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A Goal Achieved!

4/3/2025

I’m excited to announce that all of my books are now available on Audible! Love Audiobooks? I do too, and now mine are available in that format.

Amazon offered me an amazing invitation to publish all of my books utilizing AI Audio Assist a week ago. Audio books are something I’ve wanted to do for years, but I couldn’t afford to pay a narrator so it was a no-go for me. Amazingly, technology has now offered me one more avenue of opportunity to get my books out to the world: first ebooks, and now AudioBooks. Yay, technology! Yay, AI!

I’m not idealizing AI, which you know if you’ve read my work, but there’s no doubt that it can do some good. I checked into this and found that the audio quality with AI assistance is excellent. It’s definitely better than my NOAA Weather Radio, although there were several instances where I had to manually correct the readings of some names and dates. Some things are a mystery for the ages. It’s like how we can have crystal clear pictures of Pluto, but the security camera shots from the corner store that was robbed are so grainy that you don’t see anything but blobs and pixels. Or maybe it shows where the effort and money are spent to do it right. That’s more likely. Corner stores don’t have a NASA budget, and the fine folks typing in that weather forecast probably don’t have time to listen to the feed and correct “party funky” to “partly cloudy.” I can assure you that I took advantage of Amazon’s amazing resources, and that I spent time to ensure that these audiobooks do not sound like the bots calling with your doctor and dentist appointment reminders.

In true “harnessing the energy” fashion, I also entered Singularity in the Crave Books sci-fi giveaway. This is a great contest for readers to have a chance at winning a Kindle Fire 7 tablet and/or 20 ebooks. Don't miss out on this unique chance to expand your library and discover fresh, engaging stories at https://cravebooks.com/giveaway/science-fiction

I also decided to check out some other things. Remember “A Day Like This,” the long story I wrote when I had COVID late last summer that I deemed “unpublishable?” I’ve been doing a beta read for a fellow author, and it made me rethink that piece. I sent her “A Day Like This” over the weekend, and she liked it and had suggestions for improvement. I went back through it this week, and I’m going to use it as a book magnet for newsletter subscribers.

Writing is also in progress for Book Two of the Dark Mirror trilogy. I renamed the first book Refraction, and book two, which is in progress now, is tentatively called Variant. It’s rolling along well, and I’m happy with it. It’s funny that I was thinking that there were three things I never thought I’d be when I was younger: a tea drinker (I love my lemon ginger tea now), a person with tattoos (I have two), and a sci-fi writer. Surprise, surprise, and all good.

It’s been a good, busy time with the writing. I’m definitely giving the SurfacePro a workout these days! Well, that’s what it’s for.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a happy Friday tomorrow, and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

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Unexpected Benefits

3/22/2025

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It has not been my week. There have been challenges and pushback everywhere. I don't know whether it's all of the pollen, seasonal shifts, universal PMS, or the upcoming geomagnetic storm, but nobody and nothing has been at it's best. Life's like that, sometimes. But the nastier the world got, the more the creativity flowed, leading to an unexpected benefit: I finished the rough draft of Dark Mirror! Yes, I just started it. That draft came together in 6 weeks. It practically wrote itself!

I looked at my journal and noticed another interesting thing: it took me 5 months to write the rough draft of Singularity, but this one flew in a little over a month despite the fact that it's much heavier on the science in the science fiction. I'm still surprised by this myself, but the truth is that every book is different and I'm at a different place in life when I write it. Singularity was written while I was dealing with some of the worst of my anxiety to date, but I've worked through that season and now things are a bit more stable. I'm also talking more regularly to other writers and more immersed in science these days. I wasn't having plot breakthroughs doing a "downward dog" during my yoga sessions for that one like I did yesterday, or having hallway chats about breaking through the "middle sag" problem with colleagues. I wasn't binging The Big Bang Theory, either. Yea, that's my comedy fix these days. Even the little things help.

At any rate, it's great progress but not done, as I have two more books to write. I plan to draft the entire trilogy so I can edit and fix "plot holes" along the way. But it's 1/3 done, and I believe in celebrating all progress. And the writing is great because when reality is gone insane, I always have it to create my own reality.

That's all today. Have a great weekend!

Bye!

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And So It Begins

2/6/2025

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And so it begins –

I started writing my next novel today. It all started two weeks ago when Rick and I were knocked out with RSV. The respiratory illnesses made the rounds after the holidays, and they caught up with us just as we had winter weather. It was a weird time. We thought it was a cold, but it lingered – and lingered – and got a little worse than a cold. I don’t recommend getting new respiratory viruses. But from that, I woke from a feverish dream with the idea of interdimensional beings posing as angels to draw people away from a dying Earth. Brainstorming, healing, thawing, research, resuming my regular workouts, and now it’s nearly 80 degrees outside, and I’ve started not just a new novel, but what may be a trilogy. The novel-in-progress is tentatively titled Dark Mirror. It may be the trilogy title too. Time will tell. For now, we have four protagonists who have been betrayed, rejected, outcasts, and have absolutely nothing to lose. It's always dangerous when they pull the knives from their backs, sharpen them, and head back out there, isn't it?

A trilogy! What a difference two weeks makes in inspiration and in weather. I don’t recommend snow, either. It’s cold, wet, slippery, and unpleasant.

Anyway, I’m excited. Starting a new book (or trilogy!) is exciting, and worth celebrating. It’s a small beginning you know will grow and become a big new world. Hooray! It also seems that creativity breaks the bounds, and opens up in other areas when it strikes. I’m not only writing a new novel (trilogy!) but I got awesome new cases for my laptop and tablet, we’ve converted a cabinet in our kitchen into a neat coffee/tea bar, and I’ve tried cooking new things. I’ve made a chicken and broccoli casserole (before the tainted broccoli at Walmart – did you ever think broccoli would be bad for you?), and finally mastered grilled cheese sandwiches (without smoke in the kitchen!) and eggs over easy (tricky, and those yolks fight back). I wasn’t even discouraged by my FAVORITE Cheesy Beef Stroganoff at Aldi suddenly disappearing from the shelves again. I looked online and discovered that Velveeta has a Creamy Beef Stroganoff. Heck, the generic is probably based on that. There’s nothing like the original. Next up: I found a cheesy hamburger casserole. I love red meat. Obviously.

So the creativity flows again. I’m so happy! There’s nothing like filling new space with creating new worlds – and your stomach with new recipes. Now to find something to make with that grilled cheese, because tomato soup triggers my acid reflux.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend!

Bye!

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Reviews and Resolutions

1/8/2025

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Happy New Year! I hope you had a joyful holiday season, and that 2025 is off to a great start for you.
Like everybody else, I’m slogging through the post-holiday challenge of getting back to a normal routine, while trying to make personal improvements. My resolution this year is to improve my writing by focusing on reaching readers where they’re at. I looked back at my book reviews, and noticed that the reviews from Broken Time, while good, reflect a common theme of being too “science heavy” and not developing the personal relationships to some readers’ satisfaction. This was a difficult book to write because tacking quantum entanglement and theoretical physics required a lot of research, and I struggled with how much I needed to put in the manuscript to keep the balance of “escape from reality” and “suspension of disbelief.” Certainly, it is a heavy book, and some people like that. Others, not so much. I believe I did a better job of balancing the science and social aspects in Singularity (based on reviews), but it’s definitely an area of focus for me in my writing.

I also had to activate the writer “thick skin” to give my current pending work an honest evaluation. If you recall, I wrote a long story in September titled “A Day Like This,” and intended to publish it as a light hearted women’s fiction mystery. There’s just one problem: I’m a scifi writer, not a women’s fiction writer. While my books do feature strong female protagonists and are to encourage women to try “something different,” this piece just isn’t strong enough to enter the market. I love the story and gave it my best, but frankly it’s not good enough to publish. So back to the fiction journal it goes. It’s a fun story, but in light of my “reaching readers” resolution, this piece is not one that would move me toward that goal.

