Machina Mortis Steampunk Tales of Terror

I'm thrilled to have my story "Clockwork Carousel" included in Machina Mortis - Steampunk Tales of Terror.

Stories included:

Last Flight of the Bismarck by Scott M. Baker
Bedlam by Salena Salena Moffat
Patterns by Drew Dunlap
The Thumping in the Basement by Tonia Brown
The Last of the Bad Few by Nathan Robinson
Static by Sam Gafford
Whitechapel Transfer by Theresa Derwin
The Three Blind Men by AJ Sikes
Nothing but a Dog: A Trio of Travelers Tale by Travis Sivart
Clockwork Carousel by Marie Andrews
Black Banshee by Buck Weiss
Garretton Ghoul by Christine Morgan


Release date to be announced soon.

Marie

Updates and Machina Mortis News

Morning everyone! Clear skies today - perfect to take out the air balloon!

After a week of nothing less than chaotic, it's good to have the weekend here with sunshine and moments of relaxation. Hubby and I spent all day Saturday together. We enjoyed a glass of wine down by the riverfront, grilled steaks for dinner, and sipped apple spiced hooch in front of the firepit. A wonderful way to let go of the brain numbing week I'd had.

All last week I was in test mode. I had a test Tuesday, two tests on Thursday (back to back), and a test on Friday. I don't think there should ever be more than one test in a week, you know - the sanity thing? I barely had time for anything except homework and studying. But no tests this week, so it should be a more balanced week for hitting my goals.

The goals I'd set for round two:
1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent. At this time the first 40 pages are deep-edited and polished. It's another ten pages from last week, and all I had time to do.

2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2. I managed 3500 words - so I'm happy.

3) Blog at least 3 times a week. This is a long term goal. I'm looking at around the second week of May to start this.

4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week. Once again I worked out all 5 days :)

5) Submit steampunk short story. I didn't get a chance to check over format and final read through thanks to all the studying for tests. This is on the agenda to complete this week.

6) Read 30 minutes daily. Yes! I finished North of Beautiful, Divergent, Blood Rights, and I'm starting on Retribution Falls today.

The novel edits are coming along and I'm continuing to write no less than 500 words a day. I'm okay with where I'm at because there wasn't much I could do about it last week. I plan to rev up that word count this week.

I did receive some very good news! My steampunk horror story Clockwork Carousel will be included in the Machina Mortis anthology :) I'm super excited! Here's a peek at the awesome cover:

What do you think?

I hope everyone else is doing well with their goals! I'll be stopping by other blogs this week to send cheers and cyber incentives :)

Need help to stay motivated? Crave encouragement? If so, join ROW80. All the info is at that link.

And to end my post I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

Seriously cool iPhone station that functions as a night light, charging station and audio station. For more about this cool invention, click Here




And from Dr. Grymm's Laboratories - nautilus goggles!

Dr. Grymm has a ton of fantastic inventions - be sure to stop by his Laboratory to ooh and ahh!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Marie

Goal Updates for the Week

Happy Sunday everyone! This past week has been nothing short of crazy and action-packed. Sunday evening the family and I went to see Lacuna Coil at the Aladdin Theater in Portland. They put on an amazing show, playing all of the fan favorites from their albums. I danced hard. As a result, it took me days to recover.

Tuesday I took my first mid-term test. I think I did well, but I won't know until Tuesday. Here's hoping.

Thursday was my son's birthday. He asked me to keep it low-key, and I did my best to comply. But I'm mom. You know? I'm so proud of him. The whole day I reflected on all the proud mama moments over the years. What can I say, I'm a bit of a sap ;)

This was also my first week of being healthy - finally. No flu, no cold, and no fuzzy head feeling. Good thing, too, because all of the assignments got harder and I have two tests coming up to study for. I'm really not a fan of tests. But I want to do well in all my classes, that is one of my many goals.

And speaking of goals...

My goals for round two are:
1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent. At this time the first 30 pages are deep-edited and polished. So, another ten pages from last week. It's a slow process, but works for me.

2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2. This is a longer term goal, but I did spend time working on this, finally. I managed about 3k.

3) Blog at least 3 times a week. This is another long term goal. I'm looking at around the second week of May to start this. I have two different themed days I'd like to make into regular weekly posts, in addition to the Sunday goal update. I might start with just the one before committing to both.

4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week. This week, even with the concert where I definitely boogied for hours, I worked out all five days. I'm walking a lot, lifting weights, doing pilates and yoga. What has been working for me is putting on my workout clothes right when I get up. I put them on, go about my business for about an hour, and then I work out. The idea is that I'd feel pretty silly if I got the clothes on and then didn't workout. I mean come on, what would be the point? So this is going well, and I'm actually looking forward to doing the workouts. I think the warmer weather helps a little bit too.

