Laura Roberts's Blog, page 6

January 2021 goal setting: Read, write, exercise – REPEAT!

Happy Saturday! It’s been a full week since 2021 began, so it’s time for a quick goal check-in.

What have I been doing for the past week?

On January 1st I wrote up a list of five goals for the month, two of which I aim to maintain all year. Here are my five monthly goals, with asterisks denoting the year-long items:

*WRITE* every day, as part of my #OneMillionWords Challenge.*EXERCISE* every day, with a goal of 5.5 miles walked daily (part of my virtual journey to Neptune).READ Dante’s The Divine Comedy, at a pace of one canto per day, as part of the Chapter-A-Day Challenge.COMPLETE my Race Through California 5K.READ at least two books for my Reading Women Challenge.

Looking at that fairly large list, I decided to hit my goals hard and got straight to work, racking up 5.3 total miles of walking, reading Canto 1 of Dante’s Inferno, and writing 2,233 words towards my #OneMillionWords goal. I even did a 21-minute writing sprint to celebrate the new year.

It felt good to finally leave 2020 behind and start fresh, and I was full of energy.

So how did I do for the rest of the week?

#OneMillionWords: Weekly word counts

Here’s a breakdown of how many words I wrote this week towards my #OneMillionWords goal:

Saturday 1/2: 1,018 wordsSunday 1/3: 827 wordsMonday 1/4: 1,134 wordsTuesday 1/5: 2,130 wordsWednesday 1/6: 567 wordsThursday 1/7: 315 words written + 5,791 words editedFriday 1/8: 600 words

That’s a grand total of 14,615 words!

I would’ve liked to have completed more work on my projects, but as you may have noticed there’s been a bit of political upheaval happening here in US, to put it mildly. I think most of us have been distracted this week, living through an attempted coup and its aftermath.

Plans for next week

As we’ve come to the weekend, I plan to write and edit more words, log my mileage for my Race Through California 5K, and keep working on cleaning up my office space (an end-of-the-year project that includes cleaning off my virtual and physical desktops, as well as getting rid of a ton of paper clutter that’s been piling up in here and needs to go into the recycling).

My word count goal for next week is to add another 20K to my total, so I’m aiming for roughly 34,615 words written or edited.

And since I am motivated by shiny objects and merit badges, I’ve decided to start handing out badges to myself at every 10K mark towards my first 100,000 words, so this week I have earned the first of those, the Pencil Pusher Badge of Achievement!

If you have also written at least 10,000 words this week, please feel free to swipe a copy of this badge and affix it to your website, social media, or anywhere else that makes you happy.

How was your week?

Thanks for coming along with me on this goals check-in, as I find accountability to be a helpful tool. Even if that’s just posting my word counts on my own website, it keeps me motivated to press onward. If this helps you, too, please consider sharing your goals and achievements in the comments below!

Women who write, Heaven and Hell, and more 2021 reading challenges

Happy Friday, and hello 2021!

As the first day of a brand new year, it’s time to decide on a few more ostentatious goals, and since today marks the first day of the 2021 Chapter-A-Day Read-Along, I’ve decided to talk about all of the reading challenges I’ll be participating in this year, as well as how I plan to keep track of my reading progress.

2021 Chapter-A-Day Read-Along

I’m jumping back in with the Chapter-A-Day crew this year (for those who don’t already know, I read Les Misérables with Nick and the gang back in 2018), and the first book on this year’s list is actually an epic poem: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.

Since there are quite a few translations of this book (which was written 700 years ago, back in 1321), I’ve chosen to read a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow translation published by Barnes & Noble as one of their collectible leatherbound editions, with supplementary reading from Digital Dante material published by Columbia University. Digital Dante allows readers to compare and contrast between the original Italian of Dante’s poems and translations by either Longfellow or Allen Mandelbaum.

I will also be reading various commentaries on the book and its translations (such as “How to Read Dante in the 21st Century” by Joseph Luzzi in The American Scholar, “Dante and The Divine Comedy: He took us on a tour of Hell” by Christian Blauvelt at the BBC, and “What’s the best way to read The Divine Comedy if you don’t know Italian?” by Steve Moyer at Humanities) to get a better feel for the time in which the poems were written, Dante’s personal backstory, the poem’s language, and other historical or literary insights.

With 33 cantos plus one introductory canto per section (Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso), this reading challenge will take me from January 1 to April 10. I will then skip Quo Vadis (the second book in the challenge) and meet back up with the group for The Hunchback of Notre Dame, another Victor Hugo title, which we’ll read from June 24 to August 21. I haven’t yet decided whether I want to read David Copperfield and The Three Musketeers with the group to close out the year, but I will definitely be along for the ride for at least two of their selections.

