Hello, new year!

I kept meaning to post something during December, but I never got around to it! For my family and I, the last part of 2015 really wasn't too great - we had too many funerals to attend between us, and lost too many family members / friends. We are all glad to see the back of 2015, and hope that 2016 will be a lot brighter!

In the meantime, I didn't really achieve many of my goals last year, but I did manage to achieve my GoodReads goal for the year! Here is my widget:

2015 Reading Challenge

Trisha has read 0 books toward her goal of 42 books.

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0 of 42 (0%)

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So I was glad to at least achieve one thing, even if it was tough at times. In 2016 I will also be setting myself a reading goal, but it's going to be much smaller than last year's. I will be undertaking some study during this year, and will need to use much of my spare time for that. I'm going to miss reading voraciously, but I at least hope to read a few books this year. I've also moved to the 'dark side' (or rather, the only side there really should be when it comes to reading!) and from now on I intend to not pursue any book I'm reading that I can't stand, or that is hard work to get through. So I have created a new shelf on GoodReads, "did not finish", and will just put any books I am not very into on that shelf. As people have said to me many times, "Life is too short!"

I did achieve some other things last year, but not as much as I would have liked. However, things will be changing around here - I need to strike a balance in my life, between work, volunteering with my rescue group, and having time for me / my creative pursuits.

I'm hoping 2016 will be the year I start to get more of a balance.

Happy New Year everyone!

[OCT UPDATE] Cephalopod Book Club & Goals

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : October Edition ~

I've been meaning to read this book for ages, and have only just got around to it.

It was a pleasure to read a book that was well written, as well as witty and entertaining. Jordan sure can write.

I am not religious at all, and the heroine in this book is Mormon, but the story doesn't preach to the reader about religion or anything - her being Mormon is just another aspect of her character (albeit one that does effect her decisions and sometimes complicates her job as a spy) that you get to know.

The book is mostly taken up with spine-tingling action, and that's the way I like it to be! There's also a little bit of romantic sweetness, in case you were wondering. :)

Thanks for the fun read, Jordan McCollum!

~ Do You Have Goals? : October Edition ~

During October, I've continued to do some work on SUNDOWN III. It's slowed down a bit though, I'll admit. But I have done some rearranging of chapters, merging some short ones, and have continued on my quest to convert the story to third person. I know there will be some gaps in chapters to come, that I'll need to fill in. I've already filled in one significant gap. But of course November is coming up, so I won't be doing much work on this novel revision during that month.

So, speaking of November, my goal is the usual one - to get a new novel written. The title is THE PHOTOGRAPH and the story is what you'd call a drama, I guess. But it'll also be a romance, I think ... though at the moment it's not feeling very romantic to me! So I guess we'll see how it goes.

I hope to update regularly during November... for a change. My poor blog is a little dusty of late!

[SEPT UPDATE] Cephalopod Book Club & Goals

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : September Edition ~

I read five books this month. I was travelling, so I had a bit more time to devote to reading. Also, I was trying hard to catch up on my reading goals (I was 6 books behind at one point). This is one of the books I downloaded for free (or very cheap... can't remember which) in recent weeks. I have been on a bit of a 'free books' binge, which is helped by a mailing list I'm on for free / discounted books. There is quite a lot of mediocre stuff out there, but this was one that I really liked (one of three this month actually!).

The book did have some (but not many) typos and things that could be fixed with a good line edit, but they weren't enough to piss me off particularly. I loved the story so much - and the writing! and the characters! - that I could move past the imperfections fairly easily. I love the whole zombie apocalypse theme - and the fact that Adrian takes that on board with enthusiasm. Reading the very first scene, I did wonder, IS this book actually about a zombie apocalypse? But soon enough I found my footing and knew there were no zombies about.

I loved Deanna Eshler's witty writing, and I really love the character of Keegan. Adrian, of course, was totally adorable, and it was great seeing their story unfold. I haven't read Book #1 (which focuses on different characters), but having read this one I hope I will find #1 to be just as entertaining, when I do get around to reading it! For now, I recommend this book if you like quirky humour and wacky characters (like Robert. That guy was hilarious too).

~ Do You Have Goals? : September Edition ~

Last month I reported that I had been doing some work on SUNDOWN III. This is still the case, but it's been slow going. I did manage to do a bit while I was travelling. The latest thing I did, was remove all of the hero's POV chapters. I want to try doing this book with just one POV. But I will do something with the hero's scenes, it just might not be a full length novel. So now I have some gaps to fill, from the heroine's POV.

I am also still in the midst of editing it back to 3rd person. I always go back & forth on this. Deanna Eshler's book that I reviewed above is written in 1st person, and I really do have a soft spot for that perspective. But I've committed to 3rd person for SUNDOWN III, and it does seem to be working quite nicely.

Next month is October, "the month before NaNoWriMo". So I'll be doing some gearing up for NaNo during October. But I hope to have a lot more to report on my editing of SUNDOWN III too, for the October check-in.

IWSG #15 - I'm (almost) back!

Usually this IWSG post would count as late, since back home in Perth, WA, it's 2:52pm on Thursday. But as I'm in California right now and it's not quite midnight on Wednesday, I'm not really late with my post!

I've had a pretty crappy year or more, when it comes down to it - at least in terms of making progress on my creative stuff! I did participate in NaNoWriMo last year, and wrote most of a new novel, which I finished in the post-NaNo months. So that's one significant achievement. But other than that, I haven't done much at all. This last month though, I've actually been working on editing! I mentioned this in my previous post for my Goals update, so I won't go into any detail. I'll just say that this time around, I'm feeling a lot better about my creative goals than I have in quite some time. I'm even looking forward to this year's NaNo, and have my novel idea picked out.

Anyway, I'm gonna leave this post short and sweet, since it's now six minutes away from midnight. But it's a pleasure to report something positive instead of my usual grave insecurities about being a total slacker who is achieving nothing of creative note. :) I hope you have all had a great month too!

P.S. THANK YOU so much to those who Blitzed my blog in the last week.

I feel very honoured indeed, and I'm glad to be part of such a great group!

Also, thanks to the organisers of the IWSG who put on such a great event every month.

[AUGUST UPDATE] Cephalopod Book Club & Goals

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : August Edition ~

Once again I've read a Katie McGarry book I really enjoyed. This one might have been my fave yet, though some of the other leading men have probably intrigued me a little more! But I really loved the story of West and Haley.

Haley reminded me a little bit of the main character in the movie "Stick It" (and it turns out her name was Haley too!), but I think book-Haley's self esteem was way lower than movie-Haley's, for most of the book.

It was really nice to see her finally start to believe in herself towards the end of the book, and stand up for herself. And the ending was perfectly happy! I look forward to seeing which book is next in line for me to read in this series!

~ Do You Have Goals? : August Edition ~

I'M SO EXCITED!! Finally I can say I have done a good amount of work on one of my editing projects (well, good compared to what I'd achieved previously, anyway ;) ). I've been working on SUNDOWN III, and my main task has been to switch from present tense to past (I have a long way to go there). I was also experimenting with doing 3rd person for one character, but it wasn't working, so I'm reversing that.

I haven't made huge progress, since I've been jumping around in the manuscript, compulsively editing scenes I've been dying to edit for a long time. Constant re-reads of a draft really get you familiar with what you don't like about your manuscript! So that aspect is exciting. But I'm still sort of figuring it out as I go. I don't expect it will be a very smooth ride, considering the jumpy nature of my editing. But it feels really good to be doing something.

I am going on holidays for three weeks, at the end of August. Though I'll be in the US and Canada with friends & family, I do hope to get some writing time in here & there. We'll see how I go, I guess. :)

[JULY UPDATE] Book Club & Goals

I meant to post this yesterday, but am only getting around to it now. Better late than never!

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : July Edition ~

I was excited to be reading this book that I just didn't want to put down, as that has seemed a little difficult to find lately.

The story in Charade flowed really well, the characters were addictive (as was the storyline), and it was just a really good read. It might not have been the most perfectly written story in terms of the actual writing, but the story was engrossing.

I was excited to see there's another book in the series, too! Thanks for a very satisfying read, Nyrae.

~ Do You Have Goals? : July Edition ~

Oh jeez, what a sad state of affairs. My goals are just lying in the dust. The only bright spot is that I'm still reading! But I have to admit that I'm lagging behind with my reading goal - five books behind, to be exact.

One of my main problems is that I am simply not dedicating enough time to reading. I desperately want to change that. Sometimes there's nothing better than chilling out on a weekend and catching up on some reading. But I guess we'll see how I go.

As for the other goals ... don't even go there. But I can say that I am motivated to do some editing. And I am going to try and step away from some of my other extracurricular commitments at least a little bit, so I can get back into writing / editing.

[JUNE UPDATE] Book Club & Goals ... and Mal / Jayne

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : May Edition ~

This month I have a very simple little review for you, as I am all drained of energy and steam to write a better one!

Basically ... I love this series and want to see it all on the big screen, NOW!

I really admire Marie Lu's world of LEGEND that she has built. I am going to miss the characters now that the story is over. But I guess I can always read it over again!

The description in these books, Champion included, does put me in mind of some of the anime series I've seen on DVD, and that is a good thing.

I was happy with how things wrapped up. Towards the end I was worried it was going to be some cruel cliffhanger, but thankfully Lu didn't do that to her readers!

All in all ... a thumbs up!

