Writing While Distracted

And So It Begins

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Brenda

February starts tomorrow. Where I live, it is the longest, shortest, coldest, cloudiest month of the year. It is my least favorite month. This year instead of wallowing in my usual February funk I’ve decided to actively change my attitude toward February. I doubt it will ever replace August as my favorite month, but maybe by the end of the next 28 days, we will be cordial. One of my new year goals was to expand my writing repertoire so this month I’m writing a novella. It is a new length of fiction for me, and my first paranormal story. The story has been banging around in my head since last spring, so it feels incredible to let my characters loose on the page.
The other change I am planning this month is breaking up with my phone. Why? Because my screen time tracking app numbers appalled me. I spend enough time on my phone some weeks for it to qualify as a part-time job. As a writer, I love connecting with readers, as a reader I love connecting with other readers and geeking out over books. But I also want to make sure that I’m not drowning my sorrows in my phone, chasing little hits of endorphins, the way some folks pursue alcohol or drugs. ADHD folks have higher rates of addiction to alcohol and substances than the general population and are at a higher risk for screen/technology addiction. As part of my self-care this month I’m going to change the way I interact my phone and adopt more healthy habits.

I found a fantastic book to help me with my phone addiction. How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price is the how-to book I’ve needed to make the break with my device. Price approaches the process of phone addiction with charm, wit, and facts to back up and support her suggestions for mindful use of our phones. She is not a zealot or Luddite. Price has a realistic outlook when it comes to the convenience of smartphones and does not recommend or suggest that you switch to a flip phone and head off into the wilderness unless that is what you want to do.

The beauty of her approach is her myriad of sound suggestions of how to practice mindfulness while using our technology. Catherine Price offers actionable recommendations and a plan to follow to make sure that way you interact with your phone fits your life and is designed by you, not app designers using the best brain hacking technology money can buy to have you staring at your screen instead of your family.

I encourage you to evaluate the time you spend with your phone, to decide if your interactions are positive and support your goals. I have a long list of items to accomplish this year, and I know I have to make some changes in how I use my time if I am going to achieve them. My first step is to make sure time spent on my phone is time I’ve chosen to allocate instead of merely being sucked into the vortex of apps designed to keep me tied to my screen, oblivious to the world and distracted from my goals. For the next month I’m going to follow the steps outlined in How to Break Up With Your Phone and work on my phone habit. Wish me luck and if you decide to join me, drop a comment here. I’ll post a follow up in March.

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Rainbow Snippet Jan 26-27

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Brenda

Today is Sunday, the last Sunday in January and the start of a new week. I love Sundays. It’s my day for planning, taking some time to unwind and to prepare for the week ahead. I’m stoked because this week I will start on an erotic shifter romance that I have wanted to write since last spring. Today’s snip is from Double Six, the fifth book in the Rowan House series.

From Double Six:

Harsh sounds of their rough breathing filled the room as they held tight to each other. Petra lifted a shaky hand and reached for Elaine’s cheek. Elaine drew back. With a soft sigh, Petra let her hand fall back to her chest. Elaine looked away from the hurt in her dark eyes and pushed herself to sit before she slid off the table. She reached into her bag and pulled out a soft fleece throw and covered Petra with it. Petra curled her fingers over the edge of the blanket and drew it up to her neck.

“I’ll get you some water.” Elaine fled the room, running from the wave of emotion threatening to pull her under.

In the kitchen, she poured a glass of water with trembling hands. So responsive. So perfect. She took everything. Only Robin has been able to tolerate that. What have I done? She hurried back to Petra. She lay with her eyes closed, curled on her side. Elaine touched her shoulder and she started. “Drink this.”

Petra took the glass from her and kept her eyes averted from Elaine’s face as she sipped her water.

Robin pushed through the door, her gaze swept over the scene before briefly connecting with Elaine’s. Lips pressed in a frim line, she backed out of the room. The swish of the kitchen door closing was loud in the silence between them.

Petra cleared her throat. “Well, I can see why they talk about you.” She took another sip of water.

Elaine traced her finger over the pattern on the tablecloth. “I’m not going ask if that’s a compliment.”

