Photo by Jackie Faye
I put up flyers around town (can you guess where this board is?)
My little setup next to Sheri
My outfit for the day! I had been waiting to wear this one since October!
*Overall I had fun but sales were low and customers were elsewhere in town*
I had a lot of fun dressing up and helping at the Mt. Si Holiday Bazaar. I found some really neat presents and even some donut swag from other vendors! After heading out early I was able to catch the end of the other holiday Bazaar FreeValley Publishing was selling books at, along with AJ Downey, Lee French, and Sechin Tower.
Photos by Sheri J. Kennedy:
Show your Indie support! Buy any two books at the event and come by Rachel Barnard’s table to claim your chopsticks challenge pack for FREE (while supplies last). What is a chopsticks challenge pack? It’s only the most awesome little fun game to try while you wait for your food at the AFK. The pack comes with a pair of disposable chopsticks, one set of world records to try, and several packs of Smarties. You can also purchase a pack for $1.00.
Free Souls (Mindjack Saga Book 3) by Susan Kaye Quinn
A YA Science Fiction Novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (12/22/13)
Summary:
“Jackertown Code: no kill jacks, no stealing, no mental or physical assaults, no forced jackwork, no contracting to mindreaders, no unauthorized memory wipes, and no vigilante justice.” (Kindle Locations 7966-7970).
Kira didn’t want to be part of a clan or conspiracy. She just wanted to live her life, but mindjacker obsessed agent Kestrel and the human rights’ violations of the government have made that impossible. Kira also wants to keep her family safe and so joins the Jacker Freedom Alliance under the leadership of Julian, a powerful and different kind of mindjacker entirely. In Jackertown central they are gearing up for war, but when war comes to their door, will they be ready?
Keywords:
Abilities, Skill, Mindjacking, Future, Telepathy, Technology, School, Love, Friendship, Clan, Power, Special, Female Main Character, Mind Reader, Mind Control, Mind Powers, Paranormal Abilities, Hard Choices, Danger, Fighting
My Review:
There was more going on than anyone knew. Quinn closes all loose ties in this third and final book in the Minjack Saga Books. There were a few things I didn’t realize were going on that were explained in this book and everything was wrapped up nice and neat. The twist at the end creates the possibility of an entirely new trilogy based on this world.
It felt like Kira and her mindjacker rebels were always one step behind Kestral/the government and were never able to outsmart or outjack or out-action anyone. I would have liked to see them triumph in some way, instead of continually being on the defensive and being pushed back and back. Was there no way around the mind shields? I really wanted Kira and her super strong jacker buddies to figure this problem out, but they never had the time.
Overall I enjoyed the wrapup this final book presented and the concept and story in the series overall.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on December 22nd, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
Closed Hearts (Mindjack Saga Book 2) by Susan Kaye Quinn
A YA Science Fiction Novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (12/20/13)
Summary:
“Different isn’t a crime, you know.” (Kindle Locations 7202-7203).
After announcing herself and many others as mindjackers, Kira is hidden to the world no longer. Some of those that can only mind read are wary, scared, and prejudiced against the mindjackers. Some powerful politicians are attempting to take away the mindjackers’ rights as citizens, to lock them up and keep the general populace safe. Kira can’t live in hiding forever, either she will have to help the mindjackers in their political crusade for rights or in their physical war for freedom unless she’s discovered by the government first and they have more than just imprisonment in mind for mindjackers.
Keywords:
Abilities, Skill, Mindjacking, Future, Telepathy, Technology, School, Love, Friendship, Clan, Power, Special, Female Main Character, Mind Reader, Mind Control, Mind Powers, Paranormal Abilities, Hard Choices, Danger, Fighting
My Review:
As with most trilogies, I liked the first book (Open Minds) better, but Closed Hearts stuck with Kira and the story of jackers versus regular mind readers – with the government interfering in the middle. I like Kira’s story and wanted to watch her grow in her abilities and within her changing world. I wish more had happened with the love story in this second book. I also thought Kira was not as good a role model, leader and protagonist in this book. She became wishy-washy and an emotional mess. What I love about dystopian kick-butt female characters is their ability to rise above the world-in-the-toilet messe and be someone you root for that is amazing. Kira was less amazing in this book as she worked through consequences of her actions in book one and dealing with a world that thinks she and her fellow jackers are to be feared.
