Laina Turner's Blog, page 13

Friend Friday – Larissa Reinhart

Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author Larissa Reinhart and her novel, 15 Minutes: A Maizie Albright Laugh-Out-Loud Romantic Comedy Mystery.

Buy it on Amazon, Kobo, iTunes and Nook.

 

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Friend Friday – Loraine J. Hudson

Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author Loraine J. Hudson and her novel, The House on Beale Street.

Buy it on Nook and Amazon.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A dream house in a small town. A cup of coffee on her porch. Her dog at her feet. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. Bumps in the night, unwelcome visitors, an angry friend and a lingering threat from a local robbery leave Marianne Reed wondering if her new home might become a nightmare. The question is, is it new house jitters, or is danger just around the corner?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Loraine Hudson lives and writes in a small town in Michigan. The first book in her “Beale Street” mystery series is The House on Beale Street. She released The Stars Over Beale Street in early 2019. She loves oldies rock music, stained glass, digging in her garden, playing with her dogs, horseback riding and, of course, writing. She is active in a nationwide thoroughbred rehab program, and is often at her most creative when taking her own ex-racehorse out for an amble through the woods, imagining dialogues, plot twists and new tales to tell. When she isn’t writing mysteries, she enjoys creating “tween” and YA chapter books under her pen name, Judith Wade, especially stories with a little bit of fantasy or adventure.

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Friend Friday – Tricia L. Sanders

Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author Tricia L. Sanders and her novel, Murder is a Dirty Business.

Buy it on Amazon.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Between hot flashes and divorce papers, a middle-aged woman reconsiders her outlook on life when she butts heads with a hot detective during a murder investigation.

When Cece Cavanaugh’s husband empties their joint bank account, steals her designer luggage, and runs off with a younger woman, Cece must decide whether to ask her manipulative mother-in-law for a handout or get a job. Choosing the easier path, Cece lands a job cleaning a crime scene where a high school coach was murdered. When his wife is implicated—a young woman Cece practically raised—Cece finds herself mopping floors, balancing an empty checkbook, and ferreting out a killer.

Amid all this messy business, Cece bumps heads with a handsome detective. She tries to ignore her growing attraction to the detective, but he gives new meaning to the term “hot flash.”

After she stumbles onto a clue that could vindicate her friend, her elation turns to panic when she haphazardly confronts the killer. Through the danger and romance, Cece discovers self-reliance and inner strength.

And that crime—at least, someone else’s—does pay the bills.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tricia L. Sanders writes cozy mysteries and women’s fiction. She adds a dash of romance and a sprinkling of snark to raise the stakes. Her heroines are humorous women embarking on journeys of self-discovery all the while doing so with class, sass, and a touch of kickass.

Tricia is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, so don’t get between her and the television when a game is on. Currently she is working on a mystery series set in the fictional town of Wickford, Missouri. Another project in the works is a women’s fiction road trip adventure.

A former instructional designer and corporate trainer, she traded in curriculum writing for novel writing, because she hates bullet points and loves to make stuff up. And fiction is more fun than training guides and lesson plans.

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Why Are You Doing That?

Why Are You Doing That?

Why?

Why is the sky blue?

Why do I have to get up today?

Why am I doing this?

Why.

A simple 3 letter word that can drive us crazy. For instance when my kids were toddlers and asked why every second about things I had no clue how to answer. Not only was it annoying but it made me feel inadequate for not being able to answer all their questions to their satisfaction.

Kids have this passion, this burning desire to ask why. They want to know about all these wonderful things in the world that interest them.

As we become adults, we stop asking why all the time. Our curiosity wanes as we settle into the matter of fact life of adulthood. That curiosity, that desire to know WHY is what will keep you motivated when you are struggling to move forward the way you want to toward your goals.

If you get stuck in a rut and feel unsure of where you want to do or what path to take, then you need to take a step back. Revisit the WHY.