If you’d like to join this group on this year’s journey through classic literature, be sure to check out Nick Senger’s page about the 2021 challenge and download the reading schedule!

Goodreads Reading Challenge

If you’re on Goodreads, you’ve probably noticed that they encourage folks using the site to participate in a yearly reading challenge by setting a goal for the number of books you want to read each year. Each year, I typically set my goal at 52 books – one book a week – which is pretty easily achieved, and I’ve managed to keep up a streak of “winning” this challenge for six years now (since 2015).

In case you’re curious to know which 53 books I read this year, click the image above to see the full list at Goodreads.



My 2015-2020 Goodreads Reading Challenge badges

Of course, reading books in 2020 was more of a challenge than ever, so despite all that time spent at home, I really had to work hard to hit my 52-book goal this year. Many of the books I read this year were graphic novels, because I couldn’t concentrate on dense texts for obvious reasons. So this year I am planning to set my goal at 52 books once more, but I also want to purposely set aside time for reading more graphic novels as part of my yearly reading goals. They’re fun and different than most of the other things I typically read, since admiring the artwork is also a big part of what makes them enjoyable, and they remind me of time spent on the living room floor as a kid reading comics in the Sunday paper. I’ve also found a few series that I need to finish reading, like Paper Girls and Deadpool (2019), so I’ve signed up for a free trial of comiXology through Amazon and will likely keep that membership up so I can access more comics, graphic novels and manga. (P.S. ComiXology has a small selection of free comics available here, too, and if your library is part of Hoopla, you can borrow graphic novels and comics as part of your monthly quota on that platform as well.)

Reading Women Challenge

Taking a look through some of the reading challenges on the Master List of Reading Challenges (thank you, GirlXOXO, for putting this together and organizing it alphabetically!), I’ve decided to join the Reading Women Challenge to help organize my reading a bit more and push my boundaries as well.

More than simply reading books written by (or about) women, this year’s challenge includes lots of unique and specific prompts, such as reading books by neurodivergent authors, books with protagonists older than 50, and a short story collection by a Caribbean author. It also includes four bonus challenges to read books by Alexis Wright, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Leila Aboulela, and Yoko Ogawa – all of whom are currently working award-winning writers who deserve a wider audience.

What I like about this challenge is that it’s a companion to the Reading Women Podcast – which discusses books that meet the challenge criteria – so while the challenge itself allows individual readers the freedom to choose their own books, if you find yourself stuck on a certain topic you can tune into the podcasts to get some guidance and recommendations. I love this approach, since I find a lot of challenges leave you to your own devices when it comes to choosing books. That can be nice, but especially since I want to push my own boundaries with my reading this year, I find it much more helpful to get recommendations from folks who have already read books that fit the criteria and then choose from a short, curated list (rather than the infinite multitudes of books published daily).

Keeping track

Since the Chapter-A-Day challenge requires a little reading each day, I’ll simply be checking off my reading progress on the provided reading schedule. Simple!

For the Reading Women Challenge, I’ll be using the group’s downloadable PDF to keep track of which books I’ve read in each category. I also intend to create a spread in my bullet journal at the end of the year to collect these books together in a more orderly fashion.

And for the Goodreads Challenge, I’ll be adding books to my account throughout the year as I go.

In addition to these specific challenges, I’ve also decided to return to writing reviews on my blog, so I’ll be writing about the books I’ve been reading at least once a month to help keep my reading schedule on track.

What about you?

Are you joining any reading challenges this year? Which ones most excite you, and why?

2021 goals: Think BIGGER

As 2020 has shown us, everything you can plan for your year can be undone in the blink of an eye. And yet we all still need to keep moving forward, doing our best, and setting goals as we go. How does one reasonably set goals, then, as we head into an uncertain new year?

My newest strategy involves embracing the Deliberately Unobtainable Goal.

You’ve undoubtedly read tons of articles touting the value of S.M.A.R.T. goals, with some variation on Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely as each of the acronym’s letters. But what if you were to nix the concept of Attainability as a core measure of your goals?

“Attainability” has, for me, always been a rather nebulous concept. As a writer, many of the things involved in the publishing process after the writing is complete are actually quite out of my control, so the idea of trying to set goals that are “attainable” has always seemed slightly meaningless. How long will it take to find an agent? That depends on lots of variables, including a bit of luck, a dash of charm, and good timing. The same goes for other questions like “How long will it take to find a publisher for my work?” or “When will I write a bestseller?”

If I don’t have concrete time frames to plug into the standard goal equation, the equation doesn’t work. So let’s scrap the equation and try something different. Let’s embrace the unknown, and think bigger.

Toss attainability out the window and pick an outlandish goal instead. Something huge. Something you don’t think you’ll ever be able to do, not in a million years.

Then, put it on your To Do list.

This is the kind of thinking that inspires me, much more than “achievable” timelines. It’s the reason why I’ve decided to join author Charlie Knight in an unreasonable quest to write One Million Words in 2021.

If you break the goal down by month, that’s approximately 83,334 words per month. Broken down by day, it’s about 2,740 words per day. That is a lot of words, even for a professional writer with no day job, writing seven days a week, with no breaks!

It’s daunting, and it’s not Attainable by any normal S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting standards. But I’m going for it anyway, not because I expect to hit the goal, but – much like my walking goal of virtually journeying to Neptune – because I want to see how close I can get.

The aim, here, is to see how many words I can write in a year, if I count everything I’m writing. Journaling, blog posts, notes towards stories, actual stories – everything counts! (The only thing I don’t intend to count are my social media posts, since those tend to come out of blog posts and are therefore repurposed words rather than fresh new ones.)

I’ve done this before, with the aim of writing 100,000 words in a year, and it boosted my writing productivity immensely. I look forward to experiencing a similar boost in 2021, counting my words toward the one million mark.

As they say: whether you think you’ll succeed or fail, you’re right. So why not indulge in some big picture positive thinking, aiming for the moon? Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

Join us!

Join the #OneMillionWords crew of star-gazers and Deliberately Unobtainable Goal-setters using the hashtag on social media. You can follow me @buttontapper on Twitter or @LauraRobertsRomance on Instagram, and be sure to follow @CKnightWrites, the founder and instigator, to learn more about this big, audacious goal and how to achieve it!

2021 goals: Virtually racing to Neptune

I’ve been participating in the annual Moon Joggers year-long challenge since 2017, and thought I’d share a little bit about my journey with this virtual racing group – and my goals for 2021 – as 2020 winds down.

The Moon Joggers group attempts to virtually “journey” to a different planet every year. In 2017 we chased the Sun, in 2018 we journeyed to Jupiter, in 2019 we raced rings around Saturn, in 2020 we explored Uranus (cue naughty jokes), and in 2021 the group is aiming to weather the storm with Neptune.

The eighth planet in our solar system, Neptune has an average temperature of -353 Fahrenheit and frequently experiences storms with extremely high winds – hence the concept of “weathering the storm” for next year’s virtual journey. It’s also 2.75 billion miles from Earth, so even if there were millions of people participating in the collective goal, we’d never hit the required mileage. Of course, that’s not really the point; it’s about journey, more than the destination. It’s always fun to think about the planet that’s been chosen for the year, about how life on Neptune might compare with life here on Earth, and to dream big with your annual walking or running goals.

Over at MoonJoggers.com, you can set your own yearly goals (100, 500, 750; 1,000; 1,500; or 2,021 miles!) and track your mileage on their website or app – both of which are free. I find it encouraging to watch my mileage stack up each day, so whether you choose to go the free route (simply logging your miles) or purchase the full package (which includes a group t-shirt, bib and participation medal), it’s a good way to stay motivated to keep on moving every day.

Fun fact: With all of my mileage combined across the years, I’ve risen to the rank of Admiral (5,000 miles)! In 2021, I’m aiming for the rank of Executive (7,000 miles).

In addition to being a fun way to keep active during a pandemic, all of the group’s races also donate a portion to different charities, and the Neptune event is raising money for Feeding America – a particularly necessary nonprofit helping families put food on the table during these financially unstable times.

If you’re looking for a low-pressure, fun way to keep track of your own fitness journey and help others in 2021, I highly recommend virtual racing! Personally, I don’t run and don’t ever intend to, so all of the races I’ve done with the group have either been indoor cardio (back when I could still go to the gym, I would time myself on the elliptical machine) or outdoor walks. I don’t pressure myself to hit specific times, but simply log my mileage each day based on the data from my Apple Watch (or, previously, my Fitbit), and I find it fascinating to see my ups and downs and patterns emerging through the months and years.

In 2021, I’m going to participate in the group’s new Race Through America series, virtually completing 5Ks for California (January) and New York (February). I haven’t yet decided whether I will participate in all of the races (there’s a different state medal available for each month, and the challenge will go on across several years), but I think it’d be fun to try to complete races for all 50 states, even if I don’t necessarily want to collect all of the medals.

