Eva Pasco's Blog, page 5

Eva’s Byte #514 – Psychological Spring

Purportedly, astronomers state our spring season starts on March 20th in all time zones of North America. To be exact, 5:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Even though winter weather persists—for instance, on Sunday, March 2nd, the temperature was a blustery 29 degrees—I’ve embarked on Psychological Spring:

I’m steamrolling through spring cleaning.

My leprechaun gnomes are on display in full force.

This week, my vehicle had its spring tune-up. When I drove away from the dealership, the clock had sprung one hour ahead in psychological preparedness for advancing time on March 9th.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m psychologically springing ahead with drafting chapter 11 (449 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us spring forward with a psychological edge.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #513 – Roads Not Yet Taken

In the capacity of a writer, I equate the keyboarding process during each storytelling session with embarking on roads not yet taken. Excavating and blazing trails with words pave the way along an open-ended journey navigated by my characters who may or may not have the best intentions.

Preferring the wide latitude of Contemporary Fiction, my lit with grit takes me along unpredictable turns and inside dark tunnels as I forge ahead. There’s no turning back for the writer undertaking a solo journey in untrammeled territory.

At this point in time, I finished drafting chapter 10 (1320 words) along my work in progress.

*May each of us advance our creativity along roads not yet taken.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #512 – Letting Go

Since Old Faithful, my previous computer, would not meet the minimum hardware requirements to run Windows 11 smoothly, this Mama acquired “a brand-new bag”.

Thanks to my tech-savvy computer guru, the 16 GB Hewlett Packard desktop model is up and running like a thoroughbred racehorse.

A brand-new bag also begets letting go of excess baggage. In accordance, I deleted over 800 previously read eBooks from my Kindle catalog.

Why stop there?

I deleted two social media accounts. I’m basically down to Facebook, Goodreads, and Authors Den.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m drafting chapter 10 (739 words thus far) along my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us embrace letting go of excess baggage which no longer serves our purpose.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #511 – Preliminary Chirps

During a recent February walk before ten o’clock in the morning when it was 24 degrees, with several hours of heavy snow forecasted late Saturday night into early Sunday—I heard birds chirping.

According to flights of fancy in Rhode Island the early birds of Northern Cardinals, Sparrows and Finches are common sights in February.
This unexpected cacophony of vocals infused my heart with optimism that Spring is indeed around the corner despite winter’s last harsh hurrahs.

In the capacity of a writer, my fancy has taken flight along the draft of chapter 10 (407 words) in my Contemporary work in progress. In keeping with the seaside town of Warren, RI, I named my fictitious eatery Shipwreck Grill.

*May the subtleties of nature boost our mood and instill calm.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #510 – Boundaries

Before I basked in the luxury of retirement, my boundaries were set for me—self-imposed by my devotion to a teaching career. Focusing on tasks and managing time prevailed both inside and outside the classroom.

It’s about time:

In the capacity of a writer whose non-writing tasks take precedence during the day, I set boundaries for social media usage. As me-time breaks are also important, I make sure to exercise first thing each morning. I set aside at least an hour per day in late afternoon to read a book written by a fellow Indie.

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” Richard Steele

Evening is my prime time for writing.
In that regard, I strive to blur the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction in my chosen genre of Contemporary, bordering on Literary and Psychological Fiction. Having completed the draft of chapter 9 (1629 words), I’m forging ahead with chapter 10 (158 words thus far).

*May each of us set aside time to safeguard our inner peace and to foster our creativity.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #509 – Distractions

Setting aside noble obligations which tend to pack a punch with stress and anxiety, distractions also interfere with a writer’s daily output. Generically speaking, housework and grocery shopping.

Despite being away from my computer for the aforementioned, or any other distraction, my writer’s mind is still at work turning phrases and channeling ideas.

From my perspective, distractions are beneficial for recharging and for gaining new insights. Recalling the typewriter scene in The Shining: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

In the capacity of a writer plotting along my Contemporary work in progress, I’m drafting chapter 9 (1160 words thus far).

*May each of us embrace life’s mundane and pleasant distractions as food for thought.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #508 – My Might Song

As of late, whenever I need an assertive pick-me-up, “You Gotta Be” by Des’Ree (released 1994) is my might song for summoning positive thinking and a can-do attitude.

I tend to assimilate the song’s pulsating, adrenaline-pumping lyrics during my morning workout session to get a handle on the day ahead. Paraphrasing its bites of might: you gotta be bad, bold, wiser, tough, stronger, cool, calm, and hold it together.

The motivational mindset works wonders.

In the capacity of a writer fabricating with might along my Contemporary work in progress, I’ve tweaked chapter 8 from 1215 to 1254 words. Chapter 9 is progressing from 667 words thus far.

*May each of us summon our might to meet challenges head-on.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #507 – Over the Moon!

A purely subjective conjecture, in the capacity of a writer, a glowing book review brings on the metaphor of flying high.

Excerpts from the latest 5-Star review by talented author Susan Sage for Aileen’s
Guesthouse: A Heartfelt Contemporary:

“This is one of those rare novels that I truly didn’t want to finish! I’ve always thought highly of Pasco’s fiction, but this one is truly my favorite. It wasn’t only a ‘Heartfelt Contemporary’ as subtitled, but a keen psychological study of the connections between love and guilt. Through third-person personal voice, Pasco deftly and distinctly breathes life into her portrayals of Aileen, her mother Gert, retired schoolmarm Lillian Wright, the birdman Drake Lynch, Aileen’s boyfriend Ox, as well as one of the later guests—the deeply troubled Perla Moreno.
Pasco perfectly creates a rise and fall of tension as she weaves the common thread of connections made from guilty consciences. There’s a poetry in her word choices and an architectural complexity in the book’s development that turns this work into a most powerful read.”

In the here and now, I’ve completed drafting chapter 8 (1215 words) of my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve begun turning phrases in chapter 9 (152 words thus far).

*May encouraging words foster a belief in the merit of our creative endeavors.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #506 – Hunkering Down

As regions in the United States experience the extreme effects of a polar vortex, my neck of the woods in New England faces several days of bitter cold with gusty breezes, keeping wind chills in the twenties and teens.

One way of staving off the cold is that of hunkering down with a good book to read.
Getting into the literary swing of things, I’ve undertaken the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge, having pledged to read 25 books. A conservative goal, I tend to double the amount pledged by the time the end of the year rolls around. As always, I prefer to read books written by fellow Indies.

Since the onset of January, I’ve read and reviewed Mancer Hollow by P.S. Winn. I’m currently reading Lost in the Fog by Terry Kerr.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m hunkering down drafting chapter 8 (1066 words thus far) of my Contemporary work in progress.

*May each of us stave off the elements by hunkering down with a good book.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco

Eva’s Byte #505 – Adjustments

Another year over
And a new one just begun (From John Lennon’s “So this is Christmas” – released 1971)

So, what will I do now that the New Year has begun?

As memories and reactions to unforeseen developments in 2024 carry over into 2025, I’ll make the necessary adjustments to carry on with fortitude.

Also carrying over into the New Year, my daily regimen of exercising and walking.

In the capacity of a writer, I’m carrying on with drafting my Contemporary work in progress. I’ve completed chapter 7 (1409 words), and I’ve begun writing chapter 8 (550 words thus far).

*May each of us make the necessary adjustments for forging ahead in the New Year.

My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.

Eva’s Authors Den Page:

http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco