter a home is transformed into a reminder of grief and tragedy.
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Here’s what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
- Sometimes, you can’t do it all.
- Sometimes, forcing yourself to do something doesn’t produce your best work.
- Sometimes, you have to set goals aside for a season and come back to them when you can.
- Sometimes, the “dig deep” button is not worth resurrecting. (Brene Brown)
It’s July 2020…if your life was a literal story, what would you make of it?
I’ll admit, we all have some scary scenarios right now. It might be boring, lonely, anxiety-inducing, a struggle…but in 6 months, where do you want to be?
This is the question I’m trying to ask myself.
We’re halfway through 2020, and its been a rough one. I don’t need to go into details for all of us to know that. But I do find myself re-examining, re-evaluating in a similar way to what I do every January. Taking stock of where I am, and where I want to be. I’m sure part of it has to do with my birthday being in June. Plus, I’m a natural overthinker—that doesn’t help!
This could be a good thing, though. It helps me center myself and zero in on where I’m going, despite whatever chaos is happening in my life at the moment. And let’s just say chaos has been abundant this year…am I right?
But often that chaos makes me feel like life is happening to me. And every so often I need the reminder that life is what I make it. What I dream it can be—if I will just stop and think about how to get there despite whatever roadblocks are in the way.
It might not even be something big. That step in the right direction may be a little thing that grows with time. It’s just up to me to take a step in the right direction.
For me, right now, that means focusing down on something small that will bring me a boost in motivation and focus. At the moment, that’s my health. My exercise routine got seriously disrupted when I started working from home. So I’m working toward exercising in some way 5 days a week. My other big priority is my writing. My gothic novella series is coming along! The first two are done, and I’m writing the third. These start releasing in August. Each day I’m just trying to either plot or write or dictate, even if its only for half an hour. Every bit of progress helps me feel productive and boosts my creativity.
It feels good. And that helps me feel happy in the midst of chaos.
What small steps are you writing into your life to make the last half of 2020 worth reading? What are you writing out of your life to bring back your joy?
I’d love to talk about it! Comment below or connect with me on Facebook!
Take care,
Dani