Kim Fielding's Blog, page 27

30-Day Writing Challenge: Day 27

27. What you wore today

That sounds like a question a creepy caller would ask. Okay. Today I don’t have to go into the office. I do have to do the laundry and pack for a trip, plus I need to walk soon. I’m dressed accordingly: in my least favorite black walking shorts and an oversized red T-shirt from a trip to Alaska. And reading glasses. I never used to wear glasses at all, but I started needing reading glasses a few years ago. I find them annoying. I’m constantly taking them on and off (which means they get fingerprinty quickly). I bought several pairs, which I keep in strategic places. One at work, one by my laptop, one in the family room next to my reading spot, one at my bedside, and one in my purse. I’m constantly digging for that last one.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 26

26. Things you’d say to an ex

I don’t have an ex. My husband was pretty much my first boyfriend. I also try really, really hard not to harbor bitterness toward others. I’m not always successful, but I do believe that kind of anger only hurts the person who nurtures it in her heart. Anyway, I guess it would depend on why we broke up. Was it amicable? Did it devastate me? Mostly, I guess I’d say something like, “I hope life’s treating you well.” And then I’d move on.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 25

25. Four weird traits you have

I always arrive at airports early. Way early. Obsessively so. It doesn’t help that all the airports are 100 miles from me, with unpredictable traffic in between. I stress about it. And I like hanging out in airports–they’re often good places to work–so I’d rather just be really early and not worry. My husband and I argue about this.
I cannot roll my r’s. I’ve tried (in multiple languages) but can’t do it. One of my language profs said it’s a speech impediment–one that doesn’t show if I stick to English.
I can’t hold up three fingers like this:

An adult female hand holding three fingers in the air spread apart, (with clipping path)

Not with either hand. My thumb and pinky just don’t work that way. My dad can’t do it either, so it’s probably some weird genetic thing.
All allergy medicines and decongestants–even the non-drowsy ones–zonk me out. I can’t take any of them unless I’m prepared to be a semi-conscious zombie for the next day or so. Which sucks, because I live in Allergy Central. But hey, I’ll never need a prescription to sleeping pills as long as I can have allergy meds nearby.

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An Explanation

I’ve had a couple of people ask about this, and I definitely don’t want anyone confused or feeling cheated, so let me tell you what’s going on with my novellas Treasure and Guarded.

Both of them are available as free downloads. Here are the links: Treasure and Guarded. You can also find the links on my Free Reads page.

But you can also find them both on Amazon, each for 99 cents. See? Treasure and Guarded. Why did I do this?

Basically, I wanted to make them both available as audiobooks. In fact, Treasure will be ready soon! But in order to do that, they had to be listed on Amazon, because Amazon owns ACX, the company that allows authors and narrators to come together. And Amazon won’t let me list the books for free. So I set the price as low as possible. And I’m donating all my royalties to Doctors Without Borders.

So what should you do?

Download them for free, if you like.
Or pay for them at Amazon and know that you’re helping support a wonderful cause.
Consider contacting Amazon and letting them know the books are free elsewhere. If enough people do this, they may drop the price to free under their PriceMatch program.

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy them. And please consider leaving a review, on Amazon, Goodreads, or elsewhere.

 

PS–I plan to do the same thing in the future with another of my free novellas, The Downs. Oh, and all my audiobook royalties from these books will also go to Doctors Without Borders.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 24

24. Something you miss

I miss my family. I live in California with my husband and kids, but most of my relatives are in Oregon. We see each other once or twice a year. I miss being able to hang out with them and do things together. I’m hoping to be able to move to Oregon in the not-too-distant future.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 23

23. A family member you dislike

That’s awful. I can honestly say I like all my family members. A lot. So instead, I’ll write about a family member’s annoying habit.

I do almost all my writing while sitting at the kitchen table. I have a study, but I prefer the kitchen because then I’m not so cut off from my family. I can endure a fair amount of noise and chaos, and the TV in the adjacent family room rarely bothers me.

In the evenings, my husband often sits in the family room, watching TV or playing video games. And periodically he’ll say a thing. Like, “Remember I’ll be home late Thursday.” Which interrupts me, but okay. I respond. He goes back to whatever. And just as I’m getting back to work, he’ll say another thing. Like, “And I have an appointment Wednesday morning.” I respond. Another long pause. I get back to work. Then, “I think we should refinance the house.”

It makes me want to strangle him.

