I don't do resolutions. No one sticks to them anyway. I do, however, do goals. I have lots of goals. No, really. I have a "you-know-what" load of them. And every December I create ones for the upcoming year.* This year's goals, a little late, are as follows:

• Writing 10,000 words a week. This will finish the current novel and get a solid start on the next. Of course, that doesn't count blog posts, which I also plan to be better at.
• Six new web design clients. This is what allows me to buy all the yarn and books I want.
• Practice a healthy lifestyle. I'm really tired of trying to loose weight, but I do want to be healthy. That means I'll do yoga daily and use my wii for more than just Netflix.
• Homestead my land. Yes, I have land. Yes, I want to do a garden. And hubby likes to hunt. So that's probably going to be among the easiest of my goals.
• Spend time on my hobbies. I want to have a new knit or crocheted or sewn project completed each month. I also want to learn to play the guitar.
• Get serious about my spirituality. My beliefs are eclectic, to say the least. But they are mine and I need to make the time to connect with them.
  

So there you have it. My goals for 2011. Wish me luck!

Me

*Yes, I'm aware of how much that sounds like a resolution. But it's not. Because I said so.

FINISHED!!!!!!

Well, at the first draft is.

At a local writer's retreat yesterday, I had multiple, uninterrupted (read: "no dogs to let outside, no children to feed, no husband to ask if he could get me anything") hours to write. And write I did.

Ghost Mountain is now finished. Done. Complete. Well, the first draft is. Now for edits and the new task of finding either a publisher or agent.

I'm so excited I could spit!

Next week will be a busy one. No doubt about it.

First, the Central States Fair is in town and the kid has (once again) convinced us to let her get a "Big D" pass. So, she gets to ride the rides all week (Monday through Friday at 9 p.m.) for "one low price. She'll have fun anyway.

On Monday, I turn 30-something. No, I'm not trying to hide my age. I'm just too tired and haven't had enough coffee to do the math. Ages/dates/numbers were never my thing. Lets see, it's 2008. I was born in 1971. That's what? 37? Ok, so that's how old I'll be. (Yes, M, S & H, I know you're all younger than me. So what? I'm cuter and smarter.)

Tuesday night I get my eye surgery. I'm really starting to get excited. But also nervous. Because of that, no makeup all week. That will be OK. Makes getting ready in the a.m. a little quicker I suppose.

Wednesday I just may get my nose pierced. Yep. You read right. I found out that hubby thinks its "sexy" as long as it's "tasteful" (read: small and conservative) and I do have a bit of a wild streak in me. Yeah, I know that comes as a shock to those who know me IRL. Oh well. On a side note, is it an oxymoron to use "conservative" to describe a nose piercing? Something to think about.

Thursday, I'm supposed to go to a birthday/going away party for a friend. The problem is that it's a "dress up in your favorite costume" thing, and I have no idea what to wear. So, I haven't RSVPed either way. Hmmm...

Friday is my (and hubby's) anniversary. Nope, can't tell you off the top of my head how long. Let's see, the kid was 4. Now she's 15. 11 years, I suppose. Or 111 some days. No, no idea what we'll do. We did already exchange gifts.

About the gifts. My old embroidery machine kinda died (long story) and hubby bought me a new one. As far as I'm concerned that counts for birthday AND anniversary. But he also bought me a Sturgis shot glass when he went up for the rally (birthday) and a new motorcycle helmet (anniversary). His wallet was literally falling apart , so that's what I had gotten him for the anniversary and I couldn't stand his whining about it anymore. I finally gave it to him. Complete with a dollar that he promptly gave me! What a guy!

So that will be my week. I have some new yarn that I got on e-bay. (It's SOOOO pretty and will make some beautiful socks!!!) I'll try to get a picture later. Same with the motorcycle helmet.

Oh, I have to finish a dress for Daughters of the Nile. I got it cut out last night and that's the part I despise. I need to run to the fabric store for thread, a 7 inch zipper, 5 buttons (which I won't use, I'll use snaps -- I hate button holes!), and some interfacing. I'm hoping to have that dress done by the September 13 meeting. I finally did all those embroidered bookmarks (128 of them total) that I wanted by the time my term as Queen starts and will get a picture of those, too. I'm even working on corsages for my installation in March. I need to work on the lap quilt I'll be raffling, though. I need that finished by my installation, as well. I have 4 blocks embroidered and the design for one more ready. I need to decide what other color fabric I'm going to use, though, and purchase the designs I want to use that I don't already have.

And I'm knitting 20 washcloths with stars in them for Eastern Star in November. I have 15 of those done. Also got a perm this week, since the step-kid is attending beauty college and needed a "head model." So a new picture of me is probably necessary, too. (Hubby is getting his hair cut today by her for a school assignment.) Although, step-kid says she is learning color next week, so I might get the gray hidden before I get a new picture. As hubby would say, "NCT" (Never Can Tell).

Oh! On the writing front, I have an idea for book two. Well, I have TWO ideas for book two. If you're interested, I'd love some input on them. (Either here, or at my writing blog: http://www.nicholerbennett.com) Anyway, the first idea is the murder has to do with sacred Native American land, a casino/resort/campground, and a rancher loosing grazing land. Idea number two has the murder being more of a revenge killing between an outlaw motorcycle gang and a "cop gang" with maybe a campground, and definitely some Sturgis Rally flavor. Oh, either way, the murder will happen at a sacred Lakota site in the Black Hills. That's a given. I don't want to go into too many details in case someone just don't care, but if anyone wants more info, let me know at either site. I want to really work on book two during NaNoWriMo in November. And for those wondering, no book one isn't finished yet, but is about half to two-thirds of the way.

Well, I guess that's enough for now. I hope to get those pictures up and be more faithful in writing here.

Things got a little crazy here this week. I know, what else is new?

Weight-wise, I gained four-tenths of a pound. Very frustrating since I worked out more. Even went ice skating with the Jobies (ONLY adult on the rink, by the way). And, no, I didn't fall.

Tuesday there was an article about our Roller Derby league in the local paper, since we're having in informational meeting next Friday night. My phone was ringing before 8 a.m! We've had positive results with the people who called us or found the league's MySpace page, but the online version of the story had some negative comments as well. One of my favorite was something like "I wonder what the teeth to tattoo ratio of this new venture will will." Since I've had my wisdom teeth out (side note: maybe THAT explains this roller derby thing!) does that make my ratio 28:1? Not too bad! Oh, and then there was the guy who thought we should try to make a bunch of money on this. ALL the proceeds of each bout will go to charity. We'll keep enough in an account that will cover expenses, but the rest goes to charity. The girl who got me into this mess (also a mom) and I talked it over and decided that all the charities will be kid-related. So Ronald McDonald houses, Shrine Hospitals, the Children's Home here, the book drive program through the Retired Senior Volunteer Program...those kinds of things will get the league's cash. We really want to do some of the "less advertised" programs around here. (Not that the big ones aren't good, but the little ones need help, too!) The one guy couldn't grasp that, though. After a google search I found out he had a few convictions for tax evasion. Yeah, not messing with him! Next week my friend and I are doing radio interviews. I still can't believe I'm doing this.

I haven't worked much on any hobbies, but I have been writing. Did some work on Chapter 1 of Ghost Mountain, and I think -- actually, I KNOW -- that it made it much stronger.

So that was my week. I can only imagine what next week will bring.....

What a week!

I've been a little stressed lately. (Hubby is rolling his eyes, I'm sure.) I have a little trouble saying no. (There goes Hubby again!) But it's the stress at home -- mostly self-imposed, I admit -- that's got me frazzled. Perfection is a pain in the arse. If I don't think I can do it right, or don't have the time to do it right, I wait. And then, in the case of laundry, for example, it piles up. And then I have to do a LOT to catch up. And then I get stressed.

Lost weight this week. Not as much as I gained the week before, but I still lost. Since the beginning of October, I've been gaining and losing the same five pounds. I'm ready to break through that, though. I need to break through that.

