Hello 2024

Hi everyone and welcome back to the House of Raven. Firstly, I would like to wish you all a belated Happy New Year. I hope your celebrations to welcome in the new year were all that you wanted them to be. 2024 has started for me like all previous years have – I picked up a chest infection which managed to knock me sideways. Fortunately I’m slowly getting back on track and my writing is back to where I planned it would be by this time.

The first book in the new HellBound Chronicles series is currently undergoing its second round of edits, and I’ve just completed the first round of edits on my secret project. Finally I’m getting a handle on time management which I am both pleased and relieved about as last year it proved to be a major pain, so as long as I hold to it the schedule I have in place will be maintained.

Every new year brings with it fresh opportunities, and believe me when I tell you I will seize every one that comes my way. My focus is fixed and my determination is strong, so it’s time for this Raven to really spread her wings and fly!

Have a great month 😀

Raven

Playtime is Over

Hi everyone,

Well another month is over and we are heading into fall, which I have to admit is my favorite time of the year. Snuggled up indoors under a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate in my hands and a classic movie on. Pure heaven 🙂

Now, you might be wondering about the title of my blog post. It in a way symbolizes what I guess you could call an epiphany that I had last weekend. I realized that I’ve not been approaching my writing and what circles around it in the right way. To achieve my goals I need to focus more and realize that nothing will come without effort, determination, and a strong will to succeed. So this month I am not only going to get my ducks in a row, I’m going to make sure they stay that way. At the end of the month I will look at what I achieved and tweak my schedule/plan where necessary. Something tells me I’m going to be needing a lot of coffee during this lol

I’ll give you an update in my next post and let you know how things are going 🙂

Well, that’s all for now. So take care and stay safe.

Raven.

A Kick in the Rear

Hi everyone,

Do you ever get times when you really need a metaphorical kick in the rear? Well, that’s what I got today and after calming down I realized it was something I needed. There’s been a lot of things going on which I’ve allowed, unconsciously, to start impacting my writing and my plans regarding it. It’s so easy to slide into a situation or circumstance without realizing what is going on and hard to drag yourself back to where you need to be.

Today I got home from my day job and settled down to work on edits, which I accomplished. I was going to get some more done after grabbing a snack – and that’s when I got pulled sideways. Emails arrived from work which needed answering, then there was getting food cooked, and also feeding the kitteth. By the time I’d finished I was frazzled and ready to call it a day. That was when my, how can I put this without sounding like I have bats in the belfry – inner voice yelled for my attention. When I listened, it asked me what I was doing. What about my plans? What about my ambitions and my determination to become a full time writer by the end of the year?

I have to admit the kick up the rear had me stop, take a step back, and look at the situation. By doing that I realized I was letting other things create a barrier preventing me from staying on track. Now I know, I can clear my head, refocus my attention and lock my determination back in place. I know I will make the occasional slip, but with my focus back where it should be the barriers shouldn’t be so hard to remove.

So, it’s time to grab a coffee, fire up word, and get back to work.

Until next time, take care and stay safe 🙂

Raven.

Painkillers and Pens

Hi everyone,

Well, today has not exactly gone the way I’d hoped and this is due in part to having a toothache when I woke up this morning. With so much to do I’ve been taking painkillers which have helped ease the pain. Unfortunately, when it has eased off I’ve been left exhausted and fighting the urge to nap. Luckily my demanding characters have been vocal enough to keep me awake, so I’ve managed to get some writing done. If the words keep flowing I will be able to share some pre edit snippets from both the books I am working on soon. I just need this toothache to go so I can focus better.

If while you are waiting you are interested in seeing what books I already have out, head over to my Amazon Author Page to see the delights on offer 🙂

Until next time,

Raven.