Happy Monday and Happy Full Harvest moon tomorrow. I don’t know what full moons mean to you, but for me, it’s a time to put my crystals out on the balcony to recharge and reboot them. Well, there’s that and crazy drivers.

Because I haven’t posted about the writer’s conference yet, I’ll start with that. This was the first year for the New Frontiers in Writing conference in Amarillo, Tx. Being a first, I didn’t know what to expect, but it was a wonderful event, presented in a very professional manner and all the workshops were informative and so well done. I loved sharing the conference with my sister and I learned some new things. I’ll share just a little.

Did you know there is an AI tool designed just for writers? One of the workshops was all about AI and how we can learn to utilize it as a tool and stop being afraid of it. We all agree AI will never replace human writing. No matter how advanced it gets, it will never have the capability of mimicking human emotion. We are all familiar with ChapGPT, but the AI for writers is Claude. I have yet to try it out, but some of the things the presenter of the workshop suggested were help with blurbs and loglines. Or if you write yourself into a corner and need help figuring out where to go next, ask Claude. So, that was a fun discovery and something to play around with. It can also create images, but the focus is on writing. Oh, and there is a free version.
Another workshop I really enjoyed was about designing book covers. Since I am in the middle of coming up with new book covers for the White Rune Series, I was happy to find some ideas and guidance. Did you know about the rule of thirds in designing book covers? I didn’t, so that was new. It was suggested that you create a grid of 3X3 blocks to work from and that your image should occupy four corners of that grid instead of the middle. The title placement and author name are also factored into that same three concept with a top third, middle and bottom third. I’m not sure I’m explaining it right, so maybe this visual will help.

At any rate, I enjoyed the presentation plus she offered a free thirty-minute consultation for all attendees, which I intend to take advantage of. Of course, there was more, but those two really stood out to me. It was great to be around other authors and talk writerly lingo. 🙂 It’s nice to be able to tell someone your characters talk to you and them not think you’re ready for the loony bin.
I was gone for a total of four days, so needless to say I came back behind on everything. But I’ve decided that’s just a normal state of being for me and just is what it is. I have come to the conclusion that I cannot do everything and that I am truly not super woman. 🙂 Wow! What a shock!
Oh, we did something fun on the way from Lubbock to Amarillo! We stopped in at the Waylon Jennings museum (if you can call it that) in the tiny town of Littlefield, Texas, which is his hometown. The museum is in the back room of a liquor store run by Waylon’s youngest brother, James. We had fun looking at everything and talking to James. I took a few photos. Needless to say, I am a big Waylon fan!







The grandkids have been busy and I’m so proud of them. They work hard and juggle a lot. My middle grandson was chosen as Tuba Player of the Week last week and my oldest granddaughter is totally committed to a competition dance team. This is my grandson in the McKinney High School marching uniform. On October 8th, he will turn 16. Hard to believe. I moved up here the day he was born, and that’s how I keep up with how long I’ve lived in this metromess. 🙂

On the personal front, I broke down and bought a new diffuser when mine died after ten years of use. 🙂 I love it because it has so many different options for run time, lights and the size of mist stream. I keep it in my bedroom and diffuse Lavender and Bergamot every night. They create such a soothing fragrance.

I love live music and supporting the indie music artists I know. It’s just like with books. Sure, I could read mainstream authors’ books, and leave reviews, but they don’t need my support or my review to add to their thousands. It’s the same with the music artists. I don’t listen to mainstream music. I prefer the indie artists who are authentic and pouring their heart and soul into the music. That being said, Saturday night, Jamie Richards came to a place just down the road from me and I joined friends for a great night of listening!


Live music and good friends feed the soul!
I am loving all the new books I’ve read and will post my reviews later this week. I am so proud of my indie author colleagues! I have a guest on Wednesday that I’m looking forward to! So I hope you’ll join in and help support her and her new book release!
I found this bit of inspiration to leave you with. How often do we limit ourselves in thinking we can’t make our dreams come true?

Here is a tarot card to set the tone for the week ahead.

