M. E. Tudor

I can't believe it was 14 years ago this week that my very first book, Suddenly, was published. It was originally published by Itoh Press, a very small local publisher, but I eventually got the rights back and self-published it. The picture above is the original cover and is still the cover if you order a paperback version of the book. Below is the cover I had created a few years ago, which goes much better with the story.  14 Years! It seems like just yesterday, and a lifetime ago at the same time.  A lot has happened, especially over the past two years; I've moved twice and changed jobs a little bit. My long-term relationship has evolved from a partnership into a friendship, and I am working on building a healthier relationship with myself.  I've been trying to write a follow-up book to my book, Learning to Love Again, for almost four years. It's still not quite finished. Hopefully, before the end of this year, I'll have it done.  I published my newest book, Torna...

  I went to Pensacola, Florida with my oldest daughter and youngest grandson for the 4th of July. I'm not a huge beach fan, but it was a lot of fun. I got sunburnt, of course, but I also parasailed, which is something I never thought I'd be brave enough to do, and kayaked on the ocean.  The picture above is an AI version of this picture:  I like the AI version better. LOL I wish I looked that good.  I have to give props to my daughter though, she picked out an excellent hotel right on the beach, and she paid for most of the trip, which made it even sweeter.  I had hoped to do some writing while I was there, but that didn't happen, but it was a great bonding adventure for the three of us. This is a picture of us parasailing, but you can't see us. This is a picture of the three of us on the boat after being up in the parasail. My grandson hates having his picture taken. This is a picture of us kayaking taken by my daughter. This is a picture of me and my daughter ...

I've been trying to update my website, and even created a new one on WIX, only to find that I have to pay. I own my domain: metudor.com.  But, trying to edit it lately has been like taking a sledgehammer to my head. I can't even get into my WordPress site to do any editing, and if I want to use the new WIX site, I have to pay a lot of money. It's frustrating how hard things have become. I used to be able to tweak my website anytime I wanted to. Now, it might take an act of Congress to even get to the editor, and we all know that Congress is not doing a damn thing to help anyone but themselves.  On a happy note, Tornado is doing well on Amazon. Life is good for the most part, so I really shouldn't be complaining.  I saw the beautiful wildflowers in the picture above on a walk the day before yesterday and I thought I'd share them with whoever decides to read this.  I also saw a fox in this area, which was neat because you don't usually seem them in the city. I di...

  I can’t seem to get myself back into a writing groove, and I don’t know why. I have tons of story ideas, but I can’t seem to get my butt in the seat in front of the computer long enough to write anything. This is really bothering me because I love to write, but something is blocking me. I get a motivational newsletter from Jay Shetty every day. I learned about him through Mel Robbins ’ podcast. A recent newsletter he sent out included the prompt: How can I create a consistent way to complete tasks I don’t feel motivated to do? This leads to a link to an AI chat with Jay Shetty, where you get about 100 words worth of questions before it moves you to the full-access that you have to pay for. And I’m not buying. But in this newsletter, he suggested trying something for just five minutes. He also suggested checking out Mel Robbins’ book, The 5-Second Rule . I haven’t read this book yet, but five minutes should be easy to manage. Right? I have listened to Mel Robbins’ book, The Let ...

  I was looking for a picture to convey how crazy busy my life has been, and I found this one. Then, I decided I need to create a board like this so I can keep track of what I need to do, what I'm currently doing, and what I've completed. Well, I might have to have a board about this size for just the "To Do" list.  I don't know about anyone else in the self-publishing business, but does it feel like it's getting more and more overwhelming? When I started 13 years ago, there was Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and MySpace. Now, there are still all of those, plus TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Patreon, Substack, Discord, and a few more that I can't remember. How can you get any writing work done when you are trying to connect with people on all these other platforms? It makes me tired just thinking about it. And God forbid, you be like me, who is working two part-time jobs and dealing with family on top of squeezing in some writing time.  This ...

3126187   ©   Bonnie Avonrude   |   Dreamstime.com Happy July! In the U.S., we will be celebrating the 4th of July. Hopefully, the celebration will remind people that we are a nation of immigrants. A melting pot of cultures that should be celebrated. Unfortunately, with the current people in leadership, I personally don't see much to celebrate because I fear they are going to try to take away the very freedoms our forefathers fought so hard to make available.  But, let's not discuss that. Let's talk about happiness. It's often fleeting, but sometimes it shows up and stays for long periods of time. Sadly, mine has been fleeting for a number of years, but big changes have been happening over the past year and I'm starting to see the light at the end of a long and very dark tunnel.  I hope that all of you have something to celebrate this month, even if it's just waking up to a new day.  I'm going to be promoting my book Learning to Love Again  this m...