This second book also contained Julian, the leader of the rebels and I liked seeing different types of jackers. Kira is certainly not alone in her exceptional abilities. We also get to know more about Kira’s dad and his background working as a jacker.
The story of the mindjackers was still continued and it’s always exciting to watch the good guys versus the bad guys and to wonder how good the good guys really are…
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on December 20th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00
Links for more information:
Open Minds (Mindjack Saga Book 1) by Susan Kaye Quinn
A YA Science Fiction Novel published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform (12/20/13)
Summary:
“What good were crazy mind powers when they forced me to control or lie to the people I loved?”(Page 80).
“People like us don’t follow the rules, Kira,” he said. “People like us make them up.” (Pages 117-118).
In a world where everyone can read thoughts, at least after they’ve been through the change, which coincides with puberty, there are still those that are different and who don’t conform. Kira, is one of those. She is sixteen and can’t read thoughts at all. Nobody trusts a Zero. The only type of person people would trust less is a mind controller, aka mindjacker. When Kira finds out that instead of having no ability to mind read, she has a different special ability, her life will change forever. She isn’t the only one out there who isn’t a zero and isn’t a mind reader. The first person like her that she meets will steer her into a hidden world that is not a great influence and gives regular people good reasons to fear and hate them. What can Kira do now that she knows she’s different? But if nobody else knows that she’s a mindjacker, can she still live a normal life?
Keywords:
Abilities, Skill, Mindjacking, Future, Telepathy, Technology, School, Love, Friendship, Clan, Power, Special, Female Main Character, Mind Reader, Mind Control, Mind Powers, Paranormal Abilities, Hard Choices, Danger, Fighting
My Review:
Susan Kay Quinn’s futuristic societies are entirely fascinating and the Mindjack Saga Books are no exception. Reading thoughts is not a new idea but Quinn’s spin is interesting.
Though Quinn uses the stereotypical trope of the ‘different’ protagonist who can’t ‘do’ what others can do and then magically has the greatest ability of them all, Kira is not the most powerful. There are others like her, but in the beginning, she thinks she is alone in her powers. In a world where everyone is special, Kira doesn’t fit in and this is where most of the interesting story comes along. How different can you be before you are persecuted?
Throughout this book I wanted more from Raf and I wanted more from the love triangle that wasn’t much of a love triangle. The romance took a bit of a backseat to the action that overtook everything towards the middle of the book.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform on December 20th, 2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
I love the PGSR!
Here is a link to their website, “Puget Sound Goat Rescue is a volunteer run, 501 (c)(3) registered charity dedicated to goats in need in beautiful Washington state. Each year, we rescue goats from a variety of situations where goats are unwanted or no longer able to be properly cared for and care for each until we find them a new loving home. Since 2001, we have saved and re-homed over 100 goats each year.”
Also, check out their facebook page here
Living in Suspension by Winifred Morris
A YA novel published by Eastside Gal (11/17/15)
Summary:
“All of a sudden I can see why the trees bend upward. They’re just trying to keep their balance while the earth keeps moving out from under them.” (Kindle Locations 712-713).
Not every kid with problems can be diagnosed. Not every kid can be neatly labeled. Sky doesn’t even know why he is the way he is. The only thing he knows for certain is that he likes words. He likes the story that he’s writing. He likes his creative writing class. But there must be something wrong with him. Everyone tells him he should be doing better. That he could do better. Sky knows he is doing his best so there must be something wrong with him.
