Thursday This n That - The Saga of the Recliner

Okay, so Hubs' recliner... well, both of our recliners... are going on 13 years old and frankly, they've seen better days.  But Hubs' chair has always been a little iffy in the seat.  Well, his springs started popping ages ago and the last time I vacuumed underneath it, I saw he only had one unbroken spring left.  I sat in it the other day and felt like I was falling through to the floor.

So, I got this idea to use strapping to replace the springs.  It was actually pretty inspired, if I do say so myself.  I ordered the strapping from Amazon - 2" heavy-duty nylon strapping in brown.  A 10-yard roll of it costs like $14.  Yesterday afternoon, Hubs reminded me that it was here and we were going to do something with it.  We flipped the chair and surveyed the problem.  

I had initially thought we could just go in there with the bolt cutters, snip off the broken springs, and then nail in lengths of strapping.  Well... It ended up being more complicated than that.  We wound up removing the entire apparatus of the rocking/reclining part of the chair.  Once that was off, yeah, it was pretty easy to cut the springs off and put the strapping on.  Then we had to put it all back together.  Which was not easy.  The whole thing took about 3 hours.  I hurt.  Hubs hurts.  But it's done.  And I curse the day Ashley, and all those who assembled these chairs, were born.

We discovered an interesting thing when we started taking the chair apart.  There are way more holes for bolts than there are actual bolts.  And the bottom part of the assembly is held on with only two wood screws.  I mean, it made taking the thing apart easier, sure, but all told, the entire assembly only had two wood screws in the bottom and four bolts in the top.  One would think there would be more.  Hell, they used two bolts just to put on the lever than makes the chair recline, for pitysakes.  Sheesh.  

We are NOT tackling my recliner any time soon.  It's only got one popped spring, so it's still viable as a sitting apparatus.  On the upside, we now know how to do it and the length we'll need to cut strips of strapping to (and the # of straps we'll need).  

The cats, who were locked in the office the whole time, were not amused.

Marketing Monday - Wish in One Hand

It's Monday, which means marketing.  It's also the day after the Spring time change, which means I am dragging ass running late.  Have mercy on me.

Starting today, the thrilling, snarky, paranormal suspense - WISH IN ONE HAND - is absolutely free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get your copy now! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RVEF0Y

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 9

 Argh.  Time change... I'm later posting this than I thought I was.  Derp.  

I didn't get much sleep last night.  I went to bed at 9 like a good girl, but I couldn't sleep and then Sawyer was being a turd, so I just got up.  I finally went back to bed at midnight.  Unfortunately, I still laid there.  And I had no sooner fallen asleep when I had to pee.  

Anyway...  Per my current outlook on life, no writing or editing.  I did some marketing for AD, but didn't really move many books.  Tomorrow WIOH goes on the freebie block.  (You might notice that for this 90-day run, so far, the books have been in the order in which they were published.  I'm not sure how long I'll continue this, but there it is.)

I'm still reading duMaurier.  I'm about halfway through.

Earlier this week, I made raisin walnut quick bread.  Yums.

On the activity front, it's been less about burning calories than accomplishing stuff.  I did some gardening and some carving, groceries, etc.  I haven't weighed myself since last week.  I don't expect the number to have changed.

As for carving, all my supplies are here and I'm in the process of teaching myself how to use the tools.  I have a big chunk of cedar on the sunporch for that purpose.  While I was messing with it, a thin piece came off in my hand, so now I'm carving on that.  It's probably 8 inches by 4 inches and maybe a third of an inch thick.  It's shape reminded me of feathers, so I'm trying to make that happen.  I also might cut the end of the chunk off to make myself a cube of wood and turn that into a sphere.  Additionally, my salesman brain got the idea to carve baby bunnies wearing diapers... and now I know that there are places where you can buy diapers to put on rabbits.  Anyway, I'm still excited about the hobby, so yay.

On the gardening front, I planted the carrot seeds and the potato chunks.  Now we wait.  Still no sign from most of the trees that they are, in fact, still alive.  :shrug:  It's early yet.  If they don't make it, I'll use their pots for veggies and other volunteer trees and try again next year.  This isn't a short game I'm playin' here.  Oh, and I need to move my pepper plants outside.  Heh, one of my peppers has a carrot growing in with it.  A baby carrot I bought to eat was starting to grow in the fridge.  I cut the top off and stuck it into a pot with one of the peppers.  It's kinda cute, so I'll keep it.

Anyway, I think that's it for me this morning.  Not exactly what you might have stopped here looking for, but I hope my humdrum existence was a little interesting for you.

Einstein Wasn't Always Right

I've heard a quote from Einstein to the effect that if you can't explain something so that a 5 year old could understand it, then you don't know the thing.  :shrug:  Sorry, but my brain doesn't work that way.  I can know a thing and understand it inside my head, and still not be able to explain it outside my head.  Hell, you should hear me just trying to have a random conversation with poor Hubs.  I get words wrong - substituting the totally wrong word in a sentence and not even realizing it.  I stumble.  I stammer.  I'm a fucking verbal mess about 80% of the time.  (Hubs is very patient or he would've divorced my ass ages ago.)

I'm better on paper.  I might be able to explain something to a five year old when it's written down, but then the five year old wouldn't understand it because of his reading level.  Even then, though, I still substitute words without knowing it.  Sometimes, it's simply substituting one homonym for another.  Sometimes it's substituting a synonym.  Occasionally, it's an antonym, which really screws up the meaning of a sentence.  Every once it a while, my brain throws in a word that isn't any of those and has nothing whatsoever to do with the word I had in mind - which I'm usually positive WAS the word I had in mind until I go back and edit.  Then I'm all like 'what the hell do I even mean here?'

