Commitment

When you commit yourself to something, you should see it all the way through. So many people aren't like that nowadays.

I love seeing all the pictures of the older couples who say things like "We came from a generation where you fixed something when it is broken, you didn't throw it away." This is so true! I sit and think of everything that is disposable in our world today. Everything from plates, to furniture, to even houses! People actually put money into houses that are MEANT to be trashed after only a few years. Whatever happened to quality? To craftsmanship and pride in work? It makes sense, therefore, that we would believe all of our relationships to be disposable as well. We use them and use them until we've gotten what we want out of them, then we just get rid of them.

How horrible of an outlook! We need to change this in the next generation, and get back to a way of life where having someone in our life to lean on is considered a blessing and something to look forward to. The whole idea of "the ball-and-chain" and "taking the plunge" are such negative ways to look at love and marriage. Granted, marriage is not for everyone, but it should be shed in a far more positive light. Having more programs to help married couples work through their troubles would be great, but I also think that there should be manditory requirements for engaged couples to go through counseling before they can be allowed to be married. It would be so good for them to get a slap of reality to the face through the fog of "true love" that they feel.

Deadlines

Having deadlines always makes me nervous. I know the deadlines are of my own making for the most part, but having to have every little piece completed and ready to go by a specific date in time just plain stresses me out. I don't know if I feel as if I can't do it or what, but getting all of the stuff coordinated at the same time is difficult for me somehow.

At the same time, if I don't have deadlines, then I never seem to get anything done. So then I'm left with a specific NEED to make deadlines for myself.

Someone once suggested to me that I make deadlines for each little piece of the puzzle. I have deadlines for a lot of the things I need to do, but let's use my new book as an example. I should have a primary deadline for getting the first draft to the editor, a deadline for the second draft, a deadline for the cover art, and then a deadline for the Kindle manuscript. Maybe that will work, but I would just feel a little overwhelmed trying to keep track of all of those dates.

If you have any tactic you use to get stuff done and keep from getting stressed please share with a comment!

Release Dates and Cover Art

I've been out of town, but I am here for my weekly blog!

So, work on the second book is going great right now! I am somewhere between 2/3 and 3/4 of the way finished with the first draft. The guard girls are having a pretty great time with band camp, but of course there are always obstacles for them to overcome. Some of the obstacles come from within, and some come from the outside, but all of them will be worked through. I'm shooting for a release date of July 1st. We will see how this goes...

I've been looking for someone to work out the cover art for me on the second book. I have my original cover art, but once I had the first book published and the cover art for it professionally changed, I want to have the second book cover re-worked to offer consistency and continuity. Anybody who is interested and good with photoshop hit me up!

In the meantime, I'm going to get back to my writing!

Agendas

Keeping an agenda has become increasingly important to me these days. Especially in finding time to do marketing and writing on the next book while I am still holding down the fort with my full-time job!

That being said, I hope that all of you keep your agendas too. I like to check and double-check mine, to make sure that I will be in the right place at the right time and all of the right people will be doing the right things. It can be tough sometimes, but especially in the business world everything really needs to go off without a hitch! Success is measured by it, money is earned by it... agendas are super important.

I have some goals for the month... and one of those goals includes a video advertisement for the first book. Anybody want to be the voice of Lilly? I found my actress who is pretty much her look-alike... and hopefully over time I can find some others to be Pam, Gracie, Joanie and the whole guard!