Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 80

Crazy, Randoms Songs That Get Stuck In My Head.

A few of the weird and random songs that get stuck in my head.

Put the Lime in the Coconut
Who Let The Dogs Out.
A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh, a-weema-weh from The Lion Sleeps Tonight
We Are The Champions
YMCA

There’s a ton more, but those came to mind when I wrote the blog. Now it’s your turn to share songs that get stuck in your head.

Weekend Round Up

Saturday was fun, we went to visit Turbo. He’s a bundle of toddler energy. His dad was telling me a story of a day he was alone with Turbo that involved a spilled box of macaroni, followed by chocolate milk. The disasters were multiplying faster than my son could keep up. I may have laughed a little too hard. I mean I remember the day I was trying to quickly wipe up bathrooms while the baby (Middle Son) was sleeping. I soon realized my three-year-old was too quiet, and when I went into the kitchen, I discovered my floor was a lake. Oldest was filling cups of water from the refrigerator and pouring them on the floor. If I remember right, he wanted to make a swimming pool. So yeah, I laughed at Turbo’s toddler mayhem and his dad’s frantic attempts to keep up with him!

Sunday I wanted to chew my own arm off from the frustration of trying to figure out this revision. Today I’m back at it, determined to figure it out. I will win this battle after the characters make me bleed from aggravation.  Seems like a fair tradeoff.

That’s my weekend How was yours?

Friday Five

TGIF! Jumping right into Friday Five:

This revision is a challenge! I’m diving in and doing what I can. I thrive on challenge and chocolate! At least one of those two things in the last sentence are true, LOL!
Maggie got a bath this week!
My herbs are still living. I need to go to Home Depot and buy a bigger pot for my bell pepper plant, but I know I’ll come out of the garden shop with more than I intended.
I don’t miss the gym. Also, I look like I don’t miss the gym
Turbo is supposed to come over tomorrow. It will be fun, exhausting and a good break from writing/revising in one world and reading/working on the series timeline in another world.

That’s my short and boring Friday Five, and now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Maggie and The Case of the Vanishing Blanket

Hi guys, it’s me, Maggie! I has a story. So one day, I jumped in my chair and found it like this:

 

This is not my chair blanket! I don’t know who took it or why. Isn’t that weird? I ended up having to do this sad face for hours while I pondered the case of the missing blanket.

By the way, I checked my kennel, my dog beds, and the couch I’m sometimes allowed to get on, but no blanket.  So I got back in my chair, and worried that maybe Corner Cat got into the house and stole it. Corner Cat is super sneaky. He hides in the bushes at the corner house, and hisses or jumps out. Probably, he’s a Ninja Cat.

My mom finally noticed my sad face, and she went into the room with the big machines and found it! Guys we found my blanket!

 

Can you all see my serious face here? I’m watching to make sure the blanket snatcher doesn’t return and hide my blanket in the big white machine again.

Weekend Roundup

Okay, guys, who let Boring Jen in this weekend?

Saturday morning I worked on the Wing Slayer Hunter Series timeline. That’s an ongoing project that requires me to slowly reread each book and take notes as I go. It’s slow, but I’m going to be happy to have it down the road.

Saturday afternoon, I read through all my editor’s notes on SAVAGED DEVOTION.  She did a great, and in depth, job. The fun fact here is the second part that I wrote fast is much better than the first part where I was lost the woods. Overall, though, it’s fixable. The first half will be the biggest chunk of work to fix Liza’s emotional arc and the pacing.

Sunday, I typed out a 10 page timeline/outline for SAVAGED DEVOTION.  I had it handwritten, but the more books I write, the more I realize having timelines is super helpful, including for revisions. It really helps me see where I can cut and combine scenes to get rid of repetition and amp up pacing.

Now how do I get rid for Boring Jen who spends weekends working?

How was your weekend?

Friday Five

TGIF! Let’s jump right into sharing five random things about our week.

I’m all over the map plotting the Wing Slayers. Every book presents major challenges, but, in this case, I know the end, but not the beginning, which is different, LOL! I’m also making sure this book stays true to the series, but it also needs to be authentic to the characters, which hopefully, makes each book unique. I’ll get there, it’s just a matter gathering all the strands into an opening premise that sets up the story.
I just heard from my editor and she believes she’ll finish the edits on SAVAGED DEVOTION today or Monday. That was fast! I have no idea if she liked it or anything along those lines, but I’ll find out soon enough. So the next week or two, or however long it takes, I’ll be revising that book. A note on this: The fact that I’m juggling projects is another indicator I’ve learned how to adapt and cope with the nerve damage that caused tinnitus and concentration issues for me.
I finished my antibiotics for the UTI! That’s an accomplishment since the last couple days were bugging my stomach.  Whew, glad to have the done!
Maggie caught another lizard this week. I happened to be taking out trash, she was trotting with me, spotted the little guy, and moved like a rocket. She had it in her mouth before I blinked. I told her to drop it (okay I screamed, LET IT GO!).  She dropped him and he scurried into the ground cover. I hope the little guy is okay. Other than catching lizards, Maggie’s still my sweet loyal girl
Right now, I’m planning to stay home this weekend, and just do stuff. But plans can changes, so we’ll see. Maybe I’ll even make shark cookies for fun.

