Colby R. Rice's Blog, page 20

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 29, 30, and 31 (7/18/16-7/31/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

OH. MY. GOSH. So I’ve been away for far FAR too long, but for very good reason:

I’ve been working my ASS off. Like literally. Doing what, you ask? No worries, I’ll get to that.

But FIRST, I’m going to celebrate the eight STRAIGHT weeks that The Given spent on Amazon’s top 100 Free New Adult & College list! I just checked the listing now and saw that sadly, The Given is now at #104, but that’s ok. I’ll take 8 straight weeks with no complaint, and plus, who knows? Maybe it’s just a temporary dip!

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEKS 28, 29, and 31 (7/18/16-7/31/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

OH. MY. GOSH. So I’ve been away for far FAR too long, but for very good reason:

I’ve been working my ASS off. Like literally. Doing what, you ask? No worries, I’ll get to that.

But FIRST, I’m going to celebrate the eight STRAIGHT weeks that The Given spent on Amazon’s top 100 Free New Adult & College list! I just checked the listing now and saw that sadly, The Given is now at #104, but that’s ok. I’ll take 8 straight weeks with no complaint, and plus, who knows? Maybe it’s just a temporary dip!

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 28 (7/11/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

So, before I get into this post, I’m going to celebrate The Given’s sixth week on Amazon’s top 100 Free New Adult & College list. (Yay!) I wanted to mention that again because it looks like this might be its last week up there, so gotta flaunt it while I got it!

That, and this post is going to be a bit sober, and I’m sure you already know why. But this post is also about love (romantic and platonic), friendship, justice, and hope. So I’ll hope you hang in there.

So for those of you who somehow don’t know, literally the day after Independence Day, our country began to systematically fall apart at the seams.

On Tuesday, July 5th , Alto Sterling, an unarmed Black male who was selling CDs outside of a convenience store, was shot five times in the chest after being subdued by police. He was carrying no weapons on him. Sterling died at the scene.

Only 24 hours later, on Wednesday, July 6th, Philando Castile, another unarmed Black male was shot four times in his car by a police officer. In front of a 4-year-old baby. When the officer told him to take out his license and registration, Castile (and Castile’s then girlfriend who was in the car) revealed that he had a firearm with him but that he was licensed to carry. Castile reached for his license and registration in his back pocket, and the cop started firing. Castile died at the scene.

Black Lives Matter protests exploded across the United States. But one protest in Dallas was apparently ill-fated.

Just the very next day, late at night on Thursday, July 7th, five Dallas police officers who were standing vigil at a #BlackLivesMatter protest were ambushed and murdered by Micah X Johnson, a 25-year-old Army reserve veteran.

So disgusting, horrific, and heartbreaking. ALL of it.

Afterwards, the country struggled to remain united, and many people fell victim to their own prejudice and hate. A ex-Congressman threatened not only President Obama, but also all supporters of the #BlackLivesMatters movement. He declared open war and warned us that “Real” America will be “coming for us”. Three countries– the Bahamas, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates– have since issues travel advisories and warning for the U.S. (for the first time in decades).

This has been the most heartbreaking week I’ve had in a long, long time. I was truly terrified to be Black. I felt everyone around me in Tucson hated me, and for whatever reason, wanted to hurt me (even though I love it here, and I’ve met only ONE mean person since I’ve been here, and she was mean to pretty much everyone equally). In all corners of the country and the world, my friends and allies were really struggling as well. The victims’ families and friends were struggling. The entire country was in deep mourning, both for those Black lifeless bodies, taken by hate, and for the equally hateful Dallas-5 aftermath.

For me, personally, this week was slow. My writing and my general happiness was at an all time low. I’ll even admit that I fell into an acute depression just thinking about it all; it’s as if our own country turned to people of color and said, “You? You will never be free.”

I cried. And cried. And cried. It was bad. I definitely needed to be held, or something, but I just stayed inside a dark apartment, trying to make sense of it all.

I’m better this week, thankfully. But as I mourned, I did do a lot of thinking about one particular individual. He was the one who showed me– through his kindness, wit, compassion, and intelligence– that not all cops were buttholes. As a Black female, I’ve grown up with a very insidious fear of police officers. Not hatred, or disdain necessarily, but just a sort of “I’m going to avoid you as much as humanly possible and hope to live to 50” sort of attitude.

That is, until I’d started dating one, lol. And a Southern White one, at that. Holy hell balls.

::Colby runs as the crowd brings out the pitchforks::

A little over three years ago now, to my memory. It wasn’t planned at all; it just happened. (I was perfectly content in my life before he charmed his way into it.) He actually didn’t even mention he was a cop until I was already totally smitten (as smitten as an OKC veteran could be, that is). And our relationship was, for lack of a better word, pretty goddamned beautiful to my memory. Once we met and got involved, I fell pretty hard. I remember the moment it happened, too. And now you’re going to understand why it happened.

As far as Southern White boys went, he was pretty much the farthest thing from any stereotype you could conjure about his background. Racist? Nope. Conservative? Nuh uh. Super religious? Don’t make me laugh, lol. But in addition to all that, he was just an amazing person. Funny, sharp, witty, hilarious, kind, gentle, compassionate, worldly, open-minded, intelligent, sophisticated, liberal, and thoroughly educated and aware of the issues affecting Black and Brown people.

Not just aware. But an advocate. Had a great moral fabric and a very clear, historically informed and socially informed understanding of right and wrong. Willing to challenge his own privilege without prodding and actually stood up to other people in positions of authority for what was right. Injustice affected him deeply, and he understood that Black lives and Blue lives were not diametrically opposed. He was able to truly grieve for (the) Trayvon Martin(s), curse (the) Zimmerman(s), rail at the asymmetry of the law, hold his counterparts accountable, but also maintain pride and fraternity with the profession he truly believed in. He showed me time and again that it’s not easy being a good cop. Not easy being responsible for upholding laws that are not in the favor of the poor, disenfranchised, the Brown and Black, and all combinations in between. Not easy to stand up against the blue shield of silence and complicity. Not easy to watch your (then) girlfriend mourn and fear the ills of society and to watch your work brothers (sometimes) contribute to those ills.

But he did it all, and with pinache.