Did get my hair died. Finally! It's cute and I'll try to get a pic this weekend. It's darker than I've usually done, and no red, which is unusual for me. But I do like it. Oh, and there's some purple in it. That I love!

I haven't done a lot of writing this week. I think a combination of the self-imposed stress and the nasty critique made me lose my focus. I can feel it returning, though.

What else? Ah, roller derby. I'm playing with names, and the ones I really loved were taken. DANG IT! Nancy DrewBlood was my favorite, and of course taken! Now I'm thinking of Mizz Prizz. Since I'm a bit more "prissy" than some of the others. Any thoughts? I helped Pinkie B Witched fill out the grant info for our league, and the deadline was yesterday, so we should hear something soon.

I'm doing two craftster swaps. One should be finished today, and then I can focus on the second. I also have an Eastern Star official visit on Saturday. In case I didn't mention, I'm headed up the line there, as well as in Nile. (Those with no Masonic background are totally lost, I'm sure.) Up two lines? Goes back to problems saying no. I will be glad when the OV is over though.

Oh! Notice the second ticker at the top of the page? My sister challenged me to a dare. (What are we? 12?) Anyway, she bet me that I can't make a quilt every other week in 2008 and donate them all to charity. Here are her rules:

• all quilts have to be for at least a double-size bed
• they have to be made out of quality fabric ("no crappy polyester," I think she said)
• the quilts all have to be donated to a homeless shelter or women's shelter
• a picture of the quilt and a receipt from the shelter are required

So, that's 26 quilts. I got the stuff for the first one yesterday and plan to get it finished this week. Hubby wants to know when I'll make the quilt for our bed that I've been promising him. I want to do one for my dad, too, but he doesn't know about it (although he may read this occasionally) so I don't have to hear about not having that one done. Unless of course he DOES read this, and now I'll have to hear about it, won't I? Oh, the prize for our challenge is a free lunch. Not as cheap as it sounds. The loser has to drive to the others house for the weekend and buy the winner lunch. Since my sister and I live about 500 miles apart, that's a big deal. Hope sis has cash. I 'll pick a pricey lunch!

That's about it. Tons going on. Next week I hope is a little less stressful. My plan is to MAKE it less stressful!

The kid completed her first round of finals, and, while the grades for the final exams could have been better, her semester grades were As and Bs. No point in complaining about those grades!

I'm in the middle of doing two craftster swaps, but I won't be mentioning WHAT I'm making until I know my partners get their packages. One of my partners, I know, was checking the blog earlier. I will admit, though, that crafting for a New Year's resolution to be more organized is a challenge. I've come up with something for it, and finished that one. I just hope my partner likes it. Then again, sometimes one person's organized is another person's chaos, so I hope I'm on the right track.

Looking at the calendar, I see this is another busy week, with meetings every night. Sometimes I wonder how I get to that point, but I can't imagine giving any of them up right now. Add teaching Sunday School, and picking up the kid from school, and running to the grocery store, and making dinner, and doing laundry... sometimes I just feel like I'm at the end of my rope and even the things I volunteer to do because I like them start to be a strain.

I've written another few pages of Ghost Mountain, and I'm planning to submit it to a contest. The contest takes the first 20 pages, plus a two-page summary. I don't really care if I win. The cool thing about this contest is that the judge is an editor at one of the publishing houses. Now there is someone I'd like to ask to see the rest!

That's the week here. I lost a few pounds at WW, but I seem to be having a lot of trouble with it. Partly I know I've had the "munchies" and been REALLY craving the chocolate. I know that doesn't help, either. I saw a picture of me taken almost a year ago, and even I didn't recognize myself. Odd, isn't it? I do need to decide, though, if I want to lose another 15 or 30. I KNOW I want to do the 10 or 15, for sure. It's the other weight to put me where WW says I should be that I'm not sure about. I've decided not to make up my mind until I get to where I know I want to be. (Gee, without giving my goal weight away, that gets confusing!)

Well, that's my ramblings for tonight...

Until next time!

Am I, or am I not, an author? Am I a writer? This week, I didn't think so.

