Posts Tagged ‘Writer Groupie’

July 6, 2015

Musings

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So much for those regular “Manic Monday” posts. Ah well — you live and learn, right?

What on earth have I been up to since my last update? A whole lot of writing, with a little bit of fun tossed in here and there.

You might have read last week’s Writer Wednesday post with Roni and Carla, the authors of What You Can, When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms. Well, I’m still thinking about #wycwyc, and trying to figure out who’s with me.

#wycwyc Perfect is the enemy of goodIs anyone interested in creating a #wycwyc support group? I know I could use a little extra motivation to get healthier, but without all the pressure of a “perfect” plan. The older I get, the less excited I am about cutting entire food groups from my plate. Even though I’ve had success doing a low-carb diet in the past, I can’t seem to bring myself to give up all the pasta, bread and potatoes.

I made this little reminder to forget perfection and focus instead on good enough. It’s fine to be just “okay” at things. Having a mostly okay diet is better than not even trying because I can’t follow a “perfect” eating plan.

Leave a comment on this post if you want to join me. I can create a Facebook group for us to “meet” in.

In other news:

— I lost a lot of sleep last Wednesday morning, thanks to a radio interview in Flagstaff. I used to live right down the street from the KAFF studio where the interview was scheduled. But now that I’m in Prescott, I had to be up before 6 a.m. to make it to FLG for an 8:30 interview. No easy feat considering I usually sleep until at least 9!

Anyway, I got to visit Flagstaff Country to talk about the upcoming Payson Book Festival, which is on July 25 … less than a month away now. Eeep! I’d better round up some books, bookmarks and postcards for the event, eh?

The interview lasts about six minutes, and I talked about the festival as well as a little about my books. Check it out here.

iced coffeeThe weather was lovely in Flagstaff, and being up there gave me a chance to get my Dunkin’ Donuts fix. That’s what was left of my iced coffee with two Splendas and coconut by the time I made it back to Prescott. (Although I’m pretty sure they left out the Splenda, because it didn’t seem as sweet as normal.)

Do you like to sleep in? I come by my schedule honestly because of my work hours. I’d rather work days, but someone has to put the latest news in tomorrow’s newspaper—and that means working in the evenings and into the night.

Writer Groupie Podcast | Kim Smith— I can’t remember if I ever shared the link to my Writer Groupie podcast. Way back in April, Kim Smith and I chatted about writing and her “author unplugged” sessions, which I still need to try out for myself. It sounds like a blast.

— Now that I’m reporting part-time, the day job gives me a chance to go out and meet people. I’d forgotten how much I liked that part of newspaper work.

On Sunday, I got to hang out downtown with area firefighters for the annual Fire Hose Cart Races. It was a lot of fun…and inspiring. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if one of my next novels ends up with a firefighter hero.

Here’s a link to my story on The Daily Courier’s website. (I even shot a video of the hose cart races. Our photographer on the scene took a video of the Bucket Brigade.)

And, just for fun, here are a couple of the photos I snapped with my iPhone during the races.

2015 Fire Hose Cart Races | Downtown Prescott 2015 Fire Hose Cart Races | downtown Prescott 2015 Fire Hose Cart Races | downtown Prescott

 

April 13, 2015

Musings

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How’s this for a manic Monday: I finally finished my taxes. Yes … #TaxesDone.

I’ve been putting it off for months, dreading the result. Fortunately, the experience wasn’t as painful as I’d feared it would be. That was a relief.

Writer Groupie Podcast | Kim SmithAnother thing to chalk up in the “not as painful as I feared” category? Taping the Writer Groupie podcast with Kim Smith. Leading into Friday afternoon’s appointment, I was both excited and fearful. Since it was my first podcast — I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I shouldn’t have worried. It was…So…Much…Fun. Sitting down to chat with Kim was like running into a long-lost friend.

There’s always the chance I’ll end up sounding like a chipmunk on helium when I listen to the podcast. I’m not alone in hating the sound of my own voice, I know. I used to DJ at my college radio station, WUEV, and with a  microphone in front of my face, my voice drops into a different register … one that had guys calling up to ask me out and/or say they listened to me in the shower. (“Do you know what that voice can do to a man in a shower?” Someone actually asked me that once.)