Reminding yourself of your WHY can provide excitement, and a refocus on what you’re pursuing.

During the normal course of a day, week, month and so on, you can get so wrapped up in the business of life you don’t always examine your WHY.

Especially for women.

It’s a natural tendency of women to take on too much. Never stopping to think if it’s really what they want to do but rather feeling like it’s what they have to do to meet the needs of everyone but themselves.

Sound familiar?

Are you too busy DOING to think about WHY you’re doing?

Not asking yourself if it’s going to get you to your goal.

Not asking yourself how it’s going to impact you long term.

What are you waiting for?

The time to do that is NOW.

Ask yourself WHY.

Why are you doing what you’re doing?

Why are you blogging, or writing, or training for a marathon?

Is it because it sounded fun at the moment?

Is it because you’ve been doing it forever and you don’t know what else to do?

Is it because you have no choice (or feel you have no choice)?

Is it because you feel it’s what you’re supposed to do?

We’ve all been there, done that.

That’s not good enough in the long run. It won’t sustain you or fulfill you.

Trust me; I’ve had my fair share of doing things I didn’t necessarily want to. At the time, I felt I had to put food on the table, I felt I was supposed to, or felt I was backed into a corner and had to do whatever it was.

You might feel you don’t have the luxury to examine your WHY, but you do.

And you owe it to yourself.

I firmly believe life is too short to spend it doing something that doesn’t feed my soul. Even if I slip up and don’t always practice what I preach, it’s what I believe.

There’s always a choice. Often not an easy choice, at least at first, but there’s always a choice that will make you happy and fulfill you.

It all starts with your WHY.

WHY do you want what you want?

Is your WHY so important that it’s worth it to you to work hard, to lose sleep so you can work on your dream, and make sacrifices in the short term to have your dream life in the long term?

If not then don’t waste your time.

If your WHY is something, you want to bad you it’s all you can think about, then pursue it.

If you’re not sure what your WHY is then you owe it to yourself to find out. Write down your goals and write down your WHY for those goals. Make sure it’s meaningful and powerful and moves you to your ultimate dream.

Start today toward the life you want.

What’s YOUR WHY?

 

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Friend Friday – CeeCee James

Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author CeeCee James and her novel, Mind Your Manors (A Flamingo Realty Mystery Book 1).

Buy it on Amazon.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Meet Stella O’Neil, retired FBI agent Oscar O’Neil’s granddaughter. She’s got a lot on her plate, trying to figure out her crazy, stubborn family, the hidden secrets that caused her grandfather’s estrangement from her dad, and starting out as a realtor. Throw in a dead body found in what used to be the town’s “royalty” family’s manor, and she’s neck deep in a mystery.

She may be sweet, but she’s pretty stubborn herself.

As
Stella’s curiosity leads her from one town resident to the next, a
dramatic tale of family secrets starts to appear, but is she getting too
close to the truth? A scary car chase in the dark has her nerves on
edge, but she won’t give up until she finds out who the skeleton once
was. She’s so close… but someone… maybe more than one person… will
do anything to stop her.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CeeCee James is a USA Today best selling writer who got her story-telling feet wet with the many bedtime stories she told her children through the years. Some of her mystery series include- the Baker Street Mysteries, Angel Lake Cozy Mysteries, and the Oceanside Hotel mysteries. She’s known for writing flawed sleuths with a good sense of humor and an added dash of romance.

Her favorite place to write is curled up in an oversized squashy chair with a cup of coffee and a sleeping dog by her feet. She has two mini-dachshunds who like to snore and chase things in their sleep. In honor of them, there are usually dogs in her books, with the exception of the Angel Lake series, which has a cat in honor of the one in her author picture.

Writing has been a life long passion. Her first published works was nonfiction Ghost No More. She loves writing about love and the celebration of life.