5) Submit steampunk short story. I plan to submit it this week.

6) Read 30 minutes daily. Yes! Like my writing time each day, I'm a stickler to reading for no less than 30 minutes. I don't seem to have one full half hour to do this, so I break it up into reading with my breakfast and tea, between classes, and while dinner is doing its thing. I'm just finishing North of Beautiful, and then I'm starting Divergent, followed by Clockwork Angel.

My review of Dead Iron is now up at Clockwork Reviews.

School is still a huge time suck, and next week I add a new evening class for 4 weeks, and in a couple weeks I add a morning class on Fridays. So actually, it will become an even bigger time suck. Still, I'm plugging along, staying on track with goals, and keeping a positive attitude. I'll have to take extra time for studying, but no matter what I'm getting in no less than 500 words a day on writing, and continuing on the edits.

I hope everyone else is doing well with their goals! I'll be stopping by other blogs this week to send cheers and cyber incentives :)

Need help to stay motivated? Crave encouragement? If so, join ROW80. All the info is at that link.

And to end my post I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

A very worthwhile interview with author Theresa Meyers found Here

Fractal Clockwork Project by Brent Thome found Here

Steampunk Notebooks by Diarment. Check out more cool creations by Diarment Here

Always a pleasure to have you stop by!

See you next week :)

Marie Andrews

Staying Steady

Happy Sunday! Hope you've all been enjoying your weekend :) I've officially been a student at the college for two weeks. All ready I have a mid-term coming up, but that's because one class is five weeks long. So this weekend I've been studying to get ready.

I'm still adjusting to the change, and really missing those fifteen extra hours I had in my week. At the same time, I'm enjoying my classes and learning new subjects.

After careful consideration, I've decided to only post my weekly update on Sundays. It allows me more time to reflect on what I've done, and falls at the same time when I'm updating all of my other goal sheets and lists that I keep track of. I have my daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, and more.

And speaking of goals...

My goals for round two include:
1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent. At this time the first 20 pages are deep-edited and polished.

2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2. This is a longer term goal, and I haven't been able to put attention to this.

3) Blog at least 3 times a week. Not this week, and again this is a long term goal - so I'm looking at around the first or second week of May to start this. I have two different themed days I'd like to make into regular weekly posts, in addition to the Sunday update.

4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week. I'm walking a lot, lifting weights, doing pilates and yoga.

5) Submit steampunk short story. Well, I'm happy with the final draft but decided to wait. I haven't looked at it for the last few days and want to give myself another few days before I look it over again, in case I missed something. So, I expect to submit it in the next week and a half.

6) Read 30 minutes daily. Yes!

I'm also taking a workshop that is more intensive than I realized, but I'm learning so much.

Quick reminder - my review of Dead Iron will go live on April 19th at Clockwork Reviews.

I'm on track, staying busy, and still trying to figure out better time management with the school schedule added in. The weather is warming up and it definitely boosts my mood as well.

My son's birthday is on the 19th. He's going to be 19. I can't believe it.

How about you? Did you accomplish what you were looking to do this week? Need help to stay motivated? Crave encouragement? If so, join ROW80. All the info is at that link.

And to end my post I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

By Frank Buchwald

By Datamancer

By James Richardson-Brown

My Week In Review

First week of school is over! I never expected to say those words again, but in order to get the day job I want (you know, the one before I'm a famous NYT Bestselling author), I need to get certified and increase my skills and knowledge. However, after five straight days of school, my poor brain is mush. Fifteen extra hours of my week went toward school. Fifteen hours! (silent scream) I hope to find a better time management system in the coming weeks.

My goals for round two include:
1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent. Survey says: Yes - since Wednesday I've deep-edited the first 10 pages.

2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2. Survey says: Didn't get to touch this.

3) Blog at least 3 times a week. Survey says: I got in two, pushing for three in the next weeks.

4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week. Survey says: All 5 days! And then some, because of all the extra walking and taking stairs at the college.

5) Submit steampunk short story. Survey says: I expect to sub one of my stories by Wednesday.

6) Read 30 minutes daily. Suvery says: Yes. Right now all of my homework includes a lot of textbook reading. But I am reading The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade.

On a side note: My review of Dead Iron will go live on April 19th at Clockwork Reviews.

I also have a lovely cold, thanks to my most generous classmates who were coughing all around me on my second day. It's not keeping me from goals or getting work done, but I am kind of cranky ;)

Still, I'm on track.

How about you? Did you accomplish what you were looking to do this week? Need help to stay motivated? Crave encouragement? If so, join ROW80. All the info is at that link.

