Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for 2013

Selling Through PayPal?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 7, 2013| 13 Comments »

I was wondering if any of you have had any experience selling on your website with PayPal’s shopping cart. It looks like it’s just a matter of copy/pasting some html on a webpage, which I assume can be done on a WordPress page. When I had lunch with Anya Kelleye and Virginia McKevitt last Saturday (lots of fun was had!), Virginia mentioned she used to have that on her site. I didn’t even realize PayPal had a shopping cart.

Another thing I need to consider is sales tax. Right now, I would have to charge sales tax to anyone in my state. But states are trying to crack down on internet sales now, so eventually I would have to pay sales tax to multiple states. Would it be worth it?

The upside to this would be that I would get to keep the whole sale (minus PayPal fees) instead of having to share royalties with retailers. The downside would be that this would be quite a bit of trouble to get set up for sales that probably wouldn’t amount to much. Most people would rather buy from a retailer who can send ebooks electronically. It might be better for print books, but my print book sales are almost nothing anyway. I can’t even offer a lower price for ebooks as an incentive to buy directly from me because I can’t price anything lower than Amazon or they will lower their price when they find out.

So would it be worth it? What do all of you think? Have any of you tried it? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Read Full Post »

Short and Sweet Wednesday Update

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 6, 2013| 17 Comments »

Last night, I finally sat down in my new chair at my desk and wrote 999 words. That’s all. 🙂

Read Full Post »

I Have an Office Chair

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 5, 2013| 2 Comments »

My first step toward getting my office more writing-friendly was to get a new chair. I thought about just sticking to the one I had and trying to find a fluffier cushion to put in the seat (not only was the seat uncomfortable, but the hydrolics weren’t working, so it was too short), but I went to Staples and found one that felt SO good to sit in. I had to have it. And just to prove there are still helpful people in this world…. My chair was in a box which the salesman had put in a buggy, and he asked me if I needed help getting it to my car. Since he already looked like he was about to have a heart attack from carrying it, I declined. When I tried to get it into the back of my car (I have an HHR, so it was like an SUV hatch), I realized the box was in the buggy in an awkward position, and I couldn’t just slide it into the car. And it was heavy. Suddenly, this lady (and she wasn’t that young) jumps out of her car, throws her purse into my buggy, and grabs the other side of the box. Between the two of us, we easily got the box into my car. I was overwhelmed by her kindness. Things like this make my heart feel good. 🙂

So now I have a comfortable place to write. It took me almost all evening to get the chair put together last night, but now it’s done, and all I have to do is sit my butt in it and write.

Read Full Post »

Sunday Update 2/3/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 3, 2013| 23 Comments »

I had a disagreement with my youngest son last night, so my heart is hurting a little this morning. Oh, who am I kidding…a little?…I can’t stop crying. But that’s life, I guess.

This week it’s time to get the ball rolling. The first thing I need to do is finish reading a manuscript for a friend. Then, I need to get Soul of a Vampire uploaded to CreateSpace for print. I plan on doing those two things today. Then, tomorrow, I’m going to start on a new story. I’ll probably make notes on that today, so I’ll be ready to actually write tomorrow. I haven’t gotten a new office chair yet…that might have to wait due to lack of funds. So I guess I’ll just put a cushion in the chair and go about my writing. 🙂

Read Full Post »

Fitness Friday – Fitting in Exercise

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 1, 2013| 14 Comments »

It’s so hard to fit exercise into our routines. Something always seems to come up. Like on Monday. I’ve been eating lunch about 11:00 to 11:30 at my desk, then going to exercise at the gym at about 1:30 or so. But on Monday, the day got crazy. I had to work right through my exercise time because I was trying to find out where the truck was that had my customer’s shipment. I had to sit here waiting on phone calls and emails. By 4:00, there wasn’t much sense in going because my office would have been closed when I got back. So I’ve started exercising after work. The biggest problem with that is my car wants so badly to point toward home after a hard day at the office. And this time of year, they are all hard days. Plus, my feet seem to hurt worse this time of day. What to do??? I’ve just got to find the best time to exercise and do it. And maybe be flexible enough so that I don’t HAVE to do it the same time every day. What do YOU do for exercise, and when?

Beginning weight: 193
Today’s weight: 180
This week’s loss: 2 lbs.
Total loss: 13 lbs.

Do I get a sticker?

Read Full Post »

I Need an Intervention

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 30, 2013| 24 Comments »

No progress on my WIP since I decided to work on something different. One of my big problems is something that’s becoming a time suck. Here’s the background. I got hooked on Big Fish Games about three years ago, and so did my late best friend. I tried to use moderation when playing, though. Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I had been feeling so tired and sleepy all the time, that I had stopped even enjoying playing Big Fish games. Since I’m feeling better now, I’m suddenly into them again. I mean REALLY into them. It’s so easy to sit at the computer and say, “Just a few more minutes, I have to finish this level or find this object, or…or…. Anyway, I need to seriously step back from these games. I got my mom hooked on them and that’s almost all she does anymore. They are ADDICTIVE. It’s all about self-control. I’ve learned to exercise control with my eating habits, which is the hardest thing in the world, so there’s no reason I can’t do the same with these games. It’s either cut down or go cold turkey with them. I NEED to get serious about the writing!

