Writing Prompts for Midsummer

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Introduction: 

This series of posts has simple goals: provide some basic history on a holiday/event from the past and use that history to spring board potential writing prompts and themes. For some, the history on its own will be enough to come up with some story ideas.  For others, I offered some starting points with themes, scenes, and possibilities I see for the holiday at hand.  

Happy writing and please share a snippet or link to your inspired works ^_^ I’d love to read them.

What is Midsummer/Summer Solstice/Lithe/Litha

For the Northern Hemisphere Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year.  For the Southern Hemisphere Summer Solstice is the shortest day of the year.  For this post, I’m exploring the Northern Hemisphere’s experience of Solstice (sorry southern hemisphere folks).  So today we’ll explore a day where the sun appears to stand still.  The day floats on our calendar between June 20th and June 21st.  

Many cultures knew about Summer Solstice and had varying practices around it.  In the history section I will only cover the smallest bit of information I’ve uncovered.  

History

Ancient Egyptians marked the Solstice as the beginning of when the Nile would flood.  Floods were necessary for good crops (black is the color of life in ancient Egyptian mythology because it’s the same color as good growing soil) but these floods came on quickly and were life threatening to the people living along the banks.  Solstice signalled a time that could bring great bounty and danger all in one needed package.

General British/Irish/Wales lore has a tradition of lighting a bonfire on the eve of the solstice to greet the coming day.  People would jump the bonfire, and if they got through the flames without a burn, they had good luck for the year.  Others would carry out a “wishing traditions” where they would pick up a pebble, hold it walking around the bonfire three times wishing for thing X and then tossing the stone into the flames.  After the bonfire flames subsided, people had uses for the ashes.  They could make a protective amulet to wear for the year or they could sow the ashes into the garden for bountiful harvests.  

Sunwheels, a wheel lit on fire or a ball of straw lit on fire were also popular.  People would light the wheel and roll it downhill into a river.  The burnt remnants go to a local temple and displayed.  In Wales if the fire wheel went out before it hit the water, it promised a good harvest.

Midsummer is a Faery holiday.  The veils between the worlds are thin at this time and many faeries come to our world to celebrate and make merry.  Some suggestions to see faery folk included: staying up all night on the evening before Solstice, wearing a sprig of thyme so you can see the faeries dancing, or summoning the faery with moonstone, a bowl of milk and/or something sweet.  

There are multiple warnings against dealing with the faery folk.  One such story is of a girl Kathleen who went out on the eve of Midsummer to find the faery.  She dances with them and sought to draw the Fae King’s attention.  The King did take an interest in her, he came to her and embraced her.  Kathleen died that evening.  Her body was recovered by a faery fort with a smile on her face.

There are several suggestions on how to protect yourself against the faery folk.  Some sources suggest wearing a jacket inside out to confuse the faery folk as they come to spirit you away.  Others suggest sticking to ley lines where you can escape quickly.  Some sources suggest wearing rue and others St. John’s wort to repel the faery folk or to prevent the more malicious faery folk from approaching.

Other interactions with faeries are positive.  Some people were known to be “faery doctors” like Biddy Early of Connacht.  In her case the Faery Queen came upon the village celebrating midsummer and politely asked the villages to go home so the fae may celebrate in private.  The village complied and Biddy seems to have been gifted faery knowledge.

Sources:

The Farmer’s Almanac

learnreligions.com

witchesandpagans.com

The Sacred Wheel: a Guide to a Pagan year for beginners in Witchcraft and Wicca (new age& spiritual books)

Writing Prompts:

1. The focus on fire in what is the day with the most natural light, is curious, why is fire so integral to most Midsummer celebrations?

-Are people obsessed with their own power to create or mimic the natural world?

-Do sun deities only respond to flames?  

2. What does summer mean to you or your characters?

3. Jumping over a Midsummer Bonfire in more modern literature is often used as a bonding ceremony used instead of a wedding—do you have any characters who appreciate this ascetic?  

-Write you version of a Midsummer bonding ceremony.  What do the people promise each other, do they invoke gods and/or fae to witness their bonding or conescrate it?

4. Gods/Goddesses worshipped in Midsummer center around the sun, the fae, and sex.  Write a steamy scene in honor of this day.