But Friday, I was just sitting in front of my computer — no microphone in sight. Oh well. At least I wasn’t coming down with a cold when I talked with Kim. No, that came on Saturday afternoon, evening … and now I have a head full of congestion. Ugh.

Here’s a link to the Writer Groupie Podcast on iTunes. My episode isn’t up there yet, but it should be later this week. I’ll keep you posted.

In other news:

— I added a “subscribe to my newsletter” pop-up box to my website’s home page. It’ll show up the first time you visit — but when you close it, it’ll stay gone for 30 days. Of course, I’d love for you to sign up for my newsletter. (Pretty sure once you do that, the pop-up will go away forever.)

The newsletter is still a work in progress. Right now, it only comes out when I have a new release … but I’d like to start putting it out regularly — maybe once a quarter or once every two months.

April 6, 2015

Musings

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Happy Monday! I hope you all had a relaxing and rejuvenating Easter weekend. I picked up the milk to make myself one of those Cabury Creme Egg Egg Creams, but have yet to pull the trigger. Maybe tonight after work …

Okay, in truth, even though I’m sure it’ll taste ah-mazing, I’m the tiniest bit scared. I’ve tried escargot, frog legs and alligator, but scrambling a Cadbury Creme Egg makes me quake in my hot-pink Reebok Skyscapes. Go figure.

With JUST RIGHT coming out tomorrow, it’s going to be a busy week for me. (Not that I’ve been counting down or anything …)

Just Right | Arlene Hittle #romance #tmpress-2

If getting your name out there is half the battle, I should be winning this war. I feel as if I’ve been screaming my name from the top of the Empire State Building and scattering my book titles to the wind.

Among the places I’ve been popping up:

• Abigail Sharpe’s newest newsletter. Abs and I go way back. She’s the one who called me to tell me BEAUTY AND THE BALLPLAYER finaled in the FCRW Beacon. The phone rang as I left the post office with receipt in hand for mailing BEAUTY to RWA HQ for the Golden Heart. (Yes, in 2010-11 you still had to mail hard copies.)

I love the idea of including friends’ releases in my newsletter, so I might just steal it. You’ve been warned.

• I’ve been invited to be a guest on author Kim Smith‘s Writer Groupie podcast. My first podcast — and I’ll be doing it via Skype, so it’ll be on YouTube, too.

Gulp. On video, I can’t hide the extra pounds I’ve picked up since taking my author photo …

Seriously, though. I’m both nervous and excited. Now that the antenna fell off my car and I can’t get it to stay on, I’ve only recently started listening to podcasts. Some radio stations still come in, but they fuzz in and out, so I’ve been listening to podcasts on the drive to work, or on longer drives out of town.

I find them informative, inspirational and entertaining. If I can manage to be one of those three, I’ll consider my podcast debut a #win.

We’re set to record the interview Friday night, around 5 p.m. my time. I’ll link to it when it’s ready.

• BREAKING ALL THE RULES is now listed on Night Owl Reviews.
Night Owl Reviews

It hasn’t been selected for a review yet (that I know of), so if you know anyone who reviews for Night Owl and likes romcom with a geeky bent, feel free to talk it up.

• BREAKING ALL THE RULES got its first review on Amazon — four stars!

Amazon review of Breaking All the Rules | Arlene Hittle

Thanks, sjh in SLC!

• The 2015 Goodreads Author Cyber Convention starts Friday.

Author Cyber Convention - Banner Image

Click the banner to visit the fairgrounds. My “booth” is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2223533-let-the-games-begin-arlene-hittle-s-contemporary-romantic-comedy.

I’ve promised to give away a $5 Amazon gift card to a new newsletter subscriber … so get on it. (You can subscribe using the form to the right of this blog post.)

• I joined Camp NaNoWriMo. Been adding new words to an old, old story that I’m revamping as a Harlequin Blaze. I submitted the first chapter last month during the #BlazeBlitz on Twitter, and now have everything crossed in hopes that they like it and want to see more. I could handle being a Blaze Babe.