Kitty Murry

What’s Up Wednesday is the brain child of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Join the fun on your own blog and then go to Jaime’s or Erin’s to add your link – it’s a great way to share what’s going on in your life and get to know other bloggers!

What I’m Reading

My book club read POPULATION 485 by Michael Perry this month. I couldn’t finish it. Ah well. On the other hand, my older daughter insisted I pick up ROT AND RUIN by Jonathan Maberry and it was awesome. It’s zombies but really not your typical zombie book. I’m jumping into the next in the series now: DUST AND DECAY. Also in between there somewhere I finally read THE GIVER. I may be the last person left on the planet to have not read it. My younger daughter was the one who insisted on this one. 🙂 It’s so fun when they get excited about a book and want to share it with me.

What I’m Writing

In the last week, I got the first three chapters of THE WITCH OF HIGHLAND FALLS revised. And I cut out the prologue. That hurt – really, really bad. But after being told by very smart people that it just didn’t belong, I knew it had to go. Talk about killing your darlings! I hope to fit bits and pieces of it back in elsewhere but, for now, it’s gone.

What works for me

Inspirational fellow writers! There’s been several book birthdays in the last couple weeks of people I know either IRL or online. I’m so excited for all these folks! So, allow me to shamelessly plug for some people who totally deserve it. 🙂 (In no particular order – the descriptions are from Goodreads and the links go to Goodreads.)

THE HIT LIST by Nikki Urang: The Los Angeles Conservatory for the Arts is supposed to be a new beginning for Sadie Bryant. Moving across the country is exactly what she needs to escape the gossip surrounding her injury, the devastating betrayal of her ex-partner, and to rebuild her career as a solo dancer.

When the school announces that the annual Fall Showcase, a performance that secures a spot studying in London, will now require each dancer to have a partner, Sadie’s fresh start is a nightmare. Now she has to dance with Luke Morrison, the school womanizer with a big ego. Sadie doesn’t know how to trust Luke enough to dance with him after her last partner left her broken, but Luke is determined to change that.

Then, The Hit List comes out. A game of sexual conquest where guys get points for all the girls they hook up with—and it seems like every guy at the school is playing.

The girl worth the most points? Sadie.

BRIGHT COIN MOON by Kirsten Lopresti: Seventeen-year-old Lindsey Allen is an A-student who has her heart set on becoming an astronomer. But first she must break away from her mother, an eccentric failed beauty queen who has set up a phony psychic reading shop in their Oregon garage.

Lindsey is biding time until she graduates high school, reading tarot cards for the neighbors in her mother’s shop and recording the phases of the moon in her Moon Sign notebook. Her life changes when her mother, Debbie, decides they should move to California to become Hollywood psychics to the stars. As they pull out of the driveway, Lindsey looks up at the silver morning moon. It’s a bright coin moon, which means only one thing: what you leave behind today will rise up tomorrow.

When mother and daughter arrive in Los Angeles with new identities, they move into a leaky, run-down building and spend their nights stalking restaurants and movie premieres to catch that one celebrity they hope will be their ticket. When it seems they will never make it in LA, Lindsey is assigned a new mentor through her school. Joan is a lonely, wealthy widow who can’t get past the death of her husband, Saul. Debbie is convinced they’ve hit the jackpot, and plans for a future séance commence.

As Lindsey grows closer to Joan, guilt over the scam consumes her, and she must make the ultimate decision. But can she really betray her mother?

FEAR’S TOUCH: A DARKWORLD NOVELLA by Emma Adams: Freakish powers and staring demon eyes aren’t part of Claudia’s plans for the future – and neither is ending up stuck at the gloomy, isolated University of Blackstone. But bad life decisions are the least of her problems, when a split-second decision to help out another magic-user puts her in the crossfire of both the shadow-beasts and the creepy organisation which hunt them down.

Claudia’s never had to worry about making the right choice before, but every decision matters when you have a Darkworld connection. Soon, she’s going to have to make a choice: turn her back on the crazy and try to live a normal life, or take the monsters down.

