I've been watching the game show The Chase lately. I totally rock it most days. Some days I can't get the answer out of my mouth in time, but hey, that's fine. It's not like I'm actually on the show or anything. And The Beast? Big, nerdy, teddy-bear even if he is a little growly sometimes. I love it. I could totally hang with that dude.
While working on deeper edits for UatB, I found two tiny typos in SU. Ugh. They're fixed and uploaded now, but geez.
Got some good news last night, but I don't have the okee doke to share it publicly, even if it was shared on FB - but not 'public', only 'friends'. Not my page, not my news.
It's been a week of busting my ass this week. More on that Sunday.
I don't think I drink enough water, especially now that it's hot. And it is HOT right now. Blerg.
We spotted a new pair of fawns. They're noticeably new fawns because they're so tiny compared with the other two sets we have. So, near as we can figure, eight fawns so far this year. Yay.
Oak mite bites suck. They are the itchiest bites I've ever gotten. Bastards. I just researched oak mites... You don't want to know. They're totally gross. And I am totally itchy just thinking about it.
Years ago, I interviewed for a job in Baltimore. They offered me the job. At the time, though, it ultimately wasn't enough in compensation package to make me move from FL. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I'd taken that job. Regional Sales Manager... I sure as hell wouldn't be a hermit, lemme tell ya. Plus, I'd be city folk. And then there's the whole living in Baltimore thing... :shudder: So happy I didn't go that route.
Okay, I think that's all I've got today. How about you?
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Randomosity
It's Tuesday. Yeah, I probably don't have to tell y'all that. You're probably well aware. Me? I need a reminder from time to time.
Today the sale ends for Blink of an I and begins for Sleeping Ugly. SU will be on sale through the end of Monday and the sale for the A Dennis Haggarty Mystery series will begin at midnight PST on Tuesday the 23rd. That last one paid has advertising attached. An ad will go out on Friday the 26th. Fingers crossed. I'll post more about the SU sale tomorrow on Outside the Box.
I'm back to work on Ugly and the Beast. I have a page and a half of notes left to input, then I'll start all over again making new notes and fixing other things. No promises about when it'll be available for publication, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The long, long tunnel. Actually, it's more like a rat hole, but there's a light.
Yesterday, I finished a book so damn good that I had to buy the sequel. At full price, which ought to tell you something. And I started reading it right away, which also ought to tell you something. I almost never read books in a series back to back, but I couldn't help myself. It's already delivering on the promise made by the first book. If you're into fun and snarky urban fantasy, go forth and buy a copy of Necropolis by Shane Simmons. I haven't been this excited about a new urban fantasy series since I picked up Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire. There's only two books in this series right now, which will be fine if he wraps it up right. :fingers crossed:
I'd like new readers to get excited about my books like that. And, you know, write reviews so other readers can see how excited they are.
Well, I suppose I should get cracking and do something positive this morning. This stuff isn't going to do itself. Have a great day and I'll see y'all tomorrow.
Today the sale ends for Blink of an I and begins for Sleeping Ugly. SU will be on sale through the end of Monday and the sale for the A Dennis Haggarty Mystery series will begin at midnight PST on Tuesday the 23rd. That last one paid has advertising attached. An ad will go out on Friday the 26th. Fingers crossed. I'll post more about the SU sale tomorrow on Outside the Box.
I'm back to work on Ugly and the Beast. I have a page and a half of notes left to input, then I'll start all over again making new notes and fixing other things. No promises about when it'll be available for publication, but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The long, long tunnel. Actually, it's more like a rat hole, but there's a light.
Yesterday, I finished a book so damn good that I had to buy the sequel. At full price, which ought to tell you something. And I started reading it right away, which also ought to tell you something. I almost never read books in a series back to back, but I couldn't help myself. It's already delivering on the promise made by the first book. If you're into fun and snarky urban fantasy, go forth and buy a copy of Necropolis by Shane Simmons. I haven't been this excited about a new urban fantasy series since I picked up Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire. There's only two books in this series right now, which will be fine if he wraps it up right. :fingers crossed:
I'd like new readers to get excited about my books like that. And, you know, write reviews so other readers can see how excited they are.
