The new updating schedule didn’t go to plan yesterday because I was ill last night, go figure! Nights or early mornings seem to be the best time for me to update, and with my dogs not enjoying the cold Chicago weather in the morning, it seems that nights are the best to update.
I will make the Wednesday post tomorrow for sure! I will post my blog for next Monday, which is currently half written. 🙂
Love you all. Stay warm. Cheers.
HK Rowe
2015 is here! Happy New Year!
I know we’re four days in, but I’ve been trying to catch up with things after the holidays, which has been rather difficult. I’ve been trying to post where I can that “Unbridled” is still on sale for $0.99 through the month, so that takes time as well. RL has thrown some curve balls as well: a party here and there, a funeral, housework and a sick dog. They all tend to eat up time.
I worked on a blog schedule for this year in an attempt to be a more proactive blogger than I have been. It’s still going to be difficult, but this comes with the indie author career so I’m ready to make the effort.
Starting tomorrow the schedule will go as follows:
MONDAY – writing/design blather and advice
WEDNESDAY – Nonfiction days: corporate, job search, self help and motivation
FRIDAY – Flash Fiction
SUNDAY – Excerpts! Excerpts on all current projects as well as promos!
Alright then! Let’s see how it goes. I’ll be posting Monday’s blog first thing tomorrow. See you then.
Cheers,
HK Rowe
*waves*
Hello! Yes, I’m coming out of weeks of being a hermit to update this blog. I’ve been furiously writing my new story Autumn Fire so I could make the NaNoWriMo word count, and I’m happy to say that I have won it this year. There were some times where I got really behind and didn’t think I’d make it, but I came through. I feel very accomplished, which is definitely a confidence booster that I needed lately.
Real life has also been hectic, with Thanksgiving and small road trips here and there. I finish off the month with another small Thanksgiving dinner today with my mother, sister, brother-in-law, and young niece today. It’ll be good times with more turkey and apple pie.
In a couple of weeks, I’ll be celebrating my birthday, where I will be doing my first ever Goodreads Giveaway for Unbridled to give out five free signed paperback copies. During the giveaway I will be posting links here.
This blog will go back to a regular schedule, hopefully with regular topics. I am determined to switch gears and finish working Killer Orange to release early next year. Christmas is approaching so I’m hoping for a little more time off from work and things to focus on it. Who knows? The holidays get very busy but I’m pretty adamant to get this done. I think I found a good editor too.
I hope everyone is doing well and that those who participated in NaNoWriMo came out with some great stories.
Cheers!
H.K. Rowe
Hello, everyone! I hope everyone had a great Halloween. I dressed up as the TARDIS from Doctor Who. Well, it was a Tardis-girl costume. 🙂
I guess I’m a day late but I definitely have been working on NaNoWriMo even before it started. Friday I uploaded a cover and summary, and now I’ve met my word count goal for day 2.
Here’s the cover:
Summary:
Dori and Sam have always had a strange bond; they’ve both lost someone special in a car accident: Dori’s older brother Jon and Sam’s best friend. After Sam loses his job, he becomes homeless, prompting Dori to take him into her home. Dori is ready to help Sam heal from his demons, but is she ready to give up her carefree life and fall in love with an older man?
And of course, here are the widgets!
Find me if you want to be my buddy! My name is quirkyslayer.
For those of you who are doing NaNoWriMo, good luck and happy writing!
Cheers!
H.K. Rowe
As my NaNoWriMo ideas start to come together in my head, I’m looking to the internet for good tips in starting it, working on characters, and thinking about the sorts of conflicts my characters are going to have to really challenge yet stabilize their growing relationship.
There is LOTS of thinking. I’ve done Character profiles. Next I think it’ll be doodling and outlining. I’m almost ready! (I keep telling myself that, seriously.)
I’m also taking notice of some potential distractions. Though, not bad, just…well, distractions…
1) editing Killer Orange: Oh yes. That’s still happening. I’m going to work on my cover soon. I’ve made myself feel guilty enough I haven’t touched it. I am THINKING about it. Though, that doesn’t do too much productively.