But in a world where everyone seems to have secrets, can she really trust her fellow magic-users – or even herself?

What Else I’ve Been Up To

Oh, the kiddos are so busy, I can hardly see straight. My eldest is in the school play this weekend and when that’s done, it will take a big load off her schedule (which means a big load off my schedule). It’s also youngest’s birthday on Sunday and then mine on Monday! 🙂 So this weekend will be busy, busy, party, party.
Have a great week everyone!

What’s Up Wednesday is the brain child of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Join the fun on your own blog and then go to Jaime’s or Erin’s to add your link – it’s a great way to share what’s going on in your life and get to know other bloggers!

What I’m Reading

I finished BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Stiefvater, the third book in the Raven Cycle. It was really good – five stars. Okay, I have to admit, though, that there were parts of the book that were pretty trippy and parts that I kind of went “huh?” But I’m okay with that because I still love Stiefvater’s writing and I’m good with a trippy storyline and overall it was just darned good. Next up is a folksy-looking book that my book club is reading: POPULATION 485 by Michael Perry. Looks like a nice, easy read.

What I’m Writing

Still working on revisions for THE WITCH OF HIGHLAND FALLS. I would say it’s going slow but steady. 🙂

What works for me

A great writing group! I met with mine last weekend and it was my turn for them to review some of my pages. They had such fantastic ideas for me and I’m so excited to incorporate them into my first 30 pages of TWoHF. They are such a thoughtful, smart group of people and they always help me make my pages better. Thank you, MNYA!!

What Else I’ve Been Up To

Well, possibly the reason my revisions have been going slow is that I’ve been binge-watching The 100 on Netflix. 😦 But it’s really good! It’s got all my favorite elements: futuristic, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, teenagers in situations that are waaaaay beyond their maturity level. There’s a little more blood than I generally like to see in a TV show but I got over it. I’m almost at the end of the episodes that are on Netflix, though, then it’s right back to “nose to the grindstone!”
Have a great week everyone!

What’s Up Wednesday is the brain child of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Join the fun on your own blog and then go to Jaime’s or Erin’s to add your link – it’s a great way to share what’s going on in your life and get to know other bloggers!

What I’m Reading

I’m still trying to make it through my next Book Club book, COMING OF AGE IN MISSISSIPPI by Anne Moody. It’s kind of heavy material so I’m taking it a little at a time. In between, I read THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson and loved it so much I moved right into the second book THE MADNESS UNDERNEATH.

What I’m Writing

I spent a good chunk of the weekend revising on THE WITCH OF HIGHLAND FALLS. I got thirty pages done and it was a good time to get reimmersed in the story and fall back in love. 🙂

What works for me

Turning off everything (except music). I have no willpower when it comes to the internet but this weekend, I had to get pages revised in order to get them to my writing group in a timely manner. The rest of the family was gone for much of the day Sunday and I turned off everything except Pandora and my document. It was the most productive afternoon I’ve had in a long time.

What Else I’ve Been Up To

My daughter passed her permit test. Yikes! My husband got her out on the road (like, the real road! not just driving around an empty parking lot!) within about two days. She LOVES driving and I’m so surprised by that. I thought she’d be far more nervous. Maybe I’m nervous enough for the both of us. She has driven me to the grocery store twice. I’m not sure my nerves can take this – both riding with a new driver and the fact that my baby is growing up so fast!

Things have been busy, busy at work but I have managed to get out and enjoy some of the fall weather here in Minnesota.

Have a great week everyone!

What’s Up Wednesday is the brain child of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Join the fun on your own blog and then go to Jaime’s or Erin’s to add your link – it’s a great way to share what’s going on in your life and get to know other bloggers!

What I’m Reading

I’ve been reading a little of this, a little of that lately. I started a fascinating and horrifying book called FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL: LIFE AND DEATH IN A STORM-RAVAGED HOSPITAL by Sheri Fink. It’s a true account of what happened at one of the largest hospitals in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina when they were essentially stuck there for days with dozens of patients, some critically ill. The book was mentioned at a work-related meeting I attended about communications during emergency situations. I thought it sounded interesting. But, like I said – also horrifying. I don’t know if I’ll make it all the way through the book. Really, really bad things are starting to happen. Plus, it’s a huge book and I have other things to get to! Up next for Book Club is COMING OF AGE IN MISSISSIPPI by Anne Moody. AND! I’m so excited for the release of BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Stiefvater, the third book in the Raven Boy’s series, I almost can’t concentrate on any other books right now!

What I’m Writing

I’d like to say that the reason I haven’t blogged in a month and a half is because I’ve been in the revision cave. But that would be a lie. I think I just needed a brain break. I didn’t really mean to take that long of a break, though. I have spent plenty of time reading through all my CP’s notes. Have I mentioned how wonderful they all are and how grateful I am to all four of them for reading THE WITCH OF HIGHLAND FALLS? But, yeah, now it’s down to the hard work of trying to reconcile all those notes and deciding which changes I really need to make. It’s nice when all of them tell me the same thing is wrong in this chapter or that chapter – but, of course, that’s not always the case. In the last week, I’ve been pretty happy with my progress, though. I need to at least get the first 30 pages revised because I’m up next for my writing group!

What inspires me right now

People who have their sh*t together inspire me right now! I was complaining one day to a co-worker that I thought I would be dropping out of my book club (which she is also in). I was all, “gee, I have so much going on… the kids are so busy…. work is so busy… I can’t find time to write… I can’t find time to read…” yada, yada, yada. She was sympathetic and kind. And then after she walked away, I realized I had just been talking to someone who works full time in a director position (I’m .8 in a peon position), who has three kids (one more than me), who is currently in school to earn her masters, is in a book club, and is training for a half marathon. Then I had a little come-to-Jesus convo with myself. Okay, I may not be able to crank out as many words or read as many books as some other folks, but that’s no reason to just give it all up. We all do what we can do, right?

It’s all about perspective. And getting your sh*t together, too, I guess. I’m working on it. 🙂

What Else I’ve Been Up To

The aforementioned “the kids are so busy” pretty much sums it up. My eldest just finished driver’s ed. DRIVER’S ED. She will potentially have a driver’s permit in the next week. A DRIVER’S PERMIT. I have had alternating bouts of panic attacks and drowning in buckets of ice cream as I come to grips with the fact that I have a child who is old enough to be driving soon. Then there other things like piano and voice lessons, dance, church stuff… and on and on it goes.

My husband and I also got to indulge our photography hobby this fall by taking senior photos for three beautiful young women. He shot one session, I shot one, we tag-teamed one and I did the tweaking on the files. It was so much fun! We were grateful for the opportunity. It took a lot of time, though! I gained a whole new respect for professional photographers. 🙂

Have a great week everyone!

Thank you to the hosts of this summer writing intensive: Jaime Morrow, Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, and Erin Funk. You can head on over to any one of those blogs to find out more and to participate. Every Monday, you can go to any one of those blogs and post a link to your check-in post. Here is my update for the week:

How I did on last week’s goals:

MUCH BAD. VERY NOT GOOD.

*hangs head and shuffles away*

I live to fight another day. After tomorrow, a couple things will clear up and I hope to get back on track!

I hope you all had a fantastic week and that the upcoming week is even better (for all of us).

Thank you to the hosts of this summer writing intensive: Jaime Morrow, Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, and Erin Funk. You can head on over to any one of those blogs to find out more and to participate. Every Monday, you can go to any one of those blogs and post a link to your check-in post. Here is my update for the week:

1. How I did on last week’s goals:

• Spend at least half an hour twice a day on the WiP. Not so great again this week. I did spend some time developing Lucy’s character but I really spent maybe three days on the WiP this week. 😦
• Reach 10k steps each day. My Fitbit arrived on Thursday! I did walk each day  but I only reached 10k on Saturday and Sunday.