If you’d like to check out the main event, or join me on my virtual journey to Neptune, here’s a link to sign up for the year-long Neptune: Weathering the Storm challenge. Happy racing!

Going out with a bang: The Smashwords End of Year Sale is on now

It’s that time again…

It’s time for the annual Smashwords End of Year Sale!

Every book in the Buttontapper Press catalogue is available for 50% off using code SEY50 from December 18, 2020 through January 1, 2021, so now is the perfect time to stock up on ALL of our books – including both fiction and nonfiction titles.

Here’s what’s on sale…

Romance by Laura Roberts:



Sacramento Love: Meet Cutes in the Capital City



Erotica by Laure L’Amour:



Just A Quickie (Quickies Collection) Montreal Mischief Sex and the Underground City: Naked Montreal Part 1 Porn Stars and Peccadillos: Naked Montreal Part 2



Writing Guides:



A Novel Plan! Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist: How to Write an Entire Book in Just 72 Hours NaNoWriMo: A Cheater’s Guide



 Relationships (Nonfiction):



Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop Songs No More F*ing Weirdos! The Vixen Files



Poetry:



Haiku for Haters Haiku For Lovers: An Anthology of Love and Lust Sexy Haiku: 69 Erotic Poems for Lovers

AND… all of my Quickies are regularly priced at just 99¢ all year long:

Victoria’s Secret (#1)The Care and Maintenance of Bonsai (#2) Double Trouble (#3)The Man With the Golden Cock (#4) Santa, Baby (#5)Where to Get Laid in Montreal (#6)Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Get Laid in Montreal (#7)The Unbelievably True Story of the World’s Worst Sex (#8) Sexing the Ninja (#9)

PLUS… the “Holiday Hell” issue of Black Heart Magazine is free with code SW100.

Have a holly jolly end of the year, and enjoy the discounts!

Typewriters in fiction: new piece in From Sac

Just a quick post to announce that I have a short fictional piece in the new issue of From Sac, out now! From Sac is an annual litmag produced here in Sacramento. This year’s theme is Change.

My piece is called “Typewriter Tip Tip Tip,” and is named after a song from the movie Bombay Talkie, which features this fun musical number featuring several characters dancing on top of a giant typewriter:

You can buy a copy of the magazine from Amazon, or learn more about the magazine (and its editors and submission guidelines) at the From Sac website, fromsac.com.

Let’s play Santa!

I love giving gifts! So when I heard about the Romancelandia Holiday Fairies Gift Drive, I knew I wanted to help out.

The gift drive is a way to connect people in the romance community who need help with gifts this year with other community members who can buy a gift or two and make their holidays a little more special.

I’m proud to be a sponsor for the following wishlist:

Wishlist #61

This recipient shared: “Romance novels, and books in general, give me an opportunity to escape. My favorite is the Academy of Misfits series by Bea Paige.”

You can view their Amazon wishlist and make a purchase that will be sent directly to them. Just add items to your cart and you’ll have the option to send to the recipient without revealing their address.

View: Wishlist #61

If we all do a little, it adds up to a lot. Thanks for supporting this gift drive if you’re able to!

You can learn more about this effort and view ALL the available wishlists here. Sharing is appreciated!

Thanks for supporting the romance community, and for helping to make Christmas a little more festive for families in need.

The Betrayal of Nicholas La Cour: Lovers, Players, Seducer Book III by JA Jackson

Nicholas La Cour never expected to be betrayed.

Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit; it is only luck that proves his innocence.

Maëlle has always had a thing for bad boy Nicholas…

…and Nicholas has always had a thing for trouble.

After Nicholas left her at the altar, Maëlle wasn’t sure her heart would ever heal.

The wounds of the past run deep for both of them. But despite their drama-filled past, their chemistry defies logic and burns hotter than ever. As sparks fly and Maelle and Nicholas have the chance to reunite, will Nicholas sabotage their chance for happiness with his plans for revenge? Or will he finally focus on what truly matters?

Can they make love grow this time around?

Something both of them aren’t sure they can do…

A Betrayed man, a bride left at the altar, and a plan for revenge. Dive into the complex world of Nicholas in Book III of J. A. Jackson’s Lovers, Players The Seducer series and discover if love can transform even the best-laid plans?

