Hello Lovely,

Man, November was nuts!

I did not get to do NaNo in any way, shape, or form despite my best-laid plans. I barely managed to get the house finished, moved, and settled into our new space.

I didn’t make the strides towards alternative incomes that I’d hoped. I applied for the swim instructor role here but have not heard back yet. *fingers crossed* hopefully this week. I was going to sign up for donating plasma but thanks to my eczema it appears I cannot. I am still trying to get items organized and uploaded on the site but it has been a very slow process. I did manage to join some networking groups for the area, find out the top companies to hire project managers here and started networking with people at those companies. There has been some progress. But not nearly enough.

And now we’re having to start all over with finding my husband doctors and managing his meds and condition and trying to work towards better functionality. It is daunting.

But I am nothing if not dauntless.

I have some great plans for next month and am working on exciting plans for next year.

Don’t forget to sign up for the DreamMaker Challenge December 17th

Whether you want to get in shape, build a whole new career, buy a home, or just be more intentional with the way your life is going, this challenge is for you. It is how I have managed to keep fighting despite feeling like the world is always against me and has helped me survive setbacks that would cause anyone else to crumble.

If you are a super fan and would like opportunities to help me promote my work and earn more early goodies and rewards then you should definitely join the exclusive Facebook group Heidi Angell’s Geek Street Squad.

What’s Next

My goals for December are:

get completely settled into our new space

get more stuff listed on the site (Have you seen the new listings? Good stuff!)

finish the paperback for A Penslinger’s Ponderings

finish Maximize your Book Tour Masterclass revamp

Plan an event for January

Finish planning my annual plans for 2024 because it cannot be like 2023!

I am done treading water and waiting for others to set us free (doctors, employment opportunities, life in general) I am done asking for permission. 2024 is going to be different. One way or another.

On to the IWSG Question of the Month

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.

Ooh, this is a good question. I write the review for the readers, but I do not write it as a reader. If I were doing it as a reader, I honestly wouldn’t review as many books as I do. I would probably rarely write a review at all and just give stars if even that. I try to write reviews from as unbiased a position as possible and focus on who the story is a good fit for (even if it wasn’t my jam) and create a critique sandwich. (What I liked, what could be improved, who would like it.) But the critique is not for writers, it really is for other readers. I only mention character development, plot holes, story issues, and grammar issues if they are big enough that it would matter to most readers of that genre. I know that romance readers are not as worried about the grammar as they are about the feelings the scenes invoke. 50 Shades made that very clear. As an action fan, I get it. I do not care if a car will not flip 7 times before exploding into flames when hit by a semi. It is all about the action, not the real mechanics. But I also know that police procedurals, hard sci-fi, and certain hist fic expect a higher level of accuracy. I am going to let them know if I catch mistakes.

How about you? Do you review? If so, for whom?

The awesome co-hosts for the December 6 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and Jacqui Murray! Be sure to check out their posts and the other posts in the blog hop!

Until next time,

Keep Reading!