Well, I suppose I should get cracking and do something positive this morning. This stuff isn't going to do itself. Have a great day and I'll see y'all tomorrow.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Sunday Update - Week 28
Hello again. Twenty-eight weeks into 2019 now. Not sure how it got to be this late in the year already.
I'm still not writing or editing. Maybe I should stop talking about it and just do it, eh?
Still marketing a bunch. The Project Hermes sale ended and the Blink of an I sale began. Sold some PH, but no BOIA yet.
I only read one book last week, but it was a big one. And I DNF'd two books yesterday. Then I started another one. I thought it was MG, but oh, hell, noes. MG doesn't have so many swears. I don't care about swearing, but that may be a huge niche snafu with this book. We'll see how it goes.
Last week, I managed 6 out of 7 days with activity. Lots of walking, and then I also did yardwork on two of the days I walked. And then the day I didn't count as active was grocery shopping - which I sometimes think pushing a cart full of foodstuffs around Wallyworld ought to count. Still no weight change, but then again, I haven't really managed to cut back on the amount I'm eating. I love food.
Speaking of food, I made lemon coconut bread yesterday. Earlier in the week, I made peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Hubs is in heaven.
Other than that, not much going on around here. How are things in your world?
I'm still not writing or editing. Maybe I should stop talking about it and just do it, eh?
Still marketing a bunch. The Project Hermes sale ended and the Blink of an I sale began. Sold some PH, but no BOIA yet.
I only read one book last week, but it was a big one. And I DNF'd two books yesterday. Then I started another one. I thought it was MG, but oh, hell, noes. MG doesn't have so many swears. I don't care about swearing, but that may be a huge niche snafu with this book. We'll see how it goes.
Last week, I managed 6 out of 7 days with activity. Lots of walking, and then I also did yardwork on two of the days I walked. And then the day I didn't count as active was grocery shopping - which I sometimes think pushing a cart full of foodstuffs around Wallyworld ought to count. Still no weight change, but then again, I haven't really managed to cut back on the amount I'm eating. I love food.
Speaking of food, I made lemon coconut bread yesterday. Earlier in the week, I made peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Hubs is in heaven.
Other than that, not much going on around here. How are things in your world?
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Saturday Reading Wrap-up - 7/13/19
Not much on the reading this week. It happens sometimes. Especially when you pick up a thick book and spend the week reading that. I started my one book of the week last Friday and finished it last night. Usually books don't take me a week to read but this was like 566 pages. :shrug:
I downloaded a bunch of new ebooks last week. Let's see... Earlier in the week, there was a mystery and an urban fantasy and a paranormal mystery. Then yesterday, I went a little crazy and downloaded another mystery, another urban fantasy and a spy thriller. Add those to the five I already had waiting and I've got eleven unread ebooks. The oldest one I've had since June 25th, so not that bad.
Books read:
64) Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag (7/12/19) - Suspense - 5 stars. New to me, but not underappreciated. Can't believe I'd never read Tami Hoag before. I'll have to keep an eye out for her books when I hit the thrift stores. And that's where I got this one for 50c.
No review. It's got like 750 reviews and 15K ratings. What more could I add to that?
No DNFs.
Currently reading... Well, since I finished Ashes to Ashes about a half hour before Live PD, I haven't picked out a new book to read yet. Probably one of the many ebooks I now have waiting.
What did your reading week look like?
I downloaded a bunch of new ebooks last week. Let's see... Earlier in the week, there was a mystery and an urban fantasy and a paranormal mystery. Then yesterday, I went a little crazy and downloaded another mystery, another urban fantasy and a spy thriller. Add those to the five I already had waiting and I've got eleven unread ebooks. The oldest one I've had since June 25th, so not that bad.
