I Collapsed on My Bed

Good Morning. If you didn't know, we are at the beach on vacation. We arrived at our final final final destination Saturday around noon. (I say final final final because I have slept on 4 different couches in the last 3 weeks.) After packing and loading the car in the morning, I had to unload and unpack, then go to Mary's and get all the stuff we left there -- a major glitch in my mother's planning -- and so when I was finally finished with all of that (hers, mine, Monster's) I collapsed on my bed.

where we're staying -- small but cozy

Sunday morning I awoke with a stomach/intestinal/headachy kind of something but that didn't stop me from going to the supermarket and stocking up on all the food I haven't eaten in nearly ten years. Naturally all carbohydrates, ten million calories each, and filled with sugar. (Scones, crumpets, garlic bread, regular bread, artisan bread, cheesecake, tomato pie.We got back from the market and I ate my way through the afternoon, then collapsed on my bed.

surrounded by flowers

This morning I awoke with a major headache because of the crazy weather. It's 72 degrees out with 72% humidity. We're expecting a major thunderstorm this morning according to Kelly Bates the meteorologist. However, the sun is shining right now, but the wind is blowing around 20 knots. I am freezing. In all my years living on the beach I can never remember a July being so cold. And I did not pack one single jacket or pair of pants for me. Thankfully I do have socks.

I did manage to finally repair the scene in Chapter 8 that I have been working on since I got to Rhode Island. It's been bugging me since I wrote it, and thought I would be able to fix it while on vacation, but the solution didn't come to me until I was laying on my bed wondering if I packed the Pepto Bismal. And my mother and Monster were taking a walk on the beach so I had the house to myself for a little while.

the view from across the street -- you can't see it but
Rhode Island Sound and Block Island are in the distance

I'm waiting for the weather to make up its mind so I can decide what I'm going to do today. My headache has not dissipated ( because I had to sleep with my window closed and now my head feels like I have a hangover) but I really want to get this chapter finished. I worked on the little narrative between the two big scenes in Chapter 8, but I'd really like to get to Chapter 9 today. With 19 days left to vacation, I'd like to be able to finish this novella before I get home.

However, I just want to collapse on my bed.

I deserve it.

the neighbor's porch. Isn't it pretty?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2104

Happy Birthday to Me

Good Morning. I read this article by Kristine Katherine Rusch a few weeks ago and as she said in her blog title, discover-ability...is all about surprise. So Surprise. It's Tuesday. And I'm posting.

It's also my birthday. I'm 52. But in my head I think like I'm 38. My body feels like it's 96. (I've been doing yard work for the last week, before the weather turns either too wet or too hot.) I used to like yard work. Not so much anymore. Priorities change as we get older.

I've been thinking a lot about my house. Alas, I have not painted since we moved in. I'm living in a beige world with pineapple wallpaper. I need to put some color up.

The yard sale I thought was this weekend is actually next. But I didn't find that out until after I cleaned the Florida room. We're on Spring Break this week so I've been cleaning. Like a mad fishwife. Thinking about tearing down pineapple wallpaper.

I'm stuck on a book I've been working on lately. Not so much the "book" but the series. I've been re-evaluating what I want to do with it. I have an idea for another one, a spin-off from this. I've been giving serious thought about acquiring an agent.

And because I've been thinking and cleaning, all this has brought about another rather personal discussion I was having with a friend of mine. You know, that what-the-fuck-am-I-doing-with-my-life discussion, the one you have after after you blow your final exam because you were out drinking the night before. The one you have when you walk out on a perfectly good job because that little bitch in the downstairs office got the promotion you deserved. The one you have when you quit your high paying executive job making six figures to become an organic wheat grass farmer in Ohio. You know, what the fuck am I doing with my life?

