New & Improved

Okay, not really new but definitely improved. I'm too excited to wait for the final files to show you the new cover for The Seaview. I can't believe how much better it looks without the ribbons and with better fonts. (Also less sky because of the naughty bits.) 

I filled the bird feeders this afternoon and was down to the bottom of the bag of the no-waste birdseed when I discovered that it was moldy on the bottom. Ugh. So I filled the feeder with the not moldy seed and dumped the rest of it out on the grass. I was coming back from putting cob corn in the feeders up on the retaining wall when I noticed that a chipmunk was already at the pile of seed filling its cheek pouches. It ran away as I approached. When I came inside and looked out I saw the chipmunk chase a squirrel away. That squirrel had to be six times as big as the little chippie but it was fierce and scared that squirrel away. By the time supper rolled around all of the seed except the very moldiest was gone. If it's still there in the morning I'll pick it up and toss it. I guess that means I get to scrub out the garbage can I keep the seed in when I get home after my week away. Oh goodie.

I spent most of the morning packing for my week at The Clearing. I updated the Fall Packing List and worked my way through gathering clothes and writing supplies. The last thing to be packed is this laptop. That'll happen Saturday morning just before I leave.

In the afternoon I worked through Video #3 of the Challenge videos in Author Ad School. This one was hard for me. One of the homework assignments is to write a hook sentence for the first line of your blurb. To be honest, I totally suck at it. Totally. Happily yesterday the coach picked out a sentence from my The Seaview blurb I have now so I could stare at it in hopes that inspiration would strike. It kind of did but not very well. If all else fails and I can't do it even with help I can always pay someone to do it for me. But I'll get it. I have faith.

After supper I drew a bit out of 20 Ways to Draw a Butterfly. I kind of like the vulture in the lower left of the page. I like its curly ruff around its neck and the wings have Ws on them. W for wings. Makes me smile.

At 5 o'clock this evening I logged on to a Page Pals Zoom which is a quiet writing room through Author Ad School and spent an hour transcribing a diving scene into past tense and made it fit in the story. The funny thing is my Zoom picture is me underwater and another of the writers in the Page Pals room is also a diver and she saw it and asked to friend me on FB! I said yes. Funny the connections you make.

--Barbara