October Goals, Papillon Side-Eyes, and the Great Book Seven Standoff

October has arrived, my friends, and with it comes that crisp, pumpkin-scented breeze that whispers, “Hey, you should be writing instead of sniffing every cinnamon candle in the store.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but summer around here was busy. Between art shows, book releases, and wrangling the latest audiobook production into existence, I managed to blink and suddenly September was gone. I also managed to ignore the elephant on my desktop—otherwise known as the first draft of book seven (!!!) in my Magical Papillon Mysteries series. It has been sitting there, waiting patiently, like a half-baked pie that really needs to go back in the oven.

Here’s the problem: I also have a perfectly delicious outline for book eight. Oh, book eight is shiny. Book eight is whispering, “Pick me, pick me!” in the way that only brand-new ideas can. But alas, I am not allowed to start book eight until I whip book seven into shape and send it off to my editor. Think of it as literary tough love.

So this October, I’m setting a very simple author goal: stop procrastinating, rescue book seven from desktop purgatory, and finally give it the attention it deserves. And yes, before you ask, Blueberry the Papillon has already expressed her extreme disapproval of my summer-long avoidance. If you’ve never been given the side-eye by a six-pound dog, let me assure you—it is both humbling and terrifying.

The truth is, writing goals are a lot like fall sweaters. They sound cozy in theory, but then you realize they come with a bit of itchiness, and sometimes you end up overheating because you underestimated how much effort this would take. Still, goals keep us moving forward. They remind us that each book, each page, each word matters.

So, who’s with me in setting some goals for October? Whether it’s finishing a draft, submitting something scary, or simply showing up at your desk with coffee in hand, let’s do it together. And if you don’t, that’s fine too. I’ll just send Blueberry to sit on your lap and silently judge you until you cave. She’s very good at that.

Here’s to a month of progress, pumpkins, and (finally) book seven.

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