Thank goodness for editing.  Unfortunately, I can't even what I say once it's out of my mouth.  Random people I encounter on the outside world often look at me like I'm a moron.  That's okay.  I can sometimes sound like a moron.  I don't let it get to me anymore.  Oh, it used to frustrate the hell out of me, but I made my peace with this brain thing ages ago.  For the most part... I still have my days of irritation.  Again, all props to Hubs and his patience.

I kind of felt bad for the people I worked with.  I never told them about my brain damage.  I needed the job and I knew I was able to do the job without too much of a problem.  And I was right.  Occasionally, though, my co-workers had to contend with my long pauses while my brain searched for the right words, rather than let the wrong words pop out.  The good ones got used to it, the not-so-good ones continued to let it bother them.  The good co-workers learned that when I finally did resumed talking again, I knew what I was talking about.  Of course, all of my issues get worse when I'm hurried or stressed or tired - all of which were functions of my job at the time.  

And this is why I don't do debates or confrontation, even online.  I get all het up about it and then even my fingers betray me.  Nope, not worth it.  I'm better just dropping an opinion and walking away.  This blog allows me to do that.  You don't like my opinions, fine.  You can walk away, too.  But don't try to debate me or confront me.  It won't happen.  I'll block you and wander off to do something much more enjoyable - like an at-home root canal.  

Anyway, I'm just sayin'.  Einstein wasn't always right.  ;o)

Thursday This n That

Hang on a sec... I need more coffee... Okay, I'm back.

My Amazon order was supposed to be delivered yesterday. It was on an Amazon truck, headed this way.  We waited.  And waited.  And when it got dark, we turned the porchlight on.  At 9, we finally gave up, turned the light off and went to bed.  This morning, Amazon says it's been delayed due to weather.  No biggie.  We did have one hell of a sploosher.  Still, it would've been nice if they'd mentioned the possible delay yesterday afternoon.  Sort of a 'hey, it looks like there's a possibility of our vehicle getting either blown off the road or submerged in the deluge, so we're probably not gonna make it' thing.  Anyway, now they're predicting delivery on the 7th.  Two days?  The weather wasn't THAT bad.  No swirly-whirlies or anything.  :shrug:  Yeah, there's nothing important in my order.  Carving design stuff mostly.  It's the idea that irritates me.

I wonder what all this rain is doing to my newly-planted carrot seeds.  Eh, time will tell.

The coffee's not helping yet.  I need a smoke.  Hang on.  Be right back...  Okay.  Thanks.

Yesterday, the neighbor kid was walking the road by himself.  He's like 7, I think.  He's a good kid and this is a fairly safe neighborhood, but we were concerned.  I wasn't allowed to leave the yard by myself until I was 10.  Of course, we did have those boys that got murdered about 10 minutes east of town when I was little.  Maybe I worry too much.  It's the grandmother genes I will never use poking their heads out, most likely.

Of course, after that, the episodes of the crime shows we wanted to watch seemed to be all about kids - one was cops tracking a pedophile ring, another one had a guy who'd murdered a kid.  We settled on an episode of Harry Wild that only featured teens peripherally and none of them got hurt.  Then we watched a true-disaster show.  

I had planned on making my first cuts into woods yesterday, but it was so damn gloomy out that the light sucked out on the sunporch where I wanted to carve.  Oh, well.  The wood's not going anywhere.

Okay, I think that's it for me.  Anything you want to add?

Crazypants for the Carving Thing

Okay, so maybe I went a little crazypants, but I'm jumping into this woodcarving thing with both feet.  I bought the books and I bought the tools. I've ordered the stuff* I'll need for designing what I will eventually carve - charcoal pencils, tracing paper, carbon paper.  All in all, I've spent about $135 on this so far.  Thank goodness I don't need to buy wood.

I already have several pieces of fine wood set aside.  I have the dogwood and the lilac pieces, loads of cedar, and some smaller black cherry set aside.  There's a persimmon tree that needs to be dug out of one of our wood piles, which I'll do today.  Years ago**, I also set aside a few pieces of unidentified wood that I hope will make excellent walking sticks.  Oh, and there's the beaver wood I've collected.  I kinda know what I'm going to do with the beaver wood, even if I don't know exactly what kind of wood each of the pieces are.  

If all of this works out, I will start selling pieces.  That is obviously down the road.  I don't expect to start cranking out saleable goods immediately.  Hell, I'm half-afraid I won't turn out anything that doesn't look like crap... ever.  

There's also the distinct possibility that I will be limited by my already crappy hands.  Man, they're hurting this morning and I didn't even do anything to irritate them.  (Other than typing this post.  Blerg.)  How I'll handle using them to push sharp metal through wood remains to be seen.  

But I'm gonna try.  

All I know right now is that I'm excited about doing this and that's a good feeling.  It's been a while since I was this excited about any endeavor.  (Probably like 11 years... which is how long it's been since I started my self-publishing journey.)  

I guess the big hope is that I'll bleed some of my visual creativity onto the wood.  I used to be really into creating art.  Hell, I took 4 years of art classes in HS and one in college.  I ought to be able to do something, even after all these years.

Not sure if I'll continue to detail my carving journey here, or create another blog.  :shrug:  Time will tell.  Wish me luck.

*All ordered stuff is due to be here by Saturday, so I have plenty of time to start practicing carving before I get into design.

** which tells you how long I've been thinking about doing this.

Marketing Monday - Accidental Death

Since DE did so well last week, I thought I'd try marketing Accidental Death.  First book... second book... :shrug:  Anyway, there ya are...

Murder doesn't happen here. Starting today, ACCIDENTAL DEATH is free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get your copy of this small-town, noir mystery today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM6VJ9U

I hope you enjoy it.  

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 8

Well, we're bombing the hell out of Iran.  Yay.  The Ayatollah is dead.  Also yay.  We're hitting military targets, those fuckers are hitting civilian targets.  Not so yay and also proof that what we're doing needs to be done to completion and not half-assed like the Gulf War.  The good people of Persia are happy we're doing what we're doing.  Anyone not happy can go pound sand.  But they better do it fast before we turn it into glass.  Glass up your ass.  :gigglesnort:

Anyway, my life...