5. Write a wishing ritual scene.  What does the character wish for, is this an act of desperation or a common occurance?  Does the wish come true?  Do gods or supernatural beings get involved?

6. Horror often happens in dark places and there is a lot of speculation on 24hrs on night, but what about 24hrs of daylight?  Is this a magical time where no evil can befall us or does the light simply expose the darkness of our souls?  

7. Write about a fae encounter (chance or summoned).  Good, bad, or neutral, just write a scene with the fae on this day where they travel.

8. What happens to fae who don’t return through the veil before midsummer’s close? 

9. Why do the fae travel in our realm on this day?  Do they wait for Midsummer on their side of the veil?

10.Are humans found dead after faery revels gone forever or have they gone back with the fae to the faery realm?  

Looking for more writing prompts?  Try my post on Matralia.

1st Draft Vs 2nd Draft

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Long time readers may recall in 2016, I completed my first draft of Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  Only I didn’t know it was my first draft, I thought my manuscript was complete and began to query agents.  

I did this even though I was not happy with my first chapter and knew it was a bad hook.  

I did this even though I knew the manuscript rambled and barely held together as a story.

I did this even though my main character is unlikeable and awkward. 

How could I call the manuscript complete with these huge flaws?  How could I query?  It’s simple: I’ve always loved Follow Me: Tattered Veils and I had taken the manuscript as far as I knew how to carry it.  Isn’t selling the next step?  

I shudder at my ignorance, but I didn’t know what I didn’t know.  I wrote other stories, and I workshopped Follow Me: Tattered Veils in between.  After letting it rest about a year, I began rewrites.

Where the first draft came out in patches over the course of two years, with multiple deleted scenes only I’ve read.  I finished the second draft in nine months.  My planning and speed increased.  It took a year of thinking, but I knew better than ever what story I wanted to tell.

So what’s different? 

The order, I’ve joined “kick ass first chapter club.”  My plot.  Follow Me: Tattered Veils tells two stories.  The first draft told Gerry’s story, but I needed to develop Roxi’s.  No one liked Roxi because no one knew her well.  The second draft opens up and gives Roxi time to be herself.

  

  

I wrote twelve new chapters.  Of the twelve new chapters, eight are Roxi centric.  Sharing more social interactions, scenes, and pivotal moments in her life.  These moments create chemistry in my cast.

 Beyond those eight Roxi centric chapters, two of those chapters are about Gerry discovering new insights into Roxi.  So audiences get Gerry’s twisted narration of Roxi where Roxi would be more tight-lipped.  What Gerry says about Roxi isn’t gospel truth, but it has a certain ring of truthiness.  I’m using the audience’s interest in Gerry to make them interested in Roxi.  *Does and evil victory dance*

These were my “big changes,” but the second draft overhauled everything.  Awkward wording, repetitive phrasing, and verb tense shifts are some elements I tackled.  I clarified each of my character’s voices.  I deleted massive amounts of their “thoughts” and made the few casual insights have depth.  

Why talk about this now?  I wanted to write about my drafting process and insights while I drafted, but I feared pausing the process would derail my work.  Now as I wait on my copy editor I have nothing but time to reflect.  

Talk to me.  What does your drafting process look like?  What are the biggest changes from first draft to second draft?  Are you like me where you believe each itteration is the “final” product or do you have a better sense of when your WIP is done?

Looking for more posts about the writing and publishing process?  Check out more posts on my novel publication process: Going Through Copy Edits, 1st Daft vs 2nd Draft, Goal Planning: Getting Through the First Draft, My Character Looks Nothing Like My MC, Cover Art: Truth in Advertising, and Post Book Launch: Reflections.  

Want to know more about my novel?  Check out my childhood stories recapping themes in my life I hope prepared me to write this book: Remember the Magic of Santa?, Closet Monsters: Gone too Far?, and Garden Gnomes and other Evils.

OR check out my series where I find similarities between my novel and other popular media.  Hopefully it gives you a better idea whether there are elements in my book you may enjoy. Lost Girl Comparison, American Gods Comparison, and The O.A. Comparison.

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON!!!  Please go look at "Follow Me: Tattered Veils" and see if it might be a story that interests you.