Throughout my life, I have always maintained when something stops being fun, I won't do it anymore. And I don't. I think because it's my birthday I have to be truthful with myself. Blogging isn't fun for me anymore. I struggle to think up new and interesting topics of conversation. I struggle to comment on your blogs. (I've missed some fine series/specials during the A-Z Challenge this year. By friends, no less.) I struggle to keep up.

I know there are super-bloggers out there who do it all. Write, Tweet, Blog, Tour, etc. etc. Have an amazing presence on all different kinds of mediums. Have thousands of followers everywhere. Yeah, I'm not that kind of girl. And I don't pretend to be.

However, knowing what I do about social media, (and a lot of other factors), I can't just quit blogging. Not yet. But I do have to refocus, re-evaluate, and re-design. So, I'm going to take some time off and do just that.

I hope you all have a great Spring. I'll see you when I do.

PS Today is also Earth Day. Be kind to the Earth. Pick up some trash.

Anne Gallagher (c) 2014

Just a Quick Post

Hey everyone. How's it going? I thought I'd swing by and give you an update on what I've been doing.

It's been a gnarly couple of months, that's for sure. I managed to get 90% of the yard finished before the weather became too awful. My brother surprised my mother on Mother's Day and came down for a week and he helped me with my fence. (Truthfully, I think he just wanted to play with my father's John Deere tractor.)

I also stripped two bedrooms worth of wallpaper, painted ceilings and walls, not to mention stripping dressers and assorted furniture and restaining them. Let's not discuss the yard sale stuff that I keep adding to (But if I keep adding I'll never have the yard sale so I've got to stop at some point.) Then there's the old house that's just a time sucking nightmare. But it's on the market now, so if you know someone who wants to move to Winston, I've got a cute little house for sale. 3 bedrooms, big rumpus room, nice 1/2 acre fenced in back yard. (I'll send you the specs and pics if you want. email me at piedmontwriter at gmail)

Anyway, in April, Monster's school had a fund raising auction and the secretary decided that I should put my books as one of the prizes. I didn't think that was worth much, so I said, "Well, how about if I use their name in my next book?" and that was a good idea. But after I thought about it, I decided that if they really wanted to spend some money, (It was a fund raiser after all) I'd just write a story about them. And that was how it went down in the auction. The prize I donated was that if you won, I would write a Regency novella about YOU (or a person of your choosing). It was supposed to be a love story. Because after all, I am a romance writer.

However, it didn't work out that way. One of the teachers won and then gave it to her assistant. There's been a whole lot of back and forth with this story line, but I think I've worked it out and what I've come up with will be a fun little exercise in past lives and history lessons. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. We'll see how it ends up. (If you want to know more, there's a tab under my header called A Not So Secret Project on my Anne Gallagher blog.)

Also, in case you didn't know, or I didn't tell you (which I know I didn't) THE LADY'S MASQUERADE is

out across all venues in e-version. I've also been working on the paperback copy, and after one more run-through it should be ready to go sometime this week. What you may also want to know about this book is that I'll be holding a give-away on Goodreads for it during the month of June. Well, that's the plan anyway. So check over there if you'd like a copy. I'm giving away 3.

I'm also going through all my other books to get them ready for paperback. Yes, they were already out once, but after making so many changes I needed to revise them. I also revised all my e-versions so they're totally up-to-date. That's the nice thing about self-publishing. I can always change what I don't like.

I've also been outlining my next books like a crazy person. I've never outlined before, well, precisely outlined like a synopsis, so it's been fun. I have no idea if I'm going to use them, but it's been a fun exercise. I've also developed a few more little short stories for my Robynne Rand personna, but haven't sat down to write anything yet. I don't really have the time just yet. Although, not having written for 5 months, the itch is definitely starting to grow.

So that's it. That's where I am and what I've been doing. Not really all that exciting, but that's fine for me.

Tell me -- What have you been up to?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

Thanks for Making Remembering You #1

Boy Howdy, I'll tell you what, it was so cool to see my book at #1 on Monday. I want to thank each and every one of you who downloaded a copy. I didn't know it was going to happen that way, the Amazon algorhythms are such crazy things, I don't know what I expected but it certainly wasn't #1.