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Friend Friday – Brooke Gillespie-Trout

Today’s Friend Friday is spotlighting author Brooke Gillespie-Trout and her novel, Heart and Soul – Set It Free.

Buy it on Amazon,Nook, iTunes and Kobo

ABOUT THE BOOK:
1986. A time when sitcoms were wholesome, and rock and roll was shameless. When Alexandra Lorraine, an aspiring actress, unexpectedly meets Slater Heart, a promising rock star, they feel the attraction immediately. Their acquaintance is cut short, thanks to boys behaving badly, and their friendship ends before it has a chance to begin. Finding himself at a loss with his situation, Slater seeks Alexandra’s help. With Slater’s persistence and Alexandra’s kindness, she makes a snap decision that changes both of their lives. When their friendship grows, they find a teacher within each other. She had never learned how to live life to the fullest, and he had never learned what true love was all about. As they climb to the top, and their visions become reality, is falling in love enough to give it all up, or do they have the courage to live their dreams and set each other free?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brooke Gillespie-Trout is a writer who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born on the East Coast and living throughout the United States, Brooke grew up involved with the theater and was always intrigued with the “Bad Boys.” Brooke’s imagination has taken her on many adventures and she’s happy to finally be putting one into print. Heart & Soul – Set It Free is the first book in the Heart & Soul series. This is her debut novel.

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Booked For Murder – A Read Wine Bookstore Mystery

Trixie is ecstatic that she is about to reach her lifelong dream of owning a shop which is a combination bookstore, coffee shop, wine bar. It’s the best of all worlds. To make it even better she’s doing it with her best friends Sally and Cora.

Everything is going smoothly until strange things start to occur. Someone trashes their store mere days before they are to open. Then Sally gets stranded when someone puts sugar in her gas tank.

Who has it in for them? Is it Sylvia, Sallys ex-husbands new girlfriend or is someone trying to sabotage Read Wine?

Download the full novel today for FREE!

Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.

Chapter 1

“I told you Facebook was the
devil. Life was much simpler when we didn’t live it in front of everyone. Like
back when we were twelve and we passed notes that couldn’t go viral. Or being made
to feel like we aren’t enough when looking at everyone’s highlight reel.”

“Yeah, but then we didn’t know what everybody’s
doing every minute of every day.” My best friend, Sally, laughed. “I don’t know
how we used to survive without knowing who was having what for dinner. Much
less all the other things people post that they really should keep to
themselves. Like when Peter Dyer commented on Teresa Green’s post of the
picture of her in a bathing suit, saying she looked hot. And his wife saw it?
He’s lucky he’s still alive.”

“Facebook has really brought out the
stupid in people. Like his wife wasn’t going to find out. And when she did,
what did he think would happen?” I shook my head, thinking about his stupidity.

We were sitting in my kitchen doing some Facebook
stalking, though since people put it all out there for everyone to see it
wasn’t exactly stalking. Just looking. Why? We were bored, and after a few
glasses of wine, it seemed like a good idea. Maybe find someone we could live
vicariously through. It was harmless and quite entertaining, until Sally
decided to see what her ex was up to and found herself confronted with a bunch
of pictures of Tom and his girlfriend. The woman he’d cheated on her with, and
who’d ruined Sally’s marriage. ‘Sylvia the slut,’ Sally called her. Sally tried
to put on a brave face and pretend seeing the pictures didn’t bother her, but I
could tell it did. They’d been together for a long time, and had kids together,
so it wasn’t easy for her to get over.

My name is Trixie Pristine. I got saddled with the
unfortunate perky-blonde-bimbo- sounding name because my mother, an avid
reader, loved Trixie Belden books as a kid. I always held it against my dad
that he wasn’t able to talk her out of it. It had made junior high school a living
hell. Pristine was the leftover surname from my ex, but my maiden name,
Gradowski, was nothing I cared to go back to. At least people could spell
Pristine. My brown hair and dark brown eyes just didn’t fit with the name
Trixie, or Trix as my friends called me. And yes, I’d heard my fair share of
“Trix are for kids” cracks growing up. With a name like this, I should be
blonde with a perfectly groomed appearance and big boobs, but that more aptly
described my friend Sally.

