NaNoWriMo failure. Again.

I'm not going to make my word count for NaNoWriMo. I'm disappointed, but this has been visible in the distance for awhile now. I just couldn't keep up. I started out so strong, but I couldn't keep going on a sleep deficit and I got sick, and couldn't kick it - it kept coming back. Still, I know it was doable, I just made a choice not to sacrifice to the level I would have needed to to hit the 50,000. And I'm good with that choice still.
While I don't have as many words as I might like, I'm very happy with the words I have. At month's end (I am going to keep writing until the end even if I can't hit my words) I will switch gears to revising the previous book. I've been doing a lot of exercises on character, and I think I can use what I've learned to help significantly in the revision process.
The plus side of not pushing myself into burnout is that nearing the end of November I'm still excited about writing and my story, and not sick to death of it. I'm calling it a win. Not an official NaNoWriMo type win, but a win in my progress and growth as a writer.

Tree Blocks

Tree Quilt Blocks photo by Kara Hartz

These are the trees from the Mystery Quilt I wrote about a little while back. The colors look a little strange to me here, more brown in a few of the fabrics than in real life. I like them. I like trees. 

So I've been trying to decide what I'd like to do with these blocks now, and I think I'm going to go ahead and make up the same settings blocks from the pattern. Mine will end up smaller than the pattern, but that's okay. I think it will be cute. I'm pondering colors for the setting blocks, since I don't love the colors in the pattern, but I'd like to get started soon.

The quilting bug is nipping. Probably because I've been focused on NaNoWriMo and haven't done any sewing. I'm missing it. 

I'm Looking for Book Reviewers

I posted a little while back about my single Goodreads rating, and how nice it was to see a stranger enjoyed my stories. Over at Smashwords I also had this nice four star review:

"What a terrific tale. A lovely sense of mystery, awe and a little humour. My only suggestion is to change the title of the story, it gave away a little too much. Thanks for a great read."

I've since removed my books from Smashwords to use other distributors, so I can't link to that one. The wisdom in the self-publishing world seems to be that reviews are important, and these are all I've got so far. To remedy that, I'm asking anyone who has enjoyed my stories to consider posting a review somewhere. (Amazon would be great, but if you like another site, that's great too.)

If you haven't read my stories, but like the sound of them, and would like a free review copy, I'd like to make that happen. Leave a comment with some contact information, and what format you'd prefer your ebook in, and I'll get one to you. For now, this is an open ended offer - if you stumble on this post months (or years?) from now and want to take me up on this. Go for it. 

For the curious here are the books in question:

An astrobiology team discovers a planet with disturbingly familiar aliens. 
A middle manager finds out who has been stealing office supplies but knows no one will believe him.
A cleaning robot is much too efficient.
A little boy is desperate to acquire superpowers.
A military robot fights to deliver vital information before time runs out.
A translator under pressure makes a fatal mistake.

Love Thy Enemy: In a post-apocalyptic America where various factions are vying for control of what's left, Jose finds himself in love with a girl from the wrong camp. How much can they really trust each other?

The Way Home: Margaret learns a secret about her new husband's past that is difficult to understand.