My super-busy January centered around my participation in the Ultimate Blog Challenge. The agreement was to post every day of the month, and Paul Taubman, the host, offered suggestions every day. You were free use them or do what you wanted. I had to complete four activities after writing the blog—I’ve listed them on the web page I created.
My Choice to Not Include My Email List
Just because I decided to make January a super-busy month, I didn’t want to inundate my regular readers with a blog post every day, so I only included you on Sunday, my regular day to post my weekly blog. I did post them on my Facebook pages though.
I hope that was okay.
Here’s What I wrote Super-Busy!
So, I created a web page with all the posts, except three because I missed three days. Look through the list—I hope you enjoy the vast choices you have to read from this list, if you choose!
This morning I had one regular reader message me about reading all of them, “Larada, you are an encouragement to me. I am in love with reading your blogs. I envy your commitment to work. And I was excited to see what you learned from the challenge. YES. You are a beautiful poet. Looking forward to your new book.” She apparently got them on linkedin.com – https://www.linkedin.com/in/larada-horner-miller-4a313261/
To get to the list of my 28 blog posts and the titles, go here:
Your opinion matters to me. Was I right in not sending you a link every day in the month of January for the Ultimate Blog Challenge? Would you have been offended? Or would you have wanted to receive them? I really need to know your answer, so please respond in a comment below or email me at Larada@laradasbooks.com
I certainly am glad it’s over. Midway through I thought it would never end, but I know I will receive many benefits from having participated—I’ve always been a participator and not an observer. It’s in my DNA!
February will be much calmer, I assure you, but be prepared for my rich, fascinating weekly blog! Also, Paul Taubman encouragedthe participants to post more than one blog a week—what do you think?
I do have an exciting experience coming up on February 17 I will be telling you about!
How will you measure your time this year? My book, Time Measured Out! suggests this question about time? I am starting 2026 with reflection and intention because I always wonder on New Year’s Day. What does this year hold? How will I achieve my dreams? Is my writing authentic? How will I grow as a writer?
Also, today I joyfully joined the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I agreed to writing a blog post every day in January, tweeting using the hashtag #blogboost, posting it on the UBC website, and commenting on 2 other blog posts. Yes, it’s a big commitment, but I did it in November 2021 and had a great experience. I learned new ideas to enrich each blog, so I’m sure I will learn more this year.
From my new poetry collection, Time Measured Out!, here’s an excerpt of one of the poems that displays my usual intentions:
I fashioned this poem after Emily Dickinson’s “I Dwell in Possibility.”
July 26, 2002
I dwell in possibility . . .
It's a rich life Full to the brim. I face it in every question that comes. I move from abundance. I have all I need. I have all I want. What a sweet refuge!
Both formats of Time Measured Out! are available now:
My intention for this year moves away from my five-book poetry series for awhile to a serious topic: the effect of being an incest survivor and the healing available. In 2016, I wrote over 50,000 words of an autofiction, an autobiography fictionalized. The flurry created by the Epstein Files and all of the survivors’ betrayal forced me to return to this book to support the victims. My story illustrates my pain and my healing. So, 2026, I plan to focus on the revision of this book and releasing as soon as possible. Then I will return to my poetry series.
Goals get us there! I’m facing the third quarter of the year and the sales of my books has plummeted because I’ve focused on moving and recovering from the dog attack.
I know the power of setting goals. When I was the computer coordinator for Washington middle school back when the internet was new and we as the staff pulled the cable throughout the building to get connected, the computer committee had our beginning meeting of the year.
I said, “Let’s brainstorm what we want for our school. The rules for brainstorming apply: anything goes.”
So my futuristic committee listed things completely out of our budget. I watched amazed—yes, I caught the fever and threw my two cents in too!
After the meeting, I formulated the ideas and presented them to the principal. Then she and I presented them to our legislator (who just happened to have been the principal at Washington middle school before he got into politics).
Outlandish goals, futuristic goals, realistic goals? We received funds from the state for everything on our list! That lesson has stayed with me for decades. I’ve often said, “Goals pull us along. Goals get us there!”
So, as I face the third quarter of the year, September is the lead and planning phase as I move into October, November & December,
So, the goals I established today appear too ambitious, too much, outlandish, but I’m going to sure them anyway.
1st Goal: Work on my second poetry book in a series of five and published it
Just today, I got the final draft back from my editor, so now I have to read through it for corrections. She said there weren’t many. Then I import it into the publishing program I use, Vellum. Next, I need to email readers on my email list to be on my ARC (Advanced Reader Copy ) Team to read it, write a blurb I enter in the print of my book and write a review in exchange for a free .pdf copy of the book. I have the description in the works. After the book is laid out, I can get the cover down because they need the page count to correct an accurate cover. I’ve used 100 Covers .
Hopefully, I will launch this book late October, early November. I will let you know! If you want to be a part of the ARC team for this new book, email me at larada@laradasbooks.com and I will send you a copy of the new book.
2nd Goal: Revise my autofiction book on being an incest survivor and healing
Because of all the flurry around the Epstein files, I talked to my therapist about being an “Advocate for Survivors.” In the midst of this conversation, as an incest survivor, I remembered I had written a book about this, almost ten years ago. Who cares? I have it!
In 2016 I joined NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) to commit to writing about 1600 words a day, ending up with 50,000 at the end of the month. The results of the presidential election that year really spurred me on—I was devastated by the results.
Because of that dedicated, concentrated time, I wrote a 50,000+ autofiction. So, what is an autofiction?
Jane Friedman, a leader in the publishing industry says: “Short for autobiographical fiction, autofiction uses elements of autobiography and fiction to examine decisive aspects of the writer’s life. The writer then melds these realities with fictional plot elements, characters and events in a way that often reads like memoir or autobiography. With the lines of fact and fabrication blurred, readers are engaged in wondering what’s real, what isn’t, and how they can figure out which is which.”
