My One Word for 2024 #OneWord2024

I can’t believe it’s here… My annual visit from… 

The Posts of New Year’s Past: 👻 🥳 🎊 🎉

Reflecting on The Posts of New Year’s Past, I have to say I admire my tenacity persistence commitment to the One Word challenge even though I haven’t always done a spectacular job:  

One Word for 2023 was: Breathe. Well, I’m still here so I can say, for certainty, I did breathe. That said, I wish I had been a bit more intentional about it. However, I am loving my 2023 quote: “When life gives you lemons, use them for garnish in the mulled wine after you’ve opened a bottle of red and both of you have breathed.” 🍷

One Word for 2022 was: Embrace. I love the idea of playing an active role in accepting. The idea of leaning into the discomfort and even, if possible, welcoming it. And, honestly, I did a decent job of it. For some things. Other things are difficult to damn near impossible to embrace, if we’re truth-telling. (And we are.)

One Word for 2021 was: Allow. This one was awesome. It worked SO well. I allowed ALL OF THE THINGS. I didn’t struggle, fight, flail, or falter. (My sarcasm didn’t translate well here. So, the only thing I allowed was badly-written sarcasm.) 

One Word for 2020 was: Focus. Focus on one thing at a time to avoid overwhelm? Fab plan, lady. Alas…

One Word for 2019 was: Move. Getting unstuck was sort of the idea. I’m still stuck but heartily sorry for it and flailing for a helping hand out of the pit.

One Word for 2018 was: Self. It was a good choice. It worked. A little. Some of the time. Not as often as I’d hoped.

One Word for 2017 was Accept. I did not accept anything. I sort of UN-accepted pretty much everything. I faltered. Failed. Moved on.

I love all of my choices from the past seven years. I do. But last year’s word goes with this year’s word like cheese and wine. So, I’m keeping breathe as well. I know this sort of (totally) defeats the purpose of the One Word challenge being, you know, two words but… *shrug* I’m a bit of a rebel.

Scrooge and I got our visits again. However, this year, Scrooge and I hung out with our dear friend, George Bailey. As we know, Scrooge promised to change so he could live and George begged, regardless of what happened to him, to live. Oh, to be alive! All else is secondary. All else follows. 

Like Scrooge and Mr. Bailey, I want to live. Really live. And, so, gentle readers, that is exactly what I am going to do.

My focus word for 2024:

LIVE

Again, you intelligent, delightful people do not need a definition for this one, but you’re getting one anyway (*nerd alert*):

live

 

[liv]

 

verb 

• remain alive:

Um… Yes, please.

 

• supply oneself with the means of subsistence:

I’m going to go ahead and change “subsistence” to “sustenance”. I shall indulge in the cheeses and chocolates and wines and wonderful foods of the world. Eat, drink, and be merry, I say! 🍷

 

• have an exciting or fulfilling life:

Well, hello there! Greetings, excitement and fulfillment! Let’s live this life, shall we? 

 

• make one’s home in a particular place or with a particular person:

And, in between all the excitement, it’s nice to have a place (and people) to come home to. Which I do. And I am blessed to have them. 

 

My quote of 2024: “Why just exist on this planet when you can truly live in the infinite multiverse?” (Or something like that. You get it.) 

Happy New Year, my friends. 💖 Raising a glass to your goals, aspirations, resolutions, or whatever floats your proverbial boat. Cheers! To life! 🥂 

Have you ever taken part in the One Word Challenge?

If you haven’t, why not try it? Or think on it a moment and leave one in the comments. What could your focus be this year? I’d love to hear what your One Word is for 2024.

UPDATE: 2/1/24
Well. It’s been a hell of a start to 2024. But! We are still here. We are doing the living and the breathing, so I say to you, gentle readers, all is well! 💖 Happy Dark Chocolate Day! (Which is, indeed, a thing.) And Happy February, Happy Imbolc, Happy Brigid’s Day! Hope your year is off to a beautiful start! 

 

 

The X-ed Bird, Some Threads, & an Elephant in the Sky

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with social media. I’ve been complaining about it (sometimes right here) for almost ten years. Yet there I still am.

For me, drowning in the sea of social media platforms that we “should” join isn’t new.

However…

Changes have been made and things are happening and it’s all a bit of a dumpster fire at the moment. 🔥🔥🔥

The tweeting blue bird has officially been X-ed.

Threads are weaving through the online world. Messages are floating through the big blue sky. And mammoths are running amok.

Never being one to jump at the shiny, new thing, I’ve not done so with the millions who are Threading. (Yes, I just turned that into a verb. I’m embarrassed.)

Still, I am wondering whether these new (or newer) platforms might be worth it.

Threads *seems* easy. I’ve heard of Mastodon. I recently got an invite to Bluesky. And yet. 

I’m not really active on any platforms at the moment. I honestly don’t know where to share stuff anymore. Because I want to share. Sharing is nice. 

Don’t get me started on all the privacy issues, the owners who are…sketchy or worse, the potential problems (because of said owners and, let’s face it, people on the sites). I try not to think about it too much and just live in a small bubble of followers and followees.

My random thoughts in (slightly over) 200 words.

Are you on any of these platforms? How do you like them? Which do you suggest? (And, may I ask, why?) 

 

#CountYourTitles Book Challenge #BookTag #BookStack

Count Your Titles challenges you to go on a search and stack. Search your bookshelf (or floor, or table, or wherever your books are) and stack a book with a one-word title, then a two-word title, then a three-word, you get it… See how far you get.

Going in, I had no idea how many books I’d find or just how much fun it would be. Here we go!

I made it to… *drumroll*

TWELVE 📚🎉

1 – Atlantia by Ally Condie

2 – Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

3 – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

4 – The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

5 – Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

6 – The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

7 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

8 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

9 – My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman

10 – And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

11 – The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente 

12 – The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Saw this over at Between the Lines and it looked like so much fun. Thanks, Cathy!

Feel like doing a search and stack? How far can you get? Consider yourself tagged. Have fun! 📚

12 books! 📚🎉

The Shadows We Breathe #BookReviews

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

The Shadows We Breathe series has received some love and I wanted to share the wonderful bloggers who have posted about it. I am thrilled readers have enjoyed these anthologies and am excited to share some reviews with you. 📚🎉

Hop on over to Lemon Shark Reef to check out the books, blogs, and reviews of these lovely bloggers!

The Shadows We Breathe #BookReviews

The Shadows We Breathe, Vol. 3 #Reblog #NewRelease

The lovely and talented Diana, at Myths of the Mirror, shared the news (and first review!) of the newest volume of The Shadows We Breathe. The announcement and review are both amazing so please do check it out. Thank you, Diana! 🥰💖

Also, if you haven’t been to her blog (where on earth have you been?), do peek around while you’re there at her posts and incredible selection of books. Aside from contributing her gorgeous prose to this anthology, she has a bit of exciting news to share, so pop on over to Diana’s place!

The Shadows We Breathe, Vol. 3

The Shadows We Breathe ~ Vol. 3 #NewRelease

It’s here! 🥂🖤 🎉 The third book in this series is here! (I’m a bit excited.) 

The Shadows We Breathe (Volume 3) is now available in eBook and paperback!

eBook

Paperback

Thank you, again, to the talented authors who contributed their excellent writing and wonderful stories to this anthology. You are all rockstars. 

To Loni Townsend for that gorgeous, minimalist cover art that I adore just as much now as I did when I first saw it on Volume 1. And to Allie Potts for formatting said cover and creating the 3D image of this book.

Blurb

WE ARE ALL PART SHADOW 

Life promises joy and sorrow. Alongside the light, there will always be traces of darkness. It is the nature of being human.

In this anthology of short fiction, we explore power—who has it, who doesn’t, who uses it, who abuses it.

Eight artists, whose words paint worlds, bring you stories of confidence, restraint, corruption, and revenge. They define the true meaning of power.

Whether literal or symbolic, our status gives us control or leaves us defenseless.

Within these pages, beautiful words are spun into tales threaded with darkness.

Discover the shadows we breathe. 

Contributors 💕

Georgia Bell is the author of Unbound, a young adult paranormal romance about love, fear, and immortality. She was raised on a steady diet of science fiction and fantasy and began writing the stories she wanted to read over a decade ago.

Author Page | Twitter

Maria Carvalho is a multi-genre author whose short stories have appeared in a variety of publications, including the Owl Hollow Press anthology series. She also co-edited and contributed to the collection Falling into the Five Senses (Ree-Imagined Worlds) and wrote the children’s book Hamster in Space!. Maria is a regular contributor to Woolgathering, a quarterly nature-themed magazine.

Author Page | Twitter

Ruth Daly’s poetry, humour, fiction, non-fiction, and contemplative pieces have been published in magazines for children, young adults, and families. She has written 59 children’s books for educational publishers covering such varied topics as musical instruments, endangered animals, rocks and minerals, and explorers.

Blog | Twitter

Elizabeth Gauffreau has published fiction and poetry in Woven Tale Press, Sunspot Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, Serving House Journal, Soundings East, Hospital Drive, Blueline, Evening Street Review, and Adelaide Literary Review, as well as several anthologies. Her novel Telling Sonny was published in 2018. Her poetry collection, Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance, was published by Paul Stream Press in 2021.

Author Page | Blog

R.A. Kerr is a life-long classic film enthusiast and has been blogging about old movies for a decade. She is also a freelance writer and editor and has facilitated creative writing workshops for kids.

Blog | Twitter

D. Wallace Peach, best-selling fantasy author, started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked.

Author Page | Twitter

Allie Potts lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, two children, and spoiled dog. When not finding ways to squeeze in 72 hours into a 24 day, Allie consumes and creates science fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic quests, cozy mysteries, and contemporary fiction.

Author Page | Twitter

Available NOW in both eBook and Paperback! 🖤 🎉 

Why I’ll Never Write a Novel

While compiling the latest anthology, I found this paragraph in the middle of one of my stories.

I wrote this while trying to pen a 500-word piece. Five. Hundred. Words. It’s no War & Peace, my friends. It’s five hundred measly words. And, wow, did I struggle.

It’s sad but kind of hilarious (to me, anyway). Figured I’d share it.

Me, writing:

Okay, think I’m done. Phew. Not bad, Sarah, not bad at…how is that only 136 words? Dammit!

Okay…add some here, one more…no, that sucks. How about here? Okay, not bad. Now it’s…what? 287 words? I can’t add anything without ruining… Well, I guess… Yeah, I could try that. Nope. Oh, how about here? And…again no.

Oh! This would work. Boom! 373 words?! FFS!

Maybe I’ll start a new one. No, I’ve worked on this all week. Argh! Okay…skim, skim…here could work…no. Here…nope.

Okay, I guess I could add to this part but I’m saving a draft because this is totally going to ruin the story. Type, type, type, aaaand…362?! Wait, what?! How?! Oh, right, I deleted that part so this part would work. RAWR!

People have asked me how I cut my pieces down to so few words. Well, that answers it. I don’t. I struggle to get to where you all are at.

We all have our crosses of t’s and dots of i’s to bear, I guess.

As funny as it is (because I really did write this in the middle of a serious story), it made me wonder if I’ll ever be able to string enough words together to write the book(s) I’ve always wanted to write. Maybe novels are not for me.

My random thoughts in 200 words or less.

Watch this space for news about the newest volume in The Shadows We Breathe series!

Do you write flash? Micro? Short stories? How do you cut your word count down (or do you)?

 

My One Word for 2023 #OneWord2023

It’s that time of year again. My annual visit from… 

The Posts of New Year’s Past: 👻 🥳 🎊 🎉

Ebenezer Scrooge and I both learned a thing or three and are determined to change our ways. After the visit from The Posts of New Year’s Past, I reflected a bit on the last six years and realized I haven’t done a very good job with the One Word thing. Best laid plans and all that. 

One Word for 2022 was: Embrace. I love the idea of playing an active role in accepting. The idea of leaning into the discomfort and even, if possible, welcoming it. And, honestly, I did a decent job of it. For some things. Other things are difficult to damn near impossible to embrace, if we’re truth-telling. (And we are.)

One Word for 2021 was: Allow. This one was awesome. It worked SO well. I allowed ALL OF THE THINGS. I didn’t struggle, fight, flail, or falter. (My sarcasm didn’t translate well here. So, the only thing I allowed was badly-written sarcasm.) 

One Word for 2020 was: Focus. Focus on one thing at a time to avoid overwhelm? Fab plan, lady. Alas…

One Word for 2019 was: Move. Getting unstuck was sort of the idea. I’m still stuck but heartily sorry for it and flailing for a helping hand out of the pit.

One Word for 2018 was: Self. It was a good choice. It worked. A little. Some of the time. Not as often as I’d hoped.

One Word for 2017 was Accept. I did not accept anything. I sort of UN-accepted pretty much everything. I faltered. Failed. Moved on.

Some years, I’ve struggled to find a word. Some years, it popped into my head, and I knew it was the one. Other years, I’ve enjoyed the experience of mulling over various choices. This year… Well, this year my mind was blank. Completely blank.

It happened a few days ago, before I’d even brewed my morning coffee. I was thinking about the day ahead, the week ahead, the year ahead, and I basically and completely overwhelmed myself with the crushing amount of ALL OF THE THINGS headed my way.

I told myself to breathe. And then… Well, there you have it. Or, actually, there I have it. 

My focus word for 2023:

BREATHE

No matter what is going on, no matter what is happening, no matter what I’m dealing with…taking a moment to breathe is always, always, helpful. It doesn’t change or fix anything, but it helps. Truly and always.

If I can focus on breathing whenever things get to be too bad, too painful, too much, I’ll make it through just fine and then some. And whenever things are going swimmingly, I’ll enjoy the moment that much more for taking time out to pause and smell the proverbial roses.  

Although you don’t technically need a definition for this one, you’re getting one (*nerd alert*):

breathe

 

[brēT͟H]

 

verb 

• take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process:

inhale · exhale · draw breath 

 

Inhale *smile* exhale *smile* (you got this)!

 

• be alive; remain living 

Oh, to be alive, truly alive! Breathing in the pine-scented, snowy winter air! Yay! (And remain living? Um, yes, please.) 

 

• (of wine) be exposed to fresh air:

Um… Wine? Hell to the yes! Breathe with me, Red. Let’s enjoy the evening together. 🍷

 

Whether it’s yoga, Pranayama *, box breathing, or a simple inhale/exhale, it’s all good. 

Here’s my quote of 2023: “When life gives you lemons, use them for garnish in the mulled wine after you’ve opened a bottle of red and both of you have breathed.” 🍷

Happy New Year, my friends. 💖 Here’s to your goals, aspirations, resolutions, or whatever floats your boat. Cheers! 🥂

 

Have you ever taken part in the One Word Challenge?

If you haven’t, why not try it? Or think on it a moment and leave one in the comments. What could your focus be this year? I’d love to hear what your One Word is for 2023.

Conflicted, Hesitant, and Falling Behind #IWSG

I’m typing this out right now (that would be the morning of March 2nd) because it’s the first Wednesday of the month (I can’t believe it’s March) and it’s IWSG day.

So here is the post about my recent writing insecurities. There are many.

Let’s start with the fact that I’m typing a blog post at the 11th hour. (Or the 12th or 13th hour or whatever.) I haven’t been able to keep up online. I’ve let comments pile up and need to get to those. I’ve been spotty on social media. Also, aside from all this, I’m not actually, you know, writing so there’s that. Also…LIFE. There are ALL OF THE THINGS happening and I’m struggling to get the basics done. I’m somehow managing to get through with a “the-show-must-go-on” mindset. So there you have it.

As for the question of the month, that’s an easy yes.

Have I ever been conflicted about writing something? Actually, as I’m typing that, I’m going to emphasize that affirmative to a “hell yes!” So many times for so many reasons, yes, I’ve been conflicted, hesitant, and downright scared to write something. The times I did it anyway, I have some regrets. The times I didn’t do it, I have some regrets. That, I believe, is The Way of the Writer, is it not? I think that’s a common experience we writers share.

What about you, fellow writers? Have you ever been conflicted or hesitant to write something? To put it out there? How did that work for you? Any regrets?

IWSG Question of the Month

March Prompt – Have you ever been conflicted about writing a story or adding a scene to a story? How did you decide to write it or not?

IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group)

This post is part of IWSG , a monthly blog hop/prompt started by Alex J Cavanaugh. 

My One Word for 2022 #OneWord2022

 

Over the holidays, I got a visit from… 

The Posts of New Year’s Past: 👻 🥳 🎊 🎉

 

One Word for 2021 was: Allow. This one was awesome. It worked SO well. I allowed ALL OF THE THINGS. I didn’t struggle, fight, flail, or falter. (My sarcasm didn’t translate well here. So, the only thing I allowed was badly-written sarcasm.) 

One Word for 2020 was: Focus. Focus on one thing at a time to avoid overwhelm? Fab plan, lady. Alas…

One Word for 2019 was: Move. Getting unstuck was sort of the idea. I’m still stuck but heartily sorry for it and flailing for a helping hand out of the pit.

One Word for 2018 was: Self. It was a good choice. It worked. A little. Some of the time. Not as often as I’d hoped.

One Word for 2017 was Accept. I did not accept anything. I sort of UN-accepted pretty much everything. I faltered. Failed. Moved on.

Like Scrooge, I have learned from these visits and mean to change my ways. I struggled with a word for this year but, once it popped into my head, I knew it was the one. I thought about it a few more days but, still, it stayed with me. It felt right. 

There are going to be a lot of changes and uncomfortable things happening this year. And here’s what I’m doing: I’m leaning into the discomfort in a big way. Embracing it. 

 

My focus word for 2022:

EMBRACE

It’s a bit like the “accept” and “allow” but giving myself more of an active role. 

Instead of just breathing (breathing is good, don’t get me wrong) and going with the flow (flowing is also good), I’m creating a situation where I must act in order to allow and accept.

 

As always, a definition (*nerd alert*):

embrace

 

[əmˈbrās]

 

verb 

 

• hold…closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection

hug · take in one’s arms · hold · enfold · encircle · enclose

 

Challenges? Hardships? Change? I’ve got a hug for you here!

 

• accept or support willingly and enthusiastically

welcome · accept · receive enthusiastically/wholeheartedly · take to one’s heart · welcome/receive with open arms · support 

 

Upset? Uncertainty? Welcome! Have a cup of cocoa. ☕

 

 

noun

 

• an act of accepting or supporting something willingly or enthusiastically.

welcome · welcoming · favorable reception · embracing · approval · adoption · integration

 

Hey there, change. What’s up, uncertainty? Welcome to my humble life. Let’s have a glass of wine. 🍷

 

When these things I cannot control come along, I won’t fight them. It’s exhausting and doesn’t make them go away. I’m not doing a great job passively accepting or allowing them. So, I will take them in my metaphorical arms and embrace them.

It’s tough to welcome uncomfortable feelings and difficult situations but I’m hoping a more active role will help me with the whole accepting and allowing thing. I am choosing to DO something. You hear it a lot: “Embrace uncertainty.” “Embrace chaos.” “Embrace change.” And it sounds good in theory…let’s see if I can put that into practice. 

Here’s my quote of 2022: “If you can’t control it, invite it in for a cuppa.” 

 

Happy New Year, my friends. 💖 Here’s to your goals, aspirations, resolutions, or whatever floats your boat. Cheers! 🥂

 

Have you ever taken part in the One Word Challenge?

If you haven’t, why not try it? Or think on it a moment and leave one in the comments. What could your focus be this year? I’d love to hear what your One Word is for 2022.