Linzé's Mischief: 10 July 2016

This week my journal is taking on a slightly different flavour. Instead of posting only what I remember of the week, I think to add a 'per day' entry for the week. Since I got the idea on Friday, the entries will start then for this week's post.

Friday, 8 July - I took a day's leave to do some stuff, writing included. It is almost midday, and while the stuff (buying dog food, refuelling my car, etc.) has been ticked off my to do list, I have not yet written a word. Then again with those things taken care of, there is now time to do some writing the rest of the day.

Fridays are our time to shop for groceries; I didn't do any of that this morning, aside from buying myself a veggie lunch for today. So I can focus on the writing I still have to do - yeah, the excuses I do come up with!

While having breakfast (more like brunch actually) this morning, I had a thought about the restaurant reviews that I sometimes write (for another website). From now on I will limit my reviews to coffee shops (being places writers are more likely to frequent) and post these reviews on my blog instead. I won't get paid for it, but I do like to support good businesses in my area. And coffee shops are often small businesses too, that could always do with some support.

I signed up to do a promo post for a group of bestselling romance authors on Wednesday, 13 July, so keep an eye out for that if you are a romance lover, like me.

And now I am really going to go and work on my latest manuscript, Open the Door to Murder.

Saturday, 9 July - You would think that we would sleep in over the weekend since it's winter and we get up at 5am during the week. Nope, being married to a photographer who takes his hobby very seriously, leaves no time for sleeping.

Francois left home before sunrise to go take photographs of a tiny bird in Hartbeespoort, about 40 minutes drive to the north of where we live. He returned home, without pictures of this bird, but with three aloe plants. Make no mistake, I love aloes, their medicinal properties are well-known (I use several aloe products) but where am I going to plant those things? They require sunlight all day, no an easy feat in a garden filled with trees. I think I found a spot, but it will require some construction work to accommodate the plants.

Gardening is not my strongest point, although I am thinking of restarting my vegetable garden using aquaponics. Will post a picture of the aloes once I got them settled.

Sunday, 10 July - I spent most of the morning contemplating how I was going to finish my editing of Waiting for Adrian (I have barely started), launch Negotiating the Maze (presently being proofread for printing and publication by a professional team of people), format and publish the Journey anthology, launch Journey, finish The Last Gryphon trilogy and write a story for a sweet romance anthology with another group of authors.

Oh, did I mention that Waiting for Adrian has to be published before Journey? Yeah, Galen's Hope (part of Journey) partially overlaps Waiting for Adrian in terms of the timeline. I sure do like to make things complicated for myself.

I came to the conclusion that I couldn't. The first story of the Gryphon trilogy will be published in Journey - so that one is sorted. The second story needs editing, and the third is 90% done on the first draft. The only way I could potentially manage all these projects would be to rewrite the second story in the trilogy for the sweet romance anthology - that way I do two projects at the same time. Publication of The Last Gryphon trilogy in one volume can then wait until after the sweet romance anthology.

I keep thinking I need a project plan to manage all these things.

And then there is Camp NaNoWriMo and my first murder mystery novel. Good thing I am a few thousand words ahead of schedule, although I am sure that advantage is not going last very long.

Project planning time coming right up!

In the words of Li-Ana Baker (from Open the Door to Murder): may you have a healthy and harmonious life this coming week.

Until next time!

THE BILLIONAIRE BARITONE

Amethyst loves music and enjoys hip-hop dancing to spice up her dull and dreary life. But one evening on her way home from dance class, she hears a voice that drew her away from her route.

Caught in the act of eavesdropping, her life is about to change in a way she has never foreseen.

David didn't quite know what to do with the beautiful trespasser, but when he learned that she was injured, taking care of her was the only solution.
Little did he suspect that she was about to take care of his lonely heart in return.

CHAPTER 4

Three Morecrofts stood in the waiting room of the small wing where Amethyst's bed was. They heard voices in the room as the nursing staff helped Amethyst get ready for bed.