Disappointing, but it happens. This admission does give me a sense of direction and I have ideas forming about a novel that includes “mirror life.” Want to know more? It’s in the “News of the Weird” section of my January newsletter, which is coming out soon. You can also get a free copy of Broken Time and, in exchange for emailing me a link or screenshot of a review on Amazon or Goodreads, I'll gift you a copy of Singularity or The Sentience Series. Review and Choose. You can't lose. Get in early on these promotions by signing up for the newsletter on the Home page.

Reviews are critical so writers can make sure that we’re meeting you where you’re at. These books are your story too, and I want you to benefit from them. I humbly ask you to help me move toward this goal by letting me know how I can improve in future writing projects.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.

Bye!

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The Gift of Acceptance

12/10/2024

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I did something different with holiday decorating this year: I finally got a train to go around the base of our Christmas tree. I’ve often admired them and thought about doing it the past couple of years, but hated to spend the money on something that will only be out one month of the year, especially since we don’t invite many people to the house. That guilt melted this year when I found one for $25 on a Black Friday sale. Why not, I thought? Perhaps it would be more worth it to invest in some seasonal joy. So far, it has been. People think it’s a brilliant idea. And I wonder what took me so long to finally do it every night when I turn the tree on and come to the same answer every night: acceptance.

I’ve talked about the process of acceptance in this blog a lot, especially in the last year. Acceptance isn’t just a final stage of grief; it’s also a process of accepting and making the best of what you’ve got. I think that during the holidays especially we have unrealistic expectations of perfection that simply aren’t attainable and lead to annual disappointment. So this year, I’m doing something different: I’m celebrating the season with joy and appreciation for what I’ve got.

There’s too much going on this time of year to do it all, so you have to pick and choose. I think one trap is believing that it has to be all about giving to others, at the expense of yourself. This is nonsense. As they say in my meditations, you have to fill yourself up first. How can you have anything to give if you’re empty? Sure the holiday season is about giving, but you have to do it with a full heart. That only happens when you take care of yourself. And this doesn’t mean bubble baths and wine. Sometimes it means getting enough sleep, or making and sticking to a budget, or limiting the sweet snacks and fighting to keep a reasonable diet. Some treats are necessary to be sure, like the train set, or the holiday necklace and earring set I bought to reward myself for FINALLY finishing that Believe in Santa cross stitch. But you know what? I also bought Christmas gifts for others when making both of those purchases, with an eye on the finances. I say it all the time: it’s about balance.

Likewise, you can make wise choices. We’re going to a couple of live shows with family, which is something we do every few years. The parties and social gift giving have dried up since COVID, so instead of feeling sorry for ourselves we decided to find out what else was happening and take advantage of what we’ve got. An old friend once told me “Christmas is an entire season, not just a day.” That stuck with me, and I’m committed to enjoying and celebrating it well.

Another saying that’s stuck with me is a quote from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series finale: “who you were, who you are, and who you will be are always with you.” Traditions ground us, and they can be joyful, nostalgic, and even stir up some grief over people and things passed. We certainly don’t live in the same world we grew up in, but it’s still a part of who we are and it’s ok. Let it pass. Give it space, and accept it. Hold on to what’s meaningful and important to you and if others don’t share that, find a way to make it your own. The holidays are a season to celebrate all that was, is, and will be. That includes you. Be authentic. And if you miss something, they always come back.

Give yourself the gift of acceptance this year. People aren’t perfect, and neither is life. Let it go and celebrate what speaks to you this holiday season. Embrace and enjoy what you’ve got, and let the light of the future warm your heart this holiday season.

Thanks for being great friends! I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday Season, and Happy New Year!

God Bless,

Sherri

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A Goal Achieved!

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And So It Begins

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The Gift of Acceptance

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