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#blogjune momentous events

#BlogJune Day 7

Today was a huge day. I turned 50. It was also momentous for my kelpie pup.

1) I did something I never thought I’d do, and bought dog clothing. She’s been cold at night… even Hubby mentioned that she’s not built like our (now passed away) German Shepherds! And

2) I bought her a new toy. And I swear her eyes widened when she first saw it. It’s bigger than she is! Check it out on her bed:

 

anyway, I hope momentous things (good ones only, of course) happen to you today, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

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#blogjune Blogging challenges Random thoughts

#BlogJune 2

The diary food I miss most, now I’m cutting down on all non-essential diary (due to chest pains / suspected reflux,) is yoghurt. I was bemoaning this, this morning after church, when the last I was speaking with suggested the dairy-free yoghurt from ALDI. So I picked some up while shopping this afternoon.

And: SOOOOOOO yum!!! Here’s hoping I won’t be woken at 2am feeling like someone’s shoved an invisible spear through my chest (or that voodoo dolls actually *do* exist and someone has one of me) – I’ll let you know how I go!

Here’s wishing you a pain-free day and night too, dear Reader 🙂

– KRidwyn

Categories
my novel-in-progress Writing

Stumbling…

So my querying journey ran headlong into a wall the other week. I’d been sending out query letters and the first several pages of my story for a fortnight or so, happily exploring QueryTracker and garnering rejections but expecting these as par for the course… when I stumbled across an agency website page which stated word count expectations for a variety of genres.

Blow me down but they were wanting between 35K – 80K for Middle Grade. The piece I’d poured my blood, sweat and tears into, barely tipped the scales at 27K.

Heart attack! What if the rejections I’d been getting weren’t because the agents didn’t feel like they liked my story enough… but instead were rejections out of hand due to my paltry word count? Had any of them even read my pages? Was I counting myself out of the running; doing myself and my story a disservice because the word count wasn’t hefty enough?

So I withdrew all active queries, and thought. And thought, and thought some more.

You see, I’d originally intended the story I was querying to be but the first in a 7-part series. And yes, even though I *know* it’s not wise, I’d gone blithely ahead and drafted the majority of all seven stories. And all of them were in the 27K – 33K range.

It had occurred to me within seconds of reading that page, that I could be staring down the barrel of seven rejections, based simply on word count!

After a period of grieving at the thought of my story never reaching an audience, I realised a mental re-adjustment was in order. Then it hit me.

Why did it have to be a 7-part series? What if it were a trilogy instead?

As in, Books 1, 2 and 3 becomes ‘Book 1’.

Books 4 and 5 become the sequel.

Books 6 and 7 then finish the arc as the ultimate title in the series.

Huh! Word count target achieved! So now I’m editing what *was* Book 2, which I’m hoping will become Part 2 in my newly enlarged novel.

 

Let’s see what happens when it’s done, huh? And now I’d best go: I’ve QUITE a lot of editing and polishing to do!

 

See you next month, dear Reader!

  • KRidwyn
Categories
Life Random thoughts

Eye sight

Eye sight: mine’s deteriorating. Rapidly. I’m quite sad about it actually; I’d thought I was different from everyone else and my body wouldn’t succumb to this ageing process. Guess I was wrong.

You’d think failing eyesight would be my cue to get a move-along with this whole ‘finishing my novel’ bit, wouldn’t you. Huh. Again, something to regret.

It’s a bit of a maudlin one this morning, I’m afraid, dear Reader. Sorry about that. Here’s hoping you retain your eyesight for much, much longer!

Have a vision-filled day,

KRidwyn

Categories
More about me Random thoughts

On toe rings

It was a couple of years ago that I bought my first anklet. Several months later, I bought myself a toe ring. It was mid-December 2018, and the jeweller has discounted it from $80 down to $10.

How could I refuse? So I didn’t, and was exceedingly happy with my purchase… right up until it broke, 8 months later.

So I’ve been on the hunt for a replacement. Stronger, sturdier… but still a bargain.

A few weeks ago, I stopped into a City Beach store on the Gold Coast. And lo and behold: not just one toe-ring but three! For $9.99! Yeh, yeh. Not the ‘real thing’ – but who cares!

I bought them and was the proud wearer of a toe ring again… and when the inevitable happened (even before its first outing, I’m sad to report) it wasn’t as devastating a loss as previously. It’s the pretty ‘loveheart’ ring at the bottom of the photo 🙁

So, that’s my story for the week. How about you, dear Reader? Have a jewelry story to share?

And have a fantastic week!

– KRidwyn

Categories
places to visit

52/52

Happiness! Breakfast and this view 🙂

What a blessed way to finish blogging for 2020, am I right?

See you in the New Year, dear Reader. And may God shower you with His richest blessings today 😀

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events Random thoughts Writing

40/52

I’d been saddened over the last couple of years at noticing human encroachment (ie litter and worse) at my favourite writing spot. I’d even given up going there… for months.

Imagine my surprise when this greeted me the other day:

Evidence of humanity’s more disgusting habits: gone!

I like it when things go well.

Have a beautiful week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
#Springinyourstep Random thoughts

36/52

Spring has well and truly sprung! Behold, my annual indicator:

 

And here’s wishing you a week full of new-life yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
More about me Random thoughts

3/52

So I finally decided: the iPhone X(R). The first night, I fully charged it before switching to flight mode (with one brother in New York and the other in London, if I don’t use flight mode each night, I sleep with the risk of Viber pings waking me). But I didn’t leave it charging. The following morning, it was on 99%! If I’d left my 6S off charge for that long (6 hours-ish) it’d be as dead as a doornail.

But the new phone is taking a while to get used to. Lucky I have Master9 on my lock screen to keep me cheerful as I navigate this similar-yet-different phone ownership experience…

Have a cheerful week yourself, dear Reader!

– KRidwyn

Categories
momentous events

It’s new kitchen day!

Regular readers of my blog may remember that I wrote a little while back about getting extensions done to my house. Well, that’s still on the cards – but while we’re waiting for plans / architects / builders / quotes / soil test results / council etc etc etc, I’ve made a start (never one to wait – that’s me! Impatience with a capital IM) and decided to make changes to my kitchen.

A good friend, who I thought was a cabinetmaker, actually turned out to be a kitchen installer in the US several years ago, so he’s been building me a new one. And he completely ‘gets’ my ‘limited budget’ attitude, while still finding quality materials and products. Which is AWESOME! Sa far, I’ve had a couple of metres of bench space removed (which sounds crazy, I know, but it was just a dumping ground for ‘stuff’ – and it’s removal has opened up the whole house) and 8 upper cabinets installed, which look fantastic at the moment, and will look incredible when  the doors are added too!

But today is ‘gut the lower cabinets, pop off the old tile splashback, and start installing the lower cabinets day’. Which will be HUGE. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they look like – and to having a kitchen with a working stove/oven again!!! (it’s been weird looking at an empty space where my stand-alone gas stove/oven used to be for the past week! Plus, it’s been even more difficult to get inspired about making the dinner for some strange reason!)

So. Huge day. Here’s hoping that you have a great day too, dear reader!