David's phone rang. Seeing who the caller was, he nodded to Jeff to close the door and put the caller on speaker.

“Tim, what did you find out?”

“Amethyst Calder is twenty-four years old and has no living relatives. Her parents died in a car accident when she was seventeen. She dropped out of school to support herself and works as a goods receipt clerk at a warehouse in the city.

She had no ties to any newspaper or tabloid. I had a quick look at her home, and I have to say that she is lucky to have a roof over her head. Her landlord was a friend of her parents and charges her almost nothing to stay in a converted servant's quarters on the property.

I am still waiting for the report on her financial status, but I would guess that she doesn't earn enough to pay tax over and above the unemployment contribution required by law.”

“What was she doing at the house?” David asked.

There was a whisper of clothing as the private investigator shrugged. “I don't know. Maybe you should ask her yourself.”

“Thanks, Tim. Let me know when you have the financial report.”

“Will do.”

After ringing off, Phyllis smiled at her sons. “See, she is a harmless young woman. I like her.”

Jeff returned her smile, but David remained skeptical. She might not be a reporter after a story, but that didn't mean she couldn't sell her story to a newspaper for a lot of money and the chance to have her name linked to his. Or Jeff's.

“We'll see,” he said instead.

Read from the beginning HERE

HUGE Giveaway - 4 to 20 July 2016

Welcome to the 4th of July Summer of Reading Giveaway!

The authors below are offering up $150 Amazon Gift Card to you can get your read on!

Please check out the books below, some are Free, Free with KU, or Inexpensive.

Young Adult

New Adult

Sweet Romance

Contemporary Romance

Women's Fiction

Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy

Science Fiction

Want to win a $150 Amazon Gift Card? Follow the authors in the Rafflecopter below for a chance. Open WW 18+ Ends July 20, 2016 @ 11:59 PM EST

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Linzé's Mischief: 3 July 2016

Kick-off of the second half of the year is celebrated (at least in my life) by taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo. I am about 5000 words into the first book of my new mystery series, Open the Door to Murder.

Meet Li-Ana Baker, martial arts teacher, ex-cop, and single woman. The fictional village of Fern Haven in the Western Cape of South Africa will never be the same again.

I write with more enthusiasm and efficiency if I have a deadline, that is why I like NaNoWriMo so much. But NaNo isn't every day of the year, so keep my momentum going I set myself a goal to write at least 500 words every day. To keep track of that goal, I use a spreadsheet to record my daily achievement, whether the number of words might be. With some simple calculations, I can see whether I keep to the 500 word average for the year, or if I need to put in a touch more effort to get there.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that a milestone was about to happen and today it did. When I updated my word count for my Camp NaNo project, the spreadsheet showed that I have managed to write 2,000,069 words to date.

Normally I would do something like discount a book for you to download either free or make it heavily discounted.

This time, I cannot, sorry!

(click here ->) Because...ALL my books are already on sale. (<- click here)

So this is your chance to get every single book I wrote (novels included) for either free or only $0.99 this month.

There are four more books in the pipeline for this year, so now would be a good time before there are too many to buy in one go.

After my boo-boo of the previous week, I will make sure that Chapter 4 of The Billionaire Baritone will be up in time to read on Thursday so that you won't miss another chapter.

And with my Camp NaNo target calling, I wish you a successful and happy week ahead.

Until next time!

International Author's Day Blog Hop

This is a request to join in and celebrate the people who provide us with hours of entertainment!

I am going to celebrate 'International Authors' Day' on 18th July 2016. Will you join me?

B00kr3vi3ws will be organizing a Blog hop that will go on from 14th to 18th July. Join in and write post on your favourite Books & Authors, or about how you got into reading, or why you love reading, or .... you get my drift. Let's show these folks that we love and cherish them!

Check out the 2014 Blog Hop
Check out the 2015 Blog Hop

If you have a Blog or Website where you can make a post then enter your details at the b00kr3vi3ws website.