Keywords:
School, Skipping, Home, Suspension, Dropout, High School, Drugs, Problems, Words, Writing, Fantasy, Stories, Distraction, Losers, Friendship, Family, Struggles, Unknown Future
My Review:
Morris paints a bleak view of school and the system in regards to Sky. If this is what school is like for some kids, I weep for the future and that 30% that drop out. Sky is the kid everybody knows. He is the kid that falls through the cracks. He isn’t at the bottom and he is certainly not at the top. What is wrong with him? His parents can’t figure that out. His teachers can’t figure it out. The principal doesn’t want to bother figuring it out. The other kids don’t care. Even Sky doesn’t know what’s wrong with himself. He doesn’t want to be a loser. He wants to have a future. Morris paints this beautiful mosaic of something hazy that you can’t quite put your finger on that keeps Sky from succeeding in the conventional school system. Even I can’t quite figure out what is wrong with Sky because he is more complicated than a simple label of “ADD” or “lack of motivation” or “delinquent.”
Sky just doesn’t like school and Morris shows me why. For kids who always loved learning, seeing school through Sky’s eyes shows a very different world. Sky isn’t lacking in parental support. He goes to a good school. Sometimes, that just isn’t enough.
The writing style was so captivating. Sky’s voice came through loud and clear. His perspective was fascinating and there was a good balance between how he saw the world and his thoughts about what he was experiencing.
This novel was published by Eastside Gal November 17th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating:4.50
Links for more information:
Day 30: 11/30/15, Monday – THE FINAL PUSH at North Bend Bar and Grill with my Snoqualmie Region Peeps from 7PM-9:30PM for 7,483 words
The after party in Snoqualmie was a lot of fun and the cake was delicious! The following photo was from Sheri J. Kennedy’s collection.
The Stats You’ve All Been Waiting For:
WIP Word Count Progress Reports:
The Optimist Sees the Donut – 51,505 words
The Pessimist Sees the Hole – 50,017 words
Café Connections (Aster & Tilde Book 1) – 64,136
Total Time spent on For the Love of Donuts Nano Novels 2015: 48.75 hours or 2925 minutes
Final Word Count for both Donuts Books from November 2015: 101,522
Total Money Spent: $177.69
Average WPM all month: 42.15
Average Word Count Per Session: 1,671.9
Stay Tuned for a Post on My Interesting Rewards System for Finishing Both Books This Month (at least a skeletal draft of both and 50k in each)
And more statistics!
Time Spent on The Optimist Sees the Donut – 1200 minutes (20 hours)
Time Spent on The Pessimist Sees the Hole – 1725 minutes (28.75 hours)
Average WPM on The Optimist Sees the Donut – 41.7 (Max=69.8 and min=15.8)
Average WPM on The Pessimist Sees the Hole – 42.7 (Max=85.5 and min=5.7)
Trends Noticed: The more money I spent, the slower my words per minute (presumably I was busy eating), My words per minute were slower at night (I wrote faster in the morning), The longer I wrote for the fewer words I wrote overall (slower WPM)
And now a few charts:
Though I spent the most time writing on Sundays, this was not my most productive day.
**Fun facts on location: I went to 22 different locations to write, not including work or home. I went to the Neverending Bookstore 5 times, St. James 3 times, Verne & Wells 2 times, Issaquah Panera once, the Fall City Roadhouse 2 times, the AFK in Renton once, Bellevue Top Pot once, Costco once, CountrySide Donut House once, Daddy’s Donuts once, Factory Donuts once, North Bend Bar and Grill once, Spinderella once, and the Spotted Cow Once.
Writing at work was most productive for me, though I spent the most time and wrote the most words on my itty bitty Surface Tablet
How about a little about my book?
Their friendship has been the one unbreakable thing, the one certainty in their lives, but Nichole Adams and Vanessa Smith are developing into their own persons and their individual life dramas distract them from each other.
Vanessa has never had many friends in her life and even though she wanted to stay friends with Nichole, she met new people in college and is moving on. She has school, she has social activities, and a new group of friends even though she can’t seem to find the right guy.