I got my critique back and it was less than stellar. I didn't expect the reviewer to tell me how wonderful I was -- although that would have been nice -- but there was very little the reviewer claimed to like. Even in the section of the critique called "Strengths." Ouch. And it was marked up in red pen. Double ouch. And the reviewer's handwriting leaves much to be desired so it takes some perseverance to decipher it. Triple ouch.

So I did the big girl thing. I went in my room and bawled like a baby. My family tried consoling me by telling me the reviewer was wrong, my novel is great. Of course I answered them like a big girl. "You have to say that. You love me!" That's what I tried to say between sobs, anyway.

Now that I've calmed down a bit, I am able to be slightly more objective. I can see that the idiot who critiqued me reviewer was definitely NOT in my target audience. I can also tell that person probably doesn't read paranormals or cozies very often, if at all. The reviewer did have a few suggestions I might incorporate, but I might not. I don't know yet.

I do know that I need to find a reviewer who doesn't "love me" who is in my target audience, or at least is familiar with the sub-genre I've selected.

My change of attitude has answered my question in a way that all the love, support, and encouragement from my family and friends never could. I am a writer. I am going to be a successful author. I'm not going to let one person's opinion matter so much. Especially someone who isn't anywhere near my target audience.

I will keep writing!

Well Christmas has come and gone, and still no word back on Ghost Mountain. I don't even know who ended up with it TO critique. I was talking to my sister about it, and a thought occurred to me: what if it's an author I don't like? Then if THAT PERSON doesn't like my story, I can be OK with it. But what if they do and I don't like their stores? Interesting dilemma, isn't it?

We spent Christmas with my family. First time in 10 years, to be honest. Anyway, this is a picture of the lap quilt I did for my grandmother. The blocks are the Lord's Prayer.

As for gifts, I got a lot of jewelry, a book on angels, one on saints, a few on Celtic Christianity, Pirates of the Caribbean Scene-It, and some knitting stuff. The kid got mostly clothes and fairies (she likes fairies!), and hubby got coins and bagpipes. Yes, I said bagpipes. No, he has NO IDEA how to play. My mom got the "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" DVD game and we spent some time playing that. I've learned that I AM smarter, but not by much.

Only other homemade gift I did this year was a purse set for my step-daughter. I'm not sure she liked it (she's hard to "read" ya know...), but I think it came out really well.

What a mixed week.

I gained a pound. A full pound. Amazingly, I really wanted to LOSE that amount, so now I have to lose two pounds to make the WW official 50 pounds. Dang it.

For those who read the comments, I did mail off the first 50 pages of Ghost Mountain and it will be at the coordinator's tomorrow. Gotta love "priority mail." Now I'll be doing edits on other places. I love my critique group, but it does get hard to keep up with the edits while adding new and exciting material. Or maybe I'm just stressing.

Yeah, I know that's going on, and I know I need to make time for myself, but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future. Add the chaos of the holidays, and it really won't happen.

Oh, and the teen ager has a sore throat today, but went to school anyway. I'm waiting for them to call and say she's sick, come get her.

And I broke my toe on Sunday. It's still in the "pretty" Technicolor stage and hasn't reached "rotting fruit" shades yet. Still hurts like heck, though.

Sometimes, ya just feel like you need a vacation....

Thanks to all who commented on the summery. I made some changes. How's this?

Ghost Mountain is a paranormal cozy set in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Cerridwen “Cerri” Baker, named after a long-forgotten Celtic goddess, is 36 years old and the mother of three. She has spent her entire life trying to fit in by not following the mystical, wise woman path her mother and sister embrace. But when her husband’s job forces the family to move to South Dakota, Cerri starts getting information from her Lakota spirit guide about a murder at a Native American holy site — Devil’s Tower.

Calling in an anonymous tip to the FBI makes her a suspect in the murder, and now she must convince the arrogant and suspicious Special Agent Joseph Oliver that she isn’t involved.

As Cerri struggles to balance her desire for normalcy with her spirit-driven destiny to help those who can’t help themselves, she finds herself at the mercy of Agent Oliver — as well as a killer protecting a deadly secret.

I sent the first 50 pages of Ghost Mountain to my mom and sister for them to look at. I want to mail those pages to the Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America's mentor program. I wonder if the author who reads them will like my book. What if they don't? What if they do? I feel like I'm posed right on the edge of this. Scary!

How does this sound? Dumb? I hate writing summaries!

Ghost Mountain is a paranormal cozy set in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Cerridwen “Cerri” Baker is 36 years old, married, named after a long-forgotten Celtic goddess, and the mother of three who has spent her entire life trying to fit in and not follow the wise woman path her mother and sister embrace. When the Baker family moves to South Dakota, though, Cerri starts getting information from her Lakota spirit guide about a murder at a Native American Holy Site — Devil’s Tower.

Cerri must balance her desire to be normal with her spirit-driven destiny to help those who can’t help themselves.

I'm not sure I'll make the NaNo goal this year. Real life stuff seems to be blocking my fictional life, but I have written more than 2,000 words and the month is still young, so there's time.

My real goal this month, though, is to submit the first 50 pages of Ghost Mountain to be critiqued (the deadline for that is Nov. 15) and to write a synopsis of the story. I want to look for publishers by the first of the year. Of course, I still have to finish it, but what the heck!

I'm sitting here checking e-mail and reading the blogs of my friends (and some "famous" authors who I wish were my friends!) and wondering if blogs really work. I don't know.

One of my friends is a mystery writer under one name and an erotic romance author under another. She blogs under her mystery name regularly and was able to guest blog under the other name. How do you do that? Does it help sales? Does it just keep you from the WIP you should be writing?

In my pre-author life, I did public relations for a large company in much need of PR work. My "day-to-day" job was to write and edit the company newsletter. Consequently, I know the value of a good editorial. It's uplifting to the reader and therapeutic for the writer. A good editorial can assemble the masses and be a valuable tool for the company.

Isn't a blog the same thing? Doesn't it keep the writers name in the public eye (or at least on a Google search)? Doesn't it allow those of us who don't take social stands in our work a forum to speak about topics which are important to us? (On a side note, I just finished Betty Webb's "Desert Wives." FANTASTIC book!!)

So how should those of us just starting out use a blog? I hope my friends will read and want to comment, but will a post like this get my name out? Or is it just a therapeutic outlet for me? Or just something to write since I'm mildly stuck at a plot point in Ghost Mountain and have no external deadline to finish the novel by? Should I be looking for a group of people to blog with, like my mystery/romance buddy mentioned earlier? Does anyone else write paranormal mysteries who would want to start a blog?

What do you think? Is a blog helpful at this point in my career? Or am I just avoiding the work?

Like a bad penny, I am back.

First, let me tell you, Mayhem in the Midlands was AWESOME! I learned so much from the panels I attended. Some were funny (sorry, but with titles like "Vampires have feelings too: making fantasy characters work in a realistic world" how could they not be?) and some were just plain informative (like "Central Casting: Where do characters come from?"). I took probably fifteen or twenty pages of notes in the two days.

I met some *real* authors, too. Karen Hall and Lori G. Armstrong don't count since they're both in my writers group here. William Kent Krueger I met a few weeks ago. (Side note: He won major points with B for the simple fact that this famous author remembered him. B thinks -- as do I -- that Mr. Krueger is a great guy, so you should all buy his books just because of his niceness!) I did meet Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard, Betty Webb, Lee Killough, Craig Johnson and a host of others. I also had a fascinating conversation with Libby Fischer Hellmann Sunday morning.

One of the highlights, though, has to be meeting Honora Finkelstein and Susan Smily. Never heard of them? That's OK. This writing team has four books out: The Chef Who Died Sauteing, The Lawyer Who Died Trying, and a cookbook to go with each. They write the same type of stuff I do. AND (now, this is the important part of my story!) said they would like to read my manuscript and forward it to their agent and publisher when it's ready! *Doing the happy dance here! I think I can hear Steph screaming for joy, too!*

All of this good news didn't put a damper on my weigh in this morning, where I gained back exactly what I had lost last week. Oh well! Easy come, easy go doesn't exactly fit here, but you get the idea.

Now I must go finish the manuscript!!

I'm packing. I hate packing.

I'm leaving for the writers conference in the morning. I also am not a morning person.

All my clothes are already in the car. It's the "extras" that I don't have finished. Which earrings will go with which outfits? How much free time will I have? Should I bring one book to read? Or three? What about knitting? How much yarn should I bring? I think that's the stuff that confuses me more than anything.

I don't want to forget anything, but I don't want to take everything I own, either! Grrr.....

On the weight loss front, I'm not sure this coming week will be a "good one." I lost 3 pounds last week, but went a little wild on the comfort food yesterday and will be doing a lot of eating out this weekend. I *did* pack workout clothes, though, since I know there's a fitness center at the hotel.

I'm excited and nervous. What if I go and find out that my writing isn't what I think it is? What if I find out that I suck? (Worse than just stinking!) What if....

Wish me luck and I'll try to post from the conference. (The computer is already packed, too!)

Well, I now know where to put a body at Devil's Tower. It doesn't matter how many times I see this majestic rock, I'm still in awe of it.

Isn't it beautiful? Is it any wonder why the Native Americans hold it sacred? Any wonder why it was our country's first National Park?

Oh, and I got four geocaches on the way! *big grin*

Didn't gain or lose this week. Stayed exactly the same. It was a little depressing since I had walked three miles the day before, but I'll survive. And I didn't go to the ice cream shop on the way home, so that's a minor victory!

Only one week until I leave for Mayhem in the Midlands. I'm such a dork that I have scouted out geocaches along the route and in Omaha to do. I know, a little odd, but everyone needs a hobby, right? *smile*

I got "Charmed Knits" last night. It's an entire knitting book based on Harry Potter. There are some really cute patterns in there! I'm not sure I'll ever actually finish a Weasley sweater, but I can quit loosing the pattern now (I had printed it off the internet and I put it somewhere safe, I'm sure....).

The workshop with William Kent Krueger was FANTASTIC! Not only did I get to spend time with real writers, I learned so much. I'm even more eager to attend Mayhem in the Midlands now!

Not only did I go to his talk and book signing Friday night and the workshop on Saturday, but I was lucky enough to have dinner with him both nights. Now, I'll confess I haven't read his work, but it's next on my "to be read" pile.

Sunday was busy as well. The Kid was confirmed at church. It was one of the largest confirmation classes with 22 kids. Very nicely done. One of the other confirmands (is that a word?) is the Kid's best friend. The two girls are inseparable. If I had to pick a friend for my Kid, I doubt I could do much better then this young lady.

AND it was Shrine Circus weekend. That's where I was supposed to be, working for the Job's Daughters or Daughters of the Nile. Instead I did "Jen and Family Stuff." (Well, the kid and I worked the Friday afternoon performance and the kid worked the Friday night and Saturday afternoon ones as well.) I felt guilty not helping, but wonderfully refreshed to do so much for myself.

Even with all the excitement of the weekend (the writers conference and confirmation and such) I managed to lose 1.2 pounds. I've decided that small victories are what I need. So this week's "mini-goal" is to loose enough to make the ticker say 30. Heck, that's not even half a pound! Then I get to do something just for me -- another angel for my collection, a trip to the bookstore, something.

Mayhem in the Midlands, a small mystery writers conference in Omaha, Nebraska, is just a few weeks away and I’m incredibly excited about attending a real mystery writers conference.

Years ago, I served in the U.S. Air Force. Every class or conference or workshop served to “re-Blue” the military men and women who attended and I have the hope that Mayhem in the Midlands will do the same for me.

Even before Mayhem, though, I’m spending the weekend at a local writers workshop. William Kent Kreuger will speak May 4 and 5 in town, and that should be another “re-Blue” moment for me. Ghost Mountain is going strong at 22,000 words. My critique partners seem to like it. Now to finish it and get it published so I can quit my day job!