The Saturday Shelf

Nothing to do but ...
All week I've been looking forward to today, with this notion in my head of, "I have nothing to do but ..." well, as it turns out, lots of things. In this day and age of the hurry-up-get-it-done-yesterday, be-on-the-go-24/7, brainwashed mindset, I don't think I will live another day that I truly have nothing I have to do.*

My sometimes misguided, always optimistic brain finished the original thought above with "... work on the book." Reality finishes the thought with

Houston, we have a problem ...

Years ago, my lovely friend and fellow writer Susan McBride (have you read any of Susan's books yet? why not?) wrote a post about how she wasn't the only Susan McBride on the block. She'll have to refresh my memory about whether she was the only one who was a writer.

Well, I have discovered - you guessed it - that I am not the only Jennifer Brooks. In addition, I am not the only Jennifer Brooks who writes.

The Big Announcement

Friends and fans, it's time to make THE announcement.

I'm so proud and excited to share the news that my first novel, No Evil Lost, will be available for purchase as an ebook (Kindle or Nook) this Thursday, September 5, 2013!

Isn't it gorgeous?? My terrific cover artist did a fantastic job, in my humble but honest opinion. =)

Now, a little about the book:

The Domino Effect

Ah, yes, the dreaded rewrite. Groan with me, fellow scribes ...

My invaluable first reader and I had a brainstorming session over the current WIP, and we agreed on a few changes that would make the book stronger, the flow better, and the story hold together more coherently, beginning to end. That accomplished, I've been working on the rewrite for most of the weekend, and I've discovered something.

The domino effect.

To think or not to think ...

No need to think. There's a line in the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that's not in the book (given: one of many); after Professor Umbridge instructs the students that there will be no need to talk while they read their lesson, Hermione mutters under her breath, "No need to think's more like it."

No need to think. How great would it be if we could get away with that, if only for a few hours at a time? No need to think. No need to dwell on the pressures of our daily lives, the stressors, the worries -

For Book Lovers Only

It's an unusually sunny January Saturday here in the mid-state ... we've had so much drear the past few weeks that I actually forgot what sunshine looked like. Cold, still - it is January, after all - but a lovely day to lounge and read. Especially since the WGH did all the laundry yesterday and I don't have to do anything today but go grocery shopping. And that's a maybe.

According to Goodreads, I'm 2 books behind on my 2013 Reading Challenge, so I'm off to the recliner for some quality time with Jamie and Claire. I'll leave you with some reading material to peruse from some of my favorite literary peeps ...

(Cracked) Reflections on A Year in the Life

It's either apologies or homage I must pay to my good friend Robin, who writes a blog called Cracked Reflections on a(n) (ab)Normal Life. I'm stealing her theme here for just a moment ...

Year in Review. I write an annual "update letter" to send out with our Christmas cards. This year I started it with the following disclaimer:

Getting There

I have a couple of whiteboards in my study, on which I write various and sundry things meant to inspire me. It's not there any more, but I'd once written the following quote:

Success is a journey, not a destination.

I didn't have the attribution for it, but according to The Quotations Page where I looked today, Arthur Ashe said it.

The quote brings to mind the old saying, "Getting there is half the fun." Lately my journey hasn't been nearly as much fun as I'd hoped.

Motivation

My Wonder Twin posted a brief piece on her blog yesterday that really made me stop and think about things. She and I are cut of the same cloth in a lot of respects. I feel her pain more than she probably realizes.

I've been moving in slow motion for a few months now. Turns out I have minor health issues that need adjusting. (Sometimes you don't realize how bad you feel until you find out why you feel bad.) But adjusting they be, and the gears are gradually starting to shift toward the higher speeds.

Book Review: Baby Shark's Showdown at Chigger Flats

Librarian's note: The WGH bought me a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 to play with while he's gone on vacation. The first thing I did was download the software for both Kindle and Nook - and my old pal Robert Fate gifted me with a copy of his latest Baby Shark book. How's that for a great way to break in my new toy?

It's been nearly three years since we last saw Kristin Van Dijk (aka Baby Shark), but Robert Fate's latest Baby Shark adventure, Showdown at Chigger Flats, definitely rewards those of us who have been waiting so patiently.