And the reason I’m mentioning him today is NOT to take my focus off of the horrors experienced by myself and by other Black and Brown people. I mention him NOT to diminish the crimes perpetrated on Black men by White officers. I’m not even trying to convince you that all cops are good (they’re not), or that even most of them are (who knows), and that we should easily trust (hard to do).

I mention him because he gives me hope.

I mention him because my saying #BlackLivesMatter wouldn’t ruffle a single of his feathers.

I mention him because true allies like him do not live in the deliberate darkness of their own privilege, and they believe, as he believes, that Black lives are precious too.

I mention him because he’s the epitome of what love and justice looks like when it slams up against adversity and microcosmic tyranny.

I mention him because I know he sheds tears (at least on the inside) for Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the five Dallas officers, all of whom were murdered out of hate. Because he values all life equally.

I mention him because he put on the uniform and did his best to live up to its principles and expectations.

I mention him because he opened my eyes to what a police officer SHOULD be and because he raised my standards.

I mention him because I KNOW there are others like him out there, even if they are afraid to speak up.

I mention him because whenever tragedies like this happen, just the involuntary thought of him keeps me from falling over the precipice of hate and prejudice.

I mention him because I need to thank him. For staying true to himself as the world around us collapses, for doing so as he’s pushed to pick sides and chooses the side of good. For being not just a light and an amazing human being (and smoking hot, lol), but for standing as an exemplary of what all law enforcement officers should be. For merely existing.

I have no idea how you got here, boo. But I sure as hell am glad you’re here, in this world, in this time where we need you and others like you the most.

There IS hope, y’all. People like this man exist, and many of them DO wear the uniform. As we mourn and despair and hate and heal, as we keep striving towards justice and visibility and equality, keep the ones you love and admire in the forefront of your mind. See them as a light of hope and as a promise of a better tomorrow.

I do. It helps. #BlackLivesMatter #loveeachother #healtheworld #loveWINS

LAST WEEK’S HAUL (7/4/16 – 7/10/16)

What I wrote: As mentioned above, my writing word count is the worst it’s been in months. A whopping 134 words for The Iron Maiden. And 158 words for Blood & Ink (book #4 in the series). Amazing how world events can pretty much destroy your creativity at times.

What I read / watched / listened to: definitely caught up with Season 2 of The Blacklist, and I’m halfway through; I LOVE this show. And James Spader is super sexy (stop hatin’)!

What I researched / developed: a lot of plotweaving for The Iron Maiden (book #3), Blood & Ink (book #4), and Chase the Devil (book #6)

What I learned: I caught up on my usual podcasts, but my learning this week mostly focused on MYSELF. I enrolled in a free class at Mama Gena’s School of the Womanly Arts, and it’s been life-changing. (I wasn’t going to reveal what exactly what I was doing, but I think if someone is reading this and wants to go on a similar journey, she should have the opportunity and information!)

I have to say, I LOVE this class. It’s really helping me to develop myself more fully as a three-dimensional woman, rather than as just a mom. (And no offense to women who love motherhood. I realize that we all engage in the identities that feel closest to our hearts. For me, I need to be more than just a mom, but if that’s all you require, then that’s ok, too!)

Somewhere in the beginning of 2014, pretty much the moment I found out I was pregnant, my entire world shifted, and I lost myself. Since having my daughter, I had become very accustomed to putting myself last and NOT honoring my mind, body, and spirit. Her needs always come first. In more recent months, as she’s gotten a little older and a bit more independent, I’ve been able to breathe again. And I’ve tackled the monumental task of forging an identity for myself (again) outside of motherhood. It’s been a long hike back up to my other identities, and I’ll admit that going on this personal journey has been a little scary. But it is also soooo necessary.

I didn’t realize just how much of my identity had been meshed with motherhood in the past two years. To the point where I’m, like, attached to it, lol. It’s not a part of myself that I want to bury, especially because I am so in love with my little one, and I love spending time with her. Still, I realized that rediscovering the woman buried in the folds of mommyhood is scary… like jumping into an icy lake to get to a warm, beautiful island. But then it’s also AWESOME when I’m actually taking time to do stuff like relax, pamper, style my hair, dance aroundmy apartment, do something creative and fulfilling, wear some darn lip gloss.

I’m bringing sexy back, y’all, lol!

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE (7/11/16 – 7/17/16)

What I’m writing: More of The Iron Maiden, and it’s already going EXTREMELY well (clocking about 2,000 words a day)!

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: catching up on The Blacklist right now, and I’m LOOVING it! I’m still wanting to watch “Belle”, though. We’ll see. This week is going to be a busy week.

What I’m researching / developing: Honestly, I have no idea what fiction research and development I’ll be doing. However, I AM preparing to give my first joint Bohemian Badass writing webinar this Saturday, and so I’m in a mad dash to get all my materials together!! SO excited!

What I’m learning: Hmm! This week is going to be psycho cray cray, so I may not get to do an actual course. Though, arguably, putting together a writing class is pretty much a course unto itself! If anything, I’ll probably be studying and working through By Regina’s Killer Mini Course Challenge (which rocks harder than Woodstock, y’all).

Soo… yeah, a lot of that was heavy. Some of it beautiful, happy, and reminiscent. But I hope that overall, it felt hopeful. We fall, fumble, and fail as human beings, but we always rise again. Much love to you guys. Go out into the world and practice loving each other just a bit more. All comments, thoughts, feels, and hugs are totally welcome here, so drop some if the mood strikes you. Much love and many blessings.

Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,

The post Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 28 (7/11/16) appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 27 (7/4/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Ok, so first things, first: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

The holiday itself has many contentions and unease surrounding it, especially for minority groups in the U.S. who were decidedly NOT free on July 4th. Still, with this sobering knowledge of the darker parts of our history, many of us still gather with friends and family to enjoy a wonderful, but very socially-conscious holiday and extra long weekend.

So! This past week was pretty rad. I celebrated a birthday, and the growth I’ve achieved in just a year is amazing. (#givingfewerandfewerfucks) The little one too, lol; she’s going through a lot of adjustments in her schedule, and she’s taking it like a champ. She totally rocks. Tucson is still awesome; no changes there. But I am definitely settling into a brand-new normal, and it’s comforting.

One of my favorite places here, hands down, is the local library. It’s not only beautiful, well-stocked, and staffed with the most awesome people ever, but they also have a free open play area for kids. Not to mention, they also have free kids’ activities there every day! From Ronald McDonald to the “reading to puppies” program to story and supervised playtime, this library is such an amazing resource for parents. Can you say free two-hour break? Lol.