Even after three kids, she looked fantastic. If she
wasn’t one of my best friends I’d hate her. Considering my plain brown hair,
rarely finding the ability to put together an outfit that made me look my best,
and average boobs, I considered myself ordinary. Though I’d had my share of compliments,
so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

I’m thirty-eight and divorced, with an
eight-year-old son. I’m the librarian at the local library. Not the most
exciting job on the planet, but it paid the bills. I have a good boyfriend and
great friends. Thank goodness I have good friends who are always my saving
grace. Even if we do pass the time Facebook stalking.

“I don’t know what I saw in that jerk
anyways,” Sally said, drawing me back into our conversation from my
daydreaming.

“So why are we even looking at his Facebook page?”

“You’re right. Why torture myself like this?” She
closed the lid to my laptop and took another drink of her wine. “By the way,
this red Moscato is really good.”

“I know. What makes it even better is it was on
sale for five bucks a bottle with an additional ten percent off. I bought ten
bottles.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I had to take advantage of a good
deal.” I pointed to my wine rack, which was full of red Moscato, with the
overflow sitting next to it on the counter. The overflow that might be gone at
the end of this evening the way we were going.

She laughed. “You wino.”

“Well, some days the thought of a glass of wine is
all that gets me through.” I paused a moment. “God, I do sound like a wino. I’m
always thinking about what I want to be when I grow up,” I said wistfully. “I’m
so bored. I love the people I work with and the people who come in for books,
but the day-to-day is so tedious.”

“You’ve been saying that for years now,
Trix. Why don’t you do something about it? Go after something different. Go
after your dream.”

“Which one? Find a rich, old dude with one foot in
the grave and no dependents to take me away from all this?” I said, sweeping my
arms all around me. “Or the one where I open a bookstore with a coffee shop and
wine bar?”

Sally pretended to think. “Well, being that this
town seems to have a shortage of rich old dudes with one foot in the grave, but
a surplus of people who like to drink and who can probably read, I think the
bookstore idea might be the better choice.”

“Ahh, it’s always nice to dream.”

“Dammit, it’s time we stopped dreaming
and started doing. Living the life we want and deserve,” she said loudly,
startling me and drumming her fist on the table, her blonde hair flying.

“Whoa! Calm down, sister.” I stood up
to refill my glass and topped off Sally’s. “You’re talking crazy.”

“No, I’m not. Things just finally fell into place
and became crystal clear.” “Really? Just this minute?” I said. “Are you sure
it’s not the wine talking?”

“Stop. Now, listen to me. You have always dreamed
of owning a used bookstore. The only thing that’s stopped you is money.”

“That and the fear I would be a big, fat failure,
but there’s no reason to dwell on that because I don’t have the money in the first
place.”

“That may be true, but
I have a big windfall headed to my bank account by the end of the month,” Sally
said, and I started to shake my head. “Just hear me out, Trix. I have spent
half my life keeping Tom organized at work, taking care of all the details and finances. I’m good at that stuff.
You know books.
I need a job, and you
need to finally realize your dream. This is perfect for us. We can be partners.”

I opened my mouth to object, then closed it. I
found myself instantly excited at the prospect of my days being spent at my own
bookstore, where people could enjoy books while drinking coffee or wine. But I
knew it wasn’t realistic. I wasn’t in a position to follow that dream. “Sally,
don’t think I don’t love the idea. I do. But not only do I not have money to
invest in a business, but you need to do something a lot safer with your
settlement than potentially throwing it away on a venture that may not work.
This is your life’s savings you’re talking about. Who’s to say our small town
can even support a used bookstore?”

