Productive Procrastination...or Eat the Frog

 

By Maureen Bonatch

The first time I heard ‘eat the frog’, I had the same grimace you’re wearing now if you’re unfamiliar with the meaning of this expression. Now I can say it with ease without making that face—until today when I saw a similar reference for avoiding procrastination that referenced ‘eat an elephant beetle’. This left me wondering why eating something most unpleasant seems to be the motivator for preventing procrastination. 

Both of these expressions refer to that task that we put off. You know the one. 

It needs to be done, but it might feel like a lot of work, or there’s something easier or more enjoyable that you’d rather do first. Often this leads to many other little tasks that get completed while that big ole’ frog is still sitting there ribbit-ing at you to pay attention to it. (I am not sure what sound an elephant beetle makes. After taking a peek at a picture of one of those buggers, I’d prefer not to eat that either.)

Avoidance

Sometimes in avoidance, I’ll tackle many tadpole tasks, so it feels like I’m getting something done. Although in the back of my mind, I knew that the giant frog would be waiting for me tomorrow. 

Writing this blog right now is one way I avoid finishing the last 15 thousand words of a story draft. As a panster (a writer who outlines little but instead writes by the seat of her pants), sometimes the words flow like a flood, while other times I sit waiting for the character to tell me what happens next. And sometimes, those stubborn fools just don’t want to share. Or I think I know what’s coming up, and they laugh at the choppy words that are later deleted. 

Productive Procrastination

Many who aren’t authors envision days of just writing the words. Ahh…we writers know there are days like that, but usually, that’s not every day since there are sooo many other tasks that need to be addressed. 

It’s easy to avoid a big task by detouring to other little jobs that still need doing. Things like reworking or writing a blurb, making ads, making graphics, editing, social media posting, looking for book covers, and listening to educational podcasts or other courses… Or—oh—start this new shiny story because it’s so much better than the current one. The last is my current dilemma. Some other characters want their story started.

But alas, this list of ways to procrastinate is endless. Doing these might help to feel productive, but the frog? Yep. Still waiting. 

Working Through Procrastination

The idea of eating a frog (or a huge beetle) is to start the day by tackling the most dreaded task first …and then complete the other tasks without the weight of that task dragging you down. 

The key is finding what works to provide enough motivation to get it done, such as:

• Find something tastier than a frog: Decide upon a reward for yourself
• Hide from the tadpoles: Minimize distractions by shutting down social media and other windows
• Face the frog: Admit you’ve been procrastinating, and then tackle it
• Make a deal with the frog: Commit to completing the task- tell a friend for accountability 
• Picture giving the frog the boot: Change dread to the excitement of imagining how you’ll feel once it’s done
• Magically turn the frog into tadpoles: Break it into smaller tasks, so it’s not as overwhelming

Who Starts the Day Eating the Frog? Or How Do You Deal with Procrastination?

Psst! Here’s some cool things to procrastinate with! 

A Cagey CATastrophe is available for Preorder- click right here to check it out!

Look-ey, Look-ey! It's a Giveaway! Check it out by clicking right here.

Did someone say Free Cozy Mysteries? Click right here to check them out!

M.L. Bonatch believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and caffeine and wine are essential for survival. When she’s not doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, she’s a mom to twin daughters, exploring the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby and dancing as much as possible. She writes paranormal cozy mysteries as  M.L. Bonatch, paranormal romance and other genres as Maureen Bonatch, and her latest urban fantasy as Amber Wrath.

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Coffee, Tea or Cocktails?

 

By Maureen Bonatch 

 

I’ve always been a drinker. It started out with my love of Cherokee Red, and then progressed to Mountain Dew, to Diet Coke, and now, coffee. Or in the evening it’s often herbal tea. And always —water. I’m a huge water drinker. 

A drink can make or break my mood

Such as a good cup of coffee in the morning (vs no coffee in the morning—just think how that can impact your mood if you’re a coffee drinker!), or one to enjoy while visiting with friends and family. Or a glass of wine, or a sipper of tequila—you get my point. 

