I Need to Get to Work

OG and I have been in California for a month now, and I've had plenty to keep me busy without the frantic pressure I sometimes felt when I was working full time. We've met with the contractor and designer for our new house to settle on the final plans, and so far we've chosen appliances, windows and doors, and flooring, as well as having the lot cleared of overgrown brush. 

For the past couple of days, we've worked on choosing an exterior color scheme. We plan to re-side with shingles but wanted to take the opportunity to try out some different color combinations before the workmen tear off the old siding. We're looking at either a warm, buttery tan body with dark red shutters or a light gray-green with dark green shutters. The windows and trim will be white. We're undecided but leaning toward the gray and green at the moment. Which do you like best? I love the bold combination, but it might be a bit

too much. Several of the neighbors have variations of green and gray, but it suits the cottage look I'm going for and compliments the natural surroundings.

In addition to all the house activity, I've also been feeling an internal pressure to make more progress on my new career. I've hesitated for a number of reasons, but I know I need to just suck it up, take the plunge, and establish my new business. Since the first of the year, I have designed three book covers, and those books are now available on Amazon. They credit Creative Author Services (the name I've chosen for my business) for the cover design, but as of yet, there is no such legal entity. First, I need to file a fictitious business name with the county. That's pretty simple, but I also need a new website, and that's not simple at all. Even deciding what I want and need is complex. 

And then there's the matter of my writing. I have several projects in various stages of completion. I need to finish revising my contemporary romance about the owner of an all-female bodyguard agency who signs on to protect a former spy-turned-thriller writer on a national book tour. That book, Unwritten Rules, is slated to become my first venture into independent publishing later this year. Next, I'd like to expand If Wishes Were Fishes, a holiday short story I wrote last year, into a novella or full length novel in time for Christmas. Both books will also need covers. 

If I manage to complete these projects by the end of the year, I'll feel I've truly made the transition to my new portfolio career. Wish me luck!