Leap into October!

The end of September signals the beginning of October. Fall leaves. Just an edge of cold in the air at night and early morning. First pumpkin spice coffee. And, just maybe, after that pin is taken out of my foot on October 11, I can begin to walk again -- and drive!  Truly. 

Meanwhile, here's my progress report for September: 

• The Lost Sarcophagus: Write 1K (2K drafted). Had fun ordering a new cover, even though the writing will take maybe another 2 years.
• Family history: Write 1K (actual just 992 words). Finding it hard to access files/photos on desktop from laptop. But got some done.
• Vella: Decided not to pursue after checking with other writing friends.
• Reviews: Wrote just two: Really enjoyed Frank Zafiro's Beneath a Weeping Sky. Struggled with Jaye Marie's Ghost of a Chance, well written but not exactly a happy ending. 
• Poetry: Decided not to write a poem a day for October. Instead, just one (see below).
• Marketing: Ran one Fussy Librarian campaign for Scattered Stones to reach new readers and perhaps add a few reviews. Gave away 1,314 e-book copies. So far, 16 reviews, and I'm grateful for every single one!
• Blogging: Met my goal of posting every Wednesday. 
• Quilting: Finished a quilt top.

What's ahead in October: Besides a long awaited road trip to Redmond, Oregon to see dear friends, here are my goals:

• Writing: The Lost Sarcophagus: write 3K.
• Family history: write 1K.
• Blog: Continue posting every Weds. Recruit 'Meet the Author' x3. Guest post on Stirling Castle, tapestries due early October.
• Reviews: write 2 reviews. Read and review at least 1 SASP author.
• Marketing: Develop list of potential reviewers and query x5. 
• Quilt: Finish last 2 blocks on Jacob Yenter quilt. Make at least 1 comfort quilt.

Here's the poem! Saw a post on FB about the horrors of grammar. Since I did teach writing for nearly 26 years, here's my take.

Writing Advice from an English Teacher, Now Retired

Punctuation and formatting:
How powerful these marks are:
Commas: to link, to sometimes run on and on, always
in plural, and yet, they bring
order to many discrete ideas, objects, images, or
perhaps cohesion, when all else is chaos.
Semicolon: to separate two closely related things,
independent, yet standing alone.
Period: to mark an ending. No words can express
what marks something so finite.
Exclamation point: Used so rarely but must not
be forgotten. Shows absolute awe!
Keep starting each sentence with capital letters,
for that is the true beginning.
Dare I say more? How could I forget the
question mark that opens us up to possibility?
Paragraphing shapes the narrative of the whole.
I leave content and all the rest
to the writer.

May October be a very good month for you. 

See you next Wednesday.