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Amazon



Excerpt from the book

“Power must not be allowed to triumph all the time!” Nicholas had heard these words often enough growing up from his father Louis. It wasn’t until he was watching an old gangster movie on TV that he realized his father had borrowed the phrase he often said to him. Still, for some reason he had memorized his words and now sitting in the courtroom, his father’s words
tormented him. The courtroom was located in the Federal building in downtown San Jose. Nicholas sat at the defense table and his mind wandered. His eyes fell on the courtroom stenographer as she walked in. She was just what he needed to take his mind off of his situation. He marveled with his thoughts thinking her naturally caramel tanned skin was
beautiful, he was sure she had acquired it at birth, no tanning booth could make such a perfect even skin tone. Her skin accented excellently against her chocolate tailored suit. He had used the courtroom stenographer to take his mind off things on several occasions. She’d become the highlight of Nicholas’ days since his trial had started. He’d heard her speak often enough and knew that she had a soft-spoken pleasant voice that was soothing to his senses.

As his plane slowly touched down, Quinn closed his eyes and prayed to the god of his grandmother Ina Rosolado. He wasn’t praying that the plane would land safely. He was praying that his brother Nicholas would receive him with open arms. He was worried because he didn’t know how much his brother knew about the brief yet extended affair he’d had with his on again
off again ex-fiancé and girlfriend Maëlle Moulard. It wasn’t something that he was proud of. In fact, he wanted to confess his sins to his brother, but he’d never had the chance. There just never seemed to be the right time when they were growing up together.

About the Author

J.A. Jackson is the pseudonym for an author who loves to write deliciously sultry adult romantic, suspenseful, entertaining novels with a unique twist. She lives in an enchanted little house she calls home in the Northern California foothills. Her love for cooking and writing come from her Southern roots of Louisiana and Arkansas. She is a member of South Bay Writers Association, Yosemite Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America (RWA).

Connect with J.A. Jackson on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads or her blog.

The Giveaway

J. A. Jackson will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble giftcard and 8 Kindle copies of Lovers, Players, Seducers Book III: The Betrayal of Nicholas La Cour to randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour. Click below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buttontapper Press Black Friday Blowout

It’s Black Friday, and we’ve put all your favorite titles on sale for just 99¢ each!

Grab ’em by November 30th, only at Smashwords.

QUICKIES:

Victoria’s Secret (#1)The Care and Maintenance of Bonsai (#2)Double Trouble: A Short & Sexy Story (#3)The Man With the Golden Cock (#4)Santa, Baby (#5, regularly priced at 99¢)Where to Get Laid in Montreal (#6)Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Get Laid in Montreal (#7)The Unbelievably True Story of the World’s Worst Sex (#8)Sexing the Ninja (#9)

EROTICA BY LAURE L’AMOUR:

Montreal MischiefSex and the Underground City: Naked Montreal Part 1Porn Stars and Peccadillos: Naked Montreal Part 2

ROMANCE BY LAURA ROBERTS:

Sacramento Love: Meet Cutes in the Capital City

WRITING GUIDES:

A Novel Plan!Confessions of a 3-Day Novelist: How to Write an Entire Book in Just 72 HoursNaNoWriMo: A Cheater’s Guide (currently on sale for 99¢ for NaNoWriMo)

 RELATIONSHIPS (NONFICTION):

Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From Pop SongsHow to Suck BetterNo More F*ing Weirdos!

POETRY:

Haiku For Lovers: An Anthology of Love and LustSexy Haiku: 69 Erotic Poems for Lovers

The Turk-Tacular Turkey Day #Giveaway!

Hello, friends!

This week I need your help. You see, I’ve decided to sign up for Sacramento’s annual Run to Feed the Hungry, and our group’s goal is to raise $500.

Any amount helps! Even a $1 donation can feed a family five meals, which is amazing.

But to show you some extra appreciation for your donations, I’ve put together a little giveaway. Here’s the deal:

Everyone who donates $10 or more will receive a free Buttontapper Press ebook of their choice; andEveryone who donates $25 or more will automatically be entered into my draw for a Sacramento Prize Pack, featuring local goodies like Kobasic’s Kruffles (chocolate truffles), handmade lip balm, soap and candles. (Images of locally made products below.)

The drawing will take place on Saturday, November 28th. One winner will be chosen and contacted via email.

So, if you can afford to help out, I’d love to reward your generosity this holiday season. If not, no worries! I appreciate your reading this blog post, and if you could share the link to our team’s fundraising page on social media to help spread the word, I would really appreciate it.

To donate ANY amount:

Just click here!

Thank you for your generosity, and may the odds be ever in your favor.