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Isolation Pets

Isolation Support Animals

Hello My Loyal Fans,

Sorry it’s been a couple months since I’ve posted. There’s been some difficult and strange times around the world. I hope all of you are well and able to adjust to the many changes going on during this pandemic. My kids and I have been staying busy by taking care of animals. A few weeks ago, we had no pets at all (besides the house spider in the stairwell), and now we have nine chickens and a milk-goat on our property… Not sure how I tricked my husband into allowing this.

Though I’ve been busy entertaining and schooling my children at home during this isolation, I finished the first draft of Cleo Book Two! I am now working on Book Three and plan to finish the series before I edit and publish book two so the rest of the books come out closer together.

Thank you for your support and love! Subscribe to my newsletter to hear more updates. In this month’s newsletter, I’m sharing some key points from a presentation I did a couple months ago about early literacy in children. Check it out.

Stay Safe and Stay Healthy and Read!

C.T. Barney

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2019 NaNoWriMo Winner!

I did it! Kind of… Yesterday, on Thanksgiving, I reached 50,000 words of my NaNoWriMo challenge. I met the word count goal, but adding the 50,000 didn’t finish my story. Cleo Book 2 is about 85% done, so it’s close, but I don’t think I’ll finish the book before the end of November. I will finish the first draft by the end of the year though, that’s my new goal. The NaNoWriMo challenge helped me make writing one of my top priorities and helped me prove to myself that I can find the time to write every day. I made it to some of my local NaNo write-ins and connected with other writers in a fun, supportive atmosphere. There were some hard nights when I’d look at the screen, hardly awake, and see that I still needed a thousand words until I could go to bed, but somehow, I always met my daily goal. I must admit, I do not type fast; it has been a weakness in my life. I averaged writing about two hours a day this month and my typing speed significantly improved! If you haven’t tried doing a NaNoWriMo challenge, I recommend it. Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely November and a happy Thanksgiving. Post details of your favorite November memory in the comments!

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Happy Fall!

Hello Cleo Followers!

Sorry I didn’t post in September; it was a crazy month. My husband and I were optimistic enough to bring our two young sons, ages 20 months and 4 years old, on a 17-day adventure to England and France. We took lots of pictures of us smiling at all the amazing sites, but let’s just say that when we landed back in the States, we were tempted to kiss the ground, vowing we’d never travel out of the country with young children again. If you’re signed up for my newsletter, I shall share some of our scary, funny, and hard times we endured there. We can now look back and laugh at most of the situations….most.

Anyway, October is my and my husband’s favorite! The Pacific Northwest is stunning right now. I went on a run yesterday evening and stopped in my tracks several times, gawking at the sun setting over a vast, bright green field. My kids and I picked about 100 pounds of apples in the past couple weeks. Most of which I turned into applesauce and apple cider. I’ve got tons of apple cider in my deep freezer. We’re saving it for Thanksgiving when our family will come to visit. I made butternut squash soup with squash from our garden and also made a ton of pumpkin puree to make all kinds of pumpkin goodies. But I probably made a mistake letting my four-year-old have full access to all the seeds we scraped out of our pumpkins. I found him running all over our yard with a spoon, “planting” all the pumpkin seeds. I guess we’ll see if our lot is covered with pumpkin vines this time next fall.

Halloween is just around the corner! What are you dressing up as? My older son and I have been working on his costume all week, building an ark and carving a staff and making him a beard so he can be the biblical Noah, and his brother be one of his animals on the ark, a tiger. Last, I love this month because my husband and I got married this month 7 years ago. We attended a wedding at the end of September and as the bride and groom were exchanging their hand-written vows, we realized that we had never written our own for each other somehow. So, this year we wrote our vows and read them to each other on our anniversary. One of my favorite gifts yet.

I started my book club back up for the school year and in the month of October we are reading the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story by Washington Irving. And since that story is so short, we are also reading Rebecca, By: Daphne du Maurier. My husband and I read Sleepy Hollow together in two nights. It was beautiful writing, but nothing like the gory or scary I was expecting like from the movie. I started reading Rebecca yesterday, and oh man am I hooked. Read it with me!
I am happy to be getting back into my routine, especially since I’ve made so much more time to write. I’d say I am only a couple months away from having my first rough draft of the second Cleo book! I’m so excited. Keep in touch for more updates.

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Writing

I put my kids to bed at nine, my husband to bed at eleven. Then, if everything in my house is in order, which it never is, I write… Though I didn’t fancy writing, until recent years, it is now my obsession. When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about how each situation could fit into a future novel. Nights I lie in bed, not having typed or written about the stories filling my head, are restless. Why creating stories and forming them into words, sentences, and characters makes me feel so fulfilled, I will never know. I’ll also never know why I cut ten inches off my hair… So many mysteries in life.

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Passions

I become passionate about too many things. This summer I’ve been going to u-pick fruit farms with two of my friends and turning my haul into freezer jam. So far, I’ve turned 70 pounds of strawberries, 50 pounds of peaches, and 20 pounds of raspberries into jam. There’s about 20 pounds of blueberries sitting in my deep freeze, waiting to be next. I need more containers first…

Next, I’ve been training the past several months for my triathlon I completed last weekend at Hagg Lake. It was so fun and inspirational; I’m already starting my training for it again next year and talked my husband into competing too. My three-year-old thinks he will race with us. He wanted to start “training” today.

