Michele Venne's Blog

Perception of Time

Time passes independently of our wants. On most nights this week, when I sat down to journal out my day (not really a diary, but a place to put thoughts and reflections), I could list what I did, but not account for what seemed like hours of the day. Some tasks were crossed off my to-do list, but not all, and the list wasn’t long. Perhaps planets have aligned, or are out of alignment…

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From Storage to a Second Life

I’ve had tubs in the garage from my days in the classroom. For my entire career, I’ve created my own materials. When I had English classes, and we read novels, there were packets of vocabulary and comprehension questions. Grammar meant parts of speech and types of sentences. Math had me figuring out ways to practice concepts that didn’t require a worksheet. Through the years since I’ve left the…

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When All the Pieces Come Together

In the last few of days, I’ve been staring wide-eyed at the computer. Writer 4 came through, submitting all his stories and the extras needed for all the parts of the anthology. I finished the edits, put all the stories together in one document, and formatted it in Vellum. The beta reader has her copy. I complied all the parts for the cover, except the description, which I asked one of the writers…

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A Different View

I spent time this week shuffling file folders and stories. With the research I’ve done the last three weeks for a couple of clients, my jotted notes had my attention turning toward a training I completed 27 years ago. It’s interesting that not much has changed in that field. As my focus swiveled from one project to the next, I took a moment to do a little reflection. Where have I had success…

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The Little Things

Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the details until something big happens. Or if our attention is drawn elsewhere. Or if we have our gaze on the end goal and not on the journey. This week, I’ve found many instances where the details matter more than the big picture. It’s August here in the Southwest. summer is my very least favorite time of the year because there are too many days (and…

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Getting Clear of the Weeds

No new release to announce this week. Today, the first of August, marks a transition. It’s the official end of the summer client schedule. I have tomorrow off, then Sunday begins the fall schedule. It’s a ramp up to a full schedule. I’m anticipating days when I have one to three clients. It will be like days off, since the last few weeks I’ve had six a day. This time of year, my schedule is in…

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It’s Here!

I made my July deadline for releasing The Lost Gift, my newest holiday romantic suspense novella! The story bloomed from a prompt in a writing group I attended years ago. I’m happy that Sterling and Abby get a second chance at love. Here’s the book description: “When Fate hands them a second chance, will the past keep them from a happy future? Sterling Clark never thought a plane crash…

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Chipping Away in the Word Mine

Last week I announced the release of Building Fluency: Math Vocabulary. This week I have an update on the other two projects. The cover designers came through with a great cover for The Lost Gift. I asked for one change. I’m waiting for the new file. I have completed all but one of the little steps needed for publishing this romantic suspense holiday novella. I read it aloud and made some…

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New Release!

Great news! My newest math workbook, Building Fluency: Math Vocabulary, is live! Like all my projects, it turned out very different than what I thought. But I’m really pleased with the end result. I included 15 lessons focusing on math concepts. Each lesson starts with a page of words and definitions, then five pages of varied practice, a puzzle page, a journal page, and several pages of flash…

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Focused Attention

Sometimes I think my ability to focus for hours at a time on something is not a strength. However, this week my focus allowed me to finish the math workbook, Building Fluency: Math Vocabulary. It turned out much bigger than I planned. I should not be surprised at this, as every one of my projects has a life of their own. The details are with the graphic designer who will do the cover.

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