No writing or editing.  I'm not sure when I'll do that again, but I'm not calling it quits, so the blog title stays.  I did some marketing, which for some reason took off like a rocket and garnered me some sales.  I finished February with 17.16 books sold for $29.76.  Not big money, but better than a sharp stick, so I'm happy.  And I've already got page reads this morning so my March dashboard doesn't look like a ghost town.  I'm not sure which book I'll pimp tomorrow, so stay tuned.

I read two books on wood carving this week.  One on whittling and the other a more comprehensive volume.  I'm also slowly making my way through The Flight of the Falcon by Daphne duMaurier.  

No baking.

Activity... It was a busy week for me.  I did something active 5 out of 7 days.  Early in the week, when it was still cool, I worked in the woods.  Other days, I did cleaning projects.  One day I did gardening.  I surprised myself by actually discovering visible biceps.  Woot, I have muscles again!  Unfortunately, I also ate like a horse this week, so... Weight: 177.2  =op

My wood carving hobby is getting exciting.  Like I said, I read two books about it, and since my tools arrived on Friday, I can now get started learning by doing - which is my preferred way to learn anyway.  

As for gardening, I moved all my baby trees outside.  I also filled pots with dirt and I'm ready to plant carrot seeds.  I'll be ready to plant potatoes once I cut my starter spuds into quarters, dry those cut edges, and buy more dirt.  All things in their own time, I guess.  I'll also be planting tomatoes once the local store starts carrying seedlings.  Oh, and I have three green pepper plants that made it through the winter in my spare room, so those'll be going into pots and outside once the weather is guaranteed to not turn to freezing.  

All in all, life is pretty good here.  I'm busy-busy, even if it's not writing related, and I'm okay with that.  (Not super-okay, otherwise, I wouldn't feel the need to go on and on about it, but okay enough for now.)

How are things in your world?

Thursday This n That

Yesterday, I got a wild hair to mop the smoking porch floor.  First, I had to vacuum, then I had to move all the furniture to one side, then I mopped.  Wait for it to dry, repeat with the other side.  Yes, I'm paying for it today.  Even though Hubs did help move furniture.  Ah, well, it looks nice and it smells good.  Murphy's Oil Soap for the win.

Today, it's a Wallyworld trip.  I need groceries, but I also need a new coffee maker.  This one isn't dead yet, but it's on its last legs.  And I need a new phone.  This one is only holding a charge for about a 45 minute call and I like to talk to Mom for about an hour.  It's really annoying when it starts its low-battery beep before I'm done talking.

Dollar General ice cream is better than Walmart ice cream.  There, I said it.  And I mean it.

I'm really getting jazzed about my new wood carving hobby.  My tools are supposed to be here tomorrow.  Yay.  Yesterday, I researched wood while I was waiting for the floor to dry.  Turns out cedar is excellent to carve, which is good because we have A LOT of cedar.  Yay.  I'll practice on that before I dive into the better woods.  I'm thinking about carving beavers on my pieces of beaver-chewed wood.  I know that a little obvious, but it works for me.

DE is still flying off the shelves.  I'm up to 562 downloads.  And now I'm seeing page reads, so there's another yay.

Hubs made me dinner last night, bless his heart.  I was bushed.  

When is Easter?  :googles:  Sunday, April 5th.  Whew, I don't need to think about it for another month.  Not that we do anything special, except dinner.  Easter dinner is always a thing.

We've been watching Killing Eve.  Yeah, I'm probably the last person to watch it.  I had to wait until it was free, so there's that.  Anyway, it's really good so far.  Although, it seems to me that Sandra Oh is just making Eve be Christine Yang as a spy rather than a surgeon.  :shrug:  I'm okay with that.  I liked Yang.  We also found a neat medical drama called Monroe.  It's kinda like House, but Monroe is nicer and he has a brogue.  Love me some Irish brogue.

Okay, I should probably get off my butt and do my shopping.  Have a great day wherever you are.  :hugs:

Jumping Numbers

I'm not sure exactly what happened yesterday.  I was doing my usual thing, posting to FB groups - 1 every fifteen minutes to avoid getting my paddies smacked by FB's gulag rules - when I noticed an uptick in downloads.  I was all like 'whoa' because in a short time, I'd moved like 20 copies.  Cool, thinks I.

But it didn't stop there.  The numbers kept rising...  throughout the rest of the day and night, as a matter of fact.  I'd moved 12 copies on Monday.  As of this morning, I've moved 463 copies of Dying Embers in 24 hours.

Of course, all of those are free, but it gives me hope that at least some of those people will read it and go on to order FG and EG.  (One person already did order the other two books at full price, so I've got that going for me.)  I also have hope that it has brought DE high enough up in the rankings that the KU people will see it and start reading the book, too.  Every page read adds up there.  

I'm just a little dumbfounded.  I've had this happen a couple times before.  TTW got a boost somehow and moved like 100 copies in one day.  Still, I've never had a book move this much in this short a time since I paid ENT for an ad.  

Anyway, it's pretty exciting.  I'd share the magic with you, if I knew what the magic was.  I know yesterday I tried something different and hit the specialized FB groups (thriller, suspense type groups) with ads.  Maybe that was the cause of the initial jump and, once DE started to rise in the rankings, that took over.  Maybe I have a fairy god-newsletter that advertises my books without me knowing or paying for it.  Either way, it does feel good to see the numbers jump like that.  

Doesn't change anything with regard to yesterday's post, but still...

The Carving Spectacle?

I've said this before and I'll probably say it again at some point in my life, but I'm not sure right now why I still call this blog 'The Writing Spectacle'.  Lord knows I haven't been writing or even editing much lately.  I'm not saying I will never write again, but it's not looking good right now.  

