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Category: The Big Leap

May 2019 Updates, Goals

May 2019 Updates, Goals

House painting, multiple appliances in need of repair, community events, pre-traveling errands, traveling, decompressing. It never even occurred to me that I needed to write a blog post until April 30. Oops! Mid-May will mark 5 years since my husband and I embarked on what we call our “funemployment”—leaving our corporate jobs to pursue our own interests. Self-employment has been amazing once I learned how to be a kind boss to myself. I’m mostly there, but there are a few…

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September 2018 Updates, Goals

September 2018 Updates, Goals

This was a crazy month. A great deal of phone calls, appointments, tests, waiting, tears, and panic have led to the following conclusion: I have a benign tumor that, because of its positioning, needs to come out. Surgery is penciled in for November. It’s an outpatient procedure and shouldn’t be a huge deal—assuming I clear the final hurdle where they biopsy what they take out to make 100% sure there’s no malignancy. The chance of that is low, but not…

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August 2018 Updates, Goals

August 2018 Updates, Goals

Happy long weekend for those celebrating Labor Day! With highs in the 90s here, it certainly doesn’t feel like summer’s ending yet. I’m looking forward to fall, if or when it arrives! Writing Updates My latest Book 3 draft: 6 chapters/24K words in the can, now working on chapter 7. At this point I’m doing more rewriting from scratch than editing, incorporating details from my earlier drafts that are salvageable, but those are becoming few and far between. I do…

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July 2018 Updates, Goals

July 2018 Updates, Goals

This past Saturday, my city shut down a loop of streets to traffic and opened them up to walkers, runners, and bikers. I happen to live near that loop, so it was easy to head out and join the fun. What a turnout! I’ve never seen so many cyclists in one place before. It was a lot of fun walking directly on some of the major thoroughfares in our city :) Why didn’t I join the cyclists? I’ve told this…

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June 2018 Updates, Goals

June 2018 Updates, Goals

My favorite local coffee shop is changing ownership! The owner is selling his business to a chain. As of this week, the menu offerings, staff, and atmosphere will be completely different. No more local art and photography on the walls. No more chats with the employees and owner when things are slow. I’m rather bummed, as the owner was one of the people who encouraged me to get out of the full-time corporate rat race. It’s not something everyone can…

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January 2018 Updates, Goals

January 2018 Updates, Goals

I can’t believe it’s been a year since Harbingers came out! Amid outlining and drafting and second-guessing and redrafting Book 3 of Sword and Starship, it’s nice to remember that I am actually capable of turning out a decent finished product—and I will, when it’s ready! Not a moment sooner. My creative process is like carving a statue from marble: I have to chisel through tons of rough language and bad ideas before I get anywhere close to the good…

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June 2017 Updates, Goals

June 2017 Updates, Goals

It’s been over 3 years since I left the rat-race behind and became a full-time writer! The time keeps flying past. I’m a much happier person overall, and I’ve never once entertained the idea of going back to the grind. Income breakdown (just for fun, $$$ is never the goal): – I’m still making about $300-$400/month writing and editing at The Daily WTF. (Feedspot recently ranked us #29 of their top 100 humor blogs, which is pretty neat!) – My…

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The Grand Experiment: What I’ve Learned From 2 Years of Self-Employment

The Grand Experiment: What I’ve Learned From 2 Years of Self-Employment

Two years? Really? Wow, that flew. Thanks to hedonic adaptation, everything becomes mundane after a while, even kicking the 9-5 rat race routine to the curb. But this is still the best mundane ever. No regrets. I haven’t spent a weekend in fear of Monday morning for two whole years now! I love what I do, even when I get temporarily sick of certain tasks (editing, barf). What’s New My husband and I recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary, which…

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2015 Goal Review, And New Goals For 2016

2015 Goal Review, And New Goals For 2016

Let’s pretend it’s not February already, you guys. Let’s pretend this is completely timely and topical. Last year, I posted a list of my goals for 2015. Let’s see how well I actually did! * The novel, duh. “The novel,” Blood’s Force, did indeed become a thing by the end of the year. Hooray!! :D It’s available in 2 formats and 4 platforms. In the process of getting it ready for prime-time, I learned a lot about my strengths and…

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I’ve Gone From Escapes To Breaks, And That’s OK With Me (Plus Paperback Giveaway!)

I’ve Gone From Escapes To Breaks, And That’s OK With Me (Plus Paperback Giveaway!)

Hampton Court Palace, a fascinating destination for history buffs. In early 2013, my husband and I planned our first trip to Europe together. I’d skipped around The Continent before, but my husband hadn’t, so we aimed for a place that was new to both of us, where we wouldn’t have much trouble easing in culturally. London seemed like the best of all possible worlds. I’d only ever flown through London, never visited. And since the UK was full of English…

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