In Florida, we are facing our yearly hurricane season. The weather channel forecasts worrisome news about hurricanes and tropical storms, and warns residents to be prepared.
For the last month, we had typical summer weather–hot, sunny or hazy in the morning. Sometimes we were lucky to enjoy a slight breeze. Around noon the wind picked up, the clouds threatened and the surf heightened. Before we knew it, we were drenched with pouring rain while lightning and thunder competed in the darkened sky.
From my desk, I could see the change in weather– squalls of heavy rain pelleting the window while my office turned dark. It was time to switch on the light and switch off the computer.
After facing this warning on a daily base, one can’t help worrying about nasty weather, especially when we remember the mess caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It’s difficult to decide how to prepare and behave when the forecast predicts a hurricane. To panic and evacuate as we did during our first summer in Fort Lauderdale? Or stay and weather the storm hoping it would bypass us?
Writers from my local chapter are exchanging advice on how to protect their precious files. Some use an online ‘storage’. Others send a disk/flash drive with their current work in process to out-of-state family members or friends. Many email themselves with their own files as attachment.
My husband has networked my computer, his laptop and an external back-up hard disc, a small box that is easy to carry if we have to evacuate. Still, I prefer to save my own files on a flash drive every night.
While we hope that Mother Nature will spare us this year and Wilma will remain a memory, how do you protect your work during hurricane season in the South, tornadoes in the Midwest (years ago, I faced a memorable tornado, in Cincinnati) or blizzard and disaster time if you live in the North?
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk published more than twenty books, some translated in German and French.
She received an Outstanding Achiever Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine and is a
Best Romance Novel winner at Preditors & Editors Readers Poll;
Two-Time winner of Best Contemporary Romance Novel at Readers Favorite;
EPIC’s Ebook Award Finalist; and a Kindle Top 100 Bestselling Author
ON CHRISTMAS EVE is Book 6 of Holiday Babies Series, and my contribution to a coming Christmas anthology titled:
SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 3 on pre-order now:
| Amazon | http://tinyurl.com/jf8jjha |
| iTune /Apple | http://tinyurl.com/jvc9n76 |
| Kobo Books | http://tinyurl.com/hhwm2c5 |
| http://tinyurl.com/z5qzshr |
The two previous boxes SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 1 and SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 2 reached the USA Today bestselling lists several times.
Tiffany broke their engagement five years ago when she thought Matthew cheated on her. But fate keeps throwing him in her path. His tender gaze erases years of loneliness and her heart squeezes with longing. Until she notices the two little girls in his arms. His daughters? Where is their mother?
Can Tiffany and Matthew forgive each other, live in the present, and create a new future?
Authors of Main Street 
One thing I definitely do not miss about living in South Florida is the threat of hurricanes. Every times there’s a red and yellow buzzsaw out there in the Atlantic, tension mounts. Will it turn? How strong will it get? Should I leave or stay? I hope the remainder of hurricane season is uneventful for you!
I have my files backed up on DVDs, but have been considering an online storage solution.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Sandra, expect for hurricane scare, life is pretty good in Florida. Maybe the news exaggerate the anxiety with their constant reporting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stay safe, Mona! How nice to see a cover for your new book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Susan. It’s a cute cover!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stay safe, Mona! On Long Island, we batten down the hatches at least once during Hurricane Season (Superstorm Sandy, anyone?). I use Carbonite for auto-back-up, and I also have a private Yahoo group where I’ve uploaded all my manuscripts, cover art, articles, and workshops. This way, I can access my work from any computer anywhere in the world. Only my daughter and I are on the group (she’s there in case I die or become incapacitated suddenly and the fam needs access to my stuff).The only trick is remembering to upload the most recent files on a regular basis.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck with the new book, Mona! I, too, love the cover. I send myself a file as back-up also send to a flash drive. I used to print a hard copy, but no longer do that. Stay safe from the storms!
LikeLiked by 1 person