Right now?  Well, I'm getting all jazzed about wood carving.  As I might've mentioned a couple hundred times, I live in the woods.  We have about two and a half acres of mixed growth woods - hard and soft woods, deciduous and evergeen.  All that wood is begging me to do something with it.  

Sure, lots of it is for burning.  But it doesn't all have to be burned.  This is especially true of the special woods.  I'm talking dogwood and redbud and persimmon, and one case, lilac.  Why burn it when I can make it into something pretty?

Of course, I have no clue about carving anything right now.  To that end, I bought a book on whittling (the easiest of the wood carving methods).  I received that yesterday and it's pretty short.  I read it and learned a little bit, but it's not quite what I'm aiming for.  To that end, I ordered a better book on wood carving and... :drumroll:... a set of wood carving tools.  They'll be here Monday.  

Now, because I'm kinda weird, I've already been collecting interesting wood.  I have several pieces of beaver-chewed wood, and some wood that I thought would make excellent staves.  I also have a couple of root balls - cedar and dogwood - that looked like they might be interesting to carve something.  Now that I'm actually going to do the carving stuff, I added some dogwood that the fallen sycamore killed.  I can't wait to dig into that stuff.

Being a total novice, though, I'm going to start by carving cedar.  We have TONS of cedar.  It's not really great for burning in a woodstove, so it's in various piles around the property.  I can use that to practice on.  (I think.  I'm still learning which woods carve best.  If nothing else, it'll be a learning experience.)

The main thing right now, I guess, is teaching myself to carve without losing a finger or winding up with stitches and a bunch of really interesting scars.  Fingers crossed while I still have them.  ;o)

The writing?  It's still there.  I'm still working on editing Duke Noble #3, here and there when the mood strikes me.  The problem is that the mood is striking me less and less.  Maybe it'll get better this summer.  One can hope, right?

Marketing Monday - Dying Embers

Here we are again at Monday, which means marketing.  I even got up early to get after it, but then I got distracted :cough:facebook:cough:, so here we are at 6 o'clock and I'm just getting started.  Derp.

Anyway...

Revenge is better hot. Starting today, get DYING EMBERS absolutely free. Pick up your copy of this gripping and gritty suspense today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TEQK7OU

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 7

Sorry I spaced out last week and didn't do a Sunday Update.  There really wasn't much to talk about that week anyway, but still, it was rude of me.  This week... Well, there's not much to talk about either, but here I am.

No writing, but I did do some editing.  I really need to get off my ass and get this book finished.  In order to do that, though, I need to stop wondering whether anyone actually cares.  (Beyond a couple of people, that is.  They know who they are and they know how much I love them.)  I marketed, but it was pretty much crickets.  Tomorrow, Dying Embers goes on freebie, so we'll see if anything comes of that.

In reading news, I started a SF, read about a third of it, and DNF'd it.  It wasn't bad.  It was just not giving me any reason to finish reading it.  I sometimes wonder if that's what other people feel about my books.  (Then I remind myself I have plenty of people reading my books all the way through in KU.)  I started reading Flight of the Falcon by Daphne duMaurier on Friday, though, so I've got that going for me.

In baking news, I made a chocolate oil cake with strawberry jelly and vanilla frosting.  Yummers.

On the activity front, Hubs and I are over the crud finally, so we're making an effort on turning back into humans, as opposed to the slugs we were.  While it was still unseasonably warm, we took walks Mon, Tues, Wed for about 2.15 miles.  Then it got cool and we worked in the woods Fri and Sat for around 3 hours.  I also did some cleaning and shopping.  Weight: 176.2 (the poundage I lost to the flu jumped right back on me... derp)

Due to the woods working, I'm pretty sore today.  Throwing logs will do that to a body.  We're mostly through cleaning up the top branches of that sycamore that fell over 2 years ago, so yay.  Funny thing about that sycamore.  It turned brittle.  I went to saw the limbs and they snapped off in my hands like bread sticks (the crunchy kind, not the Olive Garden kind).  Good thing we weren't planning on trying to burn that.  

Speaking of the downed sycamore, that bastard tree took out two perfectly good dogwoods when it crashed.  I've got a large chunk of the bigger dogwood that I may try to carve into someone once I get some carving experience.  I'm thinking I need to carve a dog out of the dogwood, or would that be too obvious? :smirk:

Oh, and I got our taxes done yesterday.  Woot.  If you're using TurboTax, you have until 2/28 to do them at a discount.  Which was enough of a poke in the ass to get me to do mine.

I think that's it.  I'll try not to forget to post on Sundays from now on.  Have a great day and an awesome week.  :hugs:

Updated:  After Silver pointed out that the title of today's blog said 2025, I changed it.

This n That Friday

Okay, so I woke up this morning and was all like 'wait, yesterday was Thursday???' cuz I totally forgot to post.  I'd blame the flu, but we're pretty much over it. (Except for the cough which boomerangs back on ya like bad Kung Pao chicken.)  Part of it is the flu, though, because it got me all off track - well, worse off-track than I'd already been.  Anyway, I'm here and so let's do some this-n-that, k?

Sawyer does this new thing where he feels like he has to be in my lap in the mornings when I'm at my computer.  This makes typing fun.  Sixteen pound cat between me and the keyboard.  On the other hand, Finn is seriously focused on something underneath the dishwasher this morning.  I'd like to think it's a cricket, but I fear it's a mouse.  I just hope he doesn't try to dig for it and end up breaking the plastic sheet that hides everything underneath the dishwasher.  These cats have broken more things, I tell ya.  Back in 1988, when I graduated HS, I worked at a restaurant with these two really old ladies.  (Bear with me.  This ties in.)  One of them gave me a set of antique, metal frames with pretty patches of what looks like either wrapping paper or wallpaper in them.  She wasn't rich, so it was all she could give, and I assume they'd been hers.  Anyway, she was a wonderful old lady and I've cherished them all these years.  They're hanging on the wall here in the office.  Well, a couple days ago, Sawyer must've jumped up the wall off the side table I have there and knocked one of the frames off the wall and broke it. The actual frame, not the glass.  Turd.  Not sure how I'm going to fix that.  Anyway...