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Review: The Curse of Doll Island

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Brenda

One of my many obsessions are horror movies. And not just any horror movies, I’m obsessed with old black and white horror movies, before CGI and the advent of slasher flicks. From Tom Browning’s Freaks to The Mummy I love old movies that evoke that anxious-crawl-up-the-back-of- the-couch kind of feeling, with dialogue, lighting, acting, and occasionally bad props and costumes. I love nothing better than curling up on a Saturday afternoon with a black and white favorite from the 1930s and a giant bucket of popcorn.
Ocean’s The Curse of Doll Island delivers that feeling book form. I devoured it in an evening. It has everything I love: a creepy setting, everyday objects trying to kill you, and rollicking witty dialogue. Did I mention frightening dolls that make Chucky look like an amateur? Ocean’s world-building is stellar. The main characters, Rosie and Devin, are well developed and have solid character arcs. The story is well paced and whatever you do, do not skip the prologue. The Curse of Doll Island is horror/action-adventure tale in an enjoyable, easy read, novel that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime. While this is the first book of Ocean’s I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.

About Ocean

I live in a lovely Seacoast town along the coast of New Hampshire about an hour north of Boston (go Pats!.) I’ve gone by Ocean for over 20 years and my books are published by that single name. Easy to remember, right? As I often say, only the IRS calls me by my real name… and if they call – I run!
I have 5 books published. Two are by the ladies at Wicked Publishing and last year I published three as an indie. I tend to write about ordinary women that somehow get themselves into extraordinary situations. “The Curse of Doll Island” is an action adventure thriller. “Interview with a Lesbian Sasquatch” is a light-hearted novella. “The Crab Brothers” is an action-adventure children’s story (grade 4 reading level.) My current WIP is “Return to Doll Island.”
Thanks for checking out my work and if it’s your kind of book and you choose to read it, let me know what you think! My fb author page: https://www.facebook.com/oceanwrites/

The Curse of Doll Island: An Action Adventure Suspense Thriller
In 1732 a Shaman performed ‘The Curse of the Damned’ on two women, trapped their tormented souls in wax dolls, and banished them to a tiny island.
Fast forward 287 years. Rosie Moorea is a simple girl who lives an unassuming life. Her friends convince her that she needs to give herself a fun adventure. Overcoming long-standing anxieties, she books a solo vacation. All is uneventful until she meets the charismatic, professional skateboarding movie star, Devin Fitzroy, who convinces her to go on a picnic. With a setting sun and an approaching storm, they end up on an island rumored to be haunted by cursed dolls.
Rosie and Devin don’t believe the superstitions that the dolls come alive when the sun goes down. However, they’re about to discover there’s more to worry about than bugs and snakes when they find themselves stranded on an island that holds many secrets, most of them evil.
Forced to confront their own fears and insecurities, the women are thrown into situations that require quick wit and bravery to survive. Will they make it through the night to see the sunrise or will something more evil than they could ever have imagined get to them first? The Curse of Doll Island will take you on a harrowing adventure you may want to, but might never, forget.
The Curse of Doll Island is available here

Rainbow Snippet Jan 19-20

Posted on January 19, 2019 by Brenda

Hello Snippeteers!

This is my first snip for this year. I submitted the fifth book in my Rowan House series, Double Six, on Friday and I’m snuggled in with the snow and noodling my next book. I hope wherever you are you are safe and warm.

From Double Six:

Petra trailed her fingers over the stocks set into the floor. She paused beside the newest addition to the dungeon. A large polished wine cask mounted on its side, adorned with cuffs and chains to secure submissives over its wide curved surface. She drummed her fingers on the cask. “Victor’s Vineyard. I know this winery. I had no idea they offered anything besides wine.”

“They don’t. It’s a gift from a former client and her submissives. They commissioned it.” Elaine shifted in her chair and crossed her legs.

“She must have been very grateful.” Petra stopped next to an iron and wooden device resting against the wall. She side-eyed the antique torture cabinet. “An iron maiden?” Petra rested her hand on her hip and quirked her mouth at Elaine. “Really?”

