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Welcome to the start of another year of weekly newsletters. Since I enjoy doing this, I’m going to assume y’all are enjoying reading them. Do let me know if there are particular things you’d like for me to be sure to chat about this coming year!
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This last week has been kind of quiet. We’ve done some baking, some cleaning, and some visiting with friends. Today (Sunday) the Christmas tree comes down. I keep telling myself that Monday I’m starting back to work. And that includes writing.
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I’ve changed my morning routine slightly.
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The first change is that I’ve stopped eating lunches. As long as I don’t snack, and I drink my water, I can easily sustain myself for several hours after breakfast.
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What this means is that I have time in the morning to do all the things I want to do, like working out and my Wim Hof breathing, and still have time to write. I’ve extended my writing hours until 2 PM, as I’m no longer breaking at noon for lunch. I haven’t been doing this consistently, but the days I have done it, it’s worked really well for me.
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A couple of years ago, one of my goals was to stop playing so many games on my phone. I started reading more, as well as doing more crafts. Unfortunately, my time spent playing games has crept back up. I recently enabled one of the “wellbeing” settings on my phone. Now, a little reminder pops up whenever I’ve been using an app non-stop for fifteen minutes.
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A part of me was embarrassed to do this. I should have more self-discipline. I believe at one point in my life I did have more ability to turn away.
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But I’m older, and my “don’t give a fuck” mode has kicked into overdrive. So I’ve reframed this for myself as I get to ask for help when I need it. And this little reminder has really helped.
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Generally, I work much better with carrots than sticks. Rewarding myself for doing something as opposed to making myself accountable or some other negative thing.
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In addition, I’ve discovered that I need more treats than I used to. Again, I figure this is just part of the aging process. However, a lot (A LOT) of my treats used to be food. Not a good habit if I want to lose weight.
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What can I get for myself instead, that’s small, cheap, and yet meaningful?
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There are fancy stitch counters that I’ve found that I’ve decided I’m getting as a reward for myself. I would *never* buy something like this for myself. It’s such an extravagance, despite the fact that they’re fairly inexpensive.
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This makes them the perfect “treat.”
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These are the ones that I’m going to get for myself at the end of the month when I finish doing the taxes. There are others that I’m planning on purchasing throughout the year when I do good.
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I figured I’d chat a little about the “Swedish Death Cleaning” that Blaze and I have been doing. The back office needed to be cleaned out, and I started that work at the end of last year. One of the big things that I needed to tackle was cleaning out the four-drawer filing cabinet.
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Every tax return that I had from prior to 2018 got burned. SO MANY other papers as well. We had been thinking that I possibly needed to get a second filing cabinet. Now, it’s half empty.
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In addition, I rearranged the files in the cabinet, so the things that I need to access regularly are in the top drawers. Plus, I’ve come up with new filing systems for things. Hopefully this will help prevent paper from just piling up.
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One of the things that I did keep were all the contracts I’ve received for all my various stories, including the novel contracts from way back. I had MANY more than I’d remembered.
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I decided to take a picture of all the file folders with contracts, because it impressed me.
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I think that’s all I have to say for this week’s newsletter. What are you starting this year? What are you putting to the side? Any tips or tricks you’d like to share?
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A cozy mystery novel. With magic. And MEAT.
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The sherif classifies a young man’s tragic death as a suicide…
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…but the “supernatural hotline” informs Las Chicas de Carne that it was murder.
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They decide to investigate, in part because the death occurred in the same location as their next barbecue competition.
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Then one of the judges for the contest dies under mysterious circumstances.
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Was the judge killed by the same person? Or are the murders completely separate? And can Las Chicas solve not one, but two crimes while still cooking up their award-winnings meats?
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Death by Brisket—the start of a new paranormal cozy mystery series—takes the reader along for a tasty ride. Come and get your serving today!
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Book six of Operation Marrakesh is coming out January 2026! (Undaunted) So book one, Trial by Leviathan, is now on sale for just $0.99.
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A test run of an experimental weapon turns unexpectedly deadly when Marrakesh and its crew run across a Wronlori Leviathan, who charges in to destroy them.
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A game of cat and mouse ensues, the two ships hiding in a deep nebula.
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Captain Boru could leave the area, but he wants a bit of revenge, as well as a fight against a bigger battleship.
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Trial By Leviathan, the exciting first book in the Operation Marrakesh series, takes the reader on a thrilling military space adventure. Be sure to read all the books in this series!
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