That’s why several of my series have a bar setting. The first with Destiny Calling and Not a Chance at the Last Call bar. Then, Grandma Must Die, featured a few visits to Switzer Land. It’s the perfect place to visit with friends, and make new ones. 

A Charmed Cocktail Cozy 

It only made sense to create my new charmed cocktail series with a bar setting. Night Moves may be one of the main settings, but some of the focus is on Marissa, my main character, striving to perfect her charmed cocktails and become a stellar witch mixologist. 

 I know, personally, I’ve had mixed drinks that taste like water, or wine that tastes like someone switched it with vinegar, but when you get that perfect drink (alcohol or not) it’s like a little piece of nirvana. At least for me it is. 

That’s Marissa’s talent. When she can make a fabulous charmed cocktail the results can be fabulous, but when she doesn’t quite hit the mark, the results can be anything but! And they might come with some surprising side effects, like her ability to communicate with her cat, Jasper. Along the way Marissa gets herself mixed up in amateur sleuthing to help solve some crimes, all while having a lot of fun and getting into all kinds of shenanigans. 

Want to learn more or preorder? Click right here.

Help Celebrate this New Series with a Giveaway

To kick off the new series, and new pen name, I’m hosting a giveaway for the Charmed Cocktail Series. Here’s all the details of how to enter to win:

 If you like cozy mysteries, cats, and mixed drinks (alcohol optional), then you'll love the Charmed Cocktail Cozy Mystery series from M. L. Bonatch! The first book, CURSES, COCKTAILS, AND CORPSES will be released as part of the WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY collection from Molly Fitz and other cozy mystery authors. Help celebrate this new series by entering this giveaway! Go here now to get all your chances to win: 

 Giveaway link - https://gleam.io/competitions/36N7M-m-l-bonatchs-charmed-cocktail-cozy-mystery- 

 What’s Your Drink of Choice?

Just a small-town girl, Maureen Bonatch leads a double life. She lives in a magical world as a novelist, and as a nurse leader in reality. Maureen’s first novella was a paranormal romance published when blogs were a new-fangled thing. She’s since changed her focus to writing paranormal cozy mysteries as M.L. Bonatch and urban fantasy as Maureen Bonatch. 

While she’s not busy writing or doing nurse-things, she’s a mom to her twin daughters, bicycling in the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby, doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, and dancing as much as possible. She believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and that caffeine and wine are essential for survival. 

Follow M.L. Bonatch all through cyberspace- she's new in town and can use some friends!

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A Virtual Book Chat & A Sale

 by Maureen Bonatch

I rarely take selfies and I've never been one to like my photo, but when I took a new job over 2 years ago that was completely virtual, I began spending every day on Zoom video meetings. It took some getting used to, but now, virtual has become the new normal to me, and many.

So when I was asked to do a virtual book chat about Destiny Calling, I hesitated for a minute before I said, sure!  What could be better than talking about books and some of my favorite characters while we are all in the comfort of our own homes? Because I admit, I've become more of a hermit over the past year and now that the temperatures are frigid in our neck of the woods, staying in seems like a good thing.

Win a Signed Book

To sweeten the pot for the virtual event, I'm giving away a signed paperback copy of both books in The Enchantlings series—AND the ebook versions of Destiny Calling and Not a Chance are on sale now for $0.99 cents so you can get your copies to read before the chat. 

Register for the free virtual chat at this link, or get details right here at Bosler Memorial LIbrary's Facebook page. 

The virtual event is Tuesday, February 16th from 5pm- 6pm EST- I hope to see you there!

On Sale Now for $0.99 cents

Destiny Calling (Book 1)

Hope only wants to find out if her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with her touch makes her the devil's spawn, or his exterminator. But when the woman who raised her is murdered by something not human, she loses the only family she knew and discovers one she might wish she hadn’t.

Not a Chance (Book 2)

The last thing Hope Hallows wants is to become the latest headline. Living in a town that likes secrets, she prefers to keep hers hidden. Avoiding a nosy reporter’s questions about her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with a single touch, and those who crave this bliss, is nothing new. But having her brother’s annoying girlfriend, Berta, go missing is—especially when it makes Hope suspect number one.