2. My goal(s) for this week:

• I received the last of the critiques that I was waiting for on THE WITCH OF HIGHLAND FALLS and I am really anxious to jump back into revisions on that one. However, before I leave FALLING behind, I need to do a really good outline so I remember what my plan was when I am ready to get back into it! FALLING has changed directions a few times so I need to leave myself a detailed roadmap. That is my writing goal this week. If I start in on revisions for TWoHF, that would be the icing on the cake.
• Complete critiques before my writing group meets next Saturday.
• Walk 10k steps each day.

3. A favorite line from my story, OR one word that sums up what I wrote/revised: Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!! (It’s been all about figuring out MC Lucy lately.)

4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write): Summertime laziness!

5. Something I love about my WiP: I am liking Lucy more and more as she evolves. She has some serious issues and some bad things that have happened to her but she is going to find out that she is so very strong.

Good luck to everyone in their goals this week!

What’s Up Wednesday is the brain child of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Join the fun on your own blog and then go to Jaime’s or Erin’s to add your link – it’s a great way to share what’s going on in your life and get to know other bloggers!

What I’m Reading

I didn’t get a whole lot of reading done this week. I’m still working on SOMEONE ELSE’S LOVE STORY by Joshilyn Jackson, and enjoying it!

What I’m Writing

I had a breakthrough on the character development that was hanging me up on my WiP, FALLING. I finally know what Lucy’s problem is! Now I’m working on developing it a little more and then I’ll get back to revisions – and then more drafting! I know there are oodles of ways to do character development but, if you are interested, I found a great worksheet template at this site.

What inspires me right now

I started the Minimalism Game last Friday, which I wrote about in last week’s WUW. So, I’ve been getting rid of items every day – the number of items in correlation with the date. I can honestly say that it has not been a hardship. At all. As of today, I’ve gotten rid of 21 things (more than that, actually, because there was one day I got carried away). Many of those things have come from my bathroom drawers – lotions that I’ve gotten as gifts that I didn’t really like, exfoliating creams that I was guilted into buying at one of those home parties that I was guilted into going to, hair holders that I’ll probably never use again (probably haven’t used in 10 years) … stuff like that.  I’m really liking this challenge so far!

What Else I’ve Been Up To

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy yet? If you haven’t, seriously… what are you waiting for? Hubby and I saw it on Saturday and it has already earned a place in my Top 10 favs. It’s exactly the right balance of action, feels and comedy. The comedy might be my favorite part. And the soundtrack! That is just the icing on the cake. I’m kinda glad that my youngest was away from home when we went to see it because now I have an excuse to go see it again. I mean, I have to take her, right?!

Have a great week everyone!

Thank you to the hosts of this summer writing intensive: Jaime Morrow, Alison Miller, Katy Upperman, and Erin Funk. You can head on over to any one of those blogs to find out more and to participate. Every Monday, you can go to any one of those blogs and post a link to your check-in post. Here is my update for the week:

1. How I did on last week’s goals:

• Spend at least half an hour twice a day on the WiP. I didn’t do quite as well this week and accomplished this four days this week. But I did manage to have a breakthrough on one of my MC’s motivation/backstory. It means I’ll have to rewrite much of what I have already written but … that’s the way it goes sometimes!
• Work out at least five days this week. I have taken to not so much “working out” as taking nice, long walks. I did that four days this week.

2. My goal(s) for this week:

• Spend at least half an hour twice a day on the WiP. I need to do some more character development but I also hope to start revising back from the beginning of Lucy’s POV.
• I just joined a “10k a Day” fitness challenge at work so my goal is to reach those 10 thousand steps each day this week. My Fitbit should be here any day!

3. A favorite line from my story, OR one word that sums up what I wrote/revised: Summing up – Dig Deeper!!

4. The biggest challenge I faced this week (ex. finding time to write): I really struggled to break through that wall with my character, Lucy. I’m still not 100% sure she’s heading in the right direction, but I’m excited to start re-writing her with this new backstory/twist on her character.

5. Something I love about my WiP: That it is still evolving. 🙂

Good luck to everyone in their goals this week!