Best Sellers in Love and Romance

Top 100 Free

1.

Remembering You - a novel

Robynne Rand

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Free

I took notes while I was in the throes of this process so I'm hoping to have some hard data on promotion and marketing for you as soon as the dust settles. I think by mid-September I should be able to report on what I found. (God, I feel like some kind of analytic professional or something. Funny, I'm just a writer.)

Anyway, it's great to be back on the blogs. I didn't know I would miss you as much as I did. I always say that though, and I do mean it. When I was moving and packing, I was sweating and swearing, wondering when I would be done with it. I didn't really think I wanted to come back until the summer was over, but now, being in my new office, and being able to sit down in the early mornings and read what you guys have been doing without me (Boy, I'll tell you, that Hookers and Hangers blogfest really threw me for a loop) I knew I needed to get back here.

And you know, for it only having been a month gone, it somehow feels like eons. Truly. You guys have become such a part of my life, a lifeline really to my sanity, I don't know what I'd do without you. You keep me grounded to the part of me that is a writer. I've said it before, it's like being back in college. I could always find interesting people to talk with and discuss aspects of writing that I could never do in my "real" life. So thanks for always being there, and welcoming me back after I've been gone.

I really wish I could have a cocktail party and invite you all over. What a blast that would be.

Anyway, now that I'm back, I'm going to try and keep my act together. I've got some really great interviews lined up and some interesting questions to pose.  Hope you'll come by.

Well, I'm Back

I know, it's not September, but things got a little wonky here in NC and well, I decided to come back to the blogosphere a little early. Okay a lot early. I've been cruising around the blogs for the last week or so and I've found I miss it too much to stay away any longer.

I'm still not done moving. Now it's just all the flotsam and jetsam that floats around the house after all the big stuff has been cleared out. An old stack of magazines, the last of the plants, what remains in the cabinets over the fridge. You know. Once it's all out, then I get to clean. Fun times.

My ex- has left us again so it's just me and the Monster now. I told him there's no coming back this time. I'm used to his going and coming and going, he's done it for years. But the Monster is taking it hard this time. She wasn't old enough to remember his leaving the last time, so now, this really hurts. I've tried to explain it to her -- Mommy and Daddy just don't get along -- but she wants real reasons and I'm not sure she's ready to hear the truth about her father just yet. She's only 7.

In any case, his departure put the kibosh on our trip to the beach. Um yeah, another reason to despise him. Not only did he ruin my summer, he ruined Monster's as well. The pool is set up and she's been swimming happily for awhile now, but it's not the same as the beach. I'm hoping Divine Intervention (or a winning lottery ticket) will give me the funds necessary for a long weekend at Myrtle Beach. Going to Rhode Island is just not in the cards this year.

I haven't been writing. Well, because I've been moving, but being around the blogosphere has started the itch again. I guess I think checking in with you guys will somehow get me motivated. I've got some big things to finish and some smaller things to start and I figured that if I'm around you, it will give me the schedule I need. I keep telling the Monster that my sitting at the computer all day is WORK (I'm not just playing at this writing thing -- why don't people understand that) so if I go back to WORK, maybe the creative juices will start flowing again.

However, I did accomplish one thing while I've been away. I've a new cover for REMEMBERING YOU. I know, what is it with me and this cover? As we all know, self-publishing allows you to change what you don't like about your book. So, voila, the new cover.

And just for fun, I'm giving this particular edition away for FREE at Amazon TODAY (until midnight Pacific Standard time). So I hope you'll all pick up a copy and Tweet about it. It's also gone through another round of edits and I'm hoping this will garner me a few reviews. (Not bad ones though, please.) Here's the link REMEMBERING YOU. This is also somewhat of an experiment so I hope to have some data for you on a few issues with marketing and promotion for you in September.