“Just for the head fuck aspect, it’s not functional. I’ve considered having it modified so I could use it for seclusion. But my sister insists it would destroy its value as an antique. Pity.”

Petra sauntered to the top of the polished wood whipping post and drew her fingers over the top of the post. “This is fantastic.”

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Review Goal Setting for Writers

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Brenda

Sandra’s Gerth’s Goal Setting for Writers is the book I wish I had found when I was struggling to get my first book-length manuscript written. I have ADHD, and although I have tons of energy and work hard, executive functions and organizational skills are something I struggle with on a consistent basis. I also tend to set ridiculously unattainable goals that leave me feeling like an imposter when I don’t achieve what I set out to accomplish. In the course of earning a master’s degree and working as a consultant, I’ve read many books on goal setting but was unable to consistently translate that knowledge into goal setting as it related to writing. Goal Setting for Writers bridges the gap between setting business goals and creative goals, and while aimed at writers, would translate to other creative endeavors.

Gerth explains why setting SMARTER (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, Evaluated, Rewarded) goals is essential for success. She also provides exercises and examples to help you develop personalized writing goals. The chapters on goal The chapters on goal setting are concise and offer specific instructions and illustrations of action plans as they relate to writing a book.

It is the chapters that provide readers with a list of specific steps for writing a book, from conception to final draft, and that sets this book apart from every other book I’ve read aimed at helping writers complete a manuscript. The list of steps to finish a book alone would make this book outstanding but coupled with the advice on how to deal with obstacles to writing, motivation, and writer’s block this guide is a gem.

No matter if you are an unpublished writer struggling to complete your manuscript, or a seasoned professional trying to find ways to work faster and more efficiently, this book provides explicit, actionable instructions for developing writing goals, suggestions for how to motivate yourself to achieve your goals and gives solid examples and exercises to assist in establishing personal goals. If you can only budget for one writing book this year, make it this one.

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Review: Plot Your Health Booklets

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Brenda

As hard as it can be to track your appointments and work schedule, if you add keeping track of another person’s agenda, it is enough to drive the most seasoned and committed planner nuts. At this point in my life, I need to track two kids worth of appointments for occupational therapy, orthodontia, and therapy, and keep track of their medications, and physician appointments as well as my own. There are those of you out there who use an electronic planner for this, and I salute your ability and if it’s working for you, keep going, you do you.
But if you are like me and prefer a paper planner, Plot Your Health booklets may be a robust solution to the problem of keeping everyone on track. Full disclosure, I trialed these for the developer/designer and am already a hardcore fan of her Plot Your Work planner for authors. I love my paper planner, and it works great for as an overview, but this past year we were trying different routines for each kid. We had home treatments to track and monitor as part of the kids’ health plans.
I was trying to keep it all in my planner. I tried highlighting and using different color inks. It was confusing because of my ADHD. I couldn’t remember which child was what color, or what color I wrote their individual appointments in so I was frustrated as hell.

Enter the Plot Your Health three-months-at-a-time booklets. It was the perfect thing for us to bring to our appointments, and it also enabled the kids to participate in their wellness plans. I was able to track appointment dates, medications/treatment and reactions to different therapies. The planner features color-in mood trackers. My kids enjoyed filling out their mood trackers. We made it a family thing and did it together. I let them choose which feelings they wanted to track and what colors they wanted to use for each feeling. This feature, in particular, was fantastic. It was the perfect way to get them to open up and discuss how their day went and what things might make the next day better. The small size makes it perfect to slip into my bag or jacket pocket to take to appointments. In a house where none of us is neurotypical the Plot Your Health is the best way I’ve found to keep myself and my kids on track.

You can get your Plot Your Health Planners here. For you writers out there, check out the Plot Your Work Planners as a way to keep you on track to write and publish your work.