And I Would Do Anything for Love...But I Can't Do This

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Hello world!  I am returning to my blogs and Twitter.  Back in January, I posted my writing goals, and they included completing the second draft of Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  

Amazing news: that draft is complete.  It goes to the copy editor today!  

Further news!  I’ve found and am partnering with an artist to create a cover for Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  Finishing the second draft set up all the pieces for me to self publish and I am tentatively planning to publish November 1st.  Words fail in expressing deep my joy is.

With that joy comes doubt.  Not doubt in my manuscript.  To prepare Follow Me: Tattered Veils I’ve recruited beta readers, work-shopped the manuscript with my writers’ group, and studied editing advice. The work has undergone major structural changes over its existence and it’s settled into an order I think is best for readers.  I queried multiple editors and settled on one whose resume includes two authors with a similar audience to mine (fan girling here but my editor worked with Charlie N. Holmberg and she’s amazing).

My doubt: I can’t draw in an audience or the right audience to my work.  Yeah, I did the Twitter thing back in Aug-Jan.  Yeah, I have this blog.  But what is all this?  Will it help book the visibility of my book?  Am I connecting with a potential group of readers?  I feel very small and like a terrible advocate for my book.

Further, I couldn‘t keep the blog running AND edit at the same time.  I always told people I couldn’t self-promote and write but I was hoping to prove myself wrong.  Turns out I knew those two different areas of my brain can‘t both fire at the same time.  If I’m writing fiction, I’m not blogging.  If I’m blogging, chances are strong I’m not writing fiction. Boo.

So I will be here and around for the next few months, but at some point, I must fall away and go back to my creative well spring.  I hope you guys understand and stick with me, but I can’t commit to consistent updates.  I will try to pre-write a bunch of blog posts and tweets, and from there I’ll try to respond/interact.  But the balancing act will fall and I’ll abandon you all to write.  

I would do anything to make Follow Me: Tattered Veils as big as a success as I can, but I can’t sacrifice creating more fictional works to market Follow Me: Tattered Veils.  In my dream world I’d either be able to do both or I could hire a stunning personality to maintain a consistent eye on the internet,  but I don’t live in that world. 

Thank you for sticking with me and I will let you know when I need to step back so I can write again.  Until then, I’m back to play and should release a book summary shortly.  

Talk to me.  How do you balance social interaction and writing?  Is it a struggle or do you naturally fall into a good balance?  What extremes has your manuscript pushed you too?  Were there things you thought "of course I'll do that" only to learn you couldn't do them even if you wanted to?  What was launching your debut novel like?  Do you have any tips or advice for me?  

Looking for more posts about the writing and publishing process?  Check out more posts on my novel publication process: Going Through Copy Edits, 1st Daft vs 2nd Draft, Goal Planning: Getting Through the First Draft, My Character Looks Nothing Like My MC, Cover Art: Turth in Advertising, and Post Book Launch: Reflections.  

Want to know more about my novel?  Check out my childhood stories recapping themes in my life I hope prepared me to write this book: Remember the Magic of Santa?, Closet Monsters: Gone too Far?, and Garden Gnomes and other Evils.

OR check out my series where I find similarities between my novel and other popular media.  Hopefully it gives you a better idea whether there are elements in my book you may enjoy.  Lost Girl Comparison, American Gods Comparison, and The O.A. Comparison.

MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT AMAZON!!!  Please go look at "Follow Me: Tattered Veils" and see if it might be a story that interests you.

Personal Goals for 2019

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1. I want to finish my second draft of “Follow Me: Tattered Veils.”  I hesitate to announce this because every time I wish something for my novel, it feels like I stop working on it, but I want a 2020 publication, more than I can say.  I have the whole marketing campaign laid out in my head.