Tucson’s also really helping me to get in some serious exercise and to focus more directly on my health. I’m clocking anywhere between 2-4+ miles per day in 80-90 degree weather. Which, if you know my relationship with heat, is mad impressive, hehe. It was hard at first, but I’m quickly getting used to it, and my body thanks me profusely for it. I can feel myself getting stronger, faster, and more durable. The BEST part, though? Ya girl found the AMAZING Confucius Center on campus at U Arizona, and they offer the most BOSS ASS CLASSES in the universe. So guess who’s signing up for Chinese Boxing, Tai Chi, and sword fighting this school year? Yup. ME. Lol. I love this place!

P.S. The Given is still holding hella strong in Amazon’s top 100 Free New Adult & College category. If you haven’t checked it out, please do! Low risk, and all action, everything you need to get your fiction fix!

If you’ve already checked it out, liked it, and would like to leave a review, feel free to leave one here! As a bonus, if you show me your review (no matter what the review is), I’ll send you the next book for free.

Book Review: “All Hallows Moon” by S.M. Reine

All Hallows Moon by S.M. Reine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yet another super entertaining read, courtesy of SM Reine! This story’s really just what a reader needs to help them believe in light and love again, lol. It’s refreshing, interesting, and the love story is cute. It’s a pretty cool sequel to the original story and builds on the cliffhanger from “Six Moon Summer” very nicely! The only thing I hoped for was Rylie to be a *little* more proactive regarding the hunters trying to kill her, BUT I also appreciate how real her actions felt.

Scared, alone, isolated, and monstrous… with hunters wanting to kill you at every turn. I mean, who could honestly be supergirl in her circumstances? I am interested in a couple of throwaway characters– two psychiatrists– that popped up towards the end though. I have a feeling they’ll be making another appearance in the next sequel!

I hope the future novels in this series will have a bit more of a dramatic edge to them, but they’re great as they are too. I like light and adorable just fine!

View all my reviews

Rock on, READ on,

The post Book Review: “All Hallows Moon” by S.M. Reine appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 26 (6/27/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Been doing a lot of administrative adulting this week, but that’s not cramping this girl’s style!

I still can’t tell you how much in love I am with Tucson right now, especially because my location is just so incredible! And in better news, writing went SO much better this week. My daily word count isn’t where I want it to be, but it’s not dripping out this time, which is awesome.

And in even better news? In news even more awesome and even more bewildering?

BRUH!

ONCE AGAIN, THE GIVEN HAS BEEN HOLDING STRONG IN AMAZON’S TOP 100 FREE CHARTS FOR THE NEW ADULT & COLLEGE CATEGORY…
AND IT’S BEEN DOING SO FOR THE PAST MONTH!

Like, for real, though… HUH?!

Don’t get me wrong. I really REALLY love my books and my series as a whole. And I worked so hard on them. I wrote from the soul. I edited them like 10 times, weaved in plot twists, honed action scenes, tweaked character arcs.

I read my novels forwards, then backwards, and I read them slowly and aloud. I hired a damned good developmental editor, and then I read my novels again. I sent them out to beta-readers, and then tweaked again… I went to town on those bitches, so that at the end of the day, I know I crafted a good story and wrote a good, solid book.

Maybe The Given, The Taken, and their omnibus, Ghosts of Koa, will not be America’s next top novels, but they will be books that are enjoyable, fun, and professionally executed. Books I’m proud of.

But I didn’t expect anyone else to actually like them too, lol.

Like “like them” like them, at least enough so that my book would hit the charts. I don’t know if my surprise demonstrates humility, ignorance, downright stupidity, or just a writer’s typical low self-esteem, but let me tell you something: this was so unexpected and so pleasantly surprising, and I am deeply humbled.

Hitting the top 100 on a free list might not seem like a huge achievement, but to be true, there are thousands of free books for folks to choose from. And I’m flattered mine is being chosen again and again. Not to mention, The Given is a book that was pretty much anchored down on the Amazon charts for nearly 3 years! But now, at least temporarily, it’s been buoyed to some level of visibility.

So, of course, the next challenge is to keep this going, keep loving the creation process, keep executing like a pro. And, obvs, keep writing and publishing more books and more series!

Anyways, I mentioned in my last update that I was going to talk a little about writer burn out and how to avoid it. So here are my thoughts on it:

Sometimes, as indies, we are trying so hard to build a sustainable, lifestyle-based, passion-based business (and rightfully so) that we lose our ways. We focus so hard on making the numbers, making the word counts, getting out those pages, and marketing ourselves. We race, launch, and rush so much that we forget why we came to this career in the first place.

The reason we’re racing and launching and rushing, is because we want writing to provide us a full-time living. Because, many times, that is the ultimate dream of many serious writers. However, when we write for a living instead of writing for pleasure’s sake, our measurements of success and happiness change.

Our “happy” now comes from “how many books did I sell this month?” and “are my sales going to put food on the table” as opposed to “damn, what is the Hero going to do about having murdered his own friend? I can’t wait to discover what happens and write about it!”

And when the measurements of our own happiness changes, so do our levels of happiness, especially if we are not meeting or exceeding our goals. If we fall short of these goals, we start to lose esteem. We feel unsatisfied. We get burned out, discouraged, blocked. Then, sometimes, we even wonder what the point of writing IS anyway.

But, bruh! The point of writing is that you love it, and that the writing, building, and creating itself is satisfying. Remember?

Of course we know this in the very backs of our minds, but we forget because, again, we are now writing to make a living, and so we measure our success in dollars and sales rather than in satisfaction.

So how do we become happier, refreshed writers who block burn out like Neo blocked Agent Smith in the Matrix?

Just change your measurements of happiness back!

Just like you’d change a unit converter to read out pounds instead of grams, you can change your own measurements of success from “sales” to “journey joy”. It just takes time, commitment, and the willingness to “let go”, like that chick in Frozen. It also takes the deliberate adoption of certain “writer mindsets”.

I’m sharing this with you, dear Creator, because I’ve experienced author-entrepreneur burnout as well, and it took me a long time to figure out why. It took me an even LONGER time to remedy it. So this is what I did:

I literally had to create and adopt SIX different mindsets regarding my writing career. And I’ve had to move from one mindset to another in order to feel like I’m creating, diversifying my schedule, and also remaining efficient, while ALSO maximizing my happiness and satisfaction as a creator.

And no, moving from one mindset to another, is not me demonstrating a split personality or anything, lol. It’s more like me saying: “What expectations, goals, and inner focus can I adopt right now that will best use the time available to me, get the most done, and maximize my happiness?” In other words, which mindset do I need to feel happy in this moment?

I’ll write more about these six mindsets and how to activate them (via a meaty, content-rich blog post at The Bohemian Badass), but I’ll give you a super quick intro to each mindset right now.

#1: The Bliss Mindset: “I’m just gonna frolic and bliss out right now.”

Translation: my focus today is to actually enjoy my writing and world building, no matter how long it takes or how few words I write. I might even draw, read, do research, or something else for my worldbuilding.

#2: The Architect Mindset: “I’m working on my novel, enjoying the process, but I aim to get something specific done today.”

Translation: my writing goal is to get SOMETHING done. I’m going to outline Act I of my novel or create a specific character, along with his backstory, or hit 2,000 words today. Whatever the goal is, my mindset is focused on that goal.

#3, The Business Mindset: “Let’s get some marketing and business-building in.”

Translation: my mindset for today has nothing to do with writing. I’m instead going to pitch some bloggers my book or set up a giveaway campaign for my novel series. Or, I’m going to do something around the business or marketing aspects of my career.

#4, The Cray Cray Creator Mindset: “Just get it DONE, by all means necessary, shitty-first-draft stylez.”

Translation: this is all about getting words on the page, by all means necessary, no matter how shitty they sound. Bruh. I don’t care if my two characters are in a stand-off and the next thing I write is “Deus Ex Machina.” My only goal is to get the story written. Period.

#5, The Reflective Mindset: “I need to step back and take a good look at my creative career.”

Translation: I’m going to use this time to look at my achievements, goals, failures, and progress. I might take a minute to write a productivity journal and keep track of my day-to-day activities and milestones. Later, I can celebrate my successes OR see where I can do better next time.

#6, The Live My Life Mindset: “I’m living life and being present in this moment, so that when I come back to my story, I have something to write about.”

Translation: this mindset is just as much about letting go as it is about diving in. Sometimes, my day really is too jammed up, or I’m sick, or I’m dealing with life. Life happens, and that’s okay. If I can’t write, or I have a block, I allow myself to just let go of my writing for a moment (or a day or a week) and be present. I travel, or consume books, movies, TV, or I try something new, or Ipick up a new hobby. Etcetera. I also keep a journal to chronicle my physical and emotional life journey, and trust me, it always translates to my creative work.

It’s always good to approach your writing and business each day by deliberately choosing which mindset to activate. Also, be careful, because staying in a certain mindset for too long can also lead to burnout or discouragement. So mix it up! Allow yourself to frolic one day, and then give yourself a novel-related task to complete the next. Keep it fresh and lively, so you can avoid writer burnout and enjoy the journey you had the bravery to start!

So there you have it! Those are the six mindsets I activate, deliberately, every day that I sit down to work on my writing and career. Doing this really helped me to pull myself out of my dark holes and has helped me to SMASH writers block. Especially when I give myself permission to activate the “Bliss Mindset”, which allows me the freedom and flexibility to explore my own imagination!

Anyways, WOW. What a mouthful. Moving forward, here’s what happened last week, and here’s what I HOPE will happen THIS week (though it’s clear that the “Live My Life” Mindset has taken over for the month of June, lol):

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: I hit 2,031 words for The Iron Maiden, and 1070 words for that other secret project I mentioned last week. Yay! Again, still working on my velocity (as my toddler swings from my hair), but I suspect that will pick up as daycare begins.

What I edited: Nothing. Ain’t nobody got time for that, yo.

What I read / watched / listened to: SCANDAL! Yass! The second half of season 4 stole the show this week, folks. And I loved every minute of it.

What I researched / developed: I had a really interesting AND awesome week where research and development is concerned. And that goes for my fiction projects as well as my business projects!

So, I’m going to talk about my fiction stuff first (which is exciting) before I get into business stuff (even more exciting!). I worked on a bunch of storybuilding and plot-weaving for the entire second season arc of The Books of Ezekiel. Meaning, the next five books. Also, I straightened out my production schedule for the next two years as well, and I’m excited to say that I have some pretty rad projects coming up next year! This includes both the ASYLUM trilogy and the FORGOTTEN trilogy, as well as that secret project I mentioned, plus another secret project (both of which are in the same genre and universe). Of course, this assumes that I get my writing time in, lol.

So now, onto the REALLY exciting stuff: some of you may already know this, but others of you might not. On March 11th of this year, I literally woke up to an epiphany that outlined, for me, what my true purpose is as a creative, a person, and as someone who wants to give back to the world.

So here is my purpose as I see it: I am here to help creatives, especially single, disenfranchised mothers who are also creatives, to build sustainable, lifestyle-based businesses around their art. I am here to launch as many self-sustaining artists and creative businesses into the world as humanly possible, and to encourage the growth and appreciation of arts culture in the United States and beyond.

As a brief side note, this mission of mine is VERY strongly influenced by the time I spent in the Netherlands. While I was there, I discovered that the government there actually treats being an artist as a viable and worthy career and actually PAYS you to be an artist. They believe that art is an integral part of how culture & society evolves and chronicles itself, and they validate artists as actual contributors to their society.

On that note, their government pays artists a wage and also provide housing (thereby eliminating the issues of empty, abandoned properties). In exchange, they expect artists to put on exhibitions, hold seminars, publish books, make and show films… etcetera. I loved this so much that I wanted this for the United States. But since our government has little interest in art, I knew I had to create a program like this myself.

To fulfill this purpose, I’m going to start a foundation, called The Dollhouse, which will be an extension of my brand, Rebel Ragdoll. This week, I started conceptualizing and developing (on paper) The Dollhouse’s flagship grant program, along with two supplementary grant programs.

The flagship grant program would be aimed at providing five-year living wage grants to artists who want to work full-time at creating their art and who want to build a sustainable creative business around their art. This grant is to help artists treat their creative careers as full-time careers rather than as “side gigs” or “hobbies” or “things to be pushed to the edges of the day”. The five-year time frame is to give each artist ample time to build a successful creative career. A requirement of this grant is that applicants need to meet a certain financial threshold. If they exceed that threshold, they unfortunately cannot get the FULL grant, but might be available for a supplementary grant, both of which would be smaller and shorter.

