Nov 24, 2016 |
Victory Coffee
Hey. How’s it going? Mind if I take a sip of chicory? Thanks. Mm. Good stuff.
So. You’re prob’ly wondering why I haven’t posted much lately. Or you don’t care. In either event, I have a plan to change both. I have a plan, and I have a planner.
It’s no secret I can get a little, well, shall we say, frazzled? [Note to Self: Stop saying fun words five times fast. Just get on with it.]
The more I put on my plate, the more plates I need, and the more I put on them . . . You tracking this circle with me? Yup. That’s right. Plates = Projects = More Plates = More Projects. [Get the food reference? Awesome. Remember this for later in the post.]
I keep myself pretty busy. So busy, in fact . . . Well, I’m not sure I want to admit to this . . . Don’t tell anyone, okay? But I keep myself so busy I’ve actually been forgetful. Yup. I’ve dropped the ball on promoting the Firsts in Fiction podcast. The housecleaning? Fuggettaboutit. And writing takes second chair to editing which takes second chair to whatever daily project I have emergency flares sent up for.
My purse-size organizer that I’ve had for ten years just doesn’t cut it anymore. Sure, it’s great for a wallet and small notes. But keeping track? Notsomuch. What’s This Girl to do?
I’ll tell you what. After months of distant admiration, I finally snagged myself a Happy Planner. For realz. That’s what it’s called. And that’s how it makes me feel.
MoJo Happy Planner
I want to scream from the rooftops how this planner has saved me, and I’ve only had it for a week! Already I’m making lists and creating recipes and keeping track of posts I’m writing for other sites as well as who’s guest blogging on Frankly, My Dear . . .
It’s like responsible scrapbooking. And who doesn’t love a good scrapbook?
I have about twenty photos I could share, but you don’t want all that. Am I right? You want the highlights? Well, let me run it down for you:
- Sturdy construction, laminated covers
- 18-month calendar with month- and week-at-a-glance pages
- Monthly page to mark important dates and other noteworthy items
- Inspirational quotes
- Completely personalized
My Happy Planner: Recipe Teaser
Remember the food reference I asked y’all to remember? Here’s why: I recently contacted Winco Foods and asked, “How much do you miss me?” “So much,” they said. “Please blog for us again.” “Of course,” I said. And I knew I’d need a better way of tracking test kitchen concoctions. The Happy Planner’s Recipe Organizer Extension Pack was what sold me. It has everything I love. Room to write, margin notes, prep and cook time. It’s perfect.
My Happy Planner is so fun responsible necessary I went back the next day and picked up the Home Planner pack. Now this is a working woman’s dream. It’s got a chore list, people. A chore list! I wish Dot was still home so I could show her how much fun it is. A meal planner complete with organized grocery list page. A budget sheet? Won’t that come in handy with my credit recovery posts? Yeah, yeah. And the actual home budget, too. I know. But what really made me buzz is the large To Do lists.
MoJo Happy Planner: To Do
Seriously! A full-size lined page that gives me the freedom to mark it up how I want. It’s not numbered. It’s not dated. It’s just a list! I lalalove it, don’t you? And as you can tell, I have quite a few regular post ideas to share. [Not seeing a topic you’d like? Let me know in the comments.]
And the day after that, I realized I need to protect this piece of gold, so I went to the store a third time and to get a case for it. Of course the case is gold. No pun intended, but there it is anyway. Ya just can’t escape fate.
And y’all know how things just sort of come full circle, right? Well. As it turns out, the accent color of my Happy Planner case happens to be the same accent color of my newest nutcracker, whom I call King, which happens to be the nickname of the main character, Dwayne Pride, of NCIS: New Orleans. New Orleans, people! As in, NOLA, the setting for the novel I’m writing. Coincidence? I think not. And both of which are similar to Raven’s shell. Yes, Raven. You know. My new laptop. [Oh, like you’ve never named your inanimate objects. Sip your coffee and move on.]
Anyway. They very closely resemble Tiffany Blue. Yes, of Tiffany & Co. Also of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Which is with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and filmed in New York, which is where Central Park is, which is where my second novel will be set, which will be written when I finish NOLA, which my Happy Planner tells me I need to work on this weekend!
MoJo Color of the Year 2017: Tiffany Blue
So. Not only do I have a Happy Planner, but I have a Happy Planner which has helped me realize my color for 2017 and it’s Tiffany Blue.
And on that happy note, here are a few more photos for your enjoyment, and a few more To-Do’s for me . . .
MoJo Happy Planner: Accent
MoJo Happy Planner: This Month
MoJo Happy Planner: The First Week
MoJo Happy Planner: Pockets Make Me Happy!
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Nov 20, 2016 |
Ways to Support Your Favorite Author
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Nov 14, 2016 |
Cooking. Crafting. Scheduling. Podcasting. Editing. TV fall premieres.
Everything but writing.
That’s what’s had my focus lately. That, and Paradise Bay’s Tradefest.
Tradefest Level Seven, baby!
Oh, like y’all don’t play games on your phone! Get over it!
Here it is, mid-November. Say whaat? Is that even real? Didn’t we just start this year? And yet, I know that can’t be true because I’m getting ready to put up my Christmas tree this weekend working on next year’s award-winning media presentations already.
More Media Mojo!
In case you missed it, I’ve been back in touch with Winco. Yes, that Winco. The Winco of my food post dreams. Guess who’s on the list to create some fantastic new (or at least revamped) recipes? Yup, that’s right. That would be This Girl.
And I have some new budgeting tips for my overcoming debt posts. A few editing projects just completed, and a few more lined up for the new year. I thought I told you all this already, yes? No? Oh, honestly, dear. We simply must start getting together more often, shouldn’t we?