2) Unfinished paintings: This may go into December, but a local art shop is looking for submissions. My Ophelia painting is starting to stare at me while I’m in my studio. “Finish me!” And I have a few ideas for some old paintings and how to rework them into something new.
3) Drawings: I still want to draw SOMETHING at least every day, even if it’s just a sketch or maybe even a life drawing study. Drawing really is like working a muscle, and well, I’ve been sorely out of shape.
4) RL: Why do I have to go to work again and not spend all day writing? Oh, right. Bills. I also suppose I have a husband and two dogs to care for. I have family that, for some reason, likes my company. Friends too. Then there’s this really cumbersome holiday coming up in November called Thanksgiving. I have two family sides clamoring for our presence. If only people could be understanding that I’m a writer and maybe I want to hole myself up into my studio and not come out and socialize! No? Well… there you go then.
5) Fitness: I really REALLY need to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise in my day. It’s good for my stress, and I’d LIKE to fit into some of my old pants again. Someday.
So there are my uphill battles for the coming month. Time to put on the armor, take up the Sword of Multitasking from the stone, and ride into battle.
Cheers,
HK Rowe
I have been writing and drawing a LOT. Unfortunately, it’s more exercise and practice stuff. I’m doing a lot of journaling, which is mostly personal.
I spent a two week stint designing proposal templates on oDesk so I was occupied there. Hey, money is money.
A lot of my private journaling comes from thoughts and introspections as I deal with the one-year anniversary of my father’s death, as well as being there for my mom while she goes through it. It’s not pretty stuff. One thing is a hard constant: I still don’t like sharing my feelings. Apparently people think that’s something I need to work on.
I’m musing and outlining my Nanorwrimo novel, thinking of a cohesive plot. I’m trying to get over the strange fear of editing Killer Orange. I wonder if I can get through that. It isn’t a block so much as a feeling of dread, like a dirty chore, and I need to get through that. I’m open to what other writers do when they feel overwhelmed with dread in editing their works.
On the upside, this Saturday was Madison Pagan Pride day, and I met High Priestess and activist Selena Fox. She’s one of my idols, and she’s so charming and full of love and joy. I wish I could be half the woman she is.
Work is going really well, but more is continually expected of me. Such is the game.
More writing progress posted soon!
Cheers!
H.K. Rowe
Two posts in one day? What the -!
Seriously, you guys are killing me. I got my notice today that one of the books I pre-ordered was ready in my Kindle app library, there was an Alice Hoffman book for sale on Bookbub, and I still have tons of my friends’ stories sitting and waiting for me to read them.
I have a serious problem though. I tend to read 2 to 3 books at once. I don’t know if that’s healthy but it’s how I roll.
This is just a preview of my kindle app. It’s way longer and more stacked than this. Trust me.
And this doesn’t even count all the books in my house in multiple bookshelves. I think I have a serious problem.
H.K. Rowe
I admit… I went from not knowing if I would participate in NaNoWriMo this year, to getting inspired for a brand new story that’s not in my “Story Ideas” folder in my Google Drive.
I’m also sort of excited about it, and the character backgrounds are already beginning to formulate and come together, especially the male character – who my brain seems to add layer upon layer already.
The characters aren’t the only exciting thing I want to play with, it’s the relationship – a May-December relationship that I’ve always had a fascination with, with all the stigmas and notions that come from it – I want my characters to explore that, to find love despite odds and their friends and family disapproving of them. I’m already falling in love with the characters myself, so I feel extremely inspired – yet cautious.
They are still, unfortunately, locked away in my head, and I know if I start opening up that file and jotting stuff down, I’ll fully commit myself to NaNoWriMo and then I might freak out from the pressure.
In addition to that, I’m already starting to feel guilty that “new story” is occupying brain space when I should really be working on Killer Orange editing, which has stalled unfortunately thanks to freelance projects and a busy September. October is starting to look just as crazy – at least on the weekends.
Once I chew through all the anxiety (which is another matter altogether), I really feel I should commit myself to Killer Orange. If I can do that in a month’s time and still manage to begin NaNoWriMo, then I’d consider that a huge, productive achievement.
