Meet Samwise & requesting input/suggestions!

We have a new cat!

His name is Samwise Catgee and so far he's a very brave boy (much like the hobbit he's named after). He also loves cuddles and is a purr machine.

Here's another photo of him, inspecting my crochet Autumn drawstring bag. (Not sure what I'll put in it yet, but I think it's Sam approved.)

Getting a kitten while on deadline is probably not the best timing, but little Sam needed a home and we just got a new, multi-cat litter box!

Speaking of other things I maybe shouldn't be doing on deadline, I had a very funny idea for a new writing experiment. I'm creating a little Choose Your Own Adventure-style writing challenge, something that can be used whenever external motivation is needed. It's not done yet, but so far it looks something like this:

(For those of you who use 4thewords or other apps where you battle monsters with your words, I'm not sure how similar this might be??)

I'm thinking of adding some silly stuff like prompts to complete during "breaks" or even stumbling upon a coffee shop with old famous writers that give advice bahaha. Right now though, there are four main categories, depending on the goal for the day (you can see them above). I wanted to give myself an option on the days where I really just need to overcome a slump or my own insecurity. (Those two categories would be less about words or pages to "win" for the day, and more completing different challenges to help get that spark back or refill the well.)

Let me know what you think, if you've built your own version of this, know of somewhere this already exists, or have any suggestions!! :)

In THANKS FOR WATCHING news, our cover design process is going to begin soon! I seriously cannot wait. It's always incredible seeing someone use another art form to represent your book. I'm sure we'll go back and forth a few times with the cover designer, but based off our initial ideas, I'm SO excited. And, as a little gift to myself, we'll be sharing the cover just a few days before Halloween! 🎃

I recognize that's still two months away (almost to the day!) but I'll be giving some "sneak peeks" here....especially if we need help deciding between cover options!

(Also, in linking the Goodreads page for my book above, I saw that 145 people had already added it to their Want to Read list!?!? My jaw DROPPED.)

Alright, I'm going to duck into my Deadline Dugout for a little while longer. I'll schedule our August Double Stream Days soon. Hope this month has treated y'all well and happy writing! :)