The other two grants will be supplementary grants. One is for creative single mothers, to cover family-specific costs and services that impede their abilities to be self-sustaining artists. This can be awarded either WITH the flagship grant or separately.

The third grant is for artists who are ALREADY self-sustaining at a basic level, but just need an extra boost in their yearly income and in family services so that they can provide comfortably for themselves and their families as their incomes finally reach their desired threshold.

SO, that is what I was working on last week in terms of creative R&D. I really hope that in the next five years I can get The Dollhouse off the ground and really help to turn the arts into a viable, sustainable, and validated career for artists who couldn’t imagine themselves doing anything else. Wish me luck!

What I learned: No classes made it into the docket for this week, but never fear. I’ve got some free days coming up, and I’ll definitely be able to FINALLY get back into gear!

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE

What I’m writing: More of The Iron Maiden. Still, words from the subsequent Books of Ezekiel are also coming out of my fingertips, which is divine!

What I’m editing: Nothing, really, though there’s a blog post for The Bohemian Badass that I’m working on, so I’ll be shaping that up as the mood hits me.

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: Aiming to finish “All Hallows Moon” this week. It’s a good book and a quick read; it’s just that I’ve been busy. Also, my new focus now that I’m caught up on Scandal? Catching up on GAME OF THRONES! I heard it was off the chainz this season so I’m amped.

What I’m researching / developing: This week, I’m shaping up more of The Iron Maiden’s plot and tightening the bolts. AGAIN. You cannot even fathom how easy it is for an epic urban fantasy with multiple points of view to get completely out of control and unmanageable, lol. So, yah. Doing that. But I’m also getting some interesting ideas for a concept I developed recently. I don’t plan to work on this concept, but ideas for it are germinating. We’ll see what crops up!

What I’m learning: I’m going to see if I can get through Teachable’s “The Profitable Teacher” this week! I actually have some days off where I have some peace and quiet, so that’d be awesome sauce.

Whew! My posts seem to just get longer and longer, huh? Lol! So what’ve you been up to this week? Anything new, exciting, or tantalizing? Any epiphanies of purpose you’ve stumbled upon? I’d love to hear from you! (Really!) So feel free to leave your comments below!

Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,

The post Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 26 (6/27/16) appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 25 (6/20/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Believe it or not, I’m still recuperating from my move. Mostly because I honestly haven’t had much time to rest. It’s crazy how being a full-time mama really permeates every single aspect of your life. You’re never really off duty; you’re always cooking, cleaning, changing, nursing, soothing, playing, and just generally trying to manage your kid’s crazy while also trying to fulfill necessary obligations for both your lives. Grocery shopping. Running errands. Touring day cares. HYGIENE. Lol. Parenting’s assault on your life is merciless… unless you have lots of help, that is.

But I’m not complaining, really. I enjoy my boo. Also, I think I’m finally understanding how to just let things flow. Pretty sure I said that a couple weeks ago too, but it bears repeating. I look around my apartment, and it’s a disaster zone of unfinished things: clothes vomited out of suitcases, more luggage standing sentinel in the corner waiting to be unpacked, shoes piled in a box, old clothes waiting for the Goodwill, dishes interrupted.

There are so many things I still need to do! Shop for furniture, hang pictures, decorate, get my thrift and arts n’ crafts on. And actually get the money to do all of these things. Instead, though, I’m sitting on my living room floor (no couch y’all, lol), writing this while also praying that my daughter stays asleep long enough so that I can get even a draft of this done. But, strangely, while I’m desperate for a vacuum cleaner and some actual time to vacuum, I don’t feel stressed. I feel pretty fortunate, actually.

This cray, disarray, and money fears will only last about two months of the entire 3+ years (or more) that I’ll be here. Like all things, this psycho stage too shall pass. I think a year or even six months ago I would’ve been really stressed and pissed that I wasn’t able to make my apartment the perfect cozy haven I desired. I would have been stressed about money and everything else. But recently, when a problem crops up, I literally think to myself, “Hm. That’s an issue. I know there’s a solution somewhere. Aha! There it is / could be. Now let’s make it happen. I’m going to take these steps, and in the meanwhile, I’m just gonna be zen. This solution won’t be a perfect or totally clean solution, but it will solve most of the problem, if not all of it. Moving on?”

This simple mindset change has really lifted a world of burden off my shoulders. I know that no matter what happens, things will be fine. I might take some temporary lumps, but I’ll be just dandy in the end.

This is my new normal, and I LOVE it.

Actually, that’s sort of a good point: I think a huge part of living your life and starting anew is not just settling, exploring your city, and breaking in your new home. It really also means finding a new normal. After all the moving-crazy died down, that’s what this entire last two weeks has really been about: where do I buy groceries, and how far do I have to walk? How do I register to vote and where? What’s driving around town going to feel like? (Answer: AMAZING.) Where is my job and the daycare, and what are the best routes to get there? How do I manage public transportation? What is our daily morning and night routine? What are my days off vs. my psycho days on? How can I structure my day and the kid’s day so that we get the most out of it and have the most fun in this new uncharted territory? WHERE is the mommy-baby yoga?

And so on and so forth.

That sort of stuff. When your changing habits and habitats, getting a “new normal” down is paramount. But it’s also going to take time. Again, I’m just trying to let it flow right now, as I discover all the fun, resources, support, and adventures that Tucson has to offer. I really do like this city a LOT.

So yeah, like I said: GRATITUDE.

The only semi-frustrating thing is that I still have to fight (right now) to get words on the page. As Toni Morrison advises, “I write at the edges of the day.” Between my fatigue, my full-time job as a mother, and trying to settle in (including applying for summer side gigs), it’s just super difficult to get into a mind space. So every attempt to write feels desperate.

Like horror movie desperate.

You know, when the last of the survivors has found a way out of their post-apocalyptic hell, but the heroine’s gotta bypass the super max security system to the escape route before the monsters break in and kill her along with everyone else… and she’s only got 3 minutes and 37 seconds to do it? Yeah, son. That kind of desperate. The hyperventilating, heart-pounding, type-as-fast-as-you-fucking-can-and-get-the-words-out-on-the-fucking-page-or-die kind of desperate. I mean, it gets words written, sure, but in exchange I give up some significant pieces of my soul.