Fingers crossed!
Someone at my Livejournal blog (which I keep specifically for fandom and personal rantings) posted about what characters in fiction share your Myers-Briggs personality. I admit, I had to take the test all over again because I did not remember what I was.
(If you don’t know either, take the test here.)
I’m an INFJ (Introverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Judging) which according to several internet sites is a rare personality type among the 16 types.
*
Here is INFJ in a nutshell:
INFJs are creative nurturers with a strong sense of personal integrity and a drive to help others realize their potential. Creative and dedicated, they have a talent for helping others with original solutions to their personal challenges.
The Counselor has a unique ability to intuit others’ emotions and motivations, and will often know how someone else is feeling before that person knows it himself. They trust their insights about others and have strong faith in their ability to read people. Although they are sensitive, they are also reserved; the INFJ is a private sort, and is selective about sharing intimate thoughts and feelings.
*
This describes me to a T, and actually it’s a little frustrating to see myself so plainly spelled out, but it made me think that perhaps a lot of my stress and woes really tries into my nature of wanting to be everyone’s counselor and fix everything in life that’s broken. Maybe I do care a bit of a superman complex as well, or at least a person so blindly dedicated to a cause.
And yet when I posted my results on facebook as well, I noticed at least three more INFJs, which makes me wonder if we really are that rare, or that it really is true about INFJs when it comes to friendship, that we’re very particular and like to collect friends with perfectly aligned interests.
I thought it was interesting. Here are the famous people that are also INFJs that I like:
Mohandas Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Emily Bronte, Carl Jung, Florence Nightingale, Shirley MacLaine, Jimmy Carter, and Edward Snowden.
And then of course, here are the fictional characters that I know which are also INFJ:
Yue and Roku from Avatar: The Last Airbender
Paige Matthews from Charmed
Bruce Wayne from The Dark Knight
John and Anna Bates from Downton Abbey
Walternate from Fringe
Peter Petrelli from Heroes
Merlin from Merlin
Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena
Christine Chapel from Star Trek: The Original Series
Kes from Star Trek: Voyager
Ezri Dax from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Ianto Jones from Torchwood
Jasper Hale from Twilight
Phil Coulson from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars
Allison Argent from Teen Wolf
Amy Pond Doctor Who
Find your fictional character personality types too HERE.
What personality type are you? Does it fit you?
Have a good weekend!
H.K. Rowe
I’m finally getting to this, but I was tagged by Leigh Michaels to show my writer’s workspace. Sometimes I can write pretty much anywhere as long as there’s a good environment, like in my spot on the bed or on the couch. I have a hard time with distractions, so couch-writing doesn’t seem to work out much anymore, especially with the TV on or the husband trying to make conversation. Writing is like reading to me, which means I dive into another world. Only my body is left in the real world after that… You might as well talk to a tree.
My main space is my studio. It’s our second bedroom in the townhome. It was always meant to be mine since hubby took over the basement for his mancave, and that’s fine. The house came with pink carpet in this second bedroom, which really seemed to fit me.
Here are some shots. 🙂
The window, along with stacks of art and writing stuff. What can I say…
Being an artist and writer takes up a lot of space, let me tell you, but I guarantee everything is organized!
Surrounded by books, books, and more books. And fannish things. It feels  like home…
More books and my helpers. Malachy in front, my schnauzer/beagle mutt, and then Whiskey, beagle, on the go.
And then the computer where all the writing happens. It’s hard to tell but I have my self-publishing manifesto framed on the right. Marilyn Monroe graces my walls. It’s more of the “Marilyn Room” than my studio, but she was so ahead of her time, so independant and carefree, that she inspires me.
This is where 90% of my writing happens. I can shut the door, put on Spotify, and with sleeping guard dogs at my feet, I can travel into other worlds.
I’d love to tag Aether House for this. And anyone else who wants to do it and follows my blog.
Looks like I caught a virus. I think that it’s finally getting out of my system, but things are slow. At least I can properly formulate thoughts now…
Cheers,
HK Rowe
H.K. Rowe 