Books read:
64) Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag (7/12/19) - Suspense - 5 stars. New to me, but not underappreciated. Can't believe I'd never read Tami Hoag before. I'll have to keep an eye out for her books when I hit the thrift stores. And that's where I got this one for 50c.
No review. It's got like 750 reviews and 15K ratings. What more could I add to that?
No DNFs.
Currently reading... Well, since I finished Ashes to Ashes about a half hour before Live PD, I haven't picked out a new book to read yet. Probably one of the many ebooks I now have waiting.
What did your reading week look like?
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Thursday This n That
I probably don't need to remind y'all, but never buy anything with a broken seal, and if it doesn't have a seal, check to make sure it wasn't opened. (Hopefully, Blue Bell starts putting seals on their ice cream, but if not, you can tell it's been opened when the lid comes off easily.) First the stupid bitch who thought licking ice cream and then putting it back in the store cooler was a good idea, then the other stupid bitch who gargled with mouthwash, spit it back in the bottle and put it back on the shelf. I also heard from a fellow shopper that she once bought a pre-made frosting where the seal was broken and it appeared like two fingers had been dragged through the frosting. Add to that PSA a reminder to check the sell-by dates. I tell ya, grocery shopping isn't as easy as it used to be. And people suck.
Yesterday, it was just getting light out when I went to look out the bathroom window and there was a bat sitting on the outside sill. I jumped, he jumped. He flew away. They hang out under the sill in the summer. I've just never seen one sitting on the sill. (I leave them alone because they can't get into the house from there. It's just a nice, dark overhang.) This one was a little brown bat, but I've also seen big brown bats under there. Go forth and eat loads of mosquitoes, little dude.
If you missed it - you know, because practically no one carried it - One America News Network will be showing an encore of the Salute to America celebration on Saturday at 1pm Central Time. Not sure if your service carries OANN, but DirectTV does.
Speaking of DirectTV, apparently they're having contract problems with Nexstar and so some of the local channels are dead to me right now. For us, it was our Fox station, so no All Star Game for us Tuesday night. We also lost a channel we never watch, so I'm not really all that ticked about it. Our CBS station was also listed on the website, but it was fine last I checked. All I can say is it better stay fine because I'll be wanting to watch that channel this weekend for golf. Otherwise, meh.
I was weeding the cedar bed and felt something bite me inside my gardening glove. Well, actually, I thought I'd gotten a piece of stick in there and it was poking me. But when I looked, it was a bug. A tick actually. It got away. First tick bite of the year, so actually that's not too bad. Except it's right in the crease of my wrist, so every time I move my right hand, it itches like the dickens. (Yes, I scrubbed it thoroughly and then slapped antibiotic cream in it after it happened. Now I'm using Benedryl gel. And yes, I am keeping an eye on it.)
Okay, that's it for me. What's the this-n-that in your world?
Yesterday, it was just getting light out when I went to look out the bathroom window and there was a bat sitting on the outside sill. I jumped, he jumped. He flew away. They hang out under the sill in the summer. I've just never seen one sitting on the sill. (I leave them alone because they can't get into the house from there. It's just a nice, dark overhang.) This one was a little brown bat, but I've also seen big brown bats under there. Go forth and eat loads of mosquitoes, little dude.
If you missed it - you know, because practically no one carried it - One America News Network will be showing an encore of the Salute to America celebration on Saturday at 1pm Central Time. Not sure if your service carries OANN, but DirectTV does.
Speaking of DirectTV, apparently they're having contract problems with Nexstar and so some of the local channels are dead to me right now. For us, it was our Fox station, so no All Star Game for us Tuesday night. We also lost a channel we never watch, so I'm not really all that ticked about it. Our CBS station was also listed on the website, but it was fine last I checked. All I can say is it better stay fine because I'll be wanting to watch that channel this weekend for golf. Otherwise, meh.