“Who’s to say it won’t, until we do our research?
Surely, if we can support three bakeries, we can support a bookstore.”

“I don’t know—”

“Oh, please. Don’t be such a wuss. We
won’t fail. We’re too awesome, and this is a great idea. Do you want to look
back in twenty years and regret that you didn’t follow your dreams?”

Between the two of us, I was the more practical and
less of a risk taker.

Sally was always up for something. She’d been the
first to pierce her ears with an ice cube and needle, and without her mom
knowing. The first to go all the way with a boy, and the first to get married
and have a baby. Sally jumped into things with both feet first and thought
about consequences later. That was one of the many things I loved about her.
Me? I worried about the consequences before anything else. We’d always balanced
each other out well.

I mean, I wouldn’t call myself a glass-half-empty
gal, just maybe a
glass-half-full-so-we-better-drink-slowly-because-there’s-no-back-up-in-the-pantry
gal. I was cautious, whereas Sally was full of vibrant passion. Even catching
her husband playing hide-the-sausage with the receptionist at his Buick
dealership didn’t dampen that optimism.

“This town would thrive on it,” she said. “You have
to drive to the next big town for a bookstore, and the bars here aren’t the
most relaxing place to drink a glass of wine. Unless you want to go to
half-price wine night at Applebee’s, you’re out of luck. The only coffee shop
is the old diner, and the Tanners have got to be ready to retire soon, and that
will only leave McDonald’s. C’mon, Trixie, take a chance for once. You owe it
to the town of Plainville to spruce the downtown area up a bit.”

“Even if I decided I was up for the risk, it
doesn’t change the fact I don’t have a pile of cash lying around.”

“You may not have a million buried in the backyard,
but you have options if you really want to follow your dreams. The money part
can be figured out. It’s only money. Your house is almost paid off, you have a
healthy 401k, and a college fund for Cody. Borrow from one of those.”

“So, when I lose all of Cody’s college money or our
house on a business whim, what should I tell him? ‘Sorry, dude, but Mom was
having a mid-life crisis and decided to spend your future?’”

Sally rolled her eyes. “Fine, don’t use
the college fund. My point is, you have options. You just need to think outside
the box. Opening a business is like having a baby. There’s never a right time. You
just need to do it.”

Her enthusiasm started to get to me, as it usually
did. She didn’t typically have a difficult time swaying me to her way of
thinking. It had gotten me into trouble a few times as a kid, but I’d always
had a good time, making the consequences worth it. I hadn’t felt too excited
about what I was doing in my life for years and had come to the belief that
maybe this was just what it meant to be an adult. You did what you needed to
do, rather than what you wanted to do. That was the responsible thing, right?
But thinking over the possibility of doing something I actually wanted to do?
Wow, it sure was fun.

“At least think about it,” Sally implored.

What did I have to lose if I explored a little? “Okay, fine. I’ll think about it.” Sally squealed with excitement. “I just know you’re going to see this the way I do, Trixie.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Download the full novel today for FREE!

Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.

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Stilettos and Scoundrels – a Presley Thurman mystery FREE Chapter

Stilettos
& Scoundrels

Presley tells her boss what he can do with her job in HR and embarks on a new career as a freelance journalist. What seems like a simple interview with a Senator turns to murder when the day after her interview the Senator is found dead. Does the fact that Presley was one of the last people to see him alive make her a suspect?  Her ex–boyfriend Cooper, who was in charge of the Senator’s security, might think so. Presley is determined to clear her name but can she do it and resist Cooper’s charms?

Read the first chapter below or download the full novel today for FREE!

Follow me on Bookbub and Amazon.

Chapter 1

What
was I thinking? Did I just tell my boss off and get myself fired? I smiled, thinking
back to the moment I told David Ritter that I wouldn’t sleep with him if he
were the last man on earth. I wouldn’t sleep with him, even if he promised me
the new Louis Vuitton satchel I had been eyeing up, and I’ve always said I
would do anything for that Louis satchel. By the look on his face, no wasn’t
something he was accustomed to hearing. Though now unemployed, it was a small
price to pay to tell him off.