It's been warm here.  Like 70s warm.  And windier than all get out.  Today and throughout the weekend, it's supposed to be cooler, so we can finally get back into the woods.  We have things to do before summer and we'd like to get them done.  Sheesh, Mother Nature, get a grip on your seasons, will ya?

I ordered a book on whittling.  Yep, I am going full-on redneck.  Anyway, we've got all this wood and I'd like to do something with it other than burn it.  The start of that is a how-to book on the simplest mode of wood carving - whittling.  Once I get that under my belt, I'll look into actual carving tools and more involved instructions.  Eventually, I'd like to make walking sticks and maybe staves.  Things I might sell.  We'll see how it goes.

Okay, I think that's enough out of me today.  I should get cracking on other stuff before the day gets away from me.  Have a good one, and a great weekend.  =o)

Marketing Monday - RUMOR HAS IT

Okay, so I'm finally not sick.  (Mostly.)  So, we get a Marketing Monday today.  Yay!  :muppetflail:  Here's hoping it'll draw lots of downloads and lead to sales of TTW*.

Starting today, RUMOR HAS IT is free. (Always free with KU.) Get your copy of this noir crime novel today! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZNXQKPC

*yes, I'm still working on the third book for Duke Noble.  Maybe now that I'm not plague-ridden, I can actually make progress on getting the editing done.

Thursday This n That

Rumors of my death are probably circulating.  Don't believe them.  I'm not dead, even if I would've wished for it after a week of this creepy crud.  Just when you think you're done with it, it circles back and kicks you in the nards.  Today, I almost feel human, so fingers crossed.  Yesterday, I felt almost human and zipped to the DG for a few things, which laid me out for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow, I definitely have to go grocery shopping whether I'm up to it or not.  

I've been watching the Olympics... well, watching little bites of the Olympics anyway.  Most of the Olympics are behind a pay wall, so I'm only watching short videos that are free.  It's not as exciting as usual, because I could already know what happens, but it'll do.  I refuse to pay NBC for anything.  (Like I already refuse to pay PBS or BBC.)  If it ain't free, I guess I'll go without.  

Okay, so maybe I'd be willing to pay a subscription if I could find a service that wasn't run by leftist assholes.  I was really into getting a BritBox subscription, but then I found out they're owned by BBC, which is run by such loathsome people I can't see sending them even a penny of my money.  This, of course, makes me sad, because I was really looking forward to a long stretch of watching Inspector Morse from start to finish, followed by Lewis.  Not sad enough to send money to the BBC, of course, but still sad.

Thank goodness for coffee.

Sawyer is being a pain the ass this morning.  I guess I should be happy that he's doing this in the morning rather than at night while I'm trying to sleep.  I know what his problem is... it's the same problem every morning...  He wants to eat.  And he doesn't want to eat kibbles.  He wants wet food.  NOW.  Not after 9am which used to be after 10am which used to be noon.  I've drawn the line at 9 and no earlier.  Meanwhile, Finn is sleeping.  

It's been so warm lately, I'm getting the urge to garden.  Except I know as soon as I garden, the weather will turn and it'll freeze, killing all my hard work.  So I wait.

And that's it for me today.  I'm going to wander back to my recliner and veg.  Take it easy today, wherever you are.  :hugs:

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 5

Hi.  There really isn't too much to talk about this week.  Sunday afternoon, I came down with the creeping crud (see Friday's plague post to get the link to the virus of the month).  Not much else has happened other than dealing with that.  I'm 90% over it.  Hubs is stuck at like 60%.  Neither of us have slept well in a week, so you can imagine what life is like here.

Thusly, I didn't write. Or edit. There was minimal marketing, which somehow moved 56 copies of Blink anyway.  Woot... I guess.  I sold a book and someone read a whole other book and most of a third book, so I'm already at almost $5 for the month.

Me, I finally finished reading The Night Manager by John LeCarre.  Good book.  It didn't end nearly as well as the movie, but it also didn't end nearly as badly as it could've.  Ultimately, there was a HEA for the MC, so yay.  Not a lot of justice for the bad guys, but sadly, LeCarre had a poor sense of life, so I'm not surprised.  

Also not surprising... no baking this week.  

Activity?  I spent the first four days of the week dragging myself from room to room.  Thursday and Friday, I cleaned and did laundry.  I lost some weight, of course.  I stepped on the scale on Thursday and I was at 176.4, so down a pound.  The fat is hanging on to me for its dear life.  Hubs probably lost 10 pounds because he's a dude and fat runs from him.  :shrug:

I really need to get over this and get back to life.  This damn book won't edit itself.  

Okay, time for some more coffee.  Or maybe I'll just go back to bed.  Have a great day wherever you are and try not to catch this crap, eh?

Plague, Part II - Super Flu Boogaloo

So, I'm guessing we've had what they're calling a Super Flu.  It's ravaging the countryside or whatever.  It's pretty brutal, but still not the worst flu we've ever had*.  I came down with it and about a day later, Hubs got it, too.  

Mine started Sunday afternoon.  I laid down for my usual nap and slept for over an hour - which was weird.  When I woke up, I felt like a had the worst nap hangover ever.  Usually, nap hangovers leave after I drink some juice or something, but this one lingered.  Plus, I couldn't get warm, which is not a nap hangover symptom.  Then the cough started.  It was a deep booming cough, like I was trying hack up parts of my soul.  