                 - Launch book early/late Jan, when the book begins in real world time, further connecting my urban fantasy to a sense of real world time and place.
                - Post blog/deleted material supplements along with the real passage of time during the first year of sale.  Continuing to reinforce that sense of Roxi and the other characters existing in our world and also providing some nice shorts/extra material for people who like the book.
                -Have a huge sale/set of giveaways in Sept leading into October book climax and have a ton of blog/deleted scenes going into the mega holiday.
               -Work more on sequel,  “Follow Me: the Realms of Gods and Monsters,” because I’m super hyped for that book

2.  I want to maintain my blogging habit, but I am rolling back the intensity of posting.  I really focused July-Dec on getting the NAWG blog up and running and returning to this more introspective blog.  There were great results.  I feel more established as a writer in a community.   This has led to more positive feelings regarding my work, it’s helped me become more organized, and it’s driven me to feel more connection to my projects and goals.  Creatively, I’ve had the chance to pitch small ideas and little quips on Twitter.  Marketing wise: I’ve increased my audience and with the time/tools at my disposal, I think I’ve maximized growth.

All this focus meant: little creative writing could happen and this year I want to tear through “Follow Me” and launch it, so the blog work has to step back.

3. Reconnect with esoteric magic and folklore.  My wellspring for creativity comes from melding the fantastic with the mundane.  And I haven’t been keeping my store of “fantastic” elements full.  I spent a few hours looking up ancient Roman festivals and from a few readings I have five new ideas for stories.  Better, I “took a break from research” and edited 3 chapters in “Follow Me”.

4.  Stop making more goals.  Last year, I had a whole spreadsheet of goals. It was awesome, because no matter what direction I went in, I was moving toward success.  This year I want to zero in on specifics, keep my eye on one goal.  It might mean I don’t feel as successful all the time, but I’m hoping it leads me to seeing my novel completed this year and on the road to publication.

Monday Metrics

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If you are new, today is all about the numbers, not about my plans.   See the action plans I’m using to earn these numbers in previous posts.  My plan and reflects are on 16 Week Review!  and the steps I’m taking are on 6 Steps for Twitter.

Twitter Analytics

I’ve been active on Twitter for 141 days. In the last 28 days I’ve had 171 posts, 525 profile visits, 64 mentions, and 56 new follows.  

Conversion based on profile views is 11%.  A week off Twitter hit my metrics hard, but I needed the time.  
  
My engagement is 1.8%. Again, there were no posts from the 24th-1st.  I expect drops in all my metrics.

I post about 6 times a day.  My goal is to sit between 6-10 posts a day, so success!


I received views when I wasn’t posting, but they were under 1,000.  This past week, my daily view count is under 2,000 views a day.  I received 171 eyes per post last week. 

Blog Stats


I got 44 views last week spread across 10 posts and 4 pages.  Currently, I’m catching up on my blog work.  My scheduled posts went out without any photos, so I’ve been adding those.  I’m also adding the new posts to my “Best of Jess” page and I’m reading through pre-written posts I wasn’t sure I wanted to post.  

Three posts a week at this blog and a post at NAWG blog may be too much for me.

The North Alabama Writers’ Group blog has 31 views this past week.  Wish I could take credit for these views but it seems like people are stumbling across the blog and checking it out on their own.  I hope to see repeat traffic.

So talk to me!  What are your numbers?  What’s your social media strategy?  Are you counting anything else in your life and what does success look like?

Still need a number fix?  Compare this week to past weeks Dec 24th, Dec 17th, Dec 11th,  Dec 3rd, Nov 12th, Nov 5th, Oct 22nd, Oct 9th, Oct 1st Sept 24th, Sept17th, or Sept 10th.  

Finding the Right time Postdating and Predating Blogs

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For the unaware, you can schedule blogs to post in the future, the present, and in the past.  Scheduling blogs to drop automatically is convenient because I can write everything at once, proofread it, gather the images, and set up on the blog all together.  It lets me keep a stack of planned content at all times, and once written, I can forget about it (excluding promoting it).  

Posting content as soon as it’s complete, is what most people assume is the norm.  I haven‘t polled any bloggers, so I don’t know if people usually schedule content out or if they add it each day.  I used to post my “Monday Metrics” blogs same day, but my work schedule no longer allows for this and I have to write them ahead of time.  

The least intuitive of these three schedulers is to predate blogs.  An unscrupulous person may predate a blog so they can say they “posted” first they can claim their blog has been around longer than it‘s been up and running.  I don’t care for either of these uses.  