Which, to me, defeats the purpose of writing.

Yes, I’m trying to make a career. Absolutely, I want to release these five next books of The Books of Ezekiel THIS year and I WILL. Definitely, I want to be insanely prolific, and I want to write, edit, and professionally publish at least 8 books per year, every year. YES, I have over 60 unique intellectual properties and projects on my development slate that I want to complete over the course of my career and counting, and YES, I DO want to build my multimedia f’empire to be the greatest and most kick ass female-identified media conglo to ever exist on the fucking planet. I want to be a creative badass, because I love it, and I know I’m good at it, and I’ll be successful at it, and I don’t want to languish and assume that I’ll be around for the next 50 years to do it. I want to make it happen NOW.

But for real? I started this journey because I. LOVE. WRITING. And creating.

I show up to write because I love sitting at my desk and feeling the reality around me fall away as I build worlds for my characters. I love crafting and following their journeys, making surprise discoveries, falling in love and in hate with them. Being proud of them or disappointed in them. Discovering the magic of their worlds with them. Innovating with them. Storming fortresses with them.

I love creating mythical languages and designing, in full-detail, magic and science systems.

I love building histories and exploring hypothetical social, economic, and political scenarios in magical or scientifically advanced contexts.

I love building forks in the roads of life and crafting plot iterations based off my characters’ development or lack thereof. I love testing social and interpersonal hypothesis through my work, and I love looking at my own society through the lenses of the ecosystems I create.

I love languishing. I love how my characters know their worlds a lot better than I do, how they take on lives of their own, and give me the guided tour.

I love creating; I love writing. It’s fun, therapeutic, and it makes me happy. But the rub here is that all of this anthropological awesomeness I just mentioned? IT TAKES TIME. As with most journeys, it’s hard to really get immersed if you’re just blazing through, much like I do when I’m in a race against toddler time to get words on the page. While being in Cray Cray Creator mode, SURE I get down 500-1000 words at a time, and that’s awesome. But this race to the finish isn’t satisfying for me. And that’s the struggle.

I don’t NEED more time to finish a novel; I simply desire it. Because I want to explore my worlds, and I want to take my time doing so. I want to think. I want to struggle. I want to read and research and make my writing process a growth process as well as a process of learning, discovery, and exploration. I don’t want to take years doing it, but I do want to take a lot more time than I am now.

For other authors, my point of view is undesirable. The “I want to take time to make this great” attitude is often what allows many writers to take literally 10 years to finish their “great American novel”. And I get that. I do think authors should have deadlines and word counts that they aim for. Definitely. And the bottom line is that if I want to publish at least 8 books a year, I need to get at least 3,000 words on the page, every day, for at least 330 days. I can’t afford to just languish all damned day. Period. I get that.

But I also don’t want to be just a word farm. So it’s always a balance. It should be a balance. You should race and rest. You should launch and languish. You should rush and really, truly, simply write. The way my life is set up at the moment, all I do race, launch, and rush right now, lol! And it’s terrible!

But I know I will strike a balance again. I know it. It’s just about being centered and patient and having a long-term view of things, while also avoiding burn out.

Oooh! That’s another good point. Burn out and mindsets. And I have more thoughts on that, but this is getting on a bit. So I’ll stop here and slam down an update on my “wins” for this week and plans for next week. Stay tuned NEXT Monday, though, for my thoughts on burn out and mindsets. I feel a helpful post coming on!

Anyways! This is what happened last week, and what I’ll be doing this week (for the rest of it, in any case):

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: My word count blew chunks this week, yo. A magical 542 words for The Iron Maiden. Let that sink in: 542. SMDH. But strangely enough, I also got some words down for my next novel series, which was pretty nice. I’m writing this post from June 21-24, so yes, I can already tell you that I’ll have a more favorable word count to report in next week’s post.

What I edited: Nothing. My cray cray apartment is getting edited as I’m trying to settle in, maybe?

What I read / watched / listened to: No books this week, but I DID start catching up on Scandal, and I’m sooo glad I did! The seasons after season 3 have started to make a little less sense, but they’re still AMAZINGLY well-written, and I love all the characters. The acting is great. And of course, Olivia Pope’s wardrobe is EVERYTHING.

What I researched / developed: I actually sequenced half of a not-so-secret, secret book that I’m working on, and I also did some plotting and research for it too! Doing this was a lovely change of pace and actually gave me more motivation to work on The Iron Maiden. I also set up some story templates for four other books in this (secret) series, and surprisingly, I was also able to outline a Plotting course that I’m putting together for The Bohemian Badass!

It feels like this week I was slowly stoking my creative fires after my crazy two weeks of moving and settling. But all projects are moving forward; and yes, I still am working on the ASYLUM trilogy, the FORGOTTEN trilogy, and The Iron Maiden, along with the next four books in The Books of Ezekiel series. “Finish what you start, finish what you start…”!

What I learned: No creative uni this week, AGAIN. But I am learning to take it slowly and go with the flow. No worries here.

THIS WEEK’S HUSTLE

What I’m writing: More of The Iron Maiden. (And more of the secret series, so that I can keep my creative fires alive!)

What I’m editing: Nothing. I’m staying as far away from editing as humanly possible, lol!

What I’m reading / watching / listening to: I’d love to finish reading both All Hallows’ Moon and Season 4 of Scandal. I think I can, I think I can!

What I’m learning: I’m finishing up this post today (Friday, June 25), and I honestly don’t see any school happening for this week. But I’m open to surprises!

This was a really REALLY long post. I don’t think there are any thoughts left to think for this week, lol! So if you have any of your OWN thoughts to drop here, I’d love to hear them. Tell your creative story! See you next week!

Writing on, rocking on, and forever journeying towards creative badassery,

The post Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 25 (6/20/16) appeared first on Colby R. Rice.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 24 (6/13/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

As you guys know, generally my posts are upbeat and hopeful, even when things are going badly. Unfortunately, though, this post is going to kick off on a more somber note because I’d be seriously remiss if I didn’t talk about the recent tragedy in Florida.