The next day, Hubs got it.  

By Tuesday, I was starting the slow climb out of it and he was descending further into the depths.  I dragged myself to the Dollar G to pick up more cough medicine and honey.

Wednesday sucked.

Yesterday, Hubs started coming out of it.  And I hit the DG again for Pedialyte and Ensure, fruit cups, pudding, etc.  (Thank goodness for the new DG which is like 5 minutes away.)  Then I did all the things that needed doing - cleaning, laundry, dishes, etc.  Which tuckered me out, but a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do, eh?

Today will be mostly napping for Hubs.  This shit is an asskicker, lemme tell ya.  

If you get it, drink lots of fluids.  Make yourself take in some kind of calories - even if you have to drink Ensure.  Sleep lots.  Stay the hell away from other people if at all possible, so they don't get it, too.  And hang in there.  It'll pass.  :hugs:

*H1N1 (Swine flu) from... oh, I dunno, we were in Colorado, so more than 13 years ago... it was the worst we've ever had.

Thursday This n That - Plague Version

Sorry I'm late.

Being sick sucks.

Good news: I'm on the road to recovery. 

Bad news: Hubs had got it, too, and he's about 2 days behind me, plus he got a worser version of it.

Yeah, I know worser isn't a word.  But it fits, so there ya go.

Bad news Part 2: Since I'm feeling better first, I'm the one doing all the things left undone while we suffered.  Next time, I'm making sure Hubs gets over it first.  ;o)

Once I get done with the honey-dos, I am getting in the shower because ew.

I haven't had ice cream in like 4 days.  You know it's bad when I don't eat ice cream.

I managed to get to the DG.  Didn't want to. Had to.  We were out of cough syrup, chicken soup, and honey.  And lemon juice, but I forgot that so we're still out of it.  Nerts.  I've been mainlining tea and cough syrup.  

I haven't eaten much other than soup for days.  I'm having a fucking hamburger for lunch.  Dammit.

Okay, that's about all I'm good for right now.  Have a great day and don't catch this crap, whatever it is, if you can help it.  (Probably got it from some unwashed heathen touching stuff at the Walmart, which I then touched and brought home with me.  Purell, people.  Seriously.)

Things My Cats Have Taught Me

 The following is a list of things The Boyz have taught me:

- never leave coffee unattended.  Even if there are no cats in the vicinity.  Even if the cats in the vicinity are sound asleep.  If you leave your coffee, you will return to find either a cat with its paws/face in the mug or coffee splatters everywhere and fur or litter in your cup.

- focus on the warm spots.  If you get up from a chair, you have a 90% chance of finding a cat in the chair when you return. If there is a cat in your chair and you change chairs, the cat will want your new chair.  Or, if you have multiple cats, you'll find another cat in your new chair.  The same applies to getting out of bed in the middle of the night.  The cat will find your warm spot and fill it.

- trespassers can't be trusted and should be eliminated whenever possible.  If there's a bug anywhere in the house, the cats will find it and kill it.  This goes for mice/shrews/moles and birds (and once, when we had Max, a squirrel) as well, or anything really that's unlucky enough to try to come inside.

- sleep whenever you can / naps are important.  The Boyz are usually sleeping.  Except when they're keeping me awake.

- work whenever you can.  It seems like anytime I sit down at the computer, one or the other of The Boyz will come over to either a) get on my lap and make it impossible for me to type or b) get into trouble right behind me so I have to stop working to chastise them for being naughty.

- being naughty has its advantages.  When The Boyz are naughty, they get attention.  Sometimes they get treats (that's a slippery slope, I know, but sometimes it's the only way to redirect their attention).  

- never take things too seriously.  Not that The Boyz don't take things seriously.  Sometimes, they take things way too seriously - especially 'fraidy-cat Sawyer, who'll jump at the slightest sound, or Finn, who acts like I've set fire to all his hopes and dreams when I scold him.  Their reactions are what have taught me to not take things seriously, if you catch my drift.

;o)

Marketing Monday - Blink of an I

Today is Marketing Monday and BLINK OF AN I is free this week.  Unfortunately, I feel like warmed-over, leftover doggie doo, so mustering the will to actually market anything is iffy.  Not sure what bug I picked up or where, but bleh.

Anyway, if you're inclined, pick up a copy.  Even better if you're on KU, read a copy.  (I get paid for that, even when the book is free.)  Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079X142G2

I wonder as I write this post whether marketing this book as "I feel like crap today.  Pity me and download my book." would work.  ;o)

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 4

Hey there, friends and fans!  Welcome to February!  (Okay, I'm not really that perky this morning, but you know what they say... fake it 'til you make it.)

This week, no writing. Editing was sporadic, but I am up to 28% of the book has edit notes now.  Marketing happened and because of marketing I ended January with nearly $16 in sales and moved like 13 copies of paid-for books.  Woot.  Hey, ya gotta get your excitement where you can.  I did only move 26 free copies of NC :sad trombone:, though. This coming week, Blink of an I will be free.

I'm about 75% done with The Night Manager.  I had hoped to finish it before the end of January, but that didn't happen.  Oh, well.  

In baking news, I made a loaf of Raisin Pecan Quick Bread and a pizza.  Then yesterday, I got a wild hair and made a loaf of Oatmeal Bread (a yeasted bread) - plain, no raisins or cinnamon or swirling.  It turned out really yummy and we had slices of it with our pot pies for dinner.  The baking has really helped keep the house warm, too.  

