A Wednesday list...

1. I think I've previously mentioned the stray cats in our neighborhood and how they irritate me to no end (peeing and pooping all over our yard, etc.), especially the one who has had kittens in our backyard twice. I finally got my rear in gear and borrowed a live animal trap and set it out last night, and low and behold, the mama cat took the bait! Animal control came this morning, and apparently what they do now is spay/neuter, vaccinate, and re-release the cats. On the up side, having a non-procreating community of cats will keep the rodent population down, so I'm glad I set out the trap even if it doesn't mean I will be free forever. I even set out the trap again to see if I can catch another one! I'm on a roll.

2. I finished Lethal White, by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) and loved it so much! I think this was my favorite of the series so far. I love how Rowling balances the complex mystery and plot with the character arcs and development. I also appreciated that Lethal White was significantly less grisly than book three.

3. My daughter would rather eat Saltine crackers than Cheez-its or Goldfish (to be fair, I think she got burned out on Goldfish during our road trip). Kids are weird.

4. I entered a manuscript contest this week. Fingers crossed! Winners get tickets to a Texas editors/agents conference, which would be so cool. But what I'm almost more excited about is the fact that even if you don't win you get a critique of your submission (synopsis and first 10 pages).

5. Speaking of critiques...one of my top writing-related goals right now is to find a critique group or a couple of critique partners. This is a daunting task. I thought I might be able to network last year through a Houston area writers group, but it didn't pan out. I think one thing that's stood in my way is my own thinking that I'd like to find a person/persons I already know. But I think that's unrealistic right now. (unless you're reading this and want to form a writing critique partnership! If so, shoot me a message!) 

I'm extra tired this week, so I feel like I've been extra random. Oh well! Happy Wednesday from my scattered brain to yours!