Have You Gone Virtual This Year?

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. 

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

A Book Release, an Eye Surgery, and a Drawing

I tell ya what, it’s nice to be back with my PNRom peeps this month, and with a functioning eyeball. For those of you didn’t know, life dumped me unexpectedly (and rather rudely, I might add) into the ER for eye surgery...the night before my next series short-story released. Nothing Earth shattering, just a detached retina. 

Unfortunately, the doctor did not replace my failing eyeball with a bionic one, this time. I'm still working on him about that. Fortunately, Linda Nightingale kindly stepped up to fill my September blog slot, and for that I’m grateful.

This month my eye is better and I’m back to my usual shenanigans. Let’s start with the release I missed.

Space Ranger--the story of what really happened to Graig that brought him back to Simone--re-released on Sept. 24^th. This is a companion/fan-service story to my novel Prophecy. Companion, meaning while it can be read alone, it will flow smoother if read in sequence after Prophecy. Fan service, because so many readers wanted to know exactly what Alex did to help Graig see the light. Aaaand also because you all keep asking for more Alex and Gryf.

Oh, and "re-release"...well, this story was my contribution to the first ever Pets in Space anthology from a couple years ago.

Check it out:

Graig Roble, Matiran Senior Security Commander for the Guardian Fleet, is an expert weapons specialist and combat master. Protecting others is what he was born to do. So why has his focus wavered since returning to duty aboard the Atlantis? All he can think about is the enticingly brilliant human woman he walked away from.

Simone Campbell uses her experience as a botanist to help Terr recover from the devastating Anferthian invasion. Yet she can’t seem to immerse herself deep enough in her work to expunge the memory of one blue-skinned hunk-of-an-alien. What is it about Graig that keeps pulling her attention, and her heart, away from her job?

One thing’s for sure, their bond runs deeper than either of them realized—but can Graig convince Simone of this before he loses the best thing to ever happen to him?

(This is a revised edition and originally appeared in the first Pets in Space(R) anthology.)

There are two ways to get your copy of Space Ranger:

1) Subscribe to my newsletter and get a FREE complimentary copy**

2) Purchase it from your favorite online store

** If you already subscribe, go to your email and look at the September 2019’s version of Lea’s Letters from Space for the link to get your own copy.

In other news…

Tomorrow’s Halloween! What better way to celebrate than with a sexy vampire? And boy do I know the guy for you! Read on to find out how you could win a Kindle version of my vampire novel, Made for Her….

Racing against time to return a legendary dagger to the land of the Fae, Donnie McAllister must rely on a dangerously sexy vampire to navigate a world she never knew existed. If she doesn’t deliver, it’ll cost Donnie her life and leave the ancient weapon of untold power in the hands of her corrupt, venomous boss.

Mikhail Cherneski’s nemesis is after Donnie, the human woman whose blood calls to Mikhail like no other. When Mikhail comes face-to-face with his enemy, he must risk his immortal life or watch Donnie suffer the same fate as his family.

Another bewitching story from Magic, New Mexico

**THIS DRAWING HAS ENDED. THANK YOU!**

Here are the entry rules:

1) To win, you must have a Kindle/Kindle email address (no exceptions, sorry).

2) Winner will be drawn at noon PST November 6, 2019.

3) The author will contact winner via email; winner will have 24 hours to respond.

4) If winner does not respond in the requisite amount of time, or does not qualify, a new name will be drawn. 

5) With the winner’s consent, the author will post winner’s name in her November 30^th blog.

6) Your entry is your consent for the author to contact you, and your agreement with the author’s privacy policy.

Good luck, everyone, and have a safe and fun Halloween!

 ~Lea

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

USA Today Bestselling Author, Lea Kirk, loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her sci-fi romances. 

When she’s not busy writing about the blue and green aliens of her Prophecy series, or reading about dragons, she’s hanging out with her hubby, five kids (the nerd herd), and spoiled Dobie mix puppy.

She is currently working on a novella and the fourth book in her series.