Monday Enthusiasm

I feel like I've been remarkably productive for a Monday morning, with the major to-dos on the list taken care of -- well, aside from the REALLY major to-dos, like revising a book. I read an article on productivity last week that said instead of making a to-do list, you should make a schedule because that means you're more likely to take care of the items and know you've allocated enough time to get them done. What I did was make a to-do list, then schedule a time to do each thing. So far today, that's really helped with those nagging little tasks it's easier to put off. We'll see if this is something I can sustain or if it's just start-of-the-new-week enthusiasm.

One of my tasks was reviewing potential narrators for the audiobook of my new series. For some reason, it kind of wigs me out to hear someone else reading my own book to me, and it didn't help that the audition piece that was recorded was a scene I've frequently read at conventions, so I know it just about by memory and know how I would read it. These narrators didn't have at all the same interpretation I give it (and since I'm the author, I'm right), but I picked the one I thought came closest. She had a lot of the same attitude I give the piece, and they agreed with me about choosing her. There was one that I almost expected to tell me to turn left at the next intersection, which really isn't the sound I was hoping for.

I'd better be good about scheduling this week because not only do I need to get book revisions done, but I also just found out that I've got page proofs coming on the steampunk book. I'm kind of excited about that because that should be in the layout, so it will look like the interior of the book really will look. This is when I get one last look at it to make sure nothing got screwed up when they inserted the copy edits.

With that to take care of, along with the revisions, I will have earned that vacation at the end of the month. I started doing a little more research on the destination last night, and then I realized I was getting into "do all the things!" mode, which is what I was trying to avoid for this trip. However, most of the things I decided I want to do involve various hiking trails I want to try, and most of them are very short (by my standards). I should still have plenty of time for that sitting on the balcony and reading time.

It's a good blustery fall day, so it should be a good writing day. I baked pumpkin spice bars over the weekend -- kind of like a cake-like brownie, only with pumpkin instead of chocolate -- and my friends didn't eat them all, so they'll be perfect for afternoon tea with some spiced chai. I can even consider them nutritious because they're made with whole-wheat flour and pumpkin and use apple juice for part of the sugar. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.