Category Archives: Writing

Happy Endings and New Beginnings

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been working on getting over the burnout I found myself in. Articles that I read about burnout seemed to be only partially helpful for me, so I’ve spent time trying to listen to my body and my mind and see if I can find some tactics that improve my situation.

And it’s working!Excited smile emoticon

I started by reducing my podcast workload by two-thirds for July and August, going from three episodes a week to one. It’s shocking how much that helped! I also had to force myself to choose not to feel guilty for doing fun things like watching Netflix or playing cards or coloring in one of those swirls-and-flowers designs with my new colored pencils.

There are other things I added to my life – with this new time I had – that I have wanted to do more of and that are kind of good for my career. I’m reading a lot more! Yay!! And because I am submitting Love at the Fluff and Fold to Hallmark Publishing (did you know Hallmark just started a publishing arm?! Learn more here), I have spent dozens of hours watching Hallmark movies and TV shows.

And that has had an unexpected double-benefit – all of that feel-good, happy ending, no swearing or violence or negativity intake has helped me get back to my feel-good happy Kitty personality! 😀 So in addition to soaking up the vibe that Hallmark likes to create – and that I love anyway – I’m feeling better and better about my life.

As I feel myself healing from the burnout, the most wonderful – and, honestly, unexpected – thing has happened. I want to write! I have all kinds of ideas for writing, more than I’ve had in months or more! It would appear that while I’ve been praying for God to guide me wherever He wants me to be, He’s been guiding me right back to where I was. Wow! Yay! Thank you, God!

I started working on a ghost chick lit novel that I dreamed up in traffic a year or more ago. And it’s time to finally get book 2 of the Strays of Loon Lake series written, Love at the Clip and Curl. Plus, I’ve been thinking about my superhero books and looking for ways to get that series back on my production schedule. Not to mention getting my first nonfiction how-to book for writers published soon.

Now I just have to figure out how to have a happy, healthy, productive life with healthy and productive writing routines. No more burnout! But I do have to figure out how to earn a living. So…one step at a time. Right now, I’m just kind of amazed that I finally started blogging again. Haha!

I hope your end of summer (or end of winter in the Southern Hemisphere) has come together with as much of a happy ending as mine. 😀 And I pray the next season – be it spring or autumn or a new phase in your life – has a beautiful new beginning to give you hope and anticipation.

Lots of love and hugs to you!

Little Miss Lovesick Goodreads Giveaway (A Romantic Comedy)

Hello, my friends! I’m happy to tell you that my chick lit/romantic comedy, Little Miss Lovesick, has a Goodreads Giveaway running now through February 28, 2018. Yay!

There are 100 – yes, ONE HUNDRED – Kindle ebook copies to be won! (I’m sorry to say, the giveaway is only for those in the United States. I hope Goodreads changes that soon!) With that many books available, your chances of winning one are pretty good!

Here is the link to go sign up. And please, tell your friends! 😀  Thanks!!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Little Miss Lovesick by Kitty Bucholtz

Little Miss Lovesick

by Kitty Bucholtz

Giveaway ends February 28, 2018.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

 

Transcription ROCKS! Over 1100 Words in Under 9 Minutes – NaNo Day 7

Wow! I did some transcription today because I had an assignment in a class I’m taking and I was feeling way too lazy to type. I was kind of disappointed that the 4-ish minutes per assignment seemed to take forever for me to get my thoughts out and I was expecting the word count to be minimal.

But between the two recordings, less than nine minutes altogether, I got just over 1100 words down!! I almost never get that much IN AN HOUR of typing when I’m writing fiction!! Transcription is AMAZING!!

Transcription is Twice as Fast as Typing – NaNo Day 3

In today’s video blog, I tell you about my transcription experience from Day 1 and whine about losing all the italics in the print version of Love at the Fluff and Fold. Yes, it’s been an up and down kind of day. :-/

First Ever Video Blog – NaNo Day 1

Hello, my friends! I’ve never done a video blog before, but today it just seemed like the perfect thing to do. 😀

I’ll try to capture as much of NaNoWriMo and other interesting things here in video form. You just have to tell me if you like these or not. Today, I’m talking about entering the RITA awards for the first time, learning to dictate a book this month, and starting a new podcast.

Enjoy!

Goodreads Giveaways for Love at the Fluff and Fold – Worldwide!

Hi friends! I wanted to make sure everyone gets a chance to win an autographed paperback copy of my new book, Love at the Fluff and Fold, so I created two giveaways. 😀

Due to the high cost of postage, I limited the number of copies that I can send around the world to two, but I will send them anywhere. Anywhere. I don’t know how many countries are listed on Goodreads, but it’s a lot! LOL! Click the button to enter below – and good luck!

