Bits and Bobs is my monthly update featuring personal tidbits and writing news.
Bits and Bobs for August 2018…
Well! It’s been a while since the last update, and I do apologize. But it was for a good cause. In that last post, I talked about our house hunt and hoping it would be fruitful soon. Shortly after writing that post, that wish came true!
The New House!
After months of searching and a couple rejected offers, we found a place on a half-acre…at a fixer-upper price. This meant we had to, well, fix it up! For weeks it’s been a labor of love (and occasional hiring of contractors) for scrubbing, painting, ripping up floors, redoing cabinets, you name it. We moved in July and there are still more projects than I can count. (As we speak, my husband is installing pretty cabinet handles in the kitchen!) No writing office for me, but the open floor plan in the living area offers me a lovely space and views of the redone kitchen, garden window, and trees in the backyard. It’s a great writing place for now.
Here’s a before and after shot from part of the kitchen, which is still being worked on. What do you think?
Book Update
Good news! I promised I would keep writing Always the Bride despite the house hunt. And in the midst of moving and renovating pandemonium, I completed the draft, put it through two rounds of edits, and did an audio read through. This means that during my new longer commute to work, I used text-to-speech software to read my manuscript out loud to me. It’s a great tool for helping me “hear” the flow of a story and to catch any stray issues. Small tweaks were also made to the cover.
The book is undergoing a final edit and will be sent out to my advance reading team soon!
Until next time!