~ Do You Have Goals? : June Edition ~

What I said last time, still applies this time. I am terribly sorry to say I have nothing more to say than that. I will say that I'm steadily saving up to pay for the production of my band's next album, so that's something! I guess I might just focus on that.

Oh, and THIS...

Source

This weekend is SupaNova 2015, and tonight I'm going to see Nathan Fillion & Adam Baldwin on stage together, in the flesh!! This is majorly exciting as I am a Browncoat in spirit if not in fact, e.g. don't have an actual brown coat to wear around! There are other people I'll see during the weekend who are pretty exciting too, but you can't really top Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin on a Friday night. ;)

[May Update] GOALS & Cephalopod Coffeehouse

~ The Cephalopod Coffeehouse Book Club : May Edition ~

I have wanted to read this book pretty much from the moment I heard about it and first saw the cover. I finally got around to it this month, and promptly ordered books 2 & 3 as well (I'm now reading book #2). It was a good book, really enjoyable and easy to devour, though I probably can't say it's the most mindblowing book I've ever read. But all in all I thought it was great, and I would absolutely love to see a movie of it.

The story was fast-paced and gripping, and the characters were people I could really get behind. I saw another review that suggested the characters seem a lot older than they are in reality - but I don't know about that. They live in a world that has made them harder and more 'grown up' than a typical teenager in our world, so I found it believable. But maybe I'm too far removed from my own teenaged years to really be able to comment on that with accuracy.

Anyway, all in all I recommend this book if you like futuristic settings, YA drama / action, and kick-arse characters. And just for the record, book #2 is continuing the theme of books I would LOVE to see on the big screen.

~ Do You Have Goals? : May Edition ~

I don't want to talk about it.

No, really.

Okay, I did get ONE thing done since my last update - I went to a writer meeting, and actually did some editing! I didn't get through an entire chapter, but still, I did some editing. And it felt good.

I worked on ON THE OUTSIDE, my 2013 NaNo novel that has been stewing for a while now. I've been reading it on my Kindle over and over again (mostly reading this bit, then that bit, then an earlier bit, jumping all over the place) and basically letting all the things I want to change and fix sink into my brain. So I'm going to have those things in mind while editing.

I haven't gone to the writer's meeting since, but I totally want to. I just need to have weekends where I have nothing else on at all, so I am emotionally prepared for going somewhere on the Sunday.

That hasn't happened in quite some time.

Anyway, at least I have something to report this time other than the usual "foster cats have taken over my life!" line.

One big step closer

Since early January I've been trying to sell my car - and haven't had much luck. In fact I got no calls or inquiries about it until early March or so. I finally sold it last week though, for quite a bit less than it was worth - but I was just happy to see it gone.

Waiting to sell my car has meant waiting for many other things, too. Such as:

1. Getting a haircut! (no really... I haven't gone to the hairdresser since March, 2012)
2. Getting a decent camera - move on up from the point & shoot!
3. Buying my ticket to the US/Canada for September this year (my bro invited me to the Foo Fighters show in Washington, "the gig of a lifetime" he said - how could I resist that?)
4. Renewing my passport(s) - yes, both are lapsed!

The main thing I really want to do, though, is get my little 'corner of the room' office area sorted in my room. I need to get a corner desk, and the long-term goal is to buy an iMac to put on that desk.

For now, I will settle for the desk ... and maybe some nice stationery. ;)

P.S. I just did some editing. That's a rarity right now in my life. And now it's bedtime.

Cephalopod Coffeehouse + Goals :: FEB

I've only read the one book this month, so I guess my review will have to be of that one - Mistborn book #1, by Brandon Sanderson. This is my first Sanderson read, if you don't count the Wheel of Time books he helped to complete (which I sort of don't...).

I enjoyed the read, but it was very slow going. A lot of the time I would read a few paragraphs and then put the book down. Whereas at other times, the story would suddenly get quite suspenseful and I would be eager to read on and find out what happened next, e.g. when Vin realises that Elend is in mortal danger and rushes off to save him.

I think the world Sanderson has built so far is fascinating, and I'm oh so curious to read on and find out where he's going to take the story in book 2 - because the major goal has already been achieved. So I guess there must be new huge challenges in store for Vin and her friends!

Gee, it's been a while since my last "goals confession". It was actually back on November 28th that I last participated in this bloghop. At that point, I was still in the midst of a rather slack NaNoWriMo, nearly at the end of my novel. But at least I had well and truly achieved my reading goal for the year.

This year so far, I've done some editing on my novel SUNDOWN III, but have been really slow at reading. It took me around 1.5 months to read one book, which is pretty unusual, even for slow-reading me. And now it's nearly March!! This year is flying, but then, they all seem to do that a bit these days.

My goals for the next month are 1) to do more editing, as 'life' has been getting in the way of that a bit in recent weeks. And 2) to read a bit more quickly.

