Domestic Urges

I had a productive weekend, and my hands really show it. I dug up weeds, vines and a layer of lava rocks that turned out to be below the top surface of soil at the end of the patio in the little area between the end of the slab and the fence, then I set out stepping stones and filled in all the gaps with pebbles. The stones have sharp edges, so I have a lot of little cuts all over my hands and arms. That should take care of the Evil Alien Vines in that area. I dug up some roots that were as big around as my thumb. I have one I need to cut, but I don't have a powerful enough cutting tool (like a hatchet). I also threw out the old patio table and set up the new one with the new umbrella base. I still have some cleaning to do on the patio to get rid of leaves and vines, and I need to cut back the vines so I can start training the new growth up some wire trellises. I think I also need some flowers now. There's a lot more space on the patio with the new table. Once I was done working, I spent an enjoyable half hour or so sitting on the patio with a cup of tea and a book. 

We'll see how long this whole domestic urge thing lasts. I think I may go back to the office organization project today, but I also need to clean the downstairs before a new story idea hits me and I get sidetracked by writing. My goal this week is to take care of a lot of around-the-house tasks and then get back to writing next week. I have things cooking in my head that should be about ready to come out by next week. One isn't my originally planned project, but it's a short one that I may have some use for in the near future.

In the meantime, I have release week stuff to do, like approve NetGalley requests and review proofs for the hard copy.

On a related note, if you sign up as a reviewer at NetGalley and are not with an actual media organization, your bio and links are key to getting books. I'm looking for reviewers with an established book blog with a decent readership, or at least something that looks pretty professional with some kind of plan or focus. Just saying you'll post reviews to Amazon and Goodreads doesn't cut it. Although Goodreads activity is nice, you need to give me a little more, like a number of followers, a position running a book group, etc. If you want to guarantee you don't get approved for review copies, write a bio like "I love to read and can never get enough books." That translates to "give me free books."