Lately 6.10.16

Hello there, readers and friends. I hope the month of June has been treating you well thus far. I thought I'd write a lately post just to share some of the things in my life lately.

Reading

Right now, of course, I'm reading Anne of Green Gables as a part of the read-along (which has been a blast!). I read Rachel McMillan's new novella Of Dubious and Questionable Memory when it came out last week. I really loved it and consider it my favorite of The Herringford and Watts Series so far. I'm going to feature it as the Book of the Week next week, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I also read Jane Austen's Love and Friendship and I loved it, too. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie. I downloaded Kristy Cambron's The Ringmaster's Wife when it came out on Tuesday and am enjoying it.

Watching

I haven't been watching much of anything lately. Just old DVDs I've seen a hundred times. I'd really like to find a new show to watch, particularly something light hearted and fun to watch when I'm feeling anxious. I'll probably sound like an old lady, but there is nothing worth watching on these days. Everything is either vulgar or just silly and nothing that is interesting. I can't remember the last new show I watched that actually grabbed my attention and held it. I've been considering giving The Office a try, but I'm still on the fence. I remember watching it with my brother some years ago, but I didn't see that many episodes. I so wish there were another show like Gilmore Girls or another good period drama like Downton Abbey on these days. Those are my favorites. If you have any suggestions, send them my way!

Writing

I've been working here and there on a sequel to A Castle in the Sky. I have the general idea for it worked out, I just need to get in gear and get it done. I kind of took a little bit of time off recently, which did me good, I feel. I'm ready to work on new blog posts and plan some new stories.

Other

I try not to get too personal on here, because let's face it; that's scary. And my intention with this blog is to talk about books and writing. But I don't feel like this is that soul bearing, just maybe a tad bit embarrassing, though I don't see why it should be. See, recently I was notified that our internet provider (Straight Talk mobile wifi) was discontinuing their internet service. To be honest, I had sort of mixed feelings when they told me a few weeks ago when I added more service for the month. On one hand, I was bummed because I do use the internet for my blog and to promote my books as well as for other things like email, Twitter, etc... But on the other hand, I was almost relieved. I'd been wanting to cut down on internet time, because I'm beginning to feel like the less time spent online, the better. There are so many negative things online these days, it's depressing. And it's such a distraction from more important things. And it's so expensive! I live out in the boonies, and it's incredibly hard to find internet out here. The service I had been using was basically the cheapest for the amount we could use (4 GBs for $40) but still, I feel like that's just too much. So, I've just started using a computer at our library. I was kind of nervous about this in the beginning, because I wasn't sure how I could work things out with my blog on a public computer. But it's actually pretty easy. I work on my posts on my laptop at home, put them on my flash drive and take it to the library with me. Thank goodness Blogger allows you to schedule posts and save them as drafts. I know what you're thinking; Why don't I just take my laptop to a place that offers public wifi? Well, you see, my laptop is getting on in years, and has become quite fickle about when it will connect to the internet. My brother is a computer programmer, and I'm planning on having him look at it soon, though chances are I will probably have to purchase a new laptop soon. I must admit the old fellow has served me well; it lasted through my short stint in college, I've written four novels on it, as well as begun tons more novels and written over 200 blog posts on it. But you know, I'm really not that bummed that I don't have internet at home anymore. It really isn't that bad. It certainly frees up time to write and read and paint and color in one of the adult coloring books I've become a fan of. My phone isn't a smart phone, but I do have a little bit of data each month on it where I can pop in on Twitter here and there as well as check my email.  So I want all of you to know that maybe I won't be able to respond to your comments as soon as you post them, but I will read all of them just like always and respond just as soon as I get the chance. The way I go about blogging may change a little, but I will still be very much involved.

Thank you all for stopping by today. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. See you next time with more tales of a real writer's life.

-Miranda Atchley