I was weeding the cedar bed and felt something bite me inside my gardening glove. Well, actually, I thought I'd gotten a piece of stick in there and it was poking me. But when I looked, it was a bug. A tick actually. It got away. First tick bite of the year, so actually that's not too bad. Except it's right in the crease of my wrist, so every time I move my right hand, it itches like the dickens. (Yes, I scrubbed it thoroughly and then slapped antibiotic cream in it after it happened. Now I'm using Benedryl gel. And yes, I am keeping an eye on it.)
Okay, that's it for me. What's the this-n-that in your world?
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Long Ago and Far Away
Time is a funny thing. It doesn't seem like I've been married for 15 years. It doesn't feel like I moved away from Michigan 18 years ago. It sure as hell doesn't seem real that I left college 27 years ago. Twenty-seven years. :shudder:
Yesterday, a friend of Hubs posted to FB that he was in Marquette. And I got a case of the jealousies. I also got all nostalgic. I wanted to tell him all the places he could go for a good meal and all the places he could stop for a bit of fun. But I wasn't sure if any of those places were still there.
So I took to Google Maps. And there I was, flying over the city. I was looking for landmarks I remembered. And for some reason, I couldn't find the malls.
Hubs told me that after all that time, they were probably razed. Nobody goes to malls anymore. And I was all like 'but... but... but... it's a mall'.
When I was in college, there were two malls in Marquette. One in the middle of town and the other on the west side. One had a huge parking lot perfect for doing donuts in the snow and the other had a nightclub I used to frequent. (That's all I remember about either of them.)
After some scouring in satellite view, I found them both. They're much smaller than I remember. The one with the nightclub appears to be closed except for a govt office and a dollar store - both on the outside. No more inside stores - which seems silly when you consider how cold it is in Marquette.
Anyway, my favorite sub shop is still there. And my favorite used book store. And another drinking establishment I enjoyed that had a bar shaped like a gondola. It isn't all gone. It's just changed. More chain restaurants and hotels line the highway. A new Harley-Davidson store near one of the apartments I rented.
My favorite bar is gone. It was walking distance from where I lived the summer after I turned 21 and I spent many a lonely night chatting with the bartender and nursing my drinks before wandering back to my apartment. Good times.
Chances are I will never go back to Marquette. I'm hell and gone from Michigan now. If I go back, it'll be to visit family and they all live in the lower peninsula - an eight hour drive from my college stomping grounds.
But I guess I'll always be there in my memories. Where it doesn't seem so long ago that I was wandering the streets and freezing my ass off. And for a little part of me, it'll always be home.
Yesterday, a friend of Hubs posted to FB that he was in Marquette. And I got a case of the jealousies. I also got all nostalgic. I wanted to tell him all the places he could go for a good meal and all the places he could stop for a bit of fun. But I wasn't sure if any of those places were still there.
So I took to Google Maps. And there I was, flying over the city. I was looking for landmarks I remembered. And for some reason, I couldn't find the malls.
Hubs told me that after all that time, they were probably razed. Nobody goes to malls anymore. And I was all like 'but... but... but... it's a mall'.
When I was in college, there were two malls in Marquette. One in the middle of town and the other on the west side. One had a huge parking lot perfect for doing donuts in the snow and the other had a nightclub I used to frequent. (That's all I remember about either of them.)
After some scouring in satellite view, I found them both. They're much smaller than I remember. The one with the nightclub appears to be closed except for a govt office and a dollar store - both on the outside. No more inside stores - which seems silly when you consider how cold it is in Marquette.
Anyway, my favorite sub shop is still there. And my favorite used book store. And another drinking establishment I enjoyed that had a bar shaped like a gondola. It isn't all gone. It's just changed. More chain restaurants and hotels line the highway. A new Harley-Davidson store near one of the apartments I rented.
My favorite bar is gone. It was walking distance from where I lived the summer after I turned 21 and I spent many a lonely night chatting with the bartender and nursing my drinks before wandering back to my apartment. Good times.
Chances are I will never go back to Marquette. I'm hell and gone from Michigan now. If I go back, it'll be to visit family and they all live in the lower peninsula - an eight hour drive from my college stomping grounds.