Nichole is jealous of Vanessa’s ease of everything in the real world. Nessa has no trouble with jobs, money, school, or getting and going places. Nichole, on the other hand was preemptively kicked out of her mom’s house after graduating high school and has been floundering ever since. The only thing she has easy in her life is flirting and getting dates, or at least a guy that will let her crash at his house. Nichole doesn’t always have the best of luck with men.
Forever hopeful that things will change, Nichole still clings to the hope that Vanessa will come back to their friendship and be the best friend from high school that Nichole misses. When guy after guy doesn’t work out for her, Vanessa changes more and more of her personality to attract the right guy, drifting farther and farther from who she really is. Something’s gotta give and this story of how friendships get off track, lies become reality, and bad luck tails bad choices will bring you in and around the little town of Sarasota, Florida that you grew to love in book one of the series – Donuts in an Empty Field.
And in case you haven’t gotten enough info – here’s my spreadsheet:
Location—
Home=H,
Work=W,
St. James=J,
Neverending Bookstore=B,
Verne & Wells=V,
Panera Issy=P,
Fall City Roadhouse=F
Machine—
H=HP,
S=Surface,
D=Dell
Region—
S=Seattle,
N=North Bend/Snoqualmie,
E=Everett/Snohomish
Book—
P=The Pessimist Sees the Hole,
O= The Optimist Sees the Donut
| Date | Start Time | End Time | Total Time | Location | Machine | Money Spent | Region | Total Words | Day | Novel | WPM |
| 1-Nov | 8:30 | 10:00 | 90 | H | H | 0 | S | 2773 | Sunday | P | 30.8 |
| 1-Nov | 11:30 | 13:00 | 90 | F | S | 18.44 | N | 1520 | Sunday | P | 16.9 |
| 1-Nov | 14:30 | 15:30 | 60 | V | S | 0 | S | 1441 | Sunday | P | 24 |
| 1-Nov | 17:30 | 20:00 | 150 | H | H | 0 | S | 4271 | Sunday | P | 28.5 |
| 2-Nov | 7:30 | 8:00 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 1000 | Monday | O | 30.3 |
| 2-Nov | 20:00 | 20:45 | 45 | H | H | 0 | S | 1004 | Monday | O | 22.3 |
| 3-Nov | 7:20 | 7:50 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 1546 | Tuesday | O | 51.5 |
| 3-Nov | 11:45 | 12:15 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 983 | Tuesday | O | 32.7 |
| 3-Nov | 19:00 | 19:45 | 45 | Costco | S | 0 | S | 1425 | Tuesday | O | 31.7 |
| 4-Nov | 7:30 | 8:00 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 1391 | Wednesday | O | 46.4 |
| 4-Nov | 17:00 | 17:40 | 40 | B | S | 0 | S | 1500 | Wednesday | O | 37.5 |
| 5-Nov | 7:20 | 7:50 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 1148 | Thursday | O | 38.3 |
| 5-Nov | 18:15 | 19:45 | 30 | Spotted Cow | S | 3.5 | E | 1683 | Thursday | O | 56.1 |
| 6-Nov | 7:50 | 8:00 | 10 | W | D | 0 | S | 698 | Friday | O | 69.8 |
| 6-Nov | 19:40 | 20:30 | 50 | H | H | 0 | S | 2507 | Friday | O | 50.1 |
| 7-Nov | 13:00 | 15:00 | 120 | B | S | 3.56 | S | 3264 | Saturday | O | 27.2 |
| 7-Nov | 18:30 | 19:30 | 60 | J | S | 4.25 | S | 1998 | Saturday | O | 33.3 |
| 8-Nov | 10:00 | 10:45 | 45 | H | H | 0 | S | 2097 | Sunday | O | 46.6 |
| 8-Nov | 12:00 | 13:00 | 60 | V | S | 0 | S | 1550 | Sunday | O | 25.8 |