Third, I was at my local city council meeting again a couple nights ago representing our Library Board. An amnesty program that my board members and I have been working on all summer got approved by the council and will start August 1st. It’s so exciting to be part of the changes happening in our little library.

Jam, racing, hiking, libraries, writing… These are only a few things I’m passionate about at the moment. Comment a list of what you’re passionate about!

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Summer Update

It’s been a busy month so far! I hosted my local book club meeting at my house since they all read my book! It was so fun to have a group of people talk about my story in their point-of-view and hear all their thoughts and theories. We had a random name draw for a free, signed copy of my book and everyone brought some awesome snacks to share.

I’ve also been busy with working on things for the library in my town since I am the city’s Library Board President. I have an awesome board to work with; we’re excited about the library re-model and are coming up with lots of new programs to offer. Our board just took a few matters to the last city council meeting, which was fun to see and be a part of.

I am getting farther on book two and am so excited to share it with the world soon. My husband and I were coming up with names for the second book the whole drive home from the coast on Saturday. Naming things is incredibly difficult. Cleo: Under the Surface had two other names before we settled on this one. Want to guess what they were?

Thanks for all your support! Go to your local library! Libraries are cool!

Also, this month is my birthday…

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Cleo: Under the Surface Sequel Updates & Free Paperback Drawing

I hope everyone is having a terrific spring. It’s breathtaking here in Oregon, if you’ve never been here and like the outdoors, I suggest visiting. There are countless waterfalls, beautiful rain forests and beaches. Here’s a picture I took on the Spencer Butte Trail near Eugene today.

I am currently working on the second book for Cleo: Under the Surface, which I hope to have out by the end of the year.  I’ve also been busy doing stuff for our local library (I’m on the library board). Our library is being renovated and we’re creating a lot of exciting programs for all ages.

 I just did a random draw of all my newsletter subscribers for a free, signed paperback, so check your emails if you’re subscribed. If you haven’t yet subscribed, please do so on my website ctbarney.com to hear about upcoming events and a chance to win more prizes.

Also, if you’ve read Cleo: Under the Surface, please review it on Amazon, or post on my social media what you thought of it.

The ebook has been featured in another StoryOrigin promotion in which all of the books listed are free to read on Kindle Unlimited. Check it out!

Have a fantastic day!

C.T. Barney

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Paperback Now Available!

Cleo Under the Surface paperback is now available on Amazon! (click here to buy) I am so excited to have my physical book in my hands; it looks great. It still feels unreal to think about my story being out there for the world to read. The excitement I get every time I read or hear someone say they liked my book makes me feel like I can do a back flip on the spot. But I know I can’t, so never attempt.

Anyway, the book is doing great. It is #1 New Release in Teen & Young Adult Values & Virtues e-books on Amazon. It’s also being featured in a Sci-Fi & Fantasy group promotion through StoryOrigin. This is the link to the promotion; all the books listed on it are free for you to read with Kindle Unlimited. https://storyoriginapp.com/to/0ldC9T4L

I started reading a new series called Aerisia: Land Beyond the Sunset by Sarah Ashwood. It has a great story line and rich fantasy. I always admire authors that tackle creating a new world with its own language. Check it out! https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Ashwood/e/B00376G5OE

Thanks for all your support! Stay in touch to hear about some exciting, upcoming events.

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Cleo: Under the Surface Available!

Hello World!

Cleo: Under the Surface is complete! Three years in the making and I have published my first book! You can get the electronic-book right now on Amazon for only 99¢ until March 22. The paperback will be available on April 5th. I will launch the book on March 22, so your reviews before that date on Amazon will benefit my book launch. I am very excited to share this story with the world, let me know what you think.

Click here to get the ebook, exclusively on Amazon.

Thank you for sticking with me and for your patience.

C.T. Barney

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Love Things

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!
I must acknowledge my amazing husband on this day of love. When I handed my husband the first few chapters of the first draft of my book, I was shaking. All my writing took place at night after he fell asleep, so he didn’t understand what I was up to. My face felt boiling when I gave it to him. I left him in our room alone to read it and ran into the bathroom and jumped in the shower, the entire time wondering what he would think. 
From the moment I re-entered our room, over two years ago in December 2016, until the current moment, my husband has been nothing but supportive, encouraging, and helpful. He edited my entire third draft of the book and bought me writing software, editing software, an office desk and chair. He found our cover artist and our copy editor and has spent countless hours researching publishing and marketing for the book. I can’t tell you how many spreadsheets he’s created from his research, he loves spreadsheets… He is my agent, my financial adviser, my photographer, and my best friend. 
He has filled the past seven years with love and adventure. I can’t believe I found someone that not only supports me, but who is right there with me, working on something so important. This book isn’t just mine, it wouldn’t exist in the way it does without him. It’s our project, our book, “our precious…”