Mood Trackers were great conversation starters

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Bring on 2019

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Brenda

This past year I wrote 59 blog posts, wrote and submitted three novel-length manuscripts, and two short stories. I also renovated a house and did eighty percent of the work myself. I have young children, a partner, and older parents with health issues that often require me to make an eight-hour drive to be there to help with their needs.
People ask me all the time if I sleep. The short answer is no, not much, but then I never have slept much more than six hours a night at any point in my life.
I also don’t watch television, or movies very much. I also left my part-time job this year as healthcare worker after 31 years, and that affords me more time to write. I am also extremely fortunate to enjoy excellent health.
Why tell all of you this? Because I’ve read the most incredibly stupid advice to writers about all the things you must do if you want to “be serious” about your career.
The types of articles and posts that contain this type of advice assume that what works/worked for them will work for everyone. This is not true. I’m going to say it louder for folks in the back THIS IS NOT TRUE!
Every writer is unique, what works for me, will most likely not work for you. I have wicked ADHD, which is why I don’t sleep and am driven to keep doing something, to move, to think, to create when most neurotypical folks are resting or sleeping.
I also tend to hyperfocus which means I can write in the middle of a busy street, or my living room surrounded by my family with all kinds of chaos going on. It doesn’t mean that I’m more serious than the next person it only means I have found a way to work that works for me.
And this is my advice for folks for 2019, find a way that works for you. Go ahead and read the books, try different methods, explore your options, and in the end trust yourself. You do you. My second bit of advice, please for all that’s good in the world and your sanity, don’t compare your output to anyone else.
The same folks who want to tell you that you must write every day like to say “we all have the same 24 hours a day.”
I want to point out that is not true. My 24 hours do not look like your 24 hours. We each have unique responsibilities and time constraints, physical and mental abilities, that make our 24 hours what they are, and yes we can control some of what our 24 hours look like, but work and family obligations are often beyond our control, as a mom of twins, trust me, even with the best-laid plans, two kids with fevers wreck your day, and may wreck your week!
My wish for everyone out there is to have a happy, sane and healthy New Year, filled with joy and that you accomplish your goals your way.

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https://www.facebook.com/Author.Jeffe.Kennedy

Review:Warrior of the World

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Brenda

Jeffe Kennedy’s third book in the Chronicles of Dasnaria series is a magnificent addition to the series. This book finds Jenna/Ivariel recovering from her battle to free herself from her abusive husband. If you haven’t read Exile of the Seas (reviewed here) the second book in this series, you are missing out on one of the best revenge fight scenes ever written.

What I loved about Warrior of the World: world building so rich I got lost in it; elephants, yes, freaking battle elephants; the way Jenna/Ivariel finally embraced her inner strength and responded to the challenge of war by taking advantage of the negotiating skills she learned as a princess, and her deadly fighting skills ultimately embracing her destiny and calling. I was particularly impressed with the skillful way Jeffe addressed Jenna’s past sexual abuse, writing with the sensitivity and respect that such a fraught storyline deserves.

This book would work as a stand-alone but will be a richer reading experience if it is read as the third book in the series.

Jeffe Kennedy has once again crafted a beautiful, evocative narrative with solid character ARCs, and best of all, an epilogue that weaves this collection of novels into the Twelve Kingdoms/ Uncharted Realms series. As a fan of both series, I can’t wait to see how this will tie into The Twelve Kingdoms/ The Uncharted Realms series, because, let’s be real, Battle Elephants!