On the activity front, it's been COLD, so not a lot of activity going on here.  Hubs and I shoveled the driveway.  I did grocery shopping.  Other than that, nada.  We did go across the street to help when she got her SUV stuck, but the guy who lives there got it out before we made it up the hill, so that really was only a short uphill walk for me.  I did step on the scale - clothed because it was COLD.  Then I stripped anyway because I'm all about the data, and learned my clothes weighed 3.2lbs.  My weight: 177.6

Because of the cold, I spent a lot of the week huddled inside in front of the tube.  We watched some really good movies (and vetoed some duds).  Unfortunately, since I'm not doing a weekly movie post, I didn't write their names down and I'm at a loss to remember most of them.  We caught a good one yesterday called Evidence of Blood (from 1998) that starred that guy who played Tom Cruise's brother in The Firm (David Strathairn).  Really good stuff there.  We also watched The Courier (2020) yesterday.  That was Benedict Cumberbatch as an everyday guy back in 1962 who gets recruited to carry documents from the USSR to the UK.  It was based on a true story, and the story is pretty amazing.  We've also started watching a goofy British crime-comedy called Vexed.  What a hoot.

Yeah, my life is pretty boring.  But that's life in the woods, eh?  How have things been where you are?

Thursday This n That

I just stumbled across a British psychologist pimping his services in a FB book marketing group.  Sure, writers probably do need loads of mental help, and thus, it could be a brilliant strategy for this dude to gain more clients, but I blocked him.  Turd.  Those groups are for marketing books, not services.  Shoo shoo.

I've got cabin fever.  (Cue song from Muppet Treasure Island.) I really need to get my lard-ass outside today before I start dancing around in a turban made of fruit.

We found a neat new-to-us show - Touching Evil - with Robson Green.  I really do love Robson Green.  And those piercing blue eyes... :swoon:  The show only ran a couple seasons, but it's really worth watching if you're into gritty crime dramas.

Everything is covered in snow.  Which is weird for here.  We got about 9 inches worth and it's not warming up enough to melt it quickly.  Plus, it's supposed to be freakin' cold again this weekend.  Bleh.

On the upside, the cold is making all the critters so fluffy.  Cuteness overload.  The birds are balls with legs.  The deer look like stuffed animals.  I want to snuggle them all up.  I won't, but I want to.  Deer do not LIKE to be snuggled.

I'm at that point in my writing career where I'm doubting everything I've ever done.  woot.  It happens every now and then, and it will pass.

I've been blocking a lot of people on FB again.  Frickin' nutburgers.  

Last night, I made pizza for dinner.  It's been a while since I did pizza and let me tell ya, I can feel all that kneading this morning.  Derp.  It was worth it.  It always is.

Okay, I think I've run out of witty things to say today.  Anything witty on your end?

Marketing Monday - Natural Causes

Hello.  Welcome to Marketing Monday.  Since I am a little sore and a lot tired (or a lot sore and a little tired... it's hard to tell) from show shoveling, let's just get right to it, eh?

Starting today, NATURAL CAUSES is free.  (Always free with KU.)  Get your copy of this small-town, gritty, murder mystery today.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y44BXTM

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 3

Who had Civil War II on their 2026 bingo card?  It's not north vs south this time.  It's law-abiding citizens vs law breakers.  Anyway...

I didn't do any writing this week and I did very little editing.  I think I got one page of notes which amounted to only 1% of the book.  Then my hand started to cramp and I set it aside for a while, which ended up being a longer while than I had intended. (Sno-pacalypse prep didn't help there.)

Marketing was done.  I moved 100 copies of EG and someone read the book in KU, so I have that going for me.

I'm about halfway through The Night Manager.  Maybe setting my goal at 35 books read for the year was wishful thinking.  

In baking news, I made a quick bread.  I started out to make that raisin-pecan bread and was about halfway through when I realized that the milk in the fridge had gone bad.  Since I wasn't inclined to hop in the car and drive to the DG at that time, I searched for a substitute.  I ended up settling on vanilla yogurt and water.  The loaf baked up nice and looked lovely.  It also tastes pretty good.  Cutting it was the problem.  I tried cutting it hot and it fell apart.  :shrug:  It cut fine after spending the night in the fridge, yay, so I sliced the whole loaf.  Now it only falls apart if we microwave it to warm it up.  And that's okay.  I may make it again with the yogurt and tweak it so it holds up better.  

On the activity front, I did an hour in the woods, throwing logs before the snow flew.  Yesterday, we shoveled snow.  I also did a double-load of grocery shopping, which was definitely exercise.  I haven't weighed myself - it's too cold to be naked in the bathroom right now.  My last weigh-in wasn't good, though.  Blerg.

Speaking of throwing logs, the newest pile I created ended up with a big empty spot at the bottom, next to a downed cedar.  I got the idea to make it a critter hidey-hole, so the last time I was in the woods, I reinforced that idea.  It has two openings and a windbreak, plus as many leaves as I could pack around it.  I hope the critters use it. I'd use it if I was a critter.  For his woods-work, Hubs moved the remainder of the wood he'd already cut, so it wouldn't be sitting there when the snow hit.

Speaking of snow, we shoveled about 2-3 inches off the driveway yesterday.  It was light, dry snow, so not that big a deal itself.  It was really COLD though, so that was a kicker to the proverbial nuts.  We weren't out there too long, but we accomplished what we set out to accomplish.  We'll see what daylight brings and how much more we'll have to do today.  The plan is to clear our driveway and, if necessary, get the driveway across the road.  Those folks are both in their 80s and he's not in the greatest of health, so we do what we have to.  That goodness I bought that new snow shovel last month.

This week, we also spent a lot of time getting ready for the winter storm, but I already talked about that.  I guess that means I'm done with the update.  Have a great week, wherever you are.  Stay warm.  Stay safe.  Peace out.

The Coming Sno-pacalypse

It's Friday and Sno-pacalypse is supposedly on its way.  It's supposed to arrive after 6pm tonight, so I've still got today to do anything else that needs doing.  Except I thought it was supposed to be here earlier, so we already did everything that needed doing.  