It really all stems from my word for next year. Which I can’t tell you yet, because it’s not next year. I can tell you, I didn’t seek it. It found me. Here I was, writing feverishly editing intensely watching MacGyver when I realized what was needed was a change-not-change. How’s that for a tease, a hook, a keep-’em-coming-back-for-more statement?
Did I mention I have plans to blog far more frequently than the current, soon to be previous, year? Will that make you happy?
Because, after all, if you’re happy, I’m happy. Aww, we work well together, yes?
We’re talking some sweet Scarlett O’Hara stuff. A regalia of recipes. A plethora of podcast posts. I double-dog dare you to say any of those five times fast.
Oh, and did I tell you I have the ending to NOLA all figured out? Guess what I’ll be doing the next six weeks . . . ! [By the way, for a sneak peek, check out the video on the top right corner of this blog page. Turn up the volume and watch my YouTube video: Meet Momma Tristan.]
So buckle your seatbelts, love. This Girl’s getting back in the driver’s seat.
How do you like them apples?
“Give them a reason to care about you. Then they’ll care about what you write.” ~ Molly Jo Realy
With an open book and a mug of sweet tea,
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Save
Save
Sep 26, 2016 |
If you follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you know I’m the producer of Aaron Gansky’s Firsts in Fiction Podcast. Aaron and his pops, Alton Gansky, are the hosts. I get to call him “Pops” too because I collect parents. It’s just what I do. And if you’ve seen the podcast, you’ll know there’s times I’m kinda glad we’re not really related. But I digress.
So. The Firsts in Fiction Podcast Team. Right. Yes. That’s us. Together, we discuss how to write better fiction.
Recently we made a change or two, and streamlined the location. Previously, you would need to follow each weekly link. And sometimes Google Hangouts would drop it so we’d reset it, leaving our regular viewers searching for it like keys left in a coat pocket.
So a few weeks ago the gents got together and found a way to mainstream the podcast to Aaron’s website. That’s it. One link. Forever.
But wait, there’s more!
I also added a widget to my blog here. It’s the little photo on the right sidebar that looks a bit like this:
FiF Podcast Team
And by added, I mean I researched, wrote code, and built a photo-click widget all on my own. [This is where you applaud politely at my attempts to be tech-savvy.] [This is where I blush and wave. No, no. Really. Stop. You’re too much. Really.]
So if you forget to go to http://aarongansky.com/firsts-in-fiction-live/, you can just click on my sidebar photo of the FiF Team. Awesome sauce, right?
You got (writing fiction) questions? We got (writing fiction) answers. Each week we answer a question from our viewers in our “Ask the Authors” feature. You can leave your questions on any of our social media pages.
And we do our best to bring you quality entertainment family dysfunction helpful information on how to write better fiction. And, well, yeah. All that other stuff, too.
So join us live every Tuesday night at 6:30 pm PST.
Firsts in Fiction: Your first stop for learning to write fantastic fiction.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
Save
Save
Jun 3, 2016 |
You know that old phrase, “When life throws you lemons, make lemonade”?
Lemons
I’m not sure who coined that phrase, but I’m pretty sure he must have been pelted by a few lemons when he said it.
But then he probably made enough lemonade that the throwers decided it wasn’t all bad and they probably drank some of it.
Everything works out in the end, yah?
I’m in between the getting-hit-by-lemons and making-lemonade-out-of-it stages.
Babycakes, my precious MacBook Pro of over eight years, is beginning to fail me. She no longer has the software or capacity needed to do what I need her to do for my social media clients and my writing/editing.
She overheats more than she used to, and it ain’t the California desert that’s doing it to her.
And you thought I wasn’t blogging just because I was too busy. I’m never too busy for you, my Swarm!
But Babycakes, well, I have to be gentle with her. Gone are the days of easy newslettering, fast posts, and faster photos.
And I don’t mind telling you, business has picked up since Blue Ridge. I can’t afford to have my computer slow down.
So after much prayer, and nudges from several people unaware (“You should start a GoFundMe!”), here I am.
I’ve made a list, ran the numbers, and I think I’ve come up with a decent game plan.
My goal is incremental:
- Replace laptop
- Purchase external optical drive
- Purchase office software
- Replace mic/headphones
- Purchase carrying case/backpack
- Purchase protective sleeve/skin
In just four days, I’m nearly 25% funded, which is very exciting. It’s so exciting, in fact, that I want to give something back.
But what to do?
Lo and behold, my Swarm has the answer. What would I use a laptop for? Writing, editing, social media, and photography.
How would you like a sampling of all of the above?
You would? That’s awesome!
NOLA, Chapter One and Other Writings
I just put together a 64-page digital download that includes
- NOLA, Chapter 1
- Four short stories
- Ninja Bee Social Media Tips
- Two poems on Faith
- Three recipes from The Unemployment Cookbook
- A dissection of Jeremiah 29:11, NIV
- A few photos
- My thank you letter
This is a free offering to everyone who donates to my Molly Needs a Mac campaign.
Here’s the kicker. I just spent a good two hours inserting hyperlinks into the document and saving it, only to find my Word software isn’t updated and the links won’t work. There’s no small irony in the fact it’s 2:30 am PST and I’ve been working on the download and this blog post for over six hours. Which just proves my point that I need a new computer as soon as possible.
If you would like to receive your free copy of NOLA, Chapter One and Other Writings, just visit my GoFundMe campaign and make a donation of any amount. Once I receive notice of your donation, I’ll email you the PDF within 24 hours.
And please share this post and the campaign with anyone you think might enjoy a good read.
With warm wishes and cold sweet tea,
~Molly Jo