Over the weekend (Jun 11-12), some homophobic asshole walked into Pulse (an Orlando, FL LGBT nightclub and safe space for LGBTQIA+ people) with an AR-15 and laid waste to the lives of over 50 people. He injured 53 more people and took hostages before he was finally gunned down by the police. Aside from the variety of historical genocides that have taken place in this country, this tragedy tops the list as the deadliest mass murder ever to have occurred in the United States. All because some dickwad fancied himself a god and rained down his hate upon a group of innocent people who merely loved, accepted, and celebrated self.

The sorrow, shock, and disgust that I, and the mass majority of decent American people, feel towards this tragedy is boundless. What’s even worse is the nastiness and vitriol pouring out of some of the anti-gay and “religious right” folks of our country. Sentiments and comments range from “no fucks given because they’re gay” to “they deserved it because they’re gay” to “this was God’s will”.

Wow. Repulsive.

The words of these fuck boy fake Americans, to me, are even more hurtful than the tragedy itself. It shows that we still have such a long way to go in our country towards love, equality, and acceptance. It shows that we must continue to endeavor towards equals rights and SAFE, SOVEREIGN SPACES for those communities who are the most vulnerable. America is many things– some good, some bad. Still, overall and in our heart of hearts, real Americans pride ourselves on being a FREE and OPEN country, where you can say what you want, do what you want, love whom you please, and pursue your own happiness so long as it does not infringe on the freedoms and safety of others.

This tragedy had aroused both rage, compassion, and determination in those of us who seek to do good in this country. The issues that have plagued us for decades– gun violence, violence against LGBTQ+ people, and violence against vulnerable communities of color– have been ignited once more. I hope we will be able to move forward with some real policy change on the issue of gun violence and LGBTQ+ rights.

In the meantime, we must deal with today. Today our hearts, love, and prayers are with you, Orlando. We stand with you, with the victims, their families, and the survivors of this terrible and senseless tragedy. Today, and every day. So much love to you, to us all. Please go out into the world and love each other a little more. It is the only way we can combat the hate that threatens to consume our world until there is not even one ray of light left.

LOVE AND SOLIDARITY. NOT HATE.

COLBY R RICE, REBEL RAGDOLL, AND ALL MY PROPERTIES AND SUBSIDIARIES STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY, AND WITH ALL VULNERABLE AND OPPRESSED COMMUNITIES OF THE WORLD.

Welp, I told you guys it was going to start off dark. BUT, now here’s some delightful light:

WE MADE IT TO TUCSON!! WOOT!!

And Tucson is pretty awesome, might I add.

The trip here actually wasn’t too bad. On the first plane ride, which was the longest, the plane was packed… EXCEPT for the row I ended up in. BRUH! So me and the little one had plenty of room. So cute, because she got to be a big girl and sit in her own seat. The second plane ride was HELL. Squished. The little boo was exhausted and angry. We were forced into the middle seat because the lady next to us stole my window seat. But she got her comeuppance when my kid threw the nastiest tantrum ever and started kicking her… LOL. #karma Should have let us have the window seat, right, lady? She was super nice, though. She helped out with Savvy a lot, and both her and the guy sitting on the other side of us were so kind, understanding, and compassionate.

Anyways, back to Tucson!

I had the amazing fortune of being greeted by my mentor and ultimate coolest person in the world. She’s been such a blessing and has really helped us to settle in. Also, because of her, I’m seeing Tucson through the eyes of a true Tusconian and lover of the city, and so I’ve come to love it too!

There are all sorts of awesome places around this town, but I have to say 4th Ave and the downtown area are pretty sweet! Especially at night. The areas are really chill and vibrant, but not suffocating, like in NYC. (I still love NYC, though, so don’t get me wrong!) Just the other day, I was introduced to an awesome restaurant called “La Indita”, which is pretty incredible. Best. Mole. EVER. Had my first chimichanga and honey fry bread there too, and it was love at first ::chomp:: !

The food in town in general is pretty badass, so that’s a pretty easy way to my heart. There’s also a boss Latin sandwich shop I’d love to give a whirl sometime very soon, and there are also some pretty flash coffee shops. Just delish dives galore! Also, Tucson is all the way up on fresh, organic, and local foods and produce. The coops and the CSAs around here are major! Tucson boasts lots of vegan and vegetarian eateries as well, and while I’ll probably never be a full time vegan, I’m absolutely psyched to add vegan foods and dishes to my diet. ExoCoffee? Urban Fresh? YUP. I’m on my way!

The city itself also has a lot of culture, history, and flavor, and it feels really artsy in many places. Lots of brilliant and bold murals, adobes, and of course, tiempo caliente. There’s a nice vibe here. Also, the U of Arizona campus is, like, INCREDIBLE and gorgeous. I’m not sure if Arizona is going to be where I put down forever-roots just yet, but for now, things are feeling pretty lovely.

So that’s Tucson.

As for me? Well, things have been kind of a crazy whirlwind since we got here. Getting groceries, supplies, running errands, and of course, watching over the little one and trying to keep her out of trouble are sort of daily must-dos… and not easy in 100 degree weather, either! But luckily we’ve had lots of help from local friends and allies, so I’m super grateful.

In the meantime, my apartment, which I LOVE by the way, currently looks like a tornado hit it, lol! When we first arrived, it was spotless, and pretty much perfect. The baby loved it and spent half the day in her diaper running around the empty space and screaming with joy. No exaggeration.

Now, though, lots of stuff has been shoved into the space, waiting to be unpacked and put away. I know it’ll be a few weeks before everything is sorted out, but ugh. The space has so much potential, and it’s such a bummer to see everything just looking cray cray right now. With time and a lot of patience, though, (and more money), I will be decorating and designing my space all throughout the summer. Yes, wine rack included, boos. My God, I can just taste the Merlot right now, next to a plate of charcuterie and complementing a delightful Game of Thrones binge… Or hell, maybe even a locally-brewed beer on the side of some delish enchiladas! MM! Possibilities await!

As for writing: in the craziness of the move, I haven’t gotten much scribing done. My word count this week was about the same as last week’s (abysmal). I honestly just didn’t fucking feel like it this week, lol. Like, there was a day that I literally, literally wrote 2 words. TWO. In a day. LOL, #cmonson.

Even when I did have some downtime, all I wanted to do was think and decompress. All this… it’s a big change, and so I needed to absorb and analyze it. I also needed to sort of figure out why all this was a big deal. I’ve started over in different states before. As Sam Smith sings in “Writing’s on the Wall”: “I’ve spent a lifetime runnin’, and I always get away.”