So tell me, what have you been doing? How are you? How's your summer going? Tell me all.

See Ya Later, Skeeter

Well, good morning. Tons of stuff going on in my little world and I thought I'd share before I took off for the summer.

As most of you know, we bought a new house. We're closing on it this Friday and then I will begin the frenzy of packing and moving. Hence, Piedmont Writer will be going dark, quite possibly for the remainder of the summer. Between the move, and then the clean and repaint the old house, I've also thrown three weeks at the beach into the mix so...it just seems like it would be wise to call it a day over here.

However, because I've republished my novel, REMEMBERING YOU under the name of Robynne Rand, I decided to start up a blog under that name.

You can find that one here.  The picture is one I found on the Commons. It's a view from the fire tower in Tiverton, where I used to live in Rhode Island. That's Mount Hope Bridge in the background.

Anyway, I post over there on Thursday, just Thursday. It's very quiet, and exceedingly laid back. I think it's my alter ego, you know the part of me that isn't going eight million miles an hour in fourteen different directions. I'd love it if you could take a swing by. I'll be posting until the computer moves from one house to the other (have to rewire the office).

I'm also still posting on my Regency website Anne Gallagher. So if you know anyone who's interested in reading about Regency romance, by all means send them over. I post there only on Sunday.

I'm getting into the S-L-O-W blogger manifesto. Anne R. Allen has finally convinced me that it's okay to relax in the blogosphere. Of course that doesn't help with the promotion and marketing. Because I did so quietly in the beginning, it seems now I need to tweak things a bit, so I've been doing a little bit more of that lately. Coming up with pitches, and blurbs, and press releases is just really time consuming. Not to mention scouring the internet for book reviewers.

If any of you would like to review any of my books, by all means, give me a shout. I'd be happy to send you a copy. shoreroadpublishing at gmail dot com.

Anyway, that's what I'm doing, that's where I am and when. I'm not going to be back at Piedmont until the Monster starts school again.

Have a great summer everyone! I'll miss you.

My Writing Life in Increments

I know you probably don't want to hear about how I spend my days, but as this is my first second post being back, I figured I'd start with that. Nice and easy.

I'd like to get something straight before we start. I am NOT a stay-at-home Mom who writes. I am a writer who happens to work from home. I have nothing against SAHM's, I was one. Believe me, it's the hardest job a person can have. But when the Monster started school full-time, I started writing full-time.  This isn't a hobby for me, it's not a job I just clock in and out from, I have a schedule, and deadlines, and goals, like any other career oriented person working in a major corporation.

The Schedule -- I am up before dawn, usually around 5am. I make a cup of tea, and head downstairs to my "office" (a corner in the playroom where I keep all my "stuff". I can't wait to move, I'll have a real room for my office.) I get on the computer and check my email accounts (3), make my one Tweet for the day, and then check my stats on my books. Depending on what mail I need to answer, I do that, then I try and get on the blogs to see what I've missed. At 6:30, I wake the Monster, fight with her to get ready for school, and out the door by 7:30. I'm back by 7:45 and again at my desk. I share my ritual morning email with my crit partner, and then I go into "work" by 8am. I write until 1:30 when I have to go pick up the Monster from school. (In the pick-up line I get a 45 minute break where I read something everyday.) Back home by 2:30, I do the Mommy thing, the house thing, the supper thing, and then back to the computer around 7pm for a round of edits on what I worked on that morning. And then do it all again the next day.

Weekends are a bit different. I'm up at 5, but I generally work on blog posts and paraphenalia for my books. I don't tend to "write" unless I'm all caught up on the business end of things.

The Deadlines -- I try to write at least 2500 words a day. Of course, it's not a hard and fast rule, some days I write just 100, with 4 hours spent doing research, and others I can break 4K when the words are flowing. But by and large, by the end of the week I like to see myself with between 25 to 50 pages. I also made a promise to the Monster that I wouldn't work during her vacations so that I can spend time with her. So I get the bulk of my writing done from the end of August - November. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, it's crazy nuts, so last year I wrote a short story. In January I go back to the major work and stay with that until Easter break. (And hopefully it's done. This year, with my dad sick, left a lot to be desired, so the deadline for that particular book has been moved.)