And to end my post I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

Steampunk Darth Vader

Steampunk iMac Mod


















Marie Andrews

Goals and Punctuality

I started classes at the community college on Monday. I'm going for a Medical Office Specialist certificate. While I was a bit nervous, I like challenges. Now, I'm considered a very punctual person. I have issues with lateness. I don't do tardy. I didn't do tardy in school. Until Monday.

I left for school on time and arrived with time to spare. I didn't expect to park in Texas. I pounded pavement loaded down with anything I might need, and then some. The college grew before my eyes. We're talking crazy big. It looked like a gigantic parking garage with a courtyard in the center. Oh, and there are a million halls. I had about two minutes to track down one of them.

It took longer than two minutes.

I finally found my class, six minutes after it started. I walked in late. And the one empty seat had a crappy computer monitor and a freakish keyboard. No one else had to type on a freakish keyboard. I hate being late. I'm never late. I spent the bulk of the class waiting for my pulse to regulate. I think I have homework? Not sure. Guess who's going to get to class super early next time? Yep - ME!

I felt like such a nerd. At least I know where ALL the halls are now. Oy. The next class went better, even though they changed the room number.

So despite a harried and chaotic start to schoool, I still ended up with a productive day. I worked in the morning, and then after I got home I worked until dinner. Tuesdays and Thursdays are night classes, so I'll have more time during the day. It's too soon to say how much homework I'll be assigned, but I'm confident I can work out a schedule where I fit everything in. At least I'd better! I have much to do.

I'm in charge this month and super pumped to accomplish my goals. I've worked out each morning, and then some thanks to parking in Texas. I'm done coming up with excuses for not working out. I feel better when I exercise. Even my post-it note says so.

I'm reading like a fool, which always makes me goofy happy :) Some great books I've read over the past couple of weeks are:

We Are Not Alone - The Writer’s Guide to Social Media by Kristen Lamb
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia
Dead Iron by Devon Monk (review coming soon at Clockwork Reviews)

I'm polishing the sequel to Iron Butterfly so I can submit it. And I've started with the first 5 pages of deep-edits on my steampunk mystery novel. They're more intensive than regular edits. If you've ever taken a workshop by Margie Lawson, you know what I'm talking about.

To help with my blog goal, I've decided to embark on a weekly blog series. I have two ideas that I'm toying with, so once I know, you'll know.

How about you? How are your goals coming along? Are you diving right into the deep waters? If not, what's holding you back?

Maybe you need encouragement? For this round, I'm looking for people to poke, prod, and push me to make my goals if I even think about slacking off. I mean it. If I'm falling behind then I'm losing focus, and right now my focus is strong. So I will ask for some rough housing if need be!

If you're looking for motivation and encouragement, ROW80 will deliver.

And as I tend to do, I'm leaving you with some steampunkery goodness:

Very cool Steampunk Star Wars artwork by Bjorn Hurri.

Twittertape Machine by Adam Vaughan



Thanks for stopping by! Now I'm off to cheer on the lot of you :)

Marie Andrews

The Start of New Goals and School

Stormy skies may have the dirigible down today, but the weather can't put a damper on my attitude or motivation.

After a productive March - I'm looking forward to an active April. There will be no slacking here. If you see any slacking during my check-ins, I'd appreciate a swift kick in the keister. Really. I welcome it. I have goals to accomplish and very little down time.


Over the next 80 days I plan to:

1) Polish my steampunk novel so it is ready to send to an agent.
2) Complete rough draft of steampunk WIP#2.
3) Blog at least 3 times a week.
4) Exercise 3 - 4 times a week.
5) Submit a steampunk short story.
6) Read at least 30 minutes daily (I've found that if I don't schedule in reading time, I won't make the time).

Beginning April 2nd, I'll be starting classes at the community college. I'm going for a Medical Office Specialist certificate. It will be a challenge for me to juggle my writing career, classes, homework, and house/personal stuff. But I'm not one to shy away from a challenge, so though a bit nervous to return to school, I'm also excited.

The BIG goal is to get my novel agent ready. The schooling is so I get hired on to a well-paying job with benefits, until I make enough money as a writer.

This will be my third official ROW80. It took the third round for me to figure out a rhythm that worked best for me. I'm shaking things up with the schooling, but super focused on making my novel shine. I know that with the support of the ROW80 team, I'm not alone.

What is ROW80? Click Here to find out more. If you're looking for support and encouragement to hit your daily/weekly/monthly goals - then come hang out with us. All you need is a blog. Well, and a few goals since it is the nature of the twice weekly check-ins on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Personally, I've found great success with being held accountable. I also enjoy cheering others on. Support is important to success. There's no reason for an author to feel alone. So come join us, or follow along on Twitter #ROW80.

Let's make this round extra strong! We can do it together :)

Marie Andrews