| 8-Nov | 16:00 | 16:20 | 20 | H | H | 0 | S | 1200 | Sunday | O | 60 |
| 9-Nov | 7:25 | 8:00 | 35 | W | D | 0 | S | 1650 | Monday | O | 47.1 |
| 9-Nov | 20:00 | 21:45 | 105 | H | H | 0 | S | 3400 | Monday | O | 32.4 |
| 10-Nov | 7:30 | 8:00 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 1250 | Tuesday | O | 41.7 |
| 10-Nov | 18:00 | 19:00 | 60 | P | S | 11.25 | N | 945 | Tuesday | O | 15.8 |
| 11-Nov | 8:55 | 9:30 | 35 | H | H | 0 | S | 1787 | Wednesday | O | 51.1 |
| 11-Nov | 13:50 | 15:30 | 100 | J | S | 11.89 | S | 2804 | Wednesday | O | 28 |
| 11-Nov | 16:00 | 17:15 | 75 | B | S | 0 | S | 2069 | Wednesday | O | 27.6 |
| 12-Nov | 7:15 | 8:00 | 45 | W | D | 0 | S | 2145 | Thursday | O | 47.7 |
| 12-Nov | 12:00 | 12:10 | 10 | W | D | 0 | S | 548 | Thursday | O | 54.8 |
| 12-Nov | 17:10 | 17:25 | 15 | W | D | 0 | S | 949 | Thursday | O | 63.3 |
| 13-Nov | 7:45 | 8:00 | 15 | W | D | 0 | S | 840 | Friday | O | 56 |
| 13-Nov | 17:50 | 21:00 | 210 | F | S | 45 | P | 1186 | Friday | P | 5.7 |
| 15-Nov | 8:20 | 9:10 | 50 | Daddy’s Donuts | S | 10.96 | S | 1762 | Sunday | P | 35.2 |
| 15-Nov | 9:30 | 10:45 | 75 | CountrySide Donut House | S | 2.2 | S | 2547 | Sunday | P | 34 |
| 15-Nov | 11:00 | 12:15 | 75 | Factory Donuts | S | 4.11 | S | 1672 | Sunday | P | 22.3 |
| 15-Nov | 13:15 | 15:00 | 105 | B | S | 0 | S | 2181 | Sunday | P | 20.8 |
| 15-Nov | 15:30 | 16:30 | 60 | Bellevue Top Pot | S | 6 | S | 2160 | Sunday | P | 36 |
| 16-Nov | 7:35 | 7:55 | 20 | W | D | 0 | S | 1066 | Monday | P | 53.3 |
| 16-Nov | 12:40 | 12:50 | 10 | W | D | 0 | S | 530 | Monday | P | 53 |
| 16-Nov | 17:45 | 7:55 | 10 | Spinderella | S | 0 | S | 643 | Monday | P | 64.3 |
| 17-Nov | 7:35 | 8:15 | 40 | W | D | 0 | S | 2484 | Tuesday | P | 62.1 |
| 17-Nov | 12:20 | 12:35 | 15 | W | D | 0 | S | 1098 | Tuesday | P | 73.2 |
| 18-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Wednesday | na | na |
| 19-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Thursday | na | na |
| 20-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Friday | na | na |
| 21-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Saturday | na | na |
| 22-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Sunday | na | na |
| 23-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Monday | na | na |
| 24-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Tuesday | na | na |
| 25-Nov | 7:30 | 8:00 | 30 | W | D | 0 | S | 2063 | Wednesday | P | 68.8 |
| 25-Nov | 17:00 | 17:20 | 20 | W | D | 0 | S | 1195 | Wednesday | P | 59.8 |
| 25-Nov | 18:00 | 19:30 | 90 | AFK Renton | S | 16.14 | S | 4810 | Wednesday | P | 53.4 |
| 26-Nov | 10:15 | 12:00 | 105 | H | S | 0 | S | 4133 | Thursday | P | 39.4 |
| 27-Nov | 21:45 | 22:00 | 15 | H | S | 0 | S | 600 | Friday | P | 40 |
| 28-Nov | 10:00 | 10:15 | 15 | H | S | 0 | S | 600 | Saturday | P | 40 |
| 28-Nov | 12:15 | 15:00 | 165 | B | S | 3.23 | S | 3600 | Saturday | P | 21.8 |
| 28-Nov | 16:20 | 16:50 | 30 | H | S | 0 | S | 2566 | Saturday | P | 85.5 |
| 28-Nov | 18:40 | 19:40 | 60 | J | S | 3 | S | 2548 | Saturday | P | 42.5 |