However, I worked on the final edits for REMEMBERING YOU, put THE DUKE'S DIVORCE out to paperback, and am in the final stages for THE LADY'S FATE and REMEMBERING YOU to paperback. Am also in the process of finishing up another short story for the Regency line. Over the course of last summer, I did nothing but read. I went to the beach, found the beginning of a women's fiction novel and that was it. This summer, with moving and getting both houses situated with paint and repairs, I don't think I'll be doing too much writing either. But once the Monster is in school again, I'm diving back into THE LADY'S MASQUERADE (which I'm afraid is going to be a complete rewrite and not just a revise) and will hopefully have that done and out in all formats by Thanksgiving.

The Goals -- I read once, that you need to have your writing goals listed for the next ten years. I won't bore you with mine, only that my goals are pretty simple. Two books a year, plus two or three short stories. Some books are harder to write than others, which is why I'm constantly shifting my focus. I always have two or three projects going at the same time, so when I get bored or frustrated by one, I can move to another, until that gets snappy, then I can move to another. I find this works for me because as I'm working on whichever, I'm letting the other stories rest, and when I finally do get back to them, I'm looking at them with fresh eyes. Last year, I met my goals, and this year, I'm hoping to do the same. I keep telling myself life would be easier with a laptop, but I'm not so sure. We'll see.

And so, there you have it. My Writing Life in Increments. (And as I'm sure you know, real life can and does intrude from time to time, so all of the above is generally thrown right out the window.)

Tell me -- How do you write? Do you work full-time and grab whatever time you can? Or are you a full-time writer? What are some of your goals? Do you have deadlines? What time constraints are you under?

I'm Having Trouble

Good morning. I'm having trouble these last few weeks getting back into blogging. I was on hiatus from before Thanksgiving until last week. I missed a lot in the blog world by doing that, but it did get me back into what I needed to do -- spend time with The Monster and my books before the holidays.

But now the holidays are over, and I'm looking at the the next 5 months until I can take my next hiatus. (Part of my publishing goal was to only "work" while The Monster was in school, and when she was out for the summer and on vacations, so was I.) I need to get back to the blogs and come up with something snappy, some witty repartee, some fantastic mind blowing chatter.

Problem is, I've got nothing to say.

I mean, sure, I could talk about my books, but that's boring. You don't want to hear about that.

I could probably go crazy and read a couple of craft books and discuss those, but hey, you can do that on your own. You don't need me.

There's also the idea that I could just talk about The Monster but this isn't a Mommy blog, it's supposed to be a writing blog.

I don't know when the shift in my world occured. I would have to say, probably last summer when I decided to officially self-publish. But in doing that, I became someone new. I lost who I was. I'm not Piedmont Writer anymore, I'm Anne Gallagher -- Author of Regency Romances.

And don't get me wrong, I like Anne Gallagher, I'm just not sure what to do about Piedmont Writer. I liked being a writer. There was fun in that. I got to create new characters, test my wings in writing styles, and POV's, use my brain to figure out how to make good dialogue. Now that I'm an author, it's all about the next book. Traditional published authors will tell you that too. To find and keep an audience.

I hate that. I really do. There's so much damn pressure.

My aunt used to tell me, If I can't say anything nice to or about someone, don't say anything at all. I'm going to modify that concept.

If I can't find anything relevant to say, I won't say anything at all.

I hate the idea of giving up this blog. I really do. I've met so many wonderful people, made so many great friends, formed such solid bonds with other writers. I did miss you all when I was on hiatus, very much, but I've seemed to have lost my voice somewhere. And I really don't know how to get it back.

