Terry Odell's Blog, page 4

Have a Safe and Happy Fourth

Have a Safe and Happy Fourth

With July 4th falling on a Friday, I expect there will be a lot of extended celebrations. Whatever you do, please be considerate. More pets are lost on July 4th than any other day of the year. And remember, fireworks can trigger unpleasant reactions in veterans, too.

Again, be safe and considerate, and have a great weekend.

 

 

 

 

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Danger Abroad
When breaking family ties is the only option.
Madison Westfield has...

It’s Release Day

It’s Release Day

It’s release day for my spur-of-the-moment box set, The Triple-D Ranch Series.

Did I hear someone say, “Tell me more?”

It’s all four of my Triple-D Ranch novels.

Rangers Turned Ranchers. Meet the cowboys of the Triple-D.

 In Hot Water
He needs a cook, she needs a place to hide
Derek Cooper has left the violent life of an Army Ranger and a covert ops agent for Blackthorne, Inc. in favor of the more peaceful life of a cowboy, running the family cattle ranch in the Colorado mount...

That 30K Wall

That 30K Wall

I’ve hit the 30K wall yet again. Happens every time. I zip along and then at around the 30,000 word mark, things come to a halt.

My brain fills with negative thoughts.

This is the worst book I’ve ever tried to writeThe story is going all over the placeI don’t have enough story left; I’ll be lucky if it’s a novellaI’m lost in a tangle of loose ends

My vacation last month didn’t help things. Several weeks away from the manuscript meant struggling to get my head back into the sto...

Friday Fotos – Cover Reveal

Friday Fotos – Cover Reveal

I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to bundle my Triple-D Ranch novels into a box set. Since the books were already written, it was a matter of cobbling them together and making some formatting adjustments, as 3 of the 4 books were released in 2016, and things have changed.

Then, of course, I needed a cover. I created Double Intrigue myself, and most of Heather’s Chase. (Shout-out to my son the photographer, for combining my Cliffs of Moher and the heather images I t...

When Research Slows Things Down

When Research Slows Things Down

I write fiction. I get to make stuff up. But not all the time. The current WIP is requiring unexpected research. I’ve got two major storylines going, one in the present, one in the past.

Mapleton is a made up town, but it’s set in the very real state of Colorado. I’ve never pinpointed exactly where in Colorado, but given where my characters go when they need to get to a ‘real’ city, it’s somewhere in the area of Denver. If I’d started writing the first Mapleton b...

Friday Fotos – Mississippi Cruise Gallery

Friday Fotos – Mississippi Cruise Gallery

I’ve put together my gallery of pictures from last month’s Mississippi River Cruise trip. I hope you’ll take a look. Let me know which is/are your favorite(s).

 

 

 

 

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings
Danger Abroad
When breaking family ties is the only option.
Madison Westfield has information that could short-circuit her politician father’s campaign for governor. But he’s family. Although he was a father more in word than deed, sh...

To AI or Not to AI

To AI or Not to AI

There’s a lot of talk about AI, both positive and negative. Will it replace writers? Will it replace artists? Was the way AI bots were trained unethical? Can an AI audiobook sound as good as one narrated by humans?

My feelings here are divided. I don’t think AI is ready to replace writers, at least for fiction. I’ve asked AI to perform some simple tasks, such as writing a book description, and for me, the results were laughable. However, when I had my own description and aske...

Friday Fotos – Another Visit to Rita

Friday Fotos – Another Visit to Rita

When my brother was visiting, we took a drive up to Victor to see Rita the Rock Planter, one of Thomas Dambo’s trolls. Of course, I zoomed in on some details. It was a lovely day, so I grabbed a few shots of our Colorado vistas. You can click the individual images to enlarge them.

Happy Friday the 13th. If you’re missing my usual Triskaidekaphobic post, you can find it at my Substack.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings
Danger Abroa...

Easing into the WIP

Easing Into the WIP.

When I left for vacation, I knew I wasn’t going to work on the current manuscript. I was going to be on vacation. I did, however, bring a printout of the chapters I’d written and took some time to write summaries of each, paying attention to the timeline. Nothing like having two Thursdays or three lunches.

But, instead of jumping into the wip, I confess I spent much of my time working through the pictures I’d taken. Eventually, I knew I needed to ease back into the wip. Unfo...

Friday Fotos – Mississippi River Cruise Architecture

Friday Fotos – Mississippi River Cruise Architecture

Architecture is something I enjoy photographing, especially details. Our tours along the Mississippi River provided ample opportunities to capture plenty of images. From new to old, from windows to doors to balconies to reflections, there was always something worth a closer look. The architecture is very different from what we see here in the Colorado mountains.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a nice weekend to those who celebrate.

New! Find me at ...