Happy New Years!

Mood: Hopped up on caffeine
Listening to: Wolfmother

Well, it's that time again. 2006 has slithered into history leaving behind it a broken trail of resolutions while 2007 has taken root and refuses to budge. Ok, well, fine then! New resolutions on the way! I was failing last years as it was.

This year, I've added some reasonable resolutions. A little hard work, some juggling, and I'm all set. I've also thrown in those un-reasonable resolutions, but hey, I have to have something in there to make me smile, right.

My New Years Resolutions for 2007

- Complete 1 manuscript (75,000 words or larger)
- Complete and Submit 3 professional short stories
- Update web site more often
- Update blog more often
- Take more photographs
- Find my own place
- Get 'The Gilded Pen' off the ground
- Read (completely, the whole way through, and enjoy) 50 novels
- Knit a bedspread (or afghan the size of a full size bed)
- Knit a pair of socks or slippers
- Knit something with beads
- Send out more birthday gifts/cards
- Plant a garden
- Grow my own Tea
- Exercise 30 mins/day, 5days/week
- Lose 96 lbs
- Set more personal deadlines
- Go to bed by 11pm, and wake up by 8am
- Get out more
- Make more money
- Be more tidy
- Pay off some bills
- Don't acumulate any more bills that will need to be payed off
- Work with my horse so I can ride her
- Go through boxes (yah, all those hiding in my closet and under the bed)

So what about you? What are your resolutions for the new year? Did you make any of last year's?

Happy Writing!
Amber Jennell

Oh, and before I forget. TheGildedPen.com is almost up! February 1st is the grand opening with prizes, give-a-ways, and more!! AS a special promotion, the first month's advertising will be free. As there are only 25 spots, I'd get in on this now before all are taken. This is for ads 100x160. There will be only 10 spots open for regular banners (468x60). E-mail thegildedpen@gmail.com.

Hello Bloging World!

Finally, after more than 8 attempts of naming this blog, I am able to post. Do you know how many blogs have been abandoned in the 5+ years since blogger began? Too many to count (though I’m sure somebody out there has given it a try). Ah, well. It’s late, time for bed.

What's to say?

I know, I know, I said I'll post something. Well, I don't know what to say for my self. Honestly! I have nothing to say!

What? You want news? Well, all right, if you insist. My computer died. I lost everything on it for the past 4 months (that is, what I wasn't saving to the thumbdrive. Thank goodness for those!!). My birthday is in 2 days (well, 1 from this post, but we'll just pretend I posted it Sunday Night). My brother is expecting is first baby any day.

That being said, I better get back to trying to write. That or just go to bed...

Happy ... EVERYTHING!
Amber

Daiquiris, Movies, and Manuscripts

Hello Dear Reader,

It’s Monday, 11:00 pm, I’m eating an ice cream sundae and just finished off my wine cooler (umm… Strawberry Daiquiri). I’ve been listening to rock/classic rock/alternative for the past hour and now I’m ready to write.Yah, my luck, hum? There are currently 5 teenagers in my house right now. 4 boys all under 16 and my little sister, and they want to watch a movie. Fine with me, I plan on watching Underworld as I write, if I can find it. Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll be watching The Importance of Being Earnest. It doesn’t matter, really. With the one I can write my vampire novel, with the other, my Victorian mystery. Ha! As if I’ll be able to write watching either! Ah, well.

There are officially (as of midnight tonight) 18 days left until July. I’ve already started planning out my query. Yes, I know. A little premature, but… well, it’s the plan and I’m trying to stick to it. I have been writing, honest. Almost a whole chapter down… Ok, a few hundred words and the outline to 3 chapters. Boy, I really need to get myself in gear.

Lastly, I have bought the domain The Gilded Pen that shall be devoted to woman’s fiction, writing, etc. I am planning on having the site open on July 1st As of right now, I am offering a free month’s advertisement with every banner bought though my web site. Sound good? I hope so. We’ll see how the grand opening goes next month.

An interesting site I’ve found in my research on Victorian living, life, and etc. See if it’ll help you in your writing. http://www.gfy.ku.dk/%7Eams/sh/victorian.html

Happy Writing All,
Amber

Sha-ching! (for lack of a better title)

I know, I know, it’s been a long time since I’ve last posted (wow, two weeks!) but there’s nothing for it. Last Tuesday (or Wednesday, I can’t remember) I received a very terrible virus that caused all my executables to stop working. Extremely annoying, especially since I was unable to simply reinstall the programs infected. Worse of all, the virus affected my burning software and I had to back up all my documents on the thumbdrive. This would have been fine if the virus hadn’t infected the tumbdrive, too.

Long story short, it took me 5 days, the loss of several files, as well as two months worth of e-mails before my computer was back up to it’s old persnicity self.

If you haven’t guessed by this time no, I have not been able to write a word save for two pages on my outline. Ok, fine, but now I’m down to 39 days to either get this darn story finished and a query sent out, and focusing all my attention and energy on my web design.

On that note: I managed to buy the domain TheGildedPen.com. I’ve wanted to buy this domain for over 3 years now, but thought it a little overboard to have more than two domains. With the failing of aaastud.com – my equine promotion site – I’ve let it go and taken up TGP instead. Now, all I have to figure out is what to do with it. Should I make it another writers’ community, or a review site? The option that has been pounding on the back of my brain since I bought the domain is to turn it into a promotion site. I have only seen two sites that offer promotional services to authors, and while I do not have the extreme knowledge of promotion, I know enough for the e-book community.

Well, I’ll have to think about it. Feel free to let me know your ideas on the subject. For the time being, I’m going back to write. With the computer up, this blog post finished, my fingers are ready to fly (and if the above text hasn’t convinced you yet, I have a lot to say).

Happy Writing,
Amber