I'm going to try and only post on Monday for awhile, and see how that works out. I don't really know what else to do.

Tell me -- What do you talk about when you have nothing to say?

I'm Back! Did You Miss Me?

Good Morning, my darlings. I'm back from blog/vacation and let me just say I had a WONDERFUL time. I spent two weeks on the beach back home in Rhode Island and it did me a world of good. I cried when I left. I miss the beach. But not as much as I missed all of you! I guess we have to let something go before we realize how much it means to us.

That being said, since I've been back I've been working on several different projects, least of which, is getting THE LADY'S FATE ready for publication on Kindle. This endeavor has been filled with anxiety, joy, and trembling fingers as I try and get the formatting just right. It's a lot harder than I thought. Needless to say, I have a surprise for all of you on Wednesday so if you have a chance, please stop by.

I found a new story, one that was sprung from my time at the beach. My beta thinks it's coming along nicely. Also have been working on Robert's story -- THE DUKE'S DIVORCE, and dabbling with THE EARL'S ENQUIRY. Those will be spotlighted on my new author blog, which I will unveil in the coming weeks. (I'm still tweaking.)

All in all, it has been a fantastic vacation, although returning from RI we did cut it quite close to getting The Monster back to school in time. But she's back full time, and I'm in work mode once again. I don't know if you've noticed or not, but I had to make some changes on the blog, and I am surrounded by water now, which I love. I also have a few new ideas for Friday's at the Piedmont Grille; I changed the menu, so to speak, so I am rather excited about that. (Look Bridget, did you see my use of a semi-colon in that sentence!)

It's good to be back and let me just say again how much I missed you all!

Tell me -- What have you been up to? What have I missed?

The Piedmont Grille is Now Closed

Good Morning, my darlings. Sorry to say, the Piedmont Grille will be closed for the summer. Monster Child is getting out of school today, my mother and I discussed the plans for our upcoming vacation in July, and I have not one, not two, but three books to write over the summer. (Gotta love that pressure.)

I think with summer, we all take a break. I remember last year, there was hardly anyone around, with vacations, kids, and the unrelenting heat, I know I was hardly coherent when I was here. And then, sometime around the second week in September, it was like the swallows in Capistrano -- we all came back full force. And that was nice.

I will still be posting on Monday and Wednesday for awhile. I leave for Rhode Island on July 18 and won't return until the 30 (if you really wanted to know my itinerary) and then Monster Child returns to school on August 10, so you know the drill, shopping for the various resources. I have to say a hiatus does sound imminent. There will be no internet in RI and as it is a vacation, I think it would behoove me to be unconnected.

I have been trying to keep my posts regulated to a stricter schedule - Monday for Romance issues and Wednesday for Writing issues and I think that was working really well for me. I may still try and do that, although, who knows what my mind will come up with.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Friday's here at the Grille. But for the summer, I think it would be better for me to let them go. At least until September.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I'll see you on Monday.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Pitch Slapped for my interview. It was a great time. I hope you enjoyed it. Or stop by and see Bru, she's really great. If you missed it, I put in under the "Special Links" page on my sidebar. Yes, I'm just going crazy adding stuff to my blog.

And thanks to everyone who commented on my decision yesterday. I still don't know what I'm going to do but wait, seems to be the consensus.

And now my lovelies, I will tuning off the blogosphere because, yay, I'm going home for vacation. Monster Baby and I are leaving on a jet plane very early tomorrow morning and won't be back until my mother decides when to come back. (We're driving back with her and my cousin. Oh yay, how much fun will that be? 12 hours in a car with Monster Baby who only knows the first 3 lines of Mary had a little lamb (long story.) Probably around the 7th. However, it's anyone's guess. My internet access will be sketchy at best, and besides, it's only a few days. You won't miss me that much.

Have a great 4th of July! I'll miss you all. Stay safe and don't forget, pets really don't like fireworks so if you can bring them inside, please do.