Sara Brookes's Blog, page 4

On September 20th, I was finally able to get some closure on a two-year ongoing struggle with one of my publishers who was partaking in some very questionable dealings in regards to royalties. Which means that by the end of 2016, I will have the rights returned on the following books:

Ragged Edge

Reclaiming the Edge

Edge of Need

Taking Over Me

Rock Your Soul

Break Me In

Glad You Came

Chasing Sin

I have some time to decide what to do with these books, and I’m working on a plan to turn them around to get them back out and available to readers. Six full-length novels (four of which are an entire series), one novella and one short are a lot to juggle so it’s going to take me a little bit to sort things out since I’m only one person.

If you aren’t on Goodreads to enter the giveaways running over there for the 5 LIMITED EDITION, Signed copies of Get Off Easy are up for grabs at Goodreads and the 5 LIMITED EDITION, Signed copies of Fused: A Sypricon Masters Collection are up for grabs at Goodreads (This is the updated version of Get Off Easy and the never-before-available version of Fused. These books aren’t available for purchase in paperback anywhere) I’ve got something special for you! How about a shot at 3 more LIMITED EDITION, Signed copies of GET OFF EASY and 3 LIMITED EDITION, signed copies of FUSED: A SYPRICON MASTERS COLLECTION with a giveaway taking place right here on my site, and runs through midnight July 13th. See below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All right – time to party. Of course, my idea of partying is…giving away some books!

5 LIMITED EDITION, Signed copies of Get Off Easy are up for grabs at Goodreads

5 LIMITED EDITION, Signed copies of Fused: A Sypricon Masters Collection are up for grabs at Goodreads

This is the updated version of Get Off Easy and the never-before-available version of Fused. These books aren’t available for purchace in paperback anywhere, so if print is your vice (I get it, believe me *glances at her overcrowded bookshelves*) be sure to enter!

Goodreads not your thing? Stay tuned for more opportunities!

Dearest readers, they say the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Well…mine went way awry. Like *way* awry. Three months ago, I had no plans to tear a muscle in my left arm (exercising, no less – oh, the irony). No plans to be given a pain medication that screwed my body/system so badly, I learned what the inside of an ambulance looked like and spent the better part of a day in the ER. No plans for it to lead to bloodwork that discovered some not so nice things were going on inside me.

In hindsight, it’s all been a good thing. I’ve been forced to spend the last few months focusing 100% on working on *me* and I went off the grid to do that. Every time I’d go for bloodwork (I’m convinced the medical community is filled with vampires), I’d get compliments the tattoo on my left arm, which reminded me I had it inked there as a constant reminder. But sometimes, you need to hear it from others in order to hammer it in a few times. And in my thick skull…yeah, so. A team of people (my doctor, a physical therapist and a nutritionist) are helping me get my body on the right track. I have new norms I’m still getting used to, and adjustments I’ve still to make. And I am making them…slowly. Some of that is realizing that while I *can* do it all, that doesn’t mean that I *have* to. My ultimate goal is to get off the medication cocktails I have to take when I wake up and before I go to bed. They are my stepping stone, they will NOT earn a permanent place in my life.

So, dear readers, all I ask of you is that you understand that this long, winding path I’m on is my focus for the time being.

Few days later than I normally post for the weekly listify life – but I’ve managed to pull a muscle in my shoulder/upper left arm (and I’m a leftie!) and haven’t been sitting at a computer much when I’m not at work. Doctor has me on pain pills for a week, and if things don’t improve, I’m supposed to go see the physical therapist.

You never really realize just how much you use your dominant arm until you’re on restriction!

Don’t know what #ListifyLife is? See my post last week on it and join in on the fun! http://www.sarabrookes.net/2016/03/15/welcome-to-the-listifylife-spring-challenge/ 

In my last post, I talked about goal setting and planning. I’m still working on getting my goal setting down to a system that I like and can actually feel doing me some good, but I’ve found what is referred to as “planner peace” when it comes to my schedule. There is no right or wrong way to keep a planner/calendar. For me, I’ve always done better with a tangible book that I can write stuff down in. I tend to remember things better when I actually write them down versus typing it out on a digital calendar. Plus…doodles and stickers and…and…color coding with pens!

Years ago, I took a Franklin Covey class on their planner system. I still have the fancy leather planner they gave us during class, because…office supply obsession. I used it for a while, and though the system didn’t fit me 100%, I find I still use some of the methods today. Some people don’t find any value from writing a task over that you didn’t accomplish. I do. Not doing it on a day that I was supposed to moves it up in the ranks of importance the next day.

Sunday mornings, before the rest of the rest of the house rises, are for me, my planner and my coffee. Yeah, it’s a ritual. One that I’m back to after a few years of abandoning it. That time helps organize my stuff from the week before and look ahead to the week ahead, figure out meals for the week, etc.

Last Week

This Week

I’ll be honest, this hasn’t been the easiest post to write. It’s been sitting in my drafts folder for a long time. Why? I’ve never been someone who has had a problem admitting when they’ve done something wrong. If I know I’ve done it, I admit it, fix it (if possible) and move on. I also tend to be a very honest person (sometimes too much so).