Sometimes I just glare. “Are you done yet?” I demand. Spit it all out at once, you know? I was once on a deadline, writing the last chapter of a book, and I threatened to stab him if he kept interrupting like that. He and the kids thought that was hilarious.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 22

22. Your morning routine

This varies depending on the day of the week and time of the year. A typical academic weekday morning looks like this:

Wake up when husband’s alarm goes off at 6:30.
Try to go back to sleep, but fail.
Get up at 7:30
Shower, etc.
Head downstairs
Start up laptop
Brew tea if it’s cold, pour water or iced tea if it’s warm
Grab banana and vitamins
Eat while checking email and social media
Defuse whatever disasters developed overnight
Make and pack lunch
Put on shoes (and coat, if it’s cold), grab phone, keys, purse, and whatever needs to be dragged to work
Drive to work

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 21

21. Your zodiac/horoscope and whether you think it fits you.

I don’t believe in this. I’m an Aries born in the Chinese year of the ram, so, you know, double sheep.

Here are the supposed traits of ram people:

Strengths gentle, softhearted, considerate, attractive, hardworking, persistent, thrift

Weaknesses indecisive, timid, vain, pessimistic, moody, weak-willed

Only a couple of those apply to me.

Here what this site says about Aries:

Persons born in Aries ascendant will have a certain amount of independent thinking and reasoning faculty. The persons borne under the Aries horoscope are capable people. They may not be strict followers of convention. They are lovers of scientific thought and philosophy; have their own ideas of right and wrong and are strongly bent upon educational pursuits. As the Ram rules them, Aries Horoscope persons are rather stubborn but often frank, impulsive and courageous.

Aries are more gossipers than practical. They sometimes, require a certain amount of cajolery and sycophancy to raise them to action.

They are often pioneers in a field. As Mars is the lord of Aries, they will be martial in spirit. Their constitution will be hot, and they are occasionally subject to hot complaints, piles and the likes, and must avoid enterprises involving any serious risks.

Aries love beauty, art and elegance. The diseases Aries suffer from will be mostly those of the head and unpleasant sightseeing may often lead to mental affliction and derangement of brain. Their built will be slender and females generally possess fairly perfect contours. One peculiarity is craning the neck.

That’s closer, although hardly spot-on. I guess maybe I ought to avoid unpleasant sightseeing. I don’t want my brain deranged.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 20

20. Put your music player on shuffle and write the first 3 songs that play and what your initial thought is

I like my playlist. It’s… eclectic. I like it so much I’m going to list the first 5 songs instead. ‘Cause I’m a rebel. I’ve added YouTube links so you can enjoy too!

“Celebrate the Riot” by Dubioza Kolektiv. This is a Bosnian group that plays an interesting mixture of rock, reggae, and punk. When I visited Sarajevo a few years ago, my guide told me about them. You can download their albums for free! They mostly sing in English, but I enjoy trying to understand the occasional Bosnian words too.
“Autrefois” by Pink Martini.  For some reason, I especially enjoy listening to music in other languages, and Pink Martini does songs in several. This particular song makes me feel like I should be sitting in a Parisian bar feeling angsty.
“Natrag U Garažu” by Psihomodo Pop. This band is Croatian and plays pop punk. I discovered them during one of my stays in Zagreb. I think it might be about somebody getting drunk in a garage, but I’m not very confident in that translation.
“Sloop John B” by the Beach Boys. I am a terrible singer, but when I’m alone I like to sing along with this one. Also on my playlist, I have Me First and the Gimme Gimmes singing the same song. Faster.
“Lovely Loretta” by Chris Isaak. Chris Isaak is from Stockton, just up the road from me. I’ve seen him in concert twice–he does a great show. When I was walking out of the second concert, I hear some guy say to his wife, “He does Johnny Cash better than Johnny Cash.” He also does a mean Ray Orbison and Elvis, and I love his Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing.

I’m surprised no versions of “Hallelujah” came up. I have four. I think my favorite is Rufus Wainwright’s.

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30 Day Writing Challenge: Day 19

19. Five fears that you have

Pull your chair right up to my couch now. Ready?

Heights. But only if they’re over water and there’s no barrier between me and the drop. The flimsiest barrier will do to make me feel better. And yes, I realize that if you’re going to fall, probably better into water than onto solid ground. But there you go.
Enclosed spaces. I’m mildly claustrophobic. This means that on crowded airplanes I’m really going to want an aisle seat. I discovered years ago that it also means I can’t snorkel. Putting that mask over my eyes and nose freaks me out, even though I’m aware I can breathe perfectly well through my mouth.
Failure. Not little failures, because we all have those. Sometimes daily. I’m afraid of trying hard at something and having it bomb spectacularly.
Lack of control. Because I am the world’s biggest control freak.
My kids being unhappy adults. I don’t particularly care what my girls do for a living when they grow up. I don’t care whom they love. I just want them to lead healthy, happy lives. Simple, right?

One thing almost everyone else is afraid of but I’m not? Public speaking. I got rid of that fear by joining the speech team in high school, and I’ve spent the past 23 years speaking in front of groups on an almost daily basis. I’m really comfortable with it. Now if I had to sing? That would be a different story.

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