Reading and Writing - December 2018
 Take a look at that image. That is a screenshot of when I finished National Novel Writing Month. In the thirty days of November, I wrote nearly 58,000 words! I'm still rather in awe of what I managed to do. However this did not finish the first draft of my book, so in the days since, I've been working to complete the first draft and fill in a few areas of the plot that I skipped over to keep churning out the words.
While I am taking a few days to quietly celebrate what I produced, I also realize that I have a lot of work to do during the revision. Better descriptions are needed of the locations in England, the dialogue needs to be refined, and some elements of the main characters need to be developed. Still, I have a lot of work to do.
I also wrote another essay in my series on when I lived in England 30 years ago. Click here to read; the latest essay is at the top and you can scroll down for the others.
We managed to get away for a couple of days at the end of the month and go camping at Blue Spring State Park. It was quite cold (well, for us in Florida it was!), but we enjoyed it anyway. The manatees have returned to the spring and it is always a treat to see them.
What I'm Reading
Since I focused on writing last month, I didn't have time to do much reading, so my reading list this month is short. Still, I hope you find something that would interest you...or make a good gift for someone! And I promise to read more during December.
*Please note that the following are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a commission at NO extra cost to you.
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert - If you are a fan of the History Channel show Mountain Men, you'll enjoy Elizabeth Gilbert's look at Eustace Conway, one of the stars of the show. There is more behind the man than the show will ever reveal.
The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan (Book 2 in the Genevieve Lenard series) - I mentioned the first book in this series last month and enjoyed it so much that when the second book went on sale, I quickly downloaded it. It turned out to be just as good as the first, and even helpful while I was writing my book. The book centers around Genevieve and her friends trying to work out the clues sent in ciphers from literature and works of art. If you enjoy mysteries and thrillers, check out this series.
Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate by Celina Grace - I quite enjoy Celina Grace's Kate Redman mystery/police procedural series (have the latest waiting on my Kindle!) and was thrilled to discover her historical mystery series set in the 1930s. Friends Joan and Verity are a cook and ladies maid respectively and end up solving murders that happen in the households they work in. A nice change of pace from reading and writing thrillers!
How to Declutter Some of the Hardest Things of All: Books - I stumbled across this article today, and thought I would share it. In case you are wanting to do some decluttering for the new year, and have a lot of books to go through, here are some tips to help and useful suggestions on how to pass along what you no longer need.
The next time I write it will be 2019. I sound like my mother talking about how fast the time has passed, but it has. I want to wish each of you a wonderful holiday season, and I hope you are able to celebrate it in a way that brings you peace and joy!
Until next month,
Gladys
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