But this is different. This time, I have a Little Queen in tow and the ashes of a former life behind me. So that’s something. New. Terrifying. Sort of like Shogun Assassin / Lone Wolf, but with a pen instead of a sword.

Come to think of it… is there truly a difference? #amwriting #amslaying

I’m not turning back for anything, though, so fuck fear. I’m still writing my books, still planning a film trilogy, still slowly building a media f’empire, and still starting the most badass creative training ever in the baddest ass theatre program ever. And yo… U Arizona’s a fully-pimped out athletic center complete with martial arts, swordfighting, and international cooking classes!! I mean… REALLY? #heaven

So, fuck fear. Let’s do this.

Here’s what I pulled off last week, and what I hope to get poppin’ this week:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: I actually managed to write 2,765 words for The Iron Maiden this week! On a normal day? That sucks ass. But this week? I feel impressed with myself because this week was basically dominated (AGAIN) by last minute packing, adulting, and, of course, the monsterous 2,500 mile move. I suspect this coming week may yield a higher word count. We’ll see!

What I edited: Nada, yo.

What I read / watched / listened to: So, unfortunately, I packed away “The Barefoot Executive” in a box that I believe won’t get shipped to my place until late August, lol. Sorry, y’all. You guys are going to have to wait until September or so for the final review on that one. So far, so good, though. I see a 3.5 star review in its future. It’s simple, straight-to-the-point, educational, and a quick read. I’m about 1/3 of the way through it, and I’m looking forward to finishing it ASAP. The last third of it looks MEGA promising.

So, in place of my lovely Barefoot Boss Lady book, I continued with the Police Procedural book. Also, in the meantime, I actually FINISHED another, super short book called “Shut the Fuck Up and Create Your Fucking Art” by Garrett Robinson and I wrote a review of it HERE. This is hilarious, because on my future blog roll and content list for The Bohemian Badass, I planned to publish a post called “Shut the Fuck Up and Make Something”. So obvs, I HAD to buy and read this book.

Book Review: “Shut the Fuck Up and Create Your Fucking Art” by Garrett Robinson

Shut the Fuck Up and Create Your Fucking Art by Garrett Robinson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

Not mind blowing, but the message is great!

Shut up. Sit down. Make something. Keep getting better. Keep making art. Keep it gangster. That’s basically the message here, and while we might have heard it before, we always need to hear it again. Robinson gets straight to the point, and gives you his no-fluff pep talk, with NO CHASER!! Recommended for artists who need a swift kick in the ass but aren’t necessarily looking for some soul-searing, magical tome (a la Big Magic) to inspire them.

Weekly Hustle & Creative Wins: WEEK 23 (6/6/16)

THOUGHTS, RAMBLINGS, WHATEVS

Sooo… I’m still in NY, y’all. LOL. That’s the first thing, and it’s not necessarily by choice, I’ll tell you that much. I’ll get to why in just a second.

But still? BRUH. If last week was a test, then I passed that joint with flying colors! All the craziest things in the world, in LIFE, were happening all at once, and the pressure was ON!

First, though, the good news: the data on my laptop is SAVED! YAAAAYYY!!! I could not tell you just how elated I felt when I picked up my hard drive and held my data in my hands, lol. The “bad” news? I can’t back my saved data up anywhere else at the moment, so the hard drive is the only copy of it I have. It’s formatted for Macs, so it doesn’t work on my backup laptop (which is a Dell PC), my older Mac is totalled, fungi-stylez, and my brother has a Mac, but it’s so old that it won’t do anything but basic stuff.

Lol! Talk about irony. So now, I’m protecting this external hard drive with my life, praying that I’ll be able to find an updated Mac and save my data onto my cloud… sooner rather than later.

The other crazy news:

So, the reason I’m still in NY? Due to an unbreakable line of thunderstorms marching their ways across the country, my flights all got canceled on Wednesday. LOL! Can you imagine? After a week of craziness, I had to deal with that tomfoolery. The airline tried to rebook me but all their rebookings were canceled as well, lol. It was just a hot mess. So I just said “skip it”, and I rebooked for this week instead.

Turned out to be the best decision I made, EVER!  I took some time to rest and relax after Wednesday’s flight fiasco and honestly just recalibrated myself. Felt sooo good. Not only that, but there were also a few things I hadn’t had time to do prior to Wednesday’s departure, so the week-long delay helped me to really wrap up my business here in NY. Plus the extra time with my fam. So, yup, #winning.

I think my perspective on all the crazy stuff happening– learning to laugh at crazy and just let things go, for example– are really exemplary of the growth I experienced through my 20s. Honestly, my grown 30-year-old self is not at ALL trying to sweat small stuff or get stressed out over things out of my control.

Kick rocks, Murphy’s law! Either way, the heavens willing, we’ll be in AZ this week. Anyways, here’s what I actually got done last week:

LAST WEEK’S HAUL

What I wrote: Somehow, even in all the crazy, I STILL got writing done, holy crap! I cranked out 2,303 words for The Iron Maiden, which is roughly about 300+ words per day. It’s nowhere near what I’d like to be cranking out, but it’s WAY better than nothing. The only way to get a novel done is literally one word, one paragraph, and one page at a time, so it’s happening, fam.

What I edited: Hmm! Not much, to my memory.

What I read / watched / listened to: I fell behind on my podcasts and reading this past week, which I’m totally cool with. I think I only caught two of my podcasts, but I see myself catching up all this coming week, especially knowing I’m going to need a lot of background noise for unpacking and settling in!

What I researched / developed: Surprisingly, I developed a teeny bit of backstory for another series of mine, that I probably won’t start working on hardcore until the beginning of 2018. It’s a vampire / werewolf / otherworldly creature episodic serial with a twist. It’s called “Immortal”. Somehow, I also created** another book for the Doe City Thrillers and conceptualized** an action-thriller dystopian trilogy that I’d like to write. The latter, I think, will be firmly YA, but it needs a bit more development. Strangely, enough, I literally dreamed this trilogy up! The idea presented itself in my sleep (as about 30% of my ideas oft do), so I put it on the project slate and am just going for it, lol.

**FYI, for me, “created” and “conceptualized” mean that I have a premise, a title, a lightly sketched background and a log line for an idea. Then I just put these ideas on my project slate for future germination and development. Don’t think I’m just birthing full-blown books over here, lol!