August snuck up on me, in spite of having “Monthly update” on my to-do list for the last week. :/

What am I working on?

Suicide Run. I need to get this baby rolling along. It’s … complicated. I’m struggling to find the focus and motivation I need to push through this mushy middle part and get the story a little more meat. Some days (weeks) are like that.

I still haven’t finalized the edits for South Coast so the paperback is languishing here on my desk, giving me accusing looks and pouting. I need to get that off the desk so I can start on the next paperback conversion.

What am I doing?

Still working on diet, exercise, and meditation. I’m spending upwards of two hours a day just on self-care. The good news: On my last checkup a couple of weeks ago, I’d lost 20 pounds, 4 inches around the middle, and over 2 points on my A1c (from 8.0 down to 5.9). That frees me from the obligation to check glucose twice a day. The bad news: I still need to do what I’ve been doing. I don’t need to be quite so rigid with diet. I can eat more (pushing my calorie intake up to 1500) and I need to consume a few more carbs. I need to keep going with my food log and I’ve kept up glucose monitoring in the morning to check my fasting levels just to make sure I’m not slipping backwards.

I’m hoping that I can start moving my cognitive loading for dealing with this thing to the back burner.

What’s ahead?

I need to get Suicide Run to the editor by mid month – which isn’t that far off.

The Audible edition of To Fire Called should be out this next month according to the latest information from Podium. (ETA: That was my bad. They told me September originally and I don’t know what day it is.)

The Tanyth Fairport Adventures should be available on Audible by year end. I’ve agreed to the deal and made the first payment. Now it’s off my desk until the files come back.

Conventions?

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold Conference – Denver – Sep 8-10, 2017 (Yikes. I’ve got three presentations there which I need to prep!)

MileHighCon – Denver – Oct 27-29, 2017

COSine – Colorado Springs – Jan 19-21, 2018

It’s been in the upper 90s and we’ll be seeing our first three-digit day here soon, I suspect. Lots of things happened this month, but new words weren’t in there. Mostly the month was consumed with my coming to grips with the new facts of life.

There’s been a lot of good news. I graduated from the diabetes education program. My glucose numbers are slowly coming down. I’ve lost 20 pounds. I’ve just completed my 152nd day in a row of meditation exercise and feel like I’m doing better because of it. I’ve also exercised more–adding evening treadmill walks and strength training to my daily lineup. (Tip: a liter of water ways just over 2 pounds and costs way less than a 2 pound hand weight.) Physically, I’ve changed so much in the last couple of months, I feel like I should have taken a before and after picture.

Mentally, I’m starting this month with a much better outlook than I had going into June.

My goals for the month:
1. Finish the draft for Suicide Run so I can hand it off to the editor in August.
2. Finish updating the file for South Coast’s paperback. It’s been marked up. I just need to make the changes in the file and upload it.
3. Add a second set of resistance exercises to my daily practice.
4. Do the morning walk before 6AM to avoid the heat that’s coming.

Bottom line: I’ve got lots to do and I’m excited about the month to come.

First of the month which means I need to post an update. Last month was a busy one.

Health News:

I’m getting my diabetes under control. Liberal application of exercise and some dietary changes have made a huge difference in my numbers. I’m working on new recipes and meal plans that don’t penalize the family – or sap my will to live.

Book News:

To Fire Called has been a moderate success. Podium has the manuscript for audio production but I don’t have a date for release yet. Yes, I’ll publish a paper version. Probably not this month but soon-ish.

I have to convert Milk Run to paperback as well. I will get it onto Audible. Eventually.

Suicide Run got a great kick in the pants early but has stalled for the moment while I’m distracted by everything else. I really want to finish the first draft this month – which is one reason I’m unlikely to get the paperback of Fire ready.

I have the South Coast proof copy on my side table. It’s marked up and just needs to be updated. I’ll probably take a couple of days and deal with that soon, just to get it off my plate.

Travel News:

I had a great time at BaltiCon. The travel was relatively painless. The Con itself was fun. Dave Robison’s new game – Manifest – turned into my favorite activity. If you like tabletop games, keep an eye open for it. I met a lot of new people and touched base with some old friends.