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But it’s taken me awhile to be honest with myself on something in particular. Mostly because I couldn’t see it. 2015 was not a particularly pleasant year for me on the personal front. The year started rocky from day one (literally) and just kept going downhill from there. There were very few upswings, so saying 2015 was a roller coaster ride wouldn’t be accurate. This was more like the amusement park shut down all the rides, closed up shop and became the haunted park the Scooby Gang investigates. Only, that would probably be awesome because….Scooby Snacks for all!

In mid-February of 2016, I believe I had finally hit the break point. I’ve discussed this already on Facebook, so I’m not going to re-hash things here, but that moment, that day, was the rock bottom turning point that I needed. In a nutshell, I had absolutely no sense of control when it came to anything in my life. And, in turn, I unknowingly gave up on a lot of things in my life both personally and professionally. Things I once considered normal had been abandoned. Mostly because I thought I had control of my shit and life wasn’t going to get the best of me. Well…it did. Boy, did it get the best of me good and hard. It kicked me in the ass, punched me to the ground, pummelled me into a globby mess and then stomped on me for good measure.

Ruh-ro.

But all those things I gave up on? I’m not giving up on them. Over the past few weeks I’ve forced myself to take a hard look at what I wanted out of life – personally and professionally. It hasn’t been the prettiest glimpse, but it is my life and I’m embracing it fully. I have set goals for myself: short term, long term and life long. Brainstormed and made lists to set plans in motion for all my shit. See, a few years ago, I had a clearer picture of what I wanted. I set a yearly goal, and went for it. Then, I stopped. In 2014, I didn’t set any goals for 2015. And, obviously, I didn’t set any goals in 2015 for 2016. In an effort to whip myself into shape, I have now (literally, BTW, that’s my exercise log below).

One of those goals was to give Get Off Easy some of the attention it deserved last year. I learned a lot self-publishing this book, mostly in the “What Not To Do” category, which is okay, you have to make mistakes in order to learn. But now I’m armed with a strategic list and feel more confident in my approach. Namely cleaning up the guts of the book by hiring a professional proofreader (something I failed to do last year because I thought I could, you guessed it, handle my own shit proofreading). That process is done and I’m very pleased with the results! The new, corrected file for Get Off Easy had already been uploaded to e-tailers where it is on sale and if you have the capability, you just have to refresh to allow updates (Kindle does this, I believe).

As for moving forward and what book I’m going to release next, I wish I had a concrete answer. Right now, I have a clear docket for the rest of the year because I haven’t written anything to release. I’ve worked on bits and pieces of things, but I’m not stressing about it, mostly because that’s how I got into this place in the first…place. :^) Right now, getting myself back to rights is where my attention is focused. I get that straight…everything else will follow.

Welcome to Week TwoOne of the #Listifylife Spring Challenge! Below is my list for the week (in no particular order, of course – and my handwriting hasn’t improved in a week…). Of course, I can’t live in ALL THE BOOKS! so I had to pare it down a little, and let me tell you – hoo-boy it was hard. There’s a little everything in there, which goes to show you how eclectic my reading tastes can be.

Of course, I can’t live in ALL THE BOOKS! so I had to pare it down a little, and let me tell you – hoo-boy it was hard. There’s a little everything in there, which goes to show you how eclectic my reading tastes can be.

Strangely, quite a few of these are from my childhood, and still books I cherish to this day.  And some aren’t even full length books – short stories deserve some lovin’ too!

Don’t know what #ListifyLife is? See my post last week on it and join in on the fun! http://www.sarabrookes.net/2016/03/15/welcome-to-the-listifylife-spring-challenge/ 

Welcome to Week One of the #Listifylife Spring Challenge! Below is my list for the week with all the things I’m looking forward to this spring (in no particular order, of course). You’ll have to pardon my handwriting as it isn’t the greatest, and it’s actually one of the things on my long-term list to work on improving.

Most of it is self-explanatory, but the last one on the list is probably what I’m most looking forward to…

What the heck do I mean by birdhouse? We have a tree in the front yard that I have to pass every morning when I leave for work and pass again when I arrive home from work. For the past few years, we’ve had a family of finches return to a nest that is nestled in a few of the branches. Hubs actually rescued one of the chicks last year after it had fallen out of the nest.

Don’t know what #ListifyLife is? See my post last week on it and join in on the fun! http://www.sarabrookes.net/2016/03/15/welcome-to-the-listifylife-spring-challenge/ 

In my continuing effort to grab hold of some control in my life (more on that later), I’m going to be taking part in the Listify Life Spring challenge starting next week. What is this crazy I’m speaking of, you ask?

In my quest to list out my goals, and challenges, up my organization (hello, Erin Condren Life Planner) I was invited to join a group who have the same interests in this as I do by Dee Carney. After I fell down the Etsy black hole (still don’t think I’ve recovered from that trip yet) I began to settle in. And then the group started discussion bullet journaling. I’ve looked at it a few times, and while it’s not something that I’ve been able to work for my needs, the idea of ListifyLife sounds really fun and interesting. (Thanks Roni Loren!)

Here’s the deal, starting next week (March 20th) – one list, once a week, write down/post your list wherever you like and use the hashtag #ListifyLife for the rest of spring. The spring challenge runs March 20th through June 19th. Here are the chosen topics for the week…

Want to join in? Anyone can! This isn’t for any particular group of people, or just for writers. Or office supply addicts (because that’s what I totally am)! Here is where my Spring List challenge is going to live – see you next week!