Still, I like to predate blogs sometimes.  My “Writers’ Blogs” and “Company Blogs” were both post dated for Jan 1st 2018.  I created both posts in October and I update them as needed.  Why are they posted in the past?  Simple: when I created lists of blogs I follow, they were small and I didn’t want the lists to take up the front page.  I thought of these posts as “reference” posts which would become relevant as time went on but held little value in the present.  Once I had more suggested bloggers, once I had a larger following, these posts would matter, but as things stand, I don’t believe they add value.  One can find them under the “Resources” page and readers I hope to gain will one day find these posts helpful.

Why not just keep the content as a draft and publish when it has more value?  First, I have a hard time finding floating drafts. It’s easier to set a date for publication and I don’t know when these lists would be welcome.   Second, I hold the slim hope that some people find suggested blogs to read helpful now.  Even if the list is small, it may help people connect to other bloggers that hold like goals.  Plus, having a published page creates a place for readers and fellow bloggers to recommend more resources I can check out and this may increase my list.  

I may create a list of books I read in 2017, and I would post date the list to 2017, even though I’m creating the list now (using Goodreads for reference).  

If I ever wanted to create a post defining literary terms, if I wanted to write a list of helpful descriptive words for taste/smell/touch, and so on these kinds of posts would become post dated and exist for me to reference, not showcase at the top release of my blogs. If I ever wanted to create a blog post response for Twitter hashtag conversations, I would date the blogs to the day they asked, not the date I answered the question.  

The common factor with all these posts they are references, not featured content.  While they may hold helpful information, it‘s as an aside, not a main article.  I create them more to build interwoven links within my blog than to be the main feature.

Talk to me!  Do you blog and if so do you schedule posts?  How many interconnected links do you create within posts?  Do you go back to older posts and add links when more recent posts may also relate? 

Monday Metrics

image from openclipart.org by oksmith

If you are new, today is all about the numbers, not about my plans.   See the action plans I’m using to earn these numbers in previous posts.  My plan and reflects are on 16 week Review!  and the steps I’m taking are on 6 Steps for Twitter.

Twitter Analytics

I’ve been active on Twitter for 126 days. In the last 28 days I’ve had 256 posts, 720 profile visits, 89 mentions, and 112 new follows.  

Conversion based on profile views is 15%.
  
My engagement is 3.7%. 

I post about 9 times a day.  My goal is to sit between 6-10 posts a day, so success!


My daily view count has lowered to just under 2,000 views a day.  I received 153 eyes per post last week.  I haven‘t used hashtags often and I‘ve been straight retweeting, instead of adding comments.  Work is grueling this time of year, but I plan to do better.

Blog Stats


I got 37 views last week spread across 8 posts and 3 pages.  I can’t infer much from these numbers because the holiday times may either help boost or hinder my numbers regardless of content.

The North Alabama Writers’ Group blog has 22 views this past week.  The detail break out suggests shows people may be searchingauthors pages this week.

So talk to me!  What are your numbers?  What’s your social media strategy?  Are you counting anything else in your life and what does success look like?

Still need a number fix?  Compare this week to last week Dec 17th, Dec 11th,  Dec 3rd, Nov 12th, Nov 5th, Oct 22nd, Oct 9th, Oct 1st Sept 24th, Sept17th, or Sept 10th.  

The Top 3 Worst Critiques I Get from Beta Readers

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Disclaimer: I appreciate all feedback, and there are known pitfalls for me.  My grammar is lacking, I use adverbs, and passive voice too much.  I expect this feedback and it never bothers/surprises me.  Below, I’m listing the three issues common in my writing that somehow surprise/stump me when I’m reminded of them.

“Too much telling and not enough showing.”

This one only bothers me when I thought I was showing.  I need to hear it since I tell readers what‘s happening announcer style instead of being the camera for the game all the time. What can I say, I like prose and it‘s easier to use them when telling and far harder while showing.  

“Not enough action.”  

I hate this feedback because I don’t know how to fix it.  I come up with characters, but I don’t see myself as a writer who comes up with great plots. A lot of my characters reject standard narratives.  Would person x and y fight?  No, I think they’d have a dialogue, realize everything was a misunderstanding, and move on.  A better world than ours, but not one that entertains.  Is that house haunted?  Most of my character would either come prepared to the home OR they would never step foot in the home.    

This problem relates to “telling instead of showing problem.”  My characters are all in their heads, I write a lot of thoughts and feelings down, since I told you those things, I don‘t always bother to have the conflict that shows.  And yeah, I bet readers prefer to read a conflict, but the writer in me seems to prefer to ramble.

“The writing is excellent, I just don’t care.” 

That one cuts deep, but I’ve learned to work past the blood to ask “why aren‘t you invested?”  Hearing this is damning because it acknowledges my strengths and weaknesses as a storyteller in one swoop.  I think creating prose in just the right way will MAKE someone as invested as me.  It’s never true, but I keep falling into that way of thinking anyhow.

**BONUS! ** 

“I don’t connect with Roxi/don’t like Roxi.” 

I’m painfully aware my main character is polarizing and may lack a certain something.  Trouble is: damned if I know what that something is.  As I work through my second draft, I have to have more care and thought on who she is and where she‘s going than I‘ve put in to any character to date.

Talk to me.  What the worst/hardest feedback you‘re received?  How do you handle feedback?  

Books Read in 2018: A Review

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“Followed By Frost”  by Charlie N. Holmberg.  I had 20 pages left to this book when the calendar year changed.  It counts as 2018 but.  I enjoyed this book.  Unknown, I read “Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet” in late 2017 and was captivated by the same lyrical, fairy tale magic in her first story.  Both books link to traditional fairy tale lore while telling their own unique story.  Both stories incorporate romance without making the works feel like a traditional romance and both stories have action and stakes without gratuitous violence or action scenes.  Holmberg’s style and connection to “Deep Magic” got me interested in their publication, that I read this past summer.

Chris from writers’ group wrote an "The Works of the Apprentice" which features alchemy and is published here.  It inspired me to think of what kind of urban fantasy I could take with alchemy in the mix.  This prompted research, and that lead to reading many books on essential oils.  I thought, “if anything in this world could turn into gold if mixed, it would be these essential oils.”  

Essential oils, for those who don’t know, already make a TON of fantastic claims, and it seems one of the few “new agey” remedies that spark scientific interest. I delved into the lore and science of the oils.  Through this I read: 
“Essential Oils For Weightloss,” 
"Essential Oils Natural Remedies: The Complete A-Z Reference of Essential Oils for Health and Healing,” 
"Aromatherapy for Natural Living: The A-Z Reference of Essential Oils Remedies for Health, Beauty, and the Home,” 
"The Essential Oil Diffuser Recipes Book: Over 200 Diffuser Recipes for Health, Mood, and Home (Essential Oils Reference Book 1),”
 "Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails,”
 "Surviving When Modern Medicine Fails: A Definitive Guide to Essential Oils That Could Save Your Life During a Crisis,”
 "Winter Collection: Over 150 Lessons To Stay Warm, Happy & Healthy During The Cold Months,” 
"Baking Soda Power! Frugal and Natural: Health, Cleaning, and Hygiene Secrets of,” 
and 
"EPSOM SALT: 50 Miraculous Benefits, Uses & Natural Remedies for Your Health, Body & Home (Home Remedies, DIY Recipes, Pain Relief, Detox, Natural Beauty, Gardening, Weight Loss).”

My opinions on these books like my thoughts on essential oils is mixed.  Do I still think there’s a wonderful urban fantasy story involving aromatherapy?  Yes, but I need even more research to see where this kind of story would/should go.  Do I want to feature a botanist who grows the plants in just the right way or a distiller or a perfumist who has a natural talent that greater than she understands or an actual skilled alchemist potion expert whose main ingredients are these essential oils?  Who would the antagonist be?  What’s the goal?  

Rounding off my “researchy” 2018 book reads, I read plant based pagan books for the more straight magical system elements of plants.  I read "A Green Witch’s Cupboard” and Martin’s earlier book "Triple Duty Spice Rack.”  I enjoyed both reads.  They gave practical information on how to keep dried herbs and spices and they spoke towards the magic/healing that can come from cooking/eating the right foods at the right time.  This appeals spiritually and intellectually as we know the complex interplay of food we eat determines how we absorb vitamins and minerals and whether our body can use them.  I enjoy melding folklore and traditional uses of cooking ingredients with modern research on the two and these books were more about the folklore portion that inspires my creative cooking and storytelling perspective.  

 My reading also included diet and nutrition books.  This January my husband and I went on the Ketogenic diet.  After I’d looked through tons of internet sites for information and recipes, I turned to books.  Health related reads included: 
"The Keto Diet: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet, with 
More Than 125 Delectable Recipes and 5 Meal Plans to Shed Weight, Heal Your Body, and Regain Confidence,” 
"Fruit Infused Water: 98 Delicious Recipes for Your Fruit Infuser Water Pitcher,” 
"The Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Easy, Whole Food Keto Recipes for Any Budget,” 
"The Easy 5-Ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook: Low-Carb, High-Fat Recipes for Busy People on the Keto Diet,” 
and
 "33 Easy DIY Deodorant Recipes: for Staying Dry, Feeling Cool and Smelling Fresh.” 

 My feeling on these readings were mixed.  Leanne Vogel‘s book changed everything I ate and how I considered eating.  While I haven‘t wholesale adopted every detail she recommends, I found her willingness to explore how a person feels and who that relates to a diet very impactful and created a more introspective look at my food choices.  The other recipe books provided inspiration and groundwork for me creating my own meals, but I still can‘t keep to a recipe for long.  

Fruit infused water was a fun, casual read.  I drink about 20-40oz of fruit infused water as part of my new year‘s resolution to drink more water.  The book was a passing curiosity.  

Using more natural products in my life and becoming more waste free was a 2018 goal.  I considered making natural deodorants, but this book combined with online research turned me off from that idea.  Instead, I buy Tom’s brand.

Health-wise I also read “Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World,” and I did the eight-week plan.  The book was a retread of known information but a wonderful refresh course.  I’m also reading “The Highly Sensitive Person.”  No way I will finish this book this year but it’s been a thought provoking and healing read so far.

Most of these books are chosen from the Kindle Unlimited selection.  Nonfiction Kindle books are a strange phenomena because they are often self published and it makes me wonder about the credentials of those who publish the information.  What doesn't help are the links to blogs and websites.  No matter how professional the blog: it's not a scientific study.  I did not care for how many of the same graphics these authors sourced.  On the other side, it did teach me about how a nonfiction book might be used to build a person's name recognition, "personal brand", and sense of authority.  Interesting and scary.

I read and enjoyed “The Book of the Unnamed Midwife” and “The Book of Etta.”  I prefer Etta to the unnamed midwife.  And I will go into further detail in my “Kindle Unlimited” series during 2019.

 “Dragon Ridden” is a wonderful series.  I wrote a post in my “Kindle Unlimited” series that details what I loved and I left detailed reviews for each book on Goodreads.  I’m looking forward to a 2019 release of a fourth book.  Also a cool thing to note: T.A. White writes three series at once and I love how she works multiple projects at the same time successfully.  Since I prefer to work this way, it gives me hope for victory in my writing practice.

I read Sarah Fine’s “Reliquary” series and while it was a wild addicting ride, I also found the books ridiculous and terrible.  My reviews go into further often spoiler-y detail.  That said, Sara Fine has such a great style in her writing and compelling book summaries I have two of her books in my queue to be read 2019.  At some point, I‘d like to do a deep dive into both what makes her work compelling and what turned me off so much in this series.

I love Annette Marie’s “Red Winter” trilogy I read last year.  This year I read her “Steel & Stone” series and her “Spell Weaver” series with a more mixed reception.  The first three Steel & Stones are great, but they fell apart after book 3.  There were occasional moments of “Hurrah!” and long patches of missed marks.  I read through “Spell Weaver” because I liked Lyre so much in “Steel & Stone” but this series is a weak step-child in an otherwise much loved universe.  

Marie re-introduced me to the split world urban fantasy.  While I‘ve no intention to write one of these soon, it was interesting to see her take, and it got me thinking about future possibilities.  I appreciate how Marie introduces her fantasy to the modern world across her three series and look forward to scenarios she writes.  

Next, we have “Traitorborn” a follow up read from 2017’s “Secondborn.”  Loved this series and think it may be one of the young adult works for adults to read this year (and next when the third comes out).  Check out my “Kindle Unlimited” write up.  

Continuing in the 2018 trend for series, I finished “The Tree of Ages” series I‘d started in 2017.  One thing I love about Kindle Unlimited is that many authors using this service turn our series books in a fast pace.  I’m never left waiting so long for the next installment so I don‘t have to reread the first book.  I covered this series through my “Kindle Unlimited” posts and it was a welcome addition to my 2018 reading list.  

“Cards of Chaos,” is the first book I read because someone recommended it via Twitter.  And it’s an amazing read.  I can not promote this work enough.  It has stunning cover art and complex, deep writing to match.  It’s a shame this work only have 12 ratings on Goodreads with four reviews.  If you like a fantasy with folklore elements please consider picking this one up.  

Jasmin Silvera wrote a sequel to “Death’s Dancer” called “Dancer’s Flame” and it was ok.  I loved “Death’s Dancer” and recommend urban fantasy writers and writers looking to combine magic and motion read the first book because Silvera executes these ideas almost perfectly.  “Dancer‘s Flame” isn‘t as strong as the first book, but it‘s still a good read.  I recommend both as wonderful fantasy escapes.

“Matchmaking for Beginners” was a book I read with my mom, and like most books she suggests, it‘s a funny light romp.  I’m surprised I enjoyed it (and I don’t know why since this always happens ^_^). I classify the work as an idea beach read and as a great introduction to fantastic elements seen in more hard fantasy works.

“The Last Necromancer” is a book with a lot of promise it doesn‘t deliver on.  I don’t want to go into too much detail here.  Check out my review on Goodreads, or most readers take on the work.

I raced through “Angelfall” and it‘s my favorite book series of 2018 hands down.  I’m looking forward to great things from Susan Ee.  

“Elf Killers” is the second book I chose based on a Twitter post and I did not care for it. There is a second book from this author in my queue and I plan to check it out to see if it‘s just the way she went about building a world in this book I didn’t care for or if this is an overall style skip for me.  I can‘t recommend this book, but it has an audience who will enjoy reading it.

I gave up on “Lost in Arcadia” this year and I don’t have a lot to say about that either.  As my review states there‘s too, many characters introduced in rapid succession that don’t seem to have defining traits.  Add to that a slow start, and I couldn‘t make myself care.  

That‘s it, my 2018 reading list.  What did you read this year?  Did you meet your reading goal?  Did you read more fiction or nonfiction this year?  Did you like most of what you read?  Do you have a favorite and a least favorite?  If you could suggest one book for me to read in 2019, what is it and why?

Monday Metrics

image from openclipart.org by cactus cowboy

If you are new, today is all about the numbers, not about my plans.   See the action plans I’m using to earn these numbers in previous posts.  My plan and reflects are on 16 week Review!  and the steps I’m taking are on 6 Steps for Twitter.

Twitter Analytics

I’ve been active on Twitter for 119 days. In the last 28 days I’ve had 255 posts, 788 profile visits, 104 mentions, and 114 new follows.  

Conversion based on profile views is 14%.
  
My engagement is 3.9%. 

I post about 9 times a day.  My goal is to sit between 6-10 posts a day, so success!


My daily view count has lowered to just under 2,000 views a day.  I received 164 eyes last week.  This week, I got into the weeds in a conversation about other’s favorite flowers.  A lot of engagements but not a lot of eyes.

Blog Stats


I got 71 views last week spread across 6 post.  An improvement from last week, but I’m uncertain if it relates to content or promotion of my posts.  I posted three times this week, and plan to post three times this week too.  I hope to replicate the results.

The North Alabama Writers’ Group blog has 26 views this past week.  The detail break out suggests that all my back links are kicking in.  Someone goes to the December Call for Submissions and ends up clicking on our Ongoing Call For Submissions. 

So talk to me!  What are your numbers?  What’s your social media strategy?  Are you counting anything else in your life and what does success look like?

Still need a number fix?  Compare this week to last week Dec 11th,  Dec 3rd, Nov 12th, Nov 5th, Oct 22nd, Oct 9th, Oct 1st Sept 24th, Sept17th, or Sept 10th.