After 28 days of writing furiously, and at least one weekend of record-breaking writing sprints, I finished the first 50,000 words of Beasts of Vegas #3! I’m excited, exhausted, and exhilarated all at the same time. Now, on to the re-writes! 🙂
<3 Anna
Word Count Update on Day 26 ==> 44,000 and counting.
I’m getting nervous about finishing Beasts of Vegas #3 because there is so little time left, but I’m trying to stay focused and squeeze words in whenever I can.
<3 Anna
My husband and I bought a home over the summer that I naively believed was NOT a fixer-upper. Yes, it’s older (built in 1965). Yes, there were some things I wanted to update. But I didn’t imagine I’d be living in a construction zone for almost three months or that I’d only feel finished with all my projects this week!
Here’s my remodeling journey… 🙂
This was the biggest chore (for me) and what I’m most proud of. The original kitchen had two-tone wood cabinets that were dark and old-fashioned. My hubby felt they reminded him of a trailer or a boat cabin. They definitely weren’t our style! LOL Before the floors even went in, I removed all the cupboards, sanded all surfaces, then sprayed everything what was supposed to be an elegant, sophisticated blue-gray color. It ended up with a bit more lavender in it than we expected, but I love my kitchen! It’s much brighter and fresher while still keeping the kooky 1960s style and function.
The house came with wall-to-wall baby blue carpeting (even in the bathrooms!) that no one liked. I wasn’t sure, but it looked and smelled like the 1980s. This was our first priority to change. My hubby and I tore out all the old flooring ourselves and then hired an amazing crew to lay wood-grain tile throughout the entire house. Except in my daughter’s room. She had to be unique and requested new carpet. After a few cleanings, the floors are unbelievably beautiful! It makes the rooms look bigger and will keep us cool in the summer. Bonus–they’re much easier to clean with kids and dogs running around.
My daughter got into the remodeling game, too, requesting to remove part of a closet to add more room, to put up blackboard paint on two walls, and installing new turquoise carpet. It all came out beautifully.
The one thing our master suite was missing was a true walk-in closet. So, though the cost really ate into our budget, we went ahead and hired a contractor. I’m so glad we did. It was worth every penny.
On top of everything else, there were plenty of smaller projects to take up my time. Everything from painting to installing a new fridge with a water line.
I’m not ready to get my contractor’s license and flip houses, but the experience has been fulfilling and educational. I’m excited to begin living in the house rather than working on the house. I’m looking forward to years and years of comfortable, happy existence.
Do you have a remodeling story? Share in the comments!
P.S. I’m headed back to work on Beasts of Vegas #3, my NaNoWriMo 2016 project. Only 7 days until deadline. My current word count => 37,000.
Happy Thanksgiving!
<3 Anna
I’ve been lucky this year. My NaNoWriMo journey is going smoothly. The first couple days, I have to admit, were tough. It took a while to get a rhythm. I couldn’t squeeze in the time, couldn’t think what to write. The story came only in stuttered bits. But by the third day I had the first half of Beasts of Vegas #3 plotted and had figured out how to write for thirty minutes before work and thirty minutes after. I found my stride.
Now, on day 14 I’m past the 28,ooo word mark! I’m really excited to finish this story and share it with you all soon. Finally, Maksim Volk gets his own story. If you want to see how the Beasts of Vegas begins, click for the print and kindle versions on Amazon.
How is your NaNoWriMo journey going? Let me know how it’s been for you. 🙂 And good luck!
<3 Anna
I look forward to November all year (even though it sort of snuck up on me this year). The leaves begin to change, the weather cools, Thanksgiving arrives, and I get to spend thirty days dreaming of nothing but my paranormal worlds. I never feel more creative than I do in November.
And it’s almost here again!
The one dark cloud over the experience is my little brother’s passing. It was during NaNoWriMo last year, the Monday before Thanksgiving, that I got the call. Will had suffered a brain aneurysm. After twenty-nine days in a coma, he succumbed to his injuries, and passed away right before Christmas.
Naturally, I couldn’t finish the contest last year. I could hardly function while traveling back and forth to the hospital in L.A. And the fact that I’ve lived almost a full year without him is shocking. Ten months without his voice, without a text, without his larger-than-life presence. Somehow, though, time has continued chugging along (me, too) and here we are ready to begin a new NaNoWriMo project.
This year I’ll be writing the third book in my new Beasts of Vegas series. I’m really excited to start work on a novel that’s only a couple ideas and a few characters at this point. Hopefully, by the end of November I’ll be well on my way to a fully realized novel.
If you’ve ever thought of writing a book, join me for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a brisk 50,000 words in 30 days. Even if you don’t make it to the finish line, you’ll never regret putting your ideas on paper.
<3 Anna
I’m devoting July to the strong, sexy couple of Four and Tris from the Divergent series. Enjoy!
Video created by gaby taffy
<3 Anna
I’m devoting July to the strong, sexy couple of Four and Tris from the Divergent series. Enjoy!
Video created by Divergent Nephilim
<3 Anna
<3 Anna
Click here to see the original article or scroll down to read the whole story.
Written in March 2016
Built in 1881 in Cleveland, Ohio, Franklin Castle gets its name from the street it sits on—Franklin Boulevard—and gets its reputation from the mansion’s dark history of unfortunate deaths. The imposing house was commissioned for Hannes Tiedemann, a German immigrant. With 20 rooms and elaborate fixtures, including turrets, gargoyles and a ballroom, the place truly looks like a castle out of a fairy-tale.
A short ten years after it was first built, Tiedemann’s 15-year-old daughter died of complications from her diabetes. Shortly afterwards, Teidemann’s mother passed away.
Then over the next three years, three more of Tiedemann’s children died, sparking speculation and suspicious in the community. Rumors flew about the family, involving sexual scandals and murder—perhaps linking the terrible alleged crimes to the house’s haunted reputation.
To distract himself and his wife from their grief, they performed extensive remodeling on the house, making it even more elaborate than ever before. During Prohibition, there were even unfounded rumors of hidden passageways used for bootlegging.
Teidemann’s wife died at the age of 57 in 1895, just four years after the first death in the house. The house was sold to new owners, and Teidemann would die some years later with no heirs to inherit his wealth.
It is believed that Teidmann’s wife stayed behind, in spirit form, after the sale of the house. Known as the Woman in Black, it’s said she is sometimes spotted lingering on a certain balcony and upstairs rooms.
In the 1960’s the house was inhabited by a family of eight, who soon began to experience some otherworldly encounters. The Romano family reported multiple ghost sightings, and even turned to exorcisms on the house, and ghost hunters. Eventually the family chose to leave the house than stay in the haunted place.
<3 Anna
I’m devoting July to the strong, sexy couple of Four and Tris from the Divergent series. Enjoy!
Video created by Cavill Lanter obsessed
<3 Anna