 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Love at the Fluff and Fold by Kitty Bucholtz

Love at the Fluff and Fold

by Kitty Bucholtz

Giveaway ends October 07, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Because postage is less expensive if I mail books within the United States, I was able to include five books in that giveaway. Yay! If your mailing address is in the USA, click the button below to enter – and good luck to you, too! 😀

P.S. If you haven’t read it yet, the first chapter is posted here.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Love at the Fluff and Fold by Kitty Bucholtz

Love at the Fluff and Fold

by Kitty Bucholtz

Giveaway ends October 07, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Back at the End of the Month!

Hiya friends!

I’m moving my hosting over to another company so I can start to make some improvements. I don’t want to screw up the process with my random posting to my blog, so I’m going to wait until the dust clears before I post again.  🙂

I hope to get these improvements done soon and show you a better-looking website – and, more importantly, make it a better experience for you! I’ll talk to you more later! 😀

NEW RELEASE: My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine

It’s finally out! Wooohoooo!!!!

My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine book cover

After two years and a lot of ups and downs, I finally finished and published my idea behind, “What would happen if Bull could ever get Hayley to go out on a real date with him?”

Yay! And now you have a couple weeks to enjoy this side story novella in the Adventures of Lewis and Clarke series for only 99c. On March 1, it will go back to the regular price of $2.99.

My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine is available at all major retailers including Amazon (all territories), iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Get yours today!

2017 Goals – Publish More Books, Start a Podcast

Figure with a check listBecause I knew that I hadn’t accomplished most of my 2016 goals, I made a point of writing down my Goals Master List for 2017 before the end of December. Then I went through it looking for the 7 to 10 major goals that I really wanted to accomplish in all the various areas of my life this year.

I thought perhaps it would inspire you to do the same if I shared with you my goals. Here they are:

  1. Publish the first three books in the Strays of Loon Lake romantic comedy series
  2. Publish “My Bullheaded Superhero Valentine” by February 14
  3. Outline Burden of Magic, the working title for the supernatural thriller that I’ve been working on and thinking about since grad school in 2011
  4. Create a business system for writing, marketing, finances, etc.
  5. Finish creating the video-based self-publishing class that I started, and update the time management class I teach
  6.  Begin my new podcast in late spring (I’m so excited about this!)
  7. Read one or more nonfiction books on business or writing, and one or more novels every month
  8. Lose 25 to 30 pounds to get to 145 by December 1
  9. Run one half marathon at my fastest time ever by December 31
  10. Create a habit of 60 minutes of Bible study and prayer daily, Monday through Friday

And then I have my extra goals, the ones I’ll do if I have time while making sure my primary goals get accomplished first. They include finishing every class and course I have ever signed up for! Haha! And to also finish writing and publish Rent-a-Wife, book 2 after Little Miss Lovesick in the Traverse City in Love series.

As you can see, some of these goals will have many smaller parts to them. And a few of these are smaller parts of bigger goals. For instance, for several years I have said that I want to be my fittest, strongest, fastest ever by the time I hit 50. I turn 49 in two months! So I only have 14 months to sign up for and run a half marathon, and make it my fastest one ever. And I’ll need to be my fittest ever in order to reach that goal, which includes losing those last 25 to 30 pounds.

This year, I tried to balance my work and personal goals so that I don’t ignore one part of my life in favor of another. There are a lot of factors that may change the likelihood of me accomplishing any or all of these goals, of course, just like for any of us. But I’m excited to have a list that looks challenging as well as doable.

Smiley face with thumb upWhat about you? Do you have 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 goals that you’d like to accomplish this year? Have you written them down yet? And have you written down the steps you’ll need to take in order to accomplish those goals? I hope that by sharing my list I’m encouraging you to work on making this year your best year ever!

Good luck! I know you can do it!

Free Funny Paranormal and Urban Fantasy Books This Week

I’m excited to try something new this month. Have you heard of InstaFreebie? It’s a way authors can give away one of their books for a limited time, and readers can get an almost unlimited number of free books to read!

Free book promotion December 10-16, 2016

It’s quick, easy, and fun! I’ve gotten several free books myself this way, but this is the first time I’ve participated as an author. All you have to do is click this link or the picture above and you’ll go to a page with all the books. Click on any (or all!) of the books that look good to you, choose which file type you want, and enter your email. The books will be emailed to you a few minutes later.

Check out the books, download all you want, and share the link with your friends! (Click the share links on the left.)

And enjoy all the fun reading! 😀