That’s my quick Friday Five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone is staying healthy and has a great weekend!

Wednesday Reading

Anyone else feel like this?

California shut down again, which I suspected would happen because our numbers and hospitalizations are soaring. And while I’m trying to get this story nailed down BEFORE I write it so I can do just a few drafts, the hunters and witches are laughing my face. So…whatever. I’ll write a thousand and two drafts, but if I’m gonna suffer, then so are they. Just saying….

So yeah, reading is my escape, how about you?

And if you’re looking for a reading escape, here’s a new release! Last week I told you all a good friend of mine had a heart attack? Her name is Mindy Neff, and thankfully, she’s home and  recovering. Whew that was scary! In good news, her newest book, THE PRINCE & HIS CINDERELLA, just came out yesterday for only 99¢! If you like sweet and sexy small town romances, check it out here. This is the first book in a 3-part series that are all completed and being released back-to-back.

 

Weekend Roundup

Well, it was a weekend. Two main high points were:

Seeing Turbo because grandkids are so fun.

And I told Wizard about my idea of how to amp up my heroine in Primal Magic, and he was excited. I mean so excited, he keeps coming up with ideas. I love that so much and tells me I’m on the right track. Now I’m working that into the short synopsis I had, and naturally, that creates 30,000 more questions I need to find answers for, but that’s all part of the process. I’d hoped to start writing today, but I think it’s going to take a few more days or a week of pre-writing work to be really ready because the next two books are intertwined so I need to be sure I have certain things right. Patience!

Otherwise, was an unremarkable weekends. I’m slowly rereading the series, and working on creating the series timeline. That’s going to be an ongoing process for a couple more weeks, which is fine.

I try not to think much about SAVAGED DEVOTION with my editor. First, she clearly let me know her timeline so the turn around will be slow. And second, worrying won’t change a thing, but believing in myself and the book will keep me writing Appropriate amounts of fear and worry can guide us away from trouble, but too much fear and worry become massive roadblocks to success.

So that’s it for me, how was your weekend?

Friday Five

Another week zoomed by! So here’s my Friday Five:

I have a good chunk of my Wing Slayer Story Bible done. The one that needs the most work is the overall timeline, and that’s something I’ll have to backfill as I read through the series, and think of things. But at least I have a really good start to work from now.
Today I’m going to pull out my short synopsis of the next two books, and make some notes. I already know that writing detailed outlines is just makes the hunters find ways to screw them up, so…maybe I can outsmart them? Sigh…probably not. They live to torture me. I’ll just have to go through my normal write, delete, swear, beg and bargain, and then rewrite everything twenty more times to get the stories written!
Under the category of Things Wizard Has A Meltdown About. I could quite literally come home with something completely frivolous like an expensive purse, and he’d say, “You deserve it.” But yesterday I came home with some new 20 oz plastic tumblers that cost 79 cents each to replace our old ones.  He was AGHAST and said, “But I like these tumblers.” He actually held one up that he happened to be drinking tea out of like it was a trophy. I was super sympathetic when I laughed and told him to deal with the major life change and move on.  He did
I ended up with a UTI this week, and that slowed me down a bit. Annoying, but I got right into the doctor, and it should clear up. Once again, the doctor’s office had the whole Covid thing down, clearly taking reasonable precautions to protect themselves and the patients which I really appreciate.
I haven’t killed my herbs plants! I don’t know if they’ll survive the hot, 100+, heat of summer, but I’m going to try! I’ll have to start actually using then in dishes soon.

That’s my five random things about my week, now I’d love to hear yours! Hope everyone has a healthy and happy weekend!

Wednesday Picture

Yesterday, we got home from visiting Wizard’s mom (we are Covid-Careful), checked my messages and got a shock. A long time friend of mine had a serious heart attack. I’m truly shocked. However, she’s in the hospital getting treatment and we have every reason to be positive.

This news really rocked me a bit, so my post today is just a picture that makes me smile.

I love that little Frenchie face (But not as much as I love my own beloved Maggie!)

How’s your Wednesday going?