But I guess I'll always be there in my memories. Where it doesn't seem so long ago that I was wandering the streets and freezing my ass off. And for a little part of me, it'll always be home.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Sunday Update - Week 27
The first week of the last half of the year. It's all sort of a blur. But that happens when I have a holiday in the middle of the week. Wednesday felt like a Thursday (because I turned in my time sheet which I do on Thursdays) and also like a Friday. Then Thursday felt like a Saturday and I kept having to remind myself 'this is NOT Saturday'. I kept looking for LivePD. Then Friday had a whole Monday vibe. Not sure what yesterday was since I already had Saturday on Thursday. Brain hurt yet? Mine does.
Another week of not writing or editing. At this point, it's almost becoming comfortable. Which is not good. I keep telling myself - today I'll work - and then the next day arrives with nothing to show for the day before.
Got my marketing groove back on for the Project Hermes sale. Much FB posting occurred. Not much sales, though. However, I'm seeing an uptick in page reads for other books. Maybe people are clicking through the FB link and finding my other books. One can hope.
I did a fair bit of reading last week. I'm at 63 books read so far this year. Way ahead of the curve on my goal to read 90. I'll probably adjust that as I get closer to 90 and I have a better idea of how the rest of the year is going to go.
On the activity front, I did 5 out of 7 days. 3 days walking, 1 day yard work, and 1 day cleaning. Let's not discuss weight, shall we? I've slipped over to the seefood diet. If I see food, I eat it.
No baking this week. It's too freakin' hot. Although, I am getting a craving for brownies. Heh, like I need brownies.
I had a bit of fun at the Dollar General last week. It seems they have a new check verification system in place and for some reason, it doesn't like my checks. Kinda freaked me out, so I went straight to my bank and made sure I hadn't been hacked or had my identity stolen. Nope, all is well there. Did some research and learned it has nothing to do with anything objective - not bank balance or credit rating or anything to do with me personally. It could be something as simple as checks 'similar to mine' have bounced in the past. So, basically, I'm being punished for something someone else did. The BBB has gotten numerous complaints about this check verification company. As has one of the consumer watchdog sites. :shrug: Guess I'm not shopping at the Dollar General anymore. Lucky for me, I had cash on me that day. Blerg.
I guess that's about it for me. What's up in your world?
Another week of not writing or editing. At this point, it's almost becoming comfortable. Which is not good. I keep telling myself - today I'll work - and then the next day arrives with nothing to show for the day before.
Got my marketing groove back on for the Project Hermes sale. Much FB posting occurred. Not much sales, though. However, I'm seeing an uptick in page reads for other books. Maybe people are clicking through the FB link and finding my other books. One can hope.
I did a fair bit of reading last week. I'm at 63 books read so far this year. Way ahead of the curve on my goal to read 90. I'll probably adjust that as I get closer to 90 and I have a better idea of how the rest of the year is going to go.
On the activity front, I did 5 out of 7 days. 3 days walking, 1 day yard work, and 1 day cleaning. Let's not discuss weight, shall we? I've slipped over to the seefood diet. If I see food, I eat it.
No baking this week. It's too freakin' hot. Although, I am getting a craving for brownies. Heh, like I need brownies.
I had a bit of fun at the Dollar General last week. It seems they have a new check verification system in place and for some reason, it doesn't like my checks. Kinda freaked me out, so I went straight to my bank and made sure I hadn't been hacked or had my identity stolen. Nope, all is well there. Did some research and learned it has nothing to do with anything objective - not bank balance or credit rating or anything to do with me personally. It could be something as simple as checks 'similar to mine' have bounced in the past. So, basically, I'm being punished for something someone else did. The BBB has gotten numerous complaints about this check verification company. As has one of the consumer watchdog sites. :shrug: Guess I'm not shopping at the Dollar General anymore. Lucky for me, I had cash on me that day. Blerg.
I guess that's about it for me. What's up in your world?
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