I will be out camping in the wilderness for the next three days, Faithful Readers.  (Okay, “wilderness” meaning the forests outside of Leavenworth WA.  If you’ve never been to Leavenworth, it’s a delightful little bavarian town—very fun.  Look it up!)  So I thought I’d write you all a quick note since I will be incommunicado for a bit:

First, I’m making great headway on Augury (Mythologicals Saga|Two) and very much looking forward to getting the first round of revisions (for the first 3/4 of the book) back from Beta Reader #1.  Augury is already as long as Harbinger (120,000 words—approx 500 pages) but it isn’t nearly complete yet.  This is both excellent and terrifying.  It means edits will take more time than they do for SHIFT books (which tend to run in the 90,000 word range) but it also means readers will have lots of time with the characters, and that’s usually a good thing (I hope…)  :)

Next, I’ve been trying to think of fun ways to introduce new readers to the Shift Series.  Giveaways, perhaps?  More videos on YouTube?  More bookstore appearances?  I’d love your input.  Did you all enjoy my first Vlog post? Would you jump at the chance to win a SHIFT t-shirt?  I want to do things that you would find entertaining and fun, so let me know what you think!

And finally, I found this article today and simply had to share: It’s like they put into words things I’ve been doing as part of my creative process forever!  Sometimes I have to “procrastinate” because I know that walking away from a particularly difficult scene is the right decision—and I’ll come back with the answer.  Other times, I have to drive somewhere and get stuck in traffic (“boredom” + ” distraction”) because it helps get my creative juices flowing.  Here’s my fave quote:

“The creative process requires a period of boredom, of being stuck. That’s actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer’s block, but it’s actually just part one of a long process.”

But this doesn’t just have to apply to writing—it applies to life and all the myriad of decisions that must take place as part of it.  Plus I love nothing more than a good article, so here it is!  The Holy Trinity of Inactivity: How Boredom, Distraction and Procrastination are Vital to Healthy Living. 

Until next week! Happy Reading!