Because of this, when I finish book #2 of the poetry series, Time Measured Out, I will focus on revising the autofiction and get it to my editor who has already heard about it. Then I will return to my poetry series.
3rd Goal: Continue with the Click Ad program for my Christmas book
In April 2024, I bought Steve Pieper’s Click Ad program to create profitable ads on Facebook doing click testing and had worked my way through most of the lessons, ready to promote my Christmas book. I bought it because my book coach did a webinar with Steve. Also, his reviews and results blew me away!
Christmas is coming, so this would be a great time to go back to whatever lesson I’m on and finish it. I may have to redo a couple of the ad copy. I’m excited because many authors have had good results with Steve’s program.
4th Goal: Energize my back-list sales
I have nine books (soon ten), three cookbooks and three audiobooks just sitting there for ready to buy, but I have to have a plan to promote them. I have multiple competitors in each area, so I have to work at this.
Here’s my action plan to be implemented in September and beyond:
BOOK TITLE
PROMOTION
DATE
RESULTS
This Tumbleweed Landed
October
When Will Papa Get Home?
October
Let Me Tell You a Story
October
Is My True Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey
October
A Time to Grow Up: A Daughter’s Grief Memoir
November
Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?
November
Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo
November
Is My True Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey
November
Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir
December
Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry
December
Is My True Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey
December
We will see how the plan goes. You can see it’s real sketchy now!
5th Goal: Do an audiobook for my 1st book in my poetry series
I love recording audiobooks—reading my own words out loud is magical. So when I finished Was It a Dream? and published it, the recovery from the dog attack consumed me. I couldn’t stand up at the mic in my make-shift recording studio (my walk-in closet) that long—too physically taxing. Also, I was on heavy pain medication and publishing an audiobook has many intricate steps. I have used Derek Doepker’s program, Audiobooks Made Easy. This program spells out exactly what you have to do and Derek is great support if you have any problems.
As I sit here and lay out this plan, I step back! In the midst of all this, I have a move to Boquete, Panama and am starting a new life there, so I’m writing these goals out to remind myself—I am an author no matter where I live. I have the last quarter of 2025 to get my book sales going.
Also, because of the recovery of the dog attack, I lost a year of promoting my books, so I am way behind!
Will I accomplish all these goals?
Maybe yes, maybe no, but seeing them in black and white make them concrete! Easily, I can carry any no fulfilled to first quarter of 2026 and add to the list.
All this talk of promotion made me think, “Have you bought one, two or all of my books?” Let’s start here with promoting them. Go to my Author’s Page on Amazon where you can get them all!
Keep scrolling and you can see links to my audiobooks. I only sell my cookbooks directly until August 30 through my Etsy Shop, Larada’s Reading Loft.
2022 is here, and I’m ready! Each year arrives with new hope, new possibilities! Because of the last couple of years, I have mixed feelings. What does 2022 hold for us? With everything still on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, join me in my wondering!
My Book Business in 2022
I now have six books and three cookbooks in my stable. I plan on focusing on my book business and becoming more proficient in the administering of it. My mission statement is “a baby-boomer with a purpose.”
I have five areas of focus this year:
Writing
Recording audiobooks of my books
Online Memoir workshop
Promoting
Continued training
Today I wrote a plan for each area so I use my time more efficiently. Obviously, writing is my major focus. I have two books in the works: a description of my experience of writing Flippo’s biography and what I learned and the first book in a poetry series. Before the pandemic, I had a successful Memoir Workshop I presented at various libraries in the area. Now, I plan to host it online through Zoom.
Audiobooks are another major focus of this year. I will record, Let Me Tell You a Story, first. After that, I plan to record my newest book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?. Then, I will tackle This Tumbleweed Landed and then When Will Papa Get Home? Sounds ambitious, maybe, but I’ll let you know my progress.
Promoting takes so much of my time. I hope to be more systematic at my promotions this year. And last, I have bought some great training packages over the years, so I plan to incorporate training in my weekly schedule.
MyPersonal Life This Year
Dancing
I want to dance! I’m getting cabin-fever and want my old life back. As I look at 2022, I see annual festivals we normally attended and yearn to go. Normally we’re in Arizona at the end of January at Hummingbird Hoedown, so I’m hoping we can make that this year.
Because we have a mask mandate, here in New Mexico, we haven’t danced since August—Lin can’t dance with a mask, so I’ve stayed home. But I’m going to go to a weekly Advance dance with a girlfriend because I can dance the guy’s part.
Hopefully, the three local festivals I’m involved in will not be canceled again this year: Duke City Singles and Doubles’ Spring Fling, New Mexico State Square and Round Dance Festival and 16th Annual Hot August Nights.
Dancing is my passion and I just have to dance!
Our Ranch
Recently, I went to our family ranch in Colorado, but I want to go monthly and spend more time there.
Our Response to the coronavirus
As a couple, Lin and I have been super conservative, staying home mostly for the last two years. We will continue being cautious, but hopefully activities will open up more this year.
My Spiritual Life in 2022
Because of such major changes in our lifestyle, we stayed home these last two years, providing me an opportunity to go deeper spiritually. I plan to continue the habits I’ve honed over these couple years of dedicating time to a Quiet Time in the morning to read devotionals and study Scriptures and write. I also plan to add more meditation to my daily habit.
Finally,
I always anticipate the best for each new year: a blank page where I get to decide how to fill it. What do you feel at the beginning of a new year?
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”:https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
~Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com
~Check out a Gigantic End of Year Sale at my Etsy Shop, Larada’s Reading Loft. 25% off almost all bundles!
