If we were having coffee

Goings On-

No, I did not work on any of my wips this week. I still did do some writing, with my weekly assignment for class. This term is Organizational Behavior and Fundamentals of Taxation. I never knew that doing taxes could be so interesting. I am already compiling a ton of deductions that I may be able to take in the coming year.

Since I was not working on any of my manuscripts, what have I been doing?

InDesign –

I have played around some more with the Adobe software, InDesign. The more I use it and poke around with it, the more I like it. I can see that once I have mastered that program as much as I have mastered Microsoft Office we are going to get along really well.

I am hoping to have my skills up to par by either February or March when I plan to tackle more of my backlist and get them transferred to Ingram Spark. With any luck, maybe I will have a new title to publish by then.

School – Is going well.

I am about to hit another milestone next month. I will be on the last leg of my bachelor degree. October will see me become a senior. Graduation for the Bachelor degree will take place in October 2019, but the official commencement will be May of 2020.

I will then continue to complete a Master’s of Science in Accounting.

Ten years ago, I never thought I would be learning to crunch numbers let alone go back to school. College was nothing more than a long-lost pipe dream that I had given up on, but things changed in 2016 causing me to see that it was possible to go back to school 30 years later.

It has all been hard work, but well worth the effort. I feel so much better about myself. I even have a better understanding of people because of it.

When I first started out with my education, I was pursuing an Integrated Study plan of Business and Social Services with the hopes of becoming an HR Manager someday. But several people pointed out to me that the job market for HR was too competitive, and my education could be a waste of my money. So I decided to change my education track to accounting which will come in handy as a writer. Who knows what might be waiting for me around the corner in the next five years? I certainly never suspected that I would be going to school five years ago.

Keelaa B Publishing

Keelaa B models for the position of company mascot.

I have created my publishing house. I am in the beginning stages and will continue to develop my marketing and business plan. The first step was to secure the company name, which I completed. Next, I will use my publishing house to publish my books, and as I gain more knowledge about using InDesign, I will be able to open my submission door to providing services to others to help them get their titles published with Ingram.

The decision to go ahead with my own publishing company is an inspiring time for me. With only two years left of school, I am looking to get this company up and running by 2021, and I can’t wait!

Hi There,

So much time has passed since we last met. I’m still in school burying my nose in textbooks every night. I just finished learning about Investment Analysis and International Business. I can’t wait for the day that I can afford to practice buying stocks and other securities.

It is so hard to believe that I have come so far in the past three years. The dream of having a college education is coming true. That goes to prove that one should never give up on their hopes and dreams, one twist to the future can change a person’s course for the better.

Summer is Almost Over

I can’t remember when the last time summer was this hot for New Hampshire. Even the dog and cat are finding the heat uncomfortable. They have both discovered the table fan can provide some relief if they sit in the right spot on the bed.

But our summer wasn’t just the heat, the humidity was unbearable and too much rain. Much of my garden felt the effects of the storms. I lost my entire crop of peaches this year to the chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and the bugs. The peaches were ripe almost a month too early. Not enough rain in April and May made the peaches small. Too much rain in July and August made them mushy.

No worries though, I still have a past crop of peaches in the freezer. If you freeze the peaches with their skins intact, this will prevent them from freezer burn and are great for baking.

Maybe next year I will try buying into a CSA and avoid the need to weed.

NaNoWriMo is around the corner.

I have begun plotting. The goal is to plot out a story that will hold my interest long enough to write all the way to the end in 30 days. I have several unfinished manuscripts where I have hit the spot in the story and can’t decide what is to take place next. I don’t think it is a writer’s block that stumps me but time constraints and the desire to find fun things to do with my time other than writing.

I tend to cycle through various hobbies before finding my way back to writing. The ultimate search for creativity drives me to the final point. So I am making lists of everything about my characters.

Next Writer’s Conference is December 8, 2018 – NHRWA Winter Frolic 2018

I miss going to Writer’s Conferences, this event I’m looking forward to that will feature two speakers.

Kristen Higgins for Character Development and Damon Suede for Plot

This is a one-day event at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside, Portsmouth, NH.

A registration fee of $140 is open to the public but does have limited seating.

Link for those who are interested can click here for more info.