 I made my way back to my condo, forgoing the
bus in lieu of a brisk walk the few blocks from my office—well, my former
office. It was a nice day out, and frankly I hated public transportation. The
bus was just a necessary evil on rainy or cold days. Besides, walking those few
blocks would take me past one of my favorite boutiques, Element. I could hardly
afford to shop there, but I loved to look. They always had the most fabulous
window displays, and I knew that it would brighten my outlook on life.

 I thought back to what happened a few hours
earlier. It had started out as a good day. My hair turned out well because the
low humidity helped keep it frizz proof. I was wearing one of my favorite
skirts, a chocolate–colored pencil skirt, and paired it with a cream–colored
cowl neck sweater. It was April, but the wind in Chicago meant that it was still
chilly, and a sweater seemed just the thing on a crisp spring day. I’d slipped
on my brown Jimmy Choos and my favorite silver earrings from Silvapada with
matching bangle bracelet, and headed out the door. I stopped at Starbucks on
the way to work, ordered a venti chai skinny with one Splenda, and walked in
the door to the office with a few minutes to spare. Enough time to chat with my
best work friend, Tonya, who was smoking surreptitiously outside the employee
entrance just underneath the no–smoking sign.

“Tonya,
one of these days you are going to get caught and get in big trouble,” I said
to my friend.

“Whatever,”
said Tonya, waving her hands absently. “They can’t afford to get rid of me. I
know where all of their skeletons are buried.” She laughed.

Tonya
was joking, but she also wasn’t far off. Working at McLaughlin Industries for
the last fifteen years, Tonya was the only one on our floor who had been there
the entire time our boss, David Ritter, had. Though he hadn’t always been the
boss. David Ritter was a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, and Tonya
knew about everything he had done that the company had tried to sweep under the
rug. She also had no problem telling him she knew what a despicable ass he was.
She intimidated David, so he just ignored her whenever possible. Lucky her.

“You
want to check out the spring sale at Macy’s on our lunch break?” Tonya asked.

“You
don’t have to ask me twice.”

“Good.”
Tonya twisted her cigarette against the brick wall to put it out and flicked
the butt in the trash can. “We might as well get this day started.”

About
an hour after we got back from lunch, where I had the good fortune to pick up
two pairs of Diesel jeans and a cute red DKNY stretchy t–shirt, David called me
into his office. Not an unusual occurrence in itself. As a Senior Stilettos and
Scoundrels Human Resource manager, I had many meetings with David in his
capacity as Vice President of Sales, where he was always coming on to me, and
it had grown tiresome. A couple of times I had complained to David’s boss,
Gary, after David wouldn’t stop texting me about taking me out or about how I
looked that day. I wasn’t sure what Gary had said when he talked to David, but
David had mostly behaved since then. When forced to speak to me, he was curt
and tense, but I didn’t care because it was better than the alternative.
Although lately I wondered more and more why I still worked there under those
conditions. I didn’t trust him, and I was just waiting for his old antics to
flare up again. Today I wasn’t disappointed.

“You
wanted to see me, David?” I walked into his office and stood in front of his
over-sized mahogany desk.

 “Yes. Have a seat.” David gestured to one of
the chairs beside his desk, next to a small coffee table. His office wasn’t
luxurious, but it was a step up from my tiny cubicle.

I
sat down as David leaned against his desk, and I could barely stand the
overpowering stench of his cologne. I wanted to gag, and hoped whatever he had
to say was quick.

“I
wanted to talk to you about the workforce reduction reports, Presley. They’re
still four percent higher than where I asked you to come in the last time.” His
topic wasn’t surprising. I knew this was coming eventually. One of the aspects
of my position that I hated most was that I was responsible for cutting jobs. I
knew it was unavoidable if the company was to remain profitable, but it was a distasteful
duty nonetheless.