Read Full Post »

The Office Project

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on January 28, 2013| 19 Comments »

Yesterday I posted that I could be a lot more productive in my writing if I could get my office looking nice and uncluttered. You know, so it doesn’t feel like the walls (and the junk) are closing in on me.

The first step was to get rid of the television that was in the floor of the room. It was one of the big ones, not the flat screen. It weighed about 200 lbs., lol. My mother decided she wanted it, so she and my brother came to get it. Hubby had already put his shoes on to help my brother carry it because hubby said it was a two man job. My brother picked it up like it was nothing and carried it out. 🙂

The next step will be to get rid of the Bowflex, which is taking up more room than anything else in the office. I haven’t used it in forever, preferring the weights at the gym where I don’t have to change a bunch of stuff around for the next exercise. I thought someone where hubby worked was going to buy it, but he didn’t. I would be willing to give it away, but hubby probably won’t.

I would really love to put a different floor in there. The carpet is light blue, and it used to be my oldest son’s bedroom. Need I say more? But that will have to come later. When I can afford it.

What about the rest of you? Do you have a writing spot that helps, or do you just write wherever you can? Does the atmosphere where you write affect your writing?

Read Full Post »

Sunday Update 1/27/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on January 27, 2013| 22 Comments »

Well, there’s nothing really to report in the writing area. NOTHING. I’m beginning to think I need to work on something else instead of my current WIP. Most of you know this is the story my husband thought of. In order to go on, I think I’m going to have to ask him for some more input. I know the basics of what is going to happen, but I don’t know what to do in between the main points. I thought it would be easy to write this story, but it has been really, really hard.

I have two more ideas in my head, one for a book, and one for a short story. I thought maybe I should work on the short story for awhile and see if that sparks my writing interest again. And I might even have to put the current WIP on hold and write the book that’s in my head, which is a ghost/murder mystery. I’m not sure what to do, but what I’m trying to do right now just isn’t working.

Another thing I need to do is get my office in order. We moved our old computer desk (with computer) in there, and there’s still a Bowflex, a treadmill, and another thing my mother-in-law gave us (I have no idea what it’s called). I have to get this exercise equipment out of my office. Oh, and the cats’ litter box is in there, too, but there’s not much I can do about that. That’s the room they get locked up in when we aren’t at home. Which is much better than outside in their cage. I’m surprised hubby agreed to that. Well, he didn’t really agree. It just happened that way. 🙂 Anyway, I think fixing my office up to look nicer would help make the atmosphere more conducive to writing. I wish I could rip out the carpet and put down some other kind of floor, but one thing at a time.

I hope everyone else is doing better than me!

Read Full Post »

Air Plants vs. Evil Kitties

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 26, 2013| 14 Comments »

When I got up this morning, this was what was left of one of my air plants.

Rest in Peace

Rest in Peace

On the bright side, this one is blooming.

Awesome, A Bloom!

Awesome, A Bloom!

Read Full Post »

Fitness Friday 1/25/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 25, 2013| 23 Comments »

Okay, I’m going to take a deep breath and carry on. For those of you who already know all about the diabetes and stuff, you can skip some of this, but since this is my first fitness post, I need to give some background.

I’ve always struggled with my weight and even got fired after 15 years with Weight Watchers because my weight was creeping up. There is a lot of obesity in my family, and I’m just glad I didn’t end up as overweight as a lot of my relatives. At one time, I got down to a size 6 in jeans. I don’t expect to ever be THERE again, but I would be happy with a 10. Oh, who am I kidding, I REALLY want to be an 8. 🙂

On December 14, I was diagnosed with adult onset diabetes. This is type 2, the kind that, although it’s hereditary, it can be prevented with proper diet and exercise. However, my diet and exercise was NOT proper. LOL. I had suspected for a couple of weeks that I was diabetic because of some symptoms, the most suspicious one being horrible thirst. My blood sugar was in the high 300’s, and according to my A1C test, it had been for some time. My doctor said my red blood cells looked like sugar frosted flakes. Ick. Anyway, I decided I would be the one in my family who took control of my diabetes. I saw my grandmother get sicker and sicker because she ate what she wanted and did no exercise. She lived to be 70. I see my mom following the same pattern, although she’s 78 now. But her kidneys are shot, and she doesn’t see as well as she should. And she’s had a couple of heart attacks. I want to break this pattern. And I also want to warn people of what can happen if they ignore their health. See, my doctor also put me on blood pressure and cholesterol medicine. Guys, you DON’T want to go there.

So today is the first post for Fitness Friday, which will be linked on A Heart More Focused blog (when she gets the post up today), which I learned about through my friend, Amber West. My future posts shouldn’t be this long, but I thought I needed to do a background for all this.

Anyway, with the deep breath….before I learned I was diabetic, my weight had climbed to 193. It’s now at 182, so I’ve lost 11 lbs. My goal is to get to 140. Anything less than that, especially since I’ll have extra muscle weight, I think would be too small. But we shall see. I may adjust that if it looks like I’m carrying extra weight at that number. But if I’m in my size 8’s? Well, that’s my REAL goal. 🙂

Who wants to join me? I’m so thankful that Amber made me aware of this. Is anyone brave enough to jump in? Amber and Erika are posting measurements along with their weights. I’m not THAT brave. LOL

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »