Marketing Monday - Up Wish Creek

Hello again.  It's time for another Marketing Monday here at The Writing Spectacle.  Unfortunately, being the unmotivated person I am at the moment, UP WISH CREEK has been free since Saturday and this is the first time I've done anything to promote it.  It's a good book and deserves more attention than I've given it.  UWC is the third book in the Once Upon a Djinn series, but it's not the last book.  (It seems like a lot of people stop at this book and don't go on to finish the series.  If that's the case, you're really missing out on the spectacular end.)

Anyway... 

From now through Wednesday, UP WISH CREEK is absolutely free.  (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.)  Get your copy of this snarky, paranormal mystery today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVU03BV

Sometimes Jo wishes she had a different occupation. Too bad wishes don’t work that way.

Sunday Update - Week 17

Hello!  It's Sunday morning and I'm running late again.  On the upside, I feel like a got a good night's sleep for a change, so let's go...

I did some writing this week!  Yay!  It was only one day and only about 1300 words, but it's a start.  No editing.  No marketing.  I did start a freebie thing for UP WISH CREEK yesterday, but I haven't marketed for it yet.  Still, I've moved a few copies even without marketing, which tells me my other marketing efforts are doing something out there.  Yay.

I did some reading, as you can see from yesterday's post.

I also did some baking.  I made a chocolate oil cake with strawberry jelly and vanilla frosting.  Except I didn't have enough powdered sugar for the frosting.  I tried 'making' powdered sugar using my little food processor.  It wasn't nearly as fine as I hoped it would be and the frosting is gritty.  Oh, well.  Live and learn.  I also ended up doing stuff chicken breast for Easter, which turned out super yummy.  

On the activity front, I did something 5 out of 7 days.  I took 3 walks for 2.4 miles.  I weeded and did other garden stuff for 2.5 hours.  Unfortunately, I just stepped on the scale and bleh.  Weight: 176 even.  :shrug:  I feel good, so that's really the point, isn't it?

In the gardening realm, all the beds have been weeded.  (A couple already need to be weeded again, but that's how weeding goes.)  I planted all the seeds in the cedar bed - 3 packages of mixed wildflower seeds and one package of marigolds.  I think I'm already seeing some of those come up.  I also planted an old seed packet of basil that I found when I cleaned out my junk drawer.  We'll see if those even bother to come up.  Additionally, I planted some volunteer trees.  It's been a green time here at Sanderson Acres, lemme tell ya.

Speaking of cleaning the junk drawer, I did that.  I threw out some stuff and organized the rest.  Considering I've been meaning to do that for months now, I'm calling it a win.  Now, I really need to reorganize the storage cupboard.  Maybe today.  Maybe not.

On a cooler morning, I went into the woods along the road and attacked some vines that had escaped my snippers.  Those are dying nicely now, tyvm.  That will probably be my last venture into the woods until fall.  The ticks are out.  I had three on me already this month.  None of them bit me, but just seeing them is enough to warn me away.

Speaking of ticks, Hubs sprayed the lawn.  Die evil bastard bugs.  

Okay, I think that's about it.  Have a great day wherever you are and here's to a productive week for us all.  :waves:

Sunday Update - Week ??

Last week was a blur for the most part.  Editing, proofreading, polishing, formatting and, ultimately, publishing Up Wish Creek.  From the time I was mentally alert in the morning until I could stand it no more before bed.  But it's done.  And it's out there in the world.  Yay.  Go here for all the buy links. All three of the Once Upon a Djinn books are 99 cents each thru today and maybe tomorrow - depending on whether I remember to change the price tonight.  Don't count on my forgetfulness, though.  Buy now.

All my fawns have lost their spots!  They all look like mini-me versions of the does.  This time of year always makes me a little sad.  My fawns are growing up.  :sniffle: 

I went fishing yesterday.  I told myself early in the week that I would not go fishing until UWC was published, and you better believe the first chance I had after it went live, I was out there.  And it was nice and cool.  Of course, just after I walked down to my fishing spot, it started to rain.  You know, that little, pelting cold rain that, with the wind, stings a little.  And, boy howdy, was there wind.  Gusting wind blowing down at me from the north.  I could barely cast out.  But I did it.  So, there I was, standing on the bank, getting pelted with rain and buffeted by the wind, and loving every minute of it.  I caught three fat hog bluegills to bring home.  I also caught a couple small spotted bass.  And then, something strikes my hook.  The reel whines as I'm reeling this thing home.  It gets to within about 3 feet of me, where I can see it through the water.  It's a largemouth.  Looks keeper size.  Maybe a scosh bigger.  I see it.  It sees me.  It opens it's mouth wide, tosses its head, and throws the hook.  I swear the bastard laughed at me as it swam away.

Also, while I was watching my bobber, a huge pike decided to swim to the surface about 6 feet from me.  Gorgeous.  And a little scary.  My pretty pink rig is definitely not up to 'big pike' standards.  Plus, landing one by myself with no net... with all those teeth...  Lucky for me, he was on his way somewhere else.

So, that was my week.  How was yours?

Sunday Update - Week 35

Good morning!  How the hell are ya today?!*

As of last night, I am 70 pages from being done with this round of edits.  Then I have to do a final pass through it all.  I started the formatting last night when I was sick of editing but still working. I now have a title page and a copyright/acknowledgement page.  Yay.

I went fishing twice last week and brought home a total of six bluegills.  I have tentative plans to go fishing today while it's still cool.  The rest of this week is supposed to go back into the low 90s.

In reading news, I bought the first book in a series I've been meaning to read for like freakin' ever.  I inhaled the book.  Illusion's Child by DJ Salisbury.  (Yes, that is our own Deb Salisbury - commenter extraordinaire.)  It rocked.  Now I need to snag the other two books in that series.  Plus read the other book of hers I bought which isn't in that series.  I also picked up and read a copy of Silver James' latest - Barefoot Bay: Double Trouble.  I love her books.  And this one is set in the framework of Roxanne St. Claire's Barefoot Bay, which I also love.  The gals are rocking things out.

That's it for me.  I'll let you all know when Up Wish Creek is available for purchase.  Meanwhile, stop by Goodreads and give it a 'Want to Read', if you will.  Thanks!

*Yeah, the enthusiasm is faked.  It's morning and I haven't had enough coffee to be that excited about anything... except coffee.

Sunday Update - Week 24

First off, Happy Fathers' Day!  (I never know where to put the apostrophe there.  It's a holiday for all fathers, right?  :shrug:) 

This past week...  Ummm... 

I made it all the way to page 104 in the deep edit of Up Wish Creek.  Tackled one particularly gnarly scene where I couldn't tell what the hell I meant or who was speaking.  Slapped that one around, cut and pasted, deleted and rewrote until it did what it was supposed to do and furthered the story.

Sales are dwindling from my Memorial Day Weekend advertising.  I supposed I should be glad it lasted this long, but I need to find a way to get some kind of momentum so sales aren't a total roller coaster.  I haven't managed to secure any new advertising this month.

I read some awesome stuff this past week.  My friend and colleague and all around awesome person, JB Lynn released the 15th book in her Confessions of a Slightly Neurotic Hitwoman series - The Hitwoman Under Pressure.  It was awesome.  And I need to write some reviews.  I also read a book by Ngaio Marsh called Overture to Death, which was loads of fun.  One other book I read was by Helen MacInnes.  The first one of hers I'd read.  It was really good until the very end, when something happened that I didn't think was bloody-well necessary to the story as a whole and kinda ticked me off.  :shrug:

I spent Wednesday morning scouting new fishing locations and taking awesome pictures - like this one:

And this one:

I saw my first baby deer this week when I was out scouting new fishing locations.  Twin fawns crossed the road with their mama, an aunt, and probably an older sister.  Unfortunately, I was in the car and did not get the camera out in time to catch a shot.  (It usually rides in the car in its carrying case.  That'll teach me to care more about the camera than a potential awesome shot.)

I also went fishing on the last not-grotesquely-hot afternoon until probably September.  Caught about a dozen little fish.  I thought they were baby rock bass.  Nope.  Upon further research, I have learned they were baby green sunfish.  All about 3-4" long, so no keepers.  Oh well.  I had a lot of fun. 

Umm, yeah, about that further research.  Turns out what I thought were too-small rock bass all along were actually really nice-sized green sunfish.  So I didn't need to throw them back. In fact, the one 8.5" 'rock bass' I threw back would've been a nice meal as a sunfish.  Better safe than sorry, though.  I do not need to get slapped with a fine for keeping a too-small rock bass (they have to be over 9" inches here) and in my defense really big green sunfish (no size limit there) do look kinda like the rock bass I remember catching when I was a kid.  Live and learn.

That's about it for me.  What's the update with you?