“David,
I realize the numbers were above expectations, but the higher average salary of
some of the more tenured employees wasn’t figured into the original numbers.
Head count came in on target. One person less even, but the salary piece was
higher.”

“Not
good enough. You needed to hit those numbers, or it throws off the rest of my
projections. I’m accountable for those. You need to fix it. Get rid of Evans
and Thompson. You can hire four college grads for that amount of money and
still have cash left over.”

 “How do you expect me to do that?” I glared at
him, incredulous. “I can’t just get rid of people because they make too much
money and don’t fit in your spreadsheet calculations, when they are the best
person for the job. That’s how lawsuits happen.”

 “Hey, I’m the sales guy, you’re HR. It’s your
job to figure it out.” I seethed, my hands clenching. I wanted to punch him.
There was only so much I could do from a legal and ethical standpoint. He just
wanted to make my life difficult, and he was doing a damned fine job at it.

“Maybe
we could work something out,” David said, putting a lecherous hand on my knee.

I
deliberately took his hand, removed it from my knee, and looked him straight in
the eye. “And what exactly would that be?”

 “Let’s just say if you are nice to me, I could
be persuaded to overlook the discrepancy. Then you wouldn’t have to lay off any
more people,” David said with his version of a charming smile, returning his
hand to my knee. Furious, I jumped up and faced him, putting my hands on my
hips.

“If
you think I would do anything outside my professional capacity for you, you are
sadly mistaken. Your behavior is despicable, and I’m not going to tolerate it.”

David
flushed a deep red. “Are you sure about that, Presley?” He sneered. “We’re
making cuts all across the company, and if you aren’t doing your job, which you
clearly aren’t by being over budget, well…”

“Are
you trying to tell me that if I am not nice to you, you’re going to fire me?” I
said, using finger quotes on the nice.

“I’m
not doing anything. It’s your choice.” David sat back in his chair looking
smug, as if he thought I was going to change my mind if he threatened me about
my job. “Well?”

“Well,
nothing. I won’t do it.”

“Then
I guess you have left me no choice. You’re fired.”

“What?
You can’t do that.”

“Yes
I can. Like I said, we need to make more cuts.”

I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was no way Gary knew about this. I
had worked with him for years before David had become my direct boss. David got
up and went behind his desk.

“That’s
all,” he said, dismissing me. “Please clear out your desk and leave. I assume
you won’t cause any trouble on your way out. I would hate to call security.”

 I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe this was
happening. I walked over to his desk. “Is there something else, Presley?”

 “Just one more thing.” David looked up
expectantly. I picked up his coffee cup and threw the contents at him. His jaw
dropped. He stood there dripping coffee off what was probably a five–
hundred–dollar suit.

I started laughing. “That’s all I have to say.” I turned around and walked out of his office.

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Master Your To-do List

Do you master your to-do list or does it take control over you?

The dreaded to-do list. The long list that every Monday I promise myself I will work hard, obliterate, and crush my to-do list to get down to ZERO. I promise myself I won’t keep rolling things over from day to day yet I always seem to do exactly that.

My list gets longer and longer and I feel like I’m never going to catch up. Looking at the list makes me want to pour a glass of wine which at 8 am on a Monday morning is a bad idea.

Until recently.

And it’s not just because I bought this super cute to do list notebook from the Lily Pulitzer store. Though I can’t deny it was a big help in my dedication to the cause. Though I have yet to use it. It’ so pretty it sits on my desk because I don’t want to use it and screw up. I know you’re thinking how did it motivate you if you’re not using it?

Fair question.

Because I want to get my shit together so I can use it. Kind of like losing that last 5 lbs so your favorite jeans aren’t too tight and you can wear them. Seeing them sit around taunting you because you can’t get into them helps you stay away from the chips and wine.

