Writing Challenge

Writing Challenge Update September

| C.E. Flores

Sadly, I don’t have a new release this month, but I have been making progress. If you remember, I am reworking some parts of The Mexican Apothecary. The first half of the book is done. This month I hope to do the second half and re-release it in October.

Then, I’ve started on the book that chronicles the crackpot income-generating ideas we’ve tried since moving to Mexico. The working title is Minding the Business in La Yacata. I might need a month or two more on that. The rough draft is done, but the editing–oh, the editing.

I do have some freebies for you to hold you over until these WIPs are done. I also have some freebies for you. First, A Woman’s Survival Guide to Holidays in Mexico is free on Amazon until Labor Day.

Get it now

Then, Sip Your Way to Summer Wellness: 10 Delectable Herbal Elixers for Refreshing Vitality is available via Edge Magazine.

Get it now

And finally, Herbal Academy also has a free ebook you can download, 11 Herbal Recipes for Memory and Focus.

Get it now

See you at next month’s writing challenge check-in!

August 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

I wasn’t sure I was going to finish the shopping book in July. Not only did formatting give me grief, but the rainy season meant my internet was unstable, and uploading the manuscript to Amazon took DAYS! 
Anyway, to celebrate, the ebook version of A Woman’s Survival Guide to Shopping in Rural Mexico: Where to Go to Get the Essentials is FREE August 1-5. The print version is still under review and not live quite yet on Amazon. 


As much as I want to work on herbs some more (the wellness garden book is calling my name), I’m going to spend this month working on another book in La Yacata series. It’s not my best-selling series, but I’m pretty sure I can get this one out in a month, as I have the draft done already. Remember that impressive list of WIP I started the year with?


I am going to do some revisions on The Mexican Apothecary book. I received some constructive criticism which I’m going to use to rethink the book before I move on to the next one in the series. So I won’t totally be deprived of herbs this month! Don’t forget to grab your free book! 

Get it now

July 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

Well, I’m not as impressed with my progress this month as I’d like to be, but progress is progress, right? 

I had the intention of getting the shopping book launched and was well on the way to doing just that when I got what may have been sun poisoning during the mid-month heat wave. I spent entirely too much time sleeping and recuperating, which I suppose did me good because I’m up and about again anyway. 

So I managed to get the draft of the shopping book edited but still need to do the formatting (which is my least favorite aspect of publishing and one I tend to procrastinate the most at). 

My goal remains to get this shopping book done. I’m not going to set myself another task this month. If I finish early, then I can reward myself with some herb research.

June 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

Although I wasn’t sure it was going to happen, I finally finished the Appendix to herb book 4 and did the formatting. It is now available on Amazon as part of the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series.

Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico Volume 4: Discovering the Healing Power of Native Blossoming Plants

Are you ready to discover the incredible healing power of Mexican blossoming plants? Volume 4 of the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series explores over 50 different varieties and their unique medicinal properties.

From the breathtaking beauty of some of these plants to the less attractive yet equally powerful, gain valuable insights into the traditional uses and modern applications. Whether you are a professional in the field of herbal medicine or simply curious about the power of these plants, this volume has something to offer.

Unlock the healing power of blossoming plants and take control of your health and well-being. Don’t miss out on Volume 4 of the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series. Order your copy today and discover the incredible healing properties of these plants.

See it on amazon

Feeling pretty good about getting that done, I’m going to try to tackle the shopping in rural Mexico book again this month.

Writing Challenge 2023 May Update

| C.E. Flores

I spent some time marketing this month, although I assume that the results aren’t immediate since I’ve had dismal book sales. Be that as it may…

Did you see the video I did with Toni Lontis?

What about the book feature in The Edge Magazine?

I also fiddled around with getting some books in a physical (or rather a metaphysical) store in North Dakota. Here’s my highlight from SOS Holistic Healing Center.

Between these little bouts of promotion, I focused on editing Herb book #4. I did two full edits and have just the formatting and appendix to finish up. Look for a June launch! 

I also have the coloring book in PDF form, which you can get from the shop!

See it now

Since I’m so close I can taste it, I’m going to keep plugging away on the herb book. Whatever time is left this month will be devoted to the shopping in rural Mexico manuscript.

April 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

So I have to admit, I got caught up in the herbs this month and would have kept going and adding to Herb book #4, except I ran out of days in the month. As it stands, I have 50+ herbs researched and added to the first draft, and I need to stop there, although my list of herbs to research is still a mile long. 

In April, I’m going back to the shopping book. If you remember, I got hung up on taking new pictures to replace the poor-quality ones and didn’t get the draft edited. Since the rainy season is nigh, the added time crunch hopefully will be the incentive I need to get ‘er done this month. 

If all goes according to plan, which it seldom does, I’ll have two books ready for publishing by June.

Meanwhile, I’ve been doing some marketing and have increased my royalties a bit. Of course, just like anything else, I tend to use marketing as a form of procrastination, and the writing part gets left by the wayside. 

Sigh–the challenges of getting these pesky little books birthed!!!

March 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

After a stellar start to the year, February was a flop. I did not get any of the writing projects I had in the lineup completed.

I started working on the Shopping in Rural Mexico editing and found that I will need to retake a good portion of the pictures again. What was good enough for a blog post is certainly not clear enough for a print book. So I’m moving this project to the simmer setting on the stove. I didn’t even look at the other books in the series.

Instead, I’ve been revamping my website. My goal is to get everything under one roof, so to speak. Teachable raised its prices to use the platform to the point where it’s not profitable for me to continue using it. Teachers Pay Teachers blacklisted some of my Women of the Bible printables because someone found them offensive. So I’ve taken my toys and gone home, literally. And now I need a new place to display my wares.

It has been a frustrating experience with the WooCommerce and PayPal plug-ins so far. I hope to finish up in March. You can see the new storefront on the homepage. Pardon the dust while I get it all set up. 

I also spent part of the month trying my hand at networking. As an introvert, this is waaaayyy out of my comfort zone, but if I want to find the right readers for my books, well, I’m going to have to come out of my shell a bit more. Of course, networking is a long game, so I don’t know if my efforts will bear fruit for a bit. I guess it’s a start, though, right?

I am also going to switch back to the herb books as a focus for March. I have four herbs to research to finish the first draft of Herb book #4. And hey, it’s my writing challenge, so I can do what I want to (It’s also my birthday month, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my 50th than by researching a new plant.)

February 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

So here’s how I did in January:

  • Goal #1 Herb book #4. I did not finish this. However, I need just four more herb studies for an even 30 and publication, so I’m getting there. 
  • Goal #2 Mexican Wellness Garden book. I started making infographics of the plants I want to include.
  • Goal #3 Spanish cold & flu book is FINISHED! Look for an announcement later this month about that. 
  • Goal #4 Women’s health apothecary is slow going. For every herb I research, there are three more that I’ve never heard of. 
  • Goal #5 Herb coloring book–didn’t even get to this one this month. 

With February comes a new focus, the Woman’s Survival Guide series. I haven’t put out a new one in this series in a few years. 

The series to date

First I’d like to start with the shopping guide. Believe it or not, there are precious few shopping centers in rural Mexico! The draft is done for this, but it needs some serious editing.

I have been trying to come up with a move-to-Mexico guide for quite some time. I have a few chapters written and some ideas outlined, but this one will need some major work.

I’m not sure if the topic of raising a family should be in a new book or part of the move-to-Mexico guide, but I at least need to work on it to figure that out. 

A Woman’s Survival Guide to Mexican Healthcare hasn’t been updated since 2019, so that’s also in the lineup. 

I don’t expect to have all four books done this month, but I’d like to have them at least moving along toward completion. And here we go!!!

January 2023 Writing Challenge Update

| C.E. Flores

So here we go! This month, I’m going to start with my favorite topic to write about: HERBS! 

As you can see, I have five books in this category, more than the other WIP lists. My plan is to start the year out with these, work the entire month on them, and come back later in the year to work some more on them. Yippee!!

The yet untitled Herb book #4 in the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies In Mexico series is in the writing stage. I have about ten more herbs to research and write about.

The Mexican Wellness Garden book is mostly in draft form. I’d like to have that out by the Spring Equinox. 

The Spanish version of  The Mexican Apothecary: Traditional Cold and Flu Herbal Remedies is formatted and translated. It’s in the proofreading stage. 

The Women’s Health Apothecary is still in the writing stage. I have no idea how long that’s going to take me. The more remedies I research, the more herbs I find to research. I love it!

And finally, the herb coloring book is coming along. I haven’t decided exactly which herbs to include, but all the drawings are by my talented artist friend Claudia Guzes. 

Each morning, starting today, I will complete a lesson from Leonie Dawson’s 40 Days to a Finished Book course. 

I also thought I’d use this Herbal Intention worksheet from Herbal Academy to help keep my focus. I’ve filled in my intentions for January, and we’ll see how I do. If you’d like your own worksheet, you can download it free here. 

FREE Herbal Intentions Worksheet

On February 1, I’ll update my progress and talk about my plans for February. 

Here I go!!!!

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Take a look at the Exploring Traditional Herbal Remedies in Mexico series!