Life in progress

Tag Archives: blogging challenge


by 8 Comments

#JusJoJan 14/20 – Publishing

I’d like to start by saying thank you to Ritu for her prompt word, “publish.” Thank you, Ritu! You can find her Just Jot it January post here. Go visit her and say hi, and give her a follow if you haven’t already!

Now that I’ve decided to take this publishing gig seriously–I plan to publish at least six books this year–I’m considering what to do about creating my own imprint. Mostly so I have a single name to publish under, particularly if I decide to change genres and go with a pen name, but also so I have a name for a company, should I make enough money to register it. Don’t laugh–I have my editing business that I can put in there too.

It means I’ll need a logo … and a name. I have a couple ideas for the latter, which is actually amazing since I can’t come up with a title for five out of the six books I want to publish.

What do you call a romantic comedy series that centers around an Irish pub that has male strippers every Saturday night? And no, I can’t call it anything that will get me booted off Amazon for being too racy. Considering the premise, the writing is actually quite tame. I need titles that will reflect that too.

The sixth book, my passion project, is Book 3 of my PNR series, The Great Dagmaru. It’s a killer story that turned out to be quite difficult to write. Heartbreaking, but hopeful. The plan is to start releasing the romcom series in March, and get one book out every ten weeks, with Book 3 – “The Magician’s Soul” published by summer. I think I can, I think I can …

But back to the publishing business itself.

I’ve toyed with the idea of publishing other authors, but I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of investment. Especially not when I’m having this much fun writing my own books. I have a thousand ideas but only 365 days in a year. Does 2020 have 366? I’ll have to factor that in if it does.

Still not enough?

I’m determined.

And inspired.

I’m interested to know whether any of my readers out there have set up their own publishing companies to deal with their own books. It seems like a lot of work at the beginning, but it might end up making my life easier in the long run.

Thoughts?

 

This anecdotal post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/14/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-14th-2020/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here


by 30 Comments

Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 14th, 2020

Hello again! It’s time for the 14th daily prompt for Just Jot it January 2020. Today’s prompt was generously donated to us by Ritu. Thanks, Ritu! Make sure you visit her blog to read her post and say hi. And follow her while you’re there!.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 14th, 2020, is “publish.” Use the word “publish” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for January 14th, 2020.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


by 3 Comments

#JusJoJan 12/20 – Subscription

First, I’d like to say a warm thank you to Willow for her prompt word of the day, “subscribe.” Thank you, Willow! You can find her Just Jot it January post here. Go visit her and say hi, and give her a follow if you haven’t already!

I don’t really subscribe to this seemingly lackadaisical approach to daily blogging of mine. What was my excuse today?

I was productive at my job!

Unfortunately, that meant, for the most part, staying off of social media. For me, that means avoiding the 100 or so tabs I have open in Firefox, which means staying off Firefox.

And guess what? My blog is open in one of those 100 tabs.

Okay, a few of those 100 tabs.

On to the subject of subscriptions. I have one that’s not online–a magazine I have physically delivered to my physical mail box.

It is MACLEAN’S Magazine, and I could probably subscribe to it online exclusively, but there’s still a part of me that enjoys receiving the actual paper publication.

I worked in their office, once upon a time, long, long ago. It was through an agency, so I didn’t work for them, but I was there for a few weeks while someone was on vacation.

On reception, answering phones and as the first face anyone encountered when they entered the enormous glass lobby of the building, that was me. Little ol’ me.

And when I wasn’t busy?

I was, of course, reading MACLEAN’S Magazine at the reception desk. I think it took me an entire week to get through one issue, though. I was that busy.

 

This anecdotal post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/13/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-13th-2020/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here


by 38 Comments

Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 13th, 2020

Hey there! It’s January 13th and time for your 13th daily prompt for Just Jot it January 2020. Your prompt today is brought to us by Willow!. Thank you so much, Willow! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there!.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 13th, 2020, is “subscribe.” Use the word “subscribe” any way you’d like. Have fun!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for January 13th, 2020.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


by 7 Comments

#JusJoJan 12/20 – The Gravity

Hey there! We had a guest-prompter today, and I’d like to say thank you to her! Today’s prompt came to you courtesy of Zhenzhen with her word, “gravity.” Thank you, Zhenzhen! You can find her Just Jot it January post here. Go visit her and say hi, and follow her while you’re there!

I can’t believe it. I was so busy today, I forgot to post. I did manage to jot quite a few things out today, and the gravity of those things were such that they couldn’t be avoided.

And still I didn’t get as much accomplished as I’d hoped.

But I was totally gobsmacked when I realized I hadn’t written this post yet.

The fact that I’m really not saying much is testament to that fact: I’m writing off the top of my head.

Sans gravity. The words are just floating away …

 

This utterly apologetic post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/12/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-12th-2020/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here


by 49 Comments

Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 12th, 2020

Welcome back to your regular daily prompts! It’s the 12th day of Just Jot it January 2020. Your prompt today was selected by Zhenzhen. Thank you so much, Zhenzhen! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there!.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 12th, 2020, is “gravity.” Use the word “gravity” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for January 12th, 2020.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


by 12 Comments

#SoCS & #JusJoJan 11/20 – Books

Looking around for a book to find a quote for this post (it was actually “Looking around for”), the first book I came across was the dictionary. Figuring I didn’t have much of a chance of opening it to a random page and actually finding a sentence, I kept going. The book I finally settled on, which was actually the next one I found, was Transcendent, a book I have a short story in.

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t read all the stories in it yet. But I will! It’ll take a while though. It’s a hefty volume!

There are so many ways to read a book these days. I’m quite taken with audiobooks, now that I’ve finally discovered them. But there’s nothing quite like reading a physical book. I might be more enamored of ebooks if I didn’t spend all day staring at a screen … although I do still read them.

It’s beginning to sound like reading a good old fashioned book will be the only thing to do tomorrow. The wind is gusting and the freezing rain is due to start any time, if it’s not already doing it now. I’m in my PJs–I ain’t going out there to check. Anyway, we might lose our power, so if I don’t show up tomorrow, you’ll know why. I have the entire week’s prompts scheduled already, except for Wednesday and Saturday, so you’ll be good for a few days at least.

Wish us luck, as I wish everyone who lives in this wet, frozen part of the world the same.

 

2019-2020 SoCS Badge by Shelley! https://www.quaintrevival.com/

This post is brought to you by Stream of Consciousness Saturday, and

 

Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/10/the-friday-reminder-for-socs-jusjojan-2020-daily-prompt-jan-11th/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here


by 11 Comments

#JusJoJan 10/20 – My dogs

As always, to start off, I’d like to say thank you to our guest-prompter! Today it’s Di with her word, “dogs.” You can find her Just Jot it January post here. Go visit her and say hi, and follow her while you’re there!

Being the grammar and word nerd I am, I had to look up the word “dogs” as they relate to feet. Did you know the expression comes from 1913, from the rhyming slang for “dog’s meat”? No? Me neither. I’m assuming it’s Cockney, but I could be wrong.

This is an excellent site for looking up where words come from: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=dogs If you’re anything like me, you’ll be fascinated.

On real dogs, I’m terribly glad my kids are no longer afraid of them. Most of them, I should say. They’ll still give a dog walking on the sidewalk with its owner a wide berth, but at least they won’t run into traffic, screaming, if a dog comes near.

It was kinda touch and go when I brought this guy home

Winston

He’s quite a bit bigger than a shoe now, but I imagine it was his smallness that convinced the kids to allow him in the house.

I wish, sometimes, they could stay puppies. It’s almost as hard as having your kids grow up.

 

This doggedly not-on-point post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/10/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-10th-2020/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here


by 34 Comments

Daily Prompt – JusJoJan the 10th, 2020

Welcome back! It’s the 10th day of Just Jot it January 2020. Your prompt today was selected by Di at pensitivity101. Thank you so much, Di! Please be sure to visit her blog to read her post and say hello. And follow her while you’re there, if you’re not already.

Your prompt for JusJoJan January 10th, 2020, is “dogs.” Use the word “dogs” any way you’d like. Enjoy!

If you’d like to see what I have so far on your prompt list, you can find it HERE.

Here are the rules:

1. Please be sure to link back to THIS POST for January 10th, 2020.

2. Just Jot It January starts January 1st, but it’s never too late to join in! Here, we run on the honour system; the “jot it” part of JusJoJan means that anything you jot down, anywhere (it doesn’t have to be a post, it can even be a grocery list), counts as a “jot.” If it makes it to your blog that day, great! If it waits a week to get from a sticky note to your screen, no problem!

3. I’ll post prompts at 2am my time (GMT -5). You don’t have to follow the prompt every day, but that will be where you leave your link for others to see. You’ll get a prompt for every day except Wednesday, when the prompt is simply my One-Liner Wednesday and on Saturday, when your prompt will be the Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS, which will appear at about 9:30am Friday. Each prompt post will include the rules.

4. Please ping back or link to the daily prompt. To ping back, just copy the URL from the daily prompt post, and paste it anywhere in your post. Check to make sure your link shows up where you want it to, and go back occasionally to see other bloggers’ entries – the more you visit others, the more they’ll visit you! Note: A) The newest pingbacks will be at the top of the comments section. B) Ping backs only work if you’re blogging on WordPress. Everyone else must paste a link manually.

5. Tag your post JusJoJan and/or #JusJoJan.

6. Write anything! Any length will do! It can even be a photo or a drawing – you’re going to title it, right? There’s your jot!

7. The prompts will appear every day that’s neither a Wednesday nor a Saturday–Saturday’s JusJoJan prompt will be Stream of Consciousness Saturday. You’ll find the list of prompts below as they come in, which means I’ll be updating this post. Remember, you don’t have to use the prompts. Please write whatever inspires you. NOTE: If your post is NSFW, do not ping back. Please leave your link in the comments with a warning.

8. If you’d like to, use the JusJoJan badge so that others can find your post more easily.

9. Have fun!


by 11 Comments

#JusJoJan 9/20 – Num-num-num

First off, thank you to Maggie for our prompt word, “scrumptious,” today! You can find her Just Jot it January post here. Go have a read, say hi, and give her a follow!

There’s always loads of scrumptious food at my house over the holiday season. From Halloween all the way up to the end of the year, for that matter. If I were to draw a graph of my weight over the period of a year, I’m sure the line would go up steadily from the first of November and peak around now.

And it’s the same thing every year: buckle down as soon as the warmer weather comes and it’s safe to drive every day, and get out for walks to shed some of the weight.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

I need someone to ration me–to feed me the way I feed the dog. He would eat all day every day if he could. I’m sure of it. He’ll do anything for his tastebuds. Or his stomach, since I’m sure the garbage he gets into does nothing for the former.

I love my tastebuds, but I curse them sometimes. Think how skinny we’d all be if food tasted like tissues …

I’m not convinced that dogs don’t eat tissues because they want their poop to be gift-wrapped when we have to pick it up.

This post moved a bit out of the realm of scrumptious, didn’t it?

 

This less than yummy post is brought to you by Just Jot it January! Click the following link and join in! It’s fun! https://lindaghill.com/2020/01/09/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-9th-2020/

Love quickens beneath the moonlight …

Get your free copy of The Magician’s Sire: A Paranormal Romance → Click here