I go through streaks of productivity. Much like anyone else. But I want to get consistent so I’m not always riding the wave of I got this to complete overwhelm. It’s exhausting.

I’ve read all the books and tips. I know what I need to do to stay on top of things. I’m sure we all do. Its actually doing it that’s the issue. It’s so easy to see that huge list and be like yeah, that’s too much. I’m going to watch Netflix.

I see mastering my todo list as 50% organization and 50% motivation. You can’t have one without the other.

So what have I found to help me stay organized and motivated?

1. Write things down. I prefer the old-fashioned paper and pen thing but I also use trill. I learned long ago that keeping things in my head is a BAD idea. I like to think I will remember but the truth is I won’t. As scary as it can be to put it all down you will feel great satisfaction once you start plowing through it and checking it off.

2. Tackle what you don’t want to do most, first. I’m the queen of procrastination on things I don’t feel motivated to do. I love my job but there are aspects of blogging and being an author I don’t like. So I tend to let those aspects pile up. Then I get more and more anxious knowing they are looming out there. If I just do it and get it over with my life is a lot better. And usually once done they weren’t so bad in the first place.

3. Set a timer. While in theory, you might think you will force yourself to sit down and not get up from your seat until everything is done that’s not realistic. You’ll get tired, annoyed, and stop. At least I do and I’m going off what I know. I find it easier to work in short bursts. I’ll set my timer for 20-30 minute increments. Bust some things out and then walk around the house, get a drink, do a few jumping jacks (ok not really) and then sit back down for 20-30 minutes.

4. Batch tasking. I find myself much more able to stay on top of things if I group them together. I can’t jump back and forth between writing fiction, making blog images, and writing up notes for clients. It takes different parts of my brain. I used to think I needed to work on all tasks every day. I felt guilty if I didn’t. What I’ve found is if I organize my time and break things up into chunks where I might do all graphics on Monday and social messages Wednesday, I can be a lot more efficient. The only thing I do every day is fiction writing so I don’t get out of touch on my story. But even that sometimes it’s just 15 minutes. So I can touch it and feel connected. Sometimes it’s a full 8 hour day.

5. Don’t multi-task and turn off social media. Social media is such a time suck. Especially for this of us who need to be on it for work purposes. It’s hard to turn it off lest we miss something super important. But all it fades is take the focus away from whatever else you’re working on. Another reason I batch task. When there is one thing in front of you without distractions you’ll be that much more effective.

6. Outsource what you’re not good at. It’s hard to spend money. Especially, when you’re bootstrapping your business. However, if it’s taking you 5 times as long to do a task that someone else could do faster and better you might want to consider it.

Your time IS money!

I’d love to hear how you stay focused on your to-do list!

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Friend Friday – Sam Cheever

Today’s Friend Friday Feature is spotlighting author Sam Cheever and her novel, Fowl Campaign.

Buy here: Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Kobo

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Come to Silver Hills. Where fowl plans can either mean dinner out, or the deadly designs of a chicken-livered killer. When Vlad’s opponent for the Silver City mayoral race succumbs to fowl deeds, he seriously changes the pecking order in Vlad’s favor. But the victim’s death has made Vlad king of the roost, so the Silver Hills night manager quickly becomes the obvious suspect. Plucky investigators Flo and Co. are certainly no strangers to Vlad’s evil ways. But they’re also not egg-xactly convinced he did it. So, when Flo learns that the victim, a wealthy local chicken farmer, had been trying to reach her when he was killed, she’s more than a little curious why. Will their investigation shine a light on a killer’s fowl deeds before he flies the coop? Or will Flo chicken out when the villain threatens to go all cock-a-doodle-do on her bad self? There’s only one way to find out. And you already know what it is… Yep, Flo and Co. are goin’ in, tail feathers high!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes mystery and suspense, creating stories that draw you in and keep you eagerly turning pages. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 80+ books.

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