I hope you are all reading great books, and making great strides towards achieving your goals!

Slow start to the reading year

I finally finished my first book of the year - Kyra Lennon's Blindsided. I have also been reading book #1 in Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn, and I'm enjoying it, but it hasn't gripped me in a way that just won't let me put it down. Hence why I started another book in the middle of reading it. ;)

I haven't done much of anything else this year so far, in terms of being creative. But I am getting more and more eager to start revising something again. The problem is, I want to revise many things except the main project I was working on revising last year. :P I have been slowly achieving my other main goal, though - cleaning out what's in my garage. Another thing I really hope to achieve soon is selling my car! I have a new one already, so now I have two cars in my possession. I really don't need two cars.

So it's February, and I realised I forgot to participate in both the end-of-the-month blog hops I usually participate in. Sorry guys! I will do better this month, I swear.

Farewell, sweet bookshelf

First I want to say thanks to those who responded to my call for beta readers in my previous post. It was great to get some volunteers who I could put in touch with my writer friend. :)

But now, onto the point of tonight's post. I'm happy to say I've achieved some goals already during January.

Goal 1: finish my NaNo novel
Yes, I finally did it! I finished my NaNo 2014 novel! It did take me a while to get back into it, even after just 1.5 months away from it, and I had to read back through earlier chapters to remind myself where I was up to. But I got it done, and it's a relief to be able to say that.

Goal 2: Sorting out what's in my garage
I've also done quite a bit of work, especially today, on clearing out my garage. The verge collection happens this coming week, so I've put a lot of big rubbish out on the lawn. My garage is looking a lot emptier. I feel a bit sorry for the poor foster kitties in there, who have fewer places to hide. But I'll make them some good cubby holes so they can feel more at home again.

My bookshelf (one of many, and just the latest to be wrenched from my reluctant hands)

It was especially difficult wheeling my bookcase out to the verge, a bookcase I've had since high school. A whole lot of different books and other things have been on that bookshelf. It also used to be lime green, but was painted purple. There is a patch of green still inside it.

*Sniffle* I'll miss youuuuu!

Part of me hopes someone will collect it from the verge so it can continue to service a booklover's needs in future. But most of me is a pessimist and knows that bookshelf is probably destined for the tip. ;)

IWSG #12 - Striking a balance

It's a new year, and so far I've done very little in terms of creative goals.

I seem to have no motivation to get things done that should be relatively easy to achieve. I really want to achieve them, but I'm being lazy. And I hate it!

I'm still completely stalled on my SQUEAKY project, which really annoys me. But someday I'm going to get that done! I also hope to finish last year's NaNo novel before I go back to work next week. In fact, I might get started on it sometime today. I only have one chapter to write, so it shouldn't be a big deal.

Basically, it's frustrating having such small goals hanging over me that I just never get around to achieving.

I really do think that my heavy involvement with animal rescue is a big drain on my resources. But I wouldn't change my involvement there for anything. So I'm going to have to figure out how to strike a good balance between rescue 'work' and stuff I need to get done creatively.

And, of course, my full time money-paying job.

Happy New Year! (+ GOALS update)

Happy New Year everyone! I had a relatively quiet night with two friends - we even finished off the night with a cup of tea. ;)
Though we didn't party hard, I was with two of the best people in the world, and I daresay we are all feeling pretty good today, unlike many.

Now that it's 2015, I guess I should be deciding what I'm going to do with this year in terms of goals. But right now I am just going to focus on non-creative goals I want to achieve before I go back to work on Jan 12th.

These are my current goals:

1. Sort out what's in my garage ... other than 2 foster cats who are in there. ;) Don't need to sort them out just yet!
2. Buy a new pair of sneakers ... so I can start up my beach walks again.
3. Get emotionally prepared to sell my car.

Those will do for now. :)

Maybe I won't set any goals in 2015?

After this year's hits and misses, it's definitely time to re-think my approach. But that's nothing new, I guess - at the end of every year, it's the time to reassess. I have set goals every year since starting my blog, and every year has turned out differently.

I guess you guys know what it's like to reassess every year, and maybe change or at least tweak your approach in the new year. I've done that so far I think, but in 2015 I'm thinking I might try something entirely new: just taking on one random task at a time. Who knows? I may end up with another slacker year like this one, but I may actually get one thing achieved that I've wanted to achieve for ages now. You never know. ;)

I should probably still have a list of things I could work on, and then I can throw a dart at it and hit a random agenda item. ;) e.g.

1. Finish 2014 NaNo novel
2. Finish editing SQUEAKY (so not appealing)
3. Send some photo submissions to Vine Leaves

There's a good start. Three things to achieve, and two of them are relatively easy.

Anyway, these are my current thoughts about how I might approach 2015.

What are your plans for the new year?