ABOUT JEFFE KENNEDY

Jeffe Kennedy is an award-winning author whose works include novels, non-fiction, poetry, and short fiction. She has been a Ucross Foundation Fellow, received the Wyoming Arts Council Fellowship for Poetry, and was awarded a Frank Nelson Doubleday Memorial Award. Her award-winning fantasy romance trilogy The Twelve Kingdoms hit the shelves starting in May 2014. Book 1, The Mark of the Tala, received a starred Library Journal review and was nominated for the RT Book of the Year while the sequel, The Tears of the Rose received a Top Pick Gold and was nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2014. The third book, The Talon of the Hawk, won the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2015. Two more books followed in this world, beginning the spin-off series The Uncharted Realms. Book one in that series, The Pages of the Mind, has also been nominated for the RT Reviewer’s Choice Best Fantasy Romance of 2016 and is a finalist for RWA’s RITA Award. The second book, The Edge of the Blade, released December 27, 2016, and was a PRISM finalist, along with The Pages of the Mind. The next in the series, The Shift of the Tide, released August, 2017. A high fantasy trilogy taking place in The Twelve Kingdoms world is forthcoming from Rebel Base books in 2018. She also introduced a new fantasy romance series, Sorcerous Moons, which includes Lonen’s War, Oria’s Gambit, The Tides of Bàra, and The Forests of Dru. She’s begun releasing a new contemporary erotic romance series, Missed Connections, which started with Last Dance and continues in With a Prince. In 2019, St. Martins Press will release the first book in a new fantasy romance series, Throne of Flowers. Her other works include a number of fiction series: the fantasy romance novels of A Covenant of Thorns; the contemporary BDSM novellas of the Facets of Passion; an erotic contemporary serial novel, Master of the Opera; and the erotic romance trilogy, Falling Under, which includes Going Under, Under His Touch and Under Contract. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with two Maine coon cats, plentiful free-range lizards and a very handsome Doctor of Oriental Medicine. Jeffe can be found online at her website: JeffeKennedy.com, every Sunday at the popular SFF Seven blog, on Facebook, on Goodreads and pretty much constantly on Twitter @jeffekennedy. She is represented by Sarah Younger of Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

http://jeffekennedy.com

https://twitter.com/jeffekennedy

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1014374.Jeffe_Kennedy

Rainbow Snippet December 15-16

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Brenda

Hello Snippeteers!

This will be my last Rainbow Snippet for the year. I’m taking two weeks off to enjoy the holidays with family. Whatever you have planned for this weekend be sure to include some time just for you. Today’s snip is from my WIP Elaine’s story, book five in the Rowan House series. I’ve just finished the first draft so please excuse any errors.

From Elaine’s story:

A soft tap at the door, Petra’s gardenia perfume tickled Elaine’s nose and she ignored the knock, willing Petra to go away and leave her in peace to gather up the bits of her shattered heart.

Another knock, more insistant than the first. “I’m not receiving,” Elaine shouted.

“Open the door.”

“Go away. Is that more clear?” Elaine covered her face with her hands.

“We need to talk, and hiding is not going to make it better.”

“Thank you, doctor. Tell me where to send your final bill.” Elaine rested her arms on her knees and leaned back against the door.

“I’m not leaving until we talk.”

The thump and vibration of what had to be Petra’s shoulder against the door shook the door where Elaine leaned against it and rattled the knob.

“Open the door, Elaine. Now.”

“Or what?”

An explosive kick against the door rattled the hinges.

“This door is older than you are, and if you damage it, I will take it out of your skin.”

Another kick, louder than the first made Elaine jump to her feet, she twisted the deadbolt knob and yanked the door open. Not caring if the murderous thoughts in her head were reflected on her face.

Petra strolled past her and turned to face her.

“I didn’t invite you in.”

What are you? A vampire? For fucks sake, Elaine, stop acting like you’re thirteen and just lost your first girlfriend.”

Elaine slammed the door shut. “It that supposed to be therapeutic? Make me angry, so I stop feeling sad?”

“If you were honest, none of this would have happened.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault?”

“Yes.”

Elaine clenched her hands into fists. “What?”

Petra’s gaze was steady. “If you were honest about how you feel about Robin, you would have never given her to me. And she would never have agreed.”

In this groupyou’ll find anything from romance and historical fiction to mystery and YA. The common thread is that every story’s main character identifies as LGBTQ+. The snippets could range from zero flames to full-on sexytimes, anything goes content-wise. The only rule is snippets will be 6 sentences long–one for each color in the Pride flag.

Brenda Murphy writes short fiction and novels. She loves tattoos and sideshows and yes, those are her monkeys. When she is not loitering at her local tea shop and writing, she wrangles two kids, one dog, and an unrepentant parrot. She reviews books, blogs about life as a writer with ADHD and publishes photographs on her blog Writing While Distracted. You can find her on Facebook by clicking here. Or if Twitter is your thing follow @BMurphySideshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Writing-While-Distracted

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