My relief, hunger and rewrites

My boy taking his nap

Relief

My boy is back to his hyperactive-self and driving me crazy, which I love. His final blood work came back and confirmed that he indeed does have Addison's disease, but since taking his medication he is so much better. Thank you to everyone who wished me and him well.

Hunger

My family and I started the real meal revolution program today (Banting) and I'm starving. No carbohydrates, refined foods, junk food, sugar and so forth. But you are allowed to eat animal protein, veggies and fats like butter, avocado's and so on. I'm really grumpy today because I love potatoes and now I can't have any. Urgh! But the first few days are always the worst, right? I can do this!

Rewrites

I had intended to start on my second book's rewrites last week, but when I read through the first few chapters, there were a lot of things I had to think through first. Like the feel of the second book wasn't what I wanted. I didn't like how the story was unfolding or the voice with which I wrote it. I also had to decide on the level of romance I wanted in my book. I want to keep the love scenes classy, yet entertaining, so I had to do a lot of thinking. Book two continues with the same characters from book one, which had originally been one 145 000 word novel. So I wanted the style and feel to carryover to book two and it didn't. But I can work it out. I just have to get my head clear.

How are you doing?

I should be more interesting

I am feeling very lazy. I can always blame January for it. I have been wrecking my brain about what I can do to make my blog posts for this year more interesting, but I guess I'm just a boring person. 

Having said that, I've been thinking about doing more than just writing. Writing used to be my hobby and for the past few years it has definitely become more than that. I have been thinking of taking up crafting for fun. Most of my fellow bloggers and writers are parents, spouses, jugglers of day jobs, entrepreneurs and so forth and I just write. I want to be able to talk about more than just writing. It would definitely give more balance to my life. 

I am getting ready to tackle the rewrites on my second book in the Thelum Series and in truth, it's a mess. I had left it at the second draft and it definitely needs a few more. See! Boring right? 

Do you sometimes feel like you're boring too? 

Best day

I can honestly say that Friday was one of the best days of my life. My family and I started off the morning with a sparkling wine breakfast and later in the day they took me to our local Chimp Haven and Lion Park. I was humbled and in awe of the beautiful creatures. All the animals were rescued from horrible circumstances and are living out the rest of their lives in captivity. It might sound cruel to have them in captivity, but I think it is better than the alternative of ending up on someone’s wall. Not to mention that these days lions end up in canning facilities, where they are bred and killed for sport.

When people hear I'm from South Africa, they always ask me if lions and all kinds of wild animals run around in our streets. Of course I roll my eyes, but I understand to some people South Africa is still a very mysterious place. To answer the question, no, wild animals do not run around in our streets. South Africa is modern and these days the only wild animals you will see in their natural element might be a few snakes or cockroaches and birds of course. If you want to see things like "The Big Five" you will have to go to a wildlife reserve or game farm. 

On another note, I worked until the early morning hours the whole weekend and the past two days to finish my last portion of editing, which I completed this morning. I am so relieved. The next changes I make will hopefully come because an editor found faults for me to fix. I’m officially done butchering my novel. It only took me six years to get to this stage. Thank you to everyone who helped and encouraged me to get here. 

Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne has a new book out called Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog. Like all of Deanie’s books it is a good book for children filled with wonderful lessons that are presented in a way that is still entertaining. As always, the illustrations are wonderful.

You can purchase a copy here. Enjoy!

New Beginning (IWSG)

I’m a romance writer, blogger, dessert enthusiast, lover of books and appreciative of good movies. I am currently working from home as my brother’s research/ personal assistant. 

It is a new year and I fully intend on making the best of it. I’m in the last phase of editing my novel, The Amaranthine and I’m so pleased. My family gave me a great cash gift for Christmas so my editing fund got off to a good start. My goal is to have my novel professionally edited this year. If I don’t accomplish anything else this year, at least my manuscript will be perfect. I've been chopping, changing and rewriting it for 6 years and I think it is time to finish off the project. I have to stop fearing the last step. 

The Insecure Writers Support Group was created by the talented Mr. Alex J. Cavanaugh, so that writers can share their insecurities and/or encourage others who need support with their own. You can visit Alex Here, or if you want to join us in discussing our insecurities on the first Wednesday of each month, you are welcome to join by going Here.

Liebster Award

Thank you to the ever cool Annalisa Crawford for nominating me. Now I have to share details about my work in progress, The Amaranthine, Book 1 in my Thelum Series.

What is your WIP About?

Claire, an orphan, finds herself immersed in the world of immortals and creatures she could only have dreamed of. Luckily she is assigned a protector, Alex, who has the potential to be more. Together they fight to unleash Claire’s true potential and keep her safe from an unknown enemy.

How long have you been working your WIP?

I have been dedicated to this project for over 6 years.

Who is your MC?

Claire. An orphan and outcast of society.

What are some of the themes you’re exploring?

Normally I don’t plan for themes, but I noticed some popping up. Good always triumphs evil. There being a purpose for everyone. Love makes everything better. Having a few trustworthy friends makes life worth living.

What song would represent your story or MC?

My Immortal by Evanescence.

If you were casting your story as a movie, who would play your main character?

A 22 year old Salma Hayek would be perfect for Claire.

What is your favourite line in your WIP so far?

The furniture was outdated and the colors depressing. It looked as if it belonged to a sixty-year-old spinster. All I was missing were a few cats.

If your MC were to have a pet, what would it be?

A wolf would be very cool. Claire would definitely like the idea.

When do you think your WIP will be done?

I hope to finally have it done this year, including professional editing. It is definitely overdue.

Who is your favourite side character in your WIP and why?

There are two vampires, Robert and Richard that appear in the book. They bring the humor and keep things light.

What’s your MC’s favorite food?

Claire loved junk food and desserts. More to the point, she hasn’t met a burger she didn’t like.

Talking about my novel wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Once again, thank you Annalisa. I am supposed to tag a few fellow bloggers and because I’m not big on picking favourites, I nominate everyone who leaves a comment. 

Happy New Year

I hope 2015 will be a fantastic year for everyone. May we use this year to make our dreams and aspirations come true. 

Thank you for all the support in 2014. I really appreciate each and everyone of you.