The Queen of Pentacles represents dependability, stability and a strong connection to nature. I know that may seem strange in this tumultuous world we live in, but it all comes down to what we can create in our own little corners of existence. The queen is a nurturing feminine energy and perhaps there are people around you who need some extra support right now. Or it could be yourself who is needing some extra self-love. Give generously and with sincerity, because it is in giving that we receive.
**NOTE** If you subscribed to my newsletter and didn’t receive one Saturday, you might want to check your spam folder or subscribe again because I cleaned up my list and may have accidentally deleted some legitimate subscribers. But it’s super easy to sign up again: NEWSLETTER SIGNUP THANK YOU!
That’s it for today. I wish you a great week ahead!
Great post, Jan! I’m happy you had a wonderful time at your conference. Thanks for letting us know about Claude. I’m curious about it. Have a great week!
Yvette M Calleiro 🙂
http://yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com
I’m glad you enjoyed today’s post, Yvette. And I’m curious about Claude, too. It will be something fun to play around with. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a great week also!
The conference sounds like it was a very good experience. I’m glad you enjoyed that. Falling behind while doing something fun isn’t a bad thing. You might catch up, or not. I don’t think it matters. I hope you have a great week. I do like Waylon Jennings.
You are so right, Dan. It really doesn’t matter too much about ‘catching up.’ And I think I’ve finally figured that out. It’s best to just pick up with where you are and move forward. But there are some blogs (like yours) that are worth backtracking for. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Aww, thanks for that, Jan.
I’m a Waylon Jennings fan too! He was sooo talented. I’m glad you had fun and learned so much at the conference!
Thanks for stopping by, Priscilla. Maybe you could make the conference next year. And I agree about Waylon. Have you heard the new album Shooter just put out of never-before-recorded Waylon music? I downloaded it and love it!
I’ll have to check out Claude. We may have some things to converse about. My hubby would have loved to be with you at the Waylon Jennings museum – he’s a big fan. Love that quote, Jan – very inspirational. Have a great week!
It was a fun discovery, Teri, and I’m curious to see how Claude can help. 🙂 Even though the ‘museum’ is a very loose term, it was personal, since it was his brother operating it. And how appropriate to be in the back of a liquor store. Thanks for stopping by!
It doesn’t get any better than a conference with your sis. You make me yearn for the weekend conferences I used to attend.
I really enjoyed the conference, Jacqui. And it’s a bonus to learn some new things. Keep it in mind for next year. Thanks for stopping by!
Sister, we had such an amazing time at the conference. The last one I went to was probably six or seven years ago. There was so much good energy there. I love being around writers. And we learned something too which was awesome. I can’t wait to see what new book covers you come up with. Just spending time with you was so nice. I’ll try to catch the harvest moon but it’s on the opposite side of my building. Love the quote and the Tarot card. Not sure what it means for me. Love you dearly.
Thank you for stopping by, sister. I agree about being around all the creative energy at the conference. It was a boost! I can’t wait to see the new book covers, too. 🙂 Maybe the tarot card is just telling us all to give ourselves a little extra self-love. I hope you have a great week! Love you so much!!
Sounds like a great conference, Jan. I just got by instinct with book covers, but I like how they broke that up. Catches the eye, leaving the middle open. Thanks for the Claude information, too. Great grands pics too. They grow up way too fast, my oldest said it’s his last year of Christmas before he’s an adult like they rest of us. Yikes. Love the quote, it rang true in my heart and as for the card, I realized I needed to give myself that help, if that makes sense. Welcome back! Xo
Thank you for stopping in, Denise. I do think instinct plays a huge part in designing our covers. It’s funny that I can see what I want the covers to look like in my head, but finding images that match is like hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack. 🙂 Hope you enjoy playing around with Claude. You are so right about the grandkids growing up WAY too fast. But we aren’t getting any older. What a strange phenomena. 🙂 Glad the tarot card resonated with you. Self-love is what keeps coming to mind. Gonna give it a try!
Also, nothing in spam. Resigned up 🙂
Thank you!
There’s a lot of interesting stuff in your post today, Jan. AI for writers could be a boon. Let’s hope so. Waylon Jennings is a favorite of mine. Thanks for sharing the “museum” visit.
Thanks, John. I’m happy you enjoyed the post. I think we’re all interested in experimenting with Claude. 🙂 It was my pleasure to share the museum!
I just love your meanderings — a little bit of all kinds of stuff from your world, and it’s all very interesting and uplifting. Thank you for these posts. I’m glad to hear you talk about some positive ways AI (Claude) can help writers. Cautiously optimistic.
I am so happy you enjoyed today’s post, Kristine. I always love seeing your smiling face show up! I think AI is here to stay, so it’s to our benefit to learn how to use it as a tool but definitely not as a crutch. I too am cautiously optimistic. The proof is in the pudding. Have a great week!
This sounds like just the perfect conference for you and how good that you could go there with your sister. Have a good week and I wish you good catching up with everything 💖
Thank you, Erika. I truly did enjoy the conference and spending time with my sister. I appreciate you stopping by!
It’s really nice that you had a good time at the conference, Jan. I hope you have a good week.
Thanks, Tim. I’m happy you stopped by!
Hi Jan, this is a very busy post. The conference sounds super and the sessions interesting and useful. Your grandchildren are wonderful and it’s super you are close by and can be part of their lives.
What a great post full of good things, Jan! I’m glad your conference experience was positive. It reminds me of mine earlier this year at the San Francisco Writers Conference. I plan to go again next year. I’m not a fan of AI, maybe a bit stubborn, so I’ll stay clear for now, until I have no other option. 🙂 But thanks for sharing about Claude. I love your times with your grandchildren. Wonderful quote at the end too. ❤️