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Friday, December 29, 2017

Science of the Week, 12/29/17

Welcome to the last science post of 2017!

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Researchers ID plant "sunscreen" protein

An interstellar climate

Chemical from cactus-like plant shows promise in controlling surgical pain

Is punishment as effective as we think?

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday!






Wednesday, December 27, 2017

2018 Goals

I talked a little about my goals for 2017 in the December post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Since then, I've been thinking about my goals for next year, and believe me, I have a lot of them. This is what I'd like to accomplish in 2018:



Writing
Finish Dryads to Discover (new urban fantasy, first in series)--In Progress
Start Dragons to Deceive (sequel to Dryads to Discover)
Finish “The Unnumbered World” (short story from the Catalyst Chronicles series, set between Twinned Universes and Catalyst in the Crucible, started but not finished)
Revise “The Fighting Roses of Sharon” (standalone fantasy short story, draft complete)
Write and submit to 3-4 anthologies/magazines?--In Progress
Work on Welcome to Costume City (middle grade story, started but not finished)
Plan overall arc for Selathen Avatars series (followup to fantasy Season Avatars series)--In Progress

Publishing
Prepare and publish 1 or 2 box sets for the Season Avatars series
Publish Dryads to Discover
Publish “The Fighting Roses of Sharon” as standalone
Consider collecting fantasy short stories into single eBook/print collection

Marketing
Prepare at least one pull quote graphic for each novella/novel
Send out at least four newsletters
Run a promotion every 1-2 months
Sell 150 units (books, short stories, collections) = 12.5 books/month
Participate in local literary festivals when possible
WisCon?

Other
Finish Jedi costume!
General Leia costume?
Make Santa Jawa costume
Finish 2 Death Star pillows--In Progress (One almost done)
Crochet blanket for Alex
Crochet at least ten SW characters
Troop 20-25 times
Read 150 books
Take 3-4 vacation days to be alone and work on projects

Household
Garage sale!
Get compost bin?
Landscape back yard

This may be overly ambitious, especially since this doesn't account for work, household chores, or  family (though trooping does count for family time). I may have trouble achieving half of this. Still, I'd rather aim too high than too low. At least preparing and posting a list of goals helps me establish priorities and forces me to commit to them. It's possible some of my writing projects may shift in priority as my interests or circumstances change. We'll see how much I've accomplished at the end of 2018.

Are you setting goals for the new year? If so, what are they? Feel free to share in the comments.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

After Christmas Sale



 If you celebrated Christmas or any other holiday this month, I hope it was an enjoyable and meaningful experience for you. I have some news that I hope you will enjoy. For the final week of the year, all of my novels that regularly sell for $2.99 are only $0.99. This includes SF novel Twinned Universes and fantasy novels Scattered Seasons, Chaos Season, Fifth Season, and Summon the Seasons. Prices are good on all eBook platforms and through 1/1/18. Please take advantage of this offer while you can!






Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Christmas!

For all those celebrating today, I hope you enjoy this video: