Writing, Reading and Great Music: A Week In Review

Starting today I will be only doing ROW80 updates on Sundays.  There are several reasons for this but they all generally center around one thing. Time. With work kicking up in intensity and a whole lot of other things on my plate, I feel that by posting an update once a week will end up being more effective for me.  Also, and in theory, not posting every Wednesday should leave me time to focus on getting my weekly goals done, instead of worrying about posting a mid-week update. (I know this isn't something I should worry about, but I do...cause well, I'm me!)  Not to mention that I have a ton of book reviews done and almost ready to go up so this will keep me busy for awhile on the blog.  

This isn't to say there will never be a Wednesday update. I just can't plan on doing one every week. There just aren't enough hours in the day after all. (As much as I wish there were...I need just a few more!). Also my Sunday blog posts will be a sort of mash-up of my week, including my ROW80 update, what has been happening on the blog, and any other bright and shineys I find during the week and want to share. 

So to start off, here's what's been happening on the blog: 

Book Review: Black Ice by Anne Stuart (Ice #1): This was a 5 star book and if you like suspense, this books has it spades! And do not even get me started on Bastien. The way the author wrote him was stunning  and it kept me guessing until the end.

Must See Television, New-ish Music and a ROW80 Update: Check out Wednesday's post if you want to hear an awesome song by Lana del Ray. I seriously cannot stop listening to her music! HELP!

Book Review: Devil's Bride by Stephanie Laurens:  a historical romance I wasn't sold on until I finally started reading it. Devil rocks! \o/

And what is coming up this week? Some more books reviews and of course working on my ROW80 goals, along with work and getting a whole bunch of grading in.

But there is something else I am looking forward to this week. Raid by Kristen Ashley.  It's being released on February 28th. I will be hiding out in my house as soon as I get home that day and won't emerge until it is done. I cannot wait for this book! Not to mention, then we have Own The Wind coming in April, Fire Inside on July 2nd, (these are books 1 and 2 of her new Chaos Series) and Jagged (book 5 of the Colorado Mountain series) in November. That's four novels. And her novels are not short like at all! And, this doesn't even include the any other novels she may self-pub this year. This woman is the hardest working writer I know! (And seriously, if you like romance, check out some of her books. If you need suggestions of where to start, hit me up in the comments or PM me on Goodreads!)

Okay enough gushing over books and all things Kristen Ashley! Here's my ROW80 update:

• Continue working on query and synopsis: The query letter is done. Still working and musing over the synopsis. I am excited about being at this point, however, as I write it up, it makes me think and re-think about the novel which has nudged me a bit lower on the confidence scale. I am going to do a complete re-read this week to make sure I've hit all the important parts in the synopsis though. I am hoping this will get rid of the doubt creeping in.  
• Spend 2 hours on collaborative project: Uh, well I have a plan to do this now. And I have carved out specific time in my schedule this week....so this is a start, right?!
• Post at least 1 book review here or on GR- This is more than done. As I mentioned I am moving towards doing book reviews and since I have a ton of books to read this should keep me busy for the foreseeable future. I am loving it. :)  
• Read/comment on at least 5 blogs- Done
• Check in for ROW80 on Sunday- Done
• Workout 3 times- Okay, well see this is only one time. I am going to workout after I post this too so that will be two. I'm almost there! 

Next week my goals are going to be the same except I want to up the amount of book reviews I do. I would like to average three a week, but we shall see how that goes. 

Lastly, I will end with this link to a very apt picture from one of my pinterest boards. Anyone who knows me knows I love Pride and Prejudice and go total fan-girl over the movie version by BBC. Combine that with a love of reading and well, there you go! :)

Hope everyone had a great week and good luck with your goals!