| 29-Nov | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | 0 | Sunday | na | na |
| 30-Nov | 19:00 | 21:15 | 135 | North Bend Bar and Grill | S | 34.16 | N | 7483 | Monday | P | 55.4 |
And finally the stats you’ve been waiting for! Cafe Connections (Aster & Tilde Book 1) was the novel that had me deserting For the Love of Donuts for 8 days in November. But I was still writing! See…
|
Date |
Total Word Count |
Day |
New Words |
|
9-Oct to 22-Oct |
5,752 |
Thursday |
5752 |
|
23-Oct |
6,155 |
Friday |
403 |
|
26-Oct |
6,903 |
Monday |
748 |
|
27-Oct |
7,355 |
Tuesday |
452 |
|
28-Oct |
8,607 |
Wednesday |
1,252 |
|
29-Oct |
9,487 |
Thursday |
880 |
|
30-Oct |
10,348 |
Friday |
861 |
|
31-Oct |
12,291 |
Saturday |
1,943 |
|
1-Nov |
12,847 |
Sunday |
556 |
|
2-Nov |
14,111 |
Monday |
1,264 |
|
3-Nov |
15,077 |
Tuesday |
966 |
|
4-Nov |
15,729 |
Wednesday |
652 |
|
5-Nov |
17,666 |
Thursday |
1,937 |
|
6-Nov |
18,610 |
Friday |
944 |
|
7-Nov |
20,640 |
Saturday |
2,030 |
|
9-Nov |
22,032 |
Monday |
1,392 |
|
12-Nov |
22,064 |
Thursday |
32 |
|
13-Nov |
26,003 |
Friday |
3,939 |
|
14-Nov |
35,112 |
Saturday |
9,109 |
|
17-Nov |
37,226 |
Tuesday |
2,114 |
|
18-Nov |
41,668 |
Wednesday |
4,442 |
|
19-Nov |
44,470 |
Thursday |
2,802 |
|
20-Nov |
50,016 |
Friday |
5,546 |
|
21-Nov |
56,031 |
Saturday |
6,015 |
|
22-Nov |
58,312 |
Sunday |
2,281 |
|
23-Nov |
59,438 |
Monday |
1,126 |
|
24-Nov |
64,136 |
Tuesday |
4,698 |
I had such a fun time last year!
I’m doing it again this year, with 7 other local authors.
My books for sale:
In Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams A young girl takes on the mighty powers of the government but is sidetracked by challenges of the academy she attends, the new boy, and keeping her secrets safe.
She will do anything – forfeit her identity, friendships, even love – to be humanity’s champion.
As the U.S. government prepares to take over the world, MC infiltrates one of their elite academies that trains future leaders. MC must rise to the top in the Cube training grounds in order to be placed high up within the government so she can stop them in their takeover.
MC is a character who can easily see faults in everyone but herself.
It is not until her fourth and final year at the academy that her top-student status is threatened by the sudden arrival of Li, the new transfer student. MC is completely focused on her self-created mission until she gets sidetracked by Li, who might be bad news in more ways than which she bargained.
A Young Adult, Dystopian, Not-So-Distant-Future Adventure Novel with a hint of sci-fi and a bit of romance.
Only $0.99 ebook, purchase below
From once upon a time to happily ever after, At One’s Beast highlights the struggles of two young adolescents who have fallen prey to chance evil circumstances. When it took the entire village to create the monster, what will it take to break the spell?
Available in print, ebook, and as an audiobook, At One’s Beast is a new look at an old fairy tale.
http://a-fwd.com/asin=B00MH8DFC8
December 12th-December 19th, At One’s Beast will be 67% off as an ebook.
Rachel Author Barnard 