I did the grocery shopping - two weeks worth in case we get snowed in.  The state of MO does a good job of clearing the highways, but the county doesn't do so great on clearing the side roads, so we can be kinda screwed living back in here.  It seems to me that the last time we got a snow event, it was a week before we could leave the neighborhood.  

I gassed up the car.  It's probably not going anywhere, but if we lose power, we can stay warm in the car for an extended period of time.  It won't be comfortable - 2 humans and 2 cats in a Chevy Cavalier - but it will be better than freezing our asses off in the house.

I also picked up enough cigarettes to get us through.

Hubs put new insulation in our well-tap pit, so it won't freeze in there.  This afternoon, he'll go over and turn the heater on in the wellhouse, so that won't freeze.  (A neighbor who's on a different well has already had his freeze this season.)  

I moved all my garage plants away from the windows and also brought a few inside for the duration.  Cecil the Cedar is in the spare room with Seymour the Nephthytis and my green pepper plants.  

Hubs covered all the windows in the garage to help retard heat loss there.  He also drained the plumbing in the garage and made sure there's no water in the toilet out there.  Just in case the heaters can't keep up or we lose power.  (We've already had to replace one toilet because it cracked due to cold - from when the house was vacant before we bought it.  That was fun.  Not.)  The heaters will be turned on tonight.

I already have a towel along the bottom edge of the front door to keep the cold out and the warm in.  Today, I'll put a blanket along the bottom of the doors leading to the sun porch.  Yesterday, I took the cushions off my patio furniture and used them to retard the air leakage from the sun porch to the deck.  (That door is horribly gappy.)  I'll also use some towels along the window sills to stop cold there.  I have no proof it works, but I did it in Michigan and it seemed to help.

Which leads to the reason to our madness.  We both grew up in Michigan and we know what cold weather can do.  We also know that this is southern Missouri, and most people aren't ready for any kind of snow or cold for any length of time.  These homes aren't built for polar weather.  The people are woefully underprepared.

After our first winter here, which was so suckily cold our furnace couldn't keep up, Hubs re-insulated using R30, so we've got that going for us.  I feel bad for almost everyone else around here who get by with the R5 we had before.  Hubs also put insulation around a lot of the pipes under the house and in the garage.  He's handy that way.

Anyway, if you're reading this and aren't quite prepared, there's still a little time.  (Maybe not to reinsulate your home, but for other things to get you by.)  Go forth and get 'er done.  We're gonna hunker down for the duration.  Stay safe and warm out there, everyone.  :hugs:

Thursday This n That

They keep dropping the predicted temperature for this weekend.  Freakin' single digits and negatives.  And a possible up to 9" of snow.  Derp.  We're making plans for the snow-pacalypse, and crossing our fingers the power doesn't go out.  I did two-weeks worth of grocery shopping yesterday, got cigs, and filled the tank in my car.  Today, I'll hit the Dollar General for a few other things, just in case, and then move all my plants away from the windows in the garage so Hubs can put up the window coverings to retard heat loss in there (old comforters mostly).  He'll drain the hoses and bring them inside, and then we'll hunker down for the duration.

Speaking of the impending snow-pacalypse... Wallyworld was a zoo yesterday.  And yes, they were running out of bread.  (Which I didn't need, thank goodness.)  I didn't check the milk or the toilet paper, but they were probably getting low, too.  The poor cashier said the place had been a zoo since the first mentions of the storm, so like 2-3 days worth of zoo, and it's only going to get worse.  Today will be zoo to the nth power down there.  

To the woman shrieking that ICE should leave her alone because she has a head injury... People like you piss me off.  I am really sick of people using traumatic brain injury as an excuse for bad behavior.  And by the way, if your head injury was severe enough that you can't understand simple instructions, you have no business driving.  They made me prove I could drive safely after my head injury before they'd let me get behind the wheel of a car.  The same should've happened to you, if you have a head injury, which I suspect you don't.  Anyway, this is as bad as pretending you have a limp to get handicapped parking.  Knock it off.

Yes, my head injury is 32 years (and 11 days) old.  They don't go away, you just learn workarounds to deal with your deficiencies.  Or you don't.  Whining about it doesn't help.  Trust me.  I tried that early on and it didn't help.

I sometimes think about writing a book about my TBI experiences, but I can't remember a lot of what happened in any great detail, so a book probably isn't the way to go.

I recently started following Josh & Jase (two Brits who love America) because they're touring Michigan right now.  These guys are hilarious.  And they've just reached the Upper Peninsula.  This should be fun.  I spent 4 years up there and I really do miss it sometimes.  (Not now.  Now it's cold and snowy and just NOPE.)

Okay, I probably should go.  I had other things on my mind to talk about today, but they're gone, so... 

Have a great day!

Marketing Monday - Early Grave

Good morning!  It's time again for another Marketing Monday.  Today, we're doing Early Grave - the third book in the Serial Crimes Investigation Unit series.  It's a third book, but like all the SCIU books, it can be read without reading the others.  (Although reading the others does enrich the experience, imo.)

Starting today, EARLY GRAVE is free. Come along on this suspenseful hunt for serial killer before it's too late. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CGYBSST

Speaking of marketing and free books, I am actually ahead of the game and have set up freebies for the next three weeks.  This week, it's EG, next week will be Blink of an I, and then Natural Causes.  Enjoy.

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 2

Well, here we are again at Sunday morning.  I wanted to sleep in today, but my bladder had other ideas.  Derp.

No writing this week - it's editing time.  Unfortunately, not a lot of that was done either.  I think I'm at 13% on my edit notes, which works out to like 2.5 pages worth of notes.  Better than nothing, but I need to get my act together if I want to reach the goal of being done with this by the end of the... oh crap, it's the 18th.?!  Really? Well, crap.  It would take a miracle to get this book finished in 12 days.  So, let's say this book's deadline is February.  Sometime in February.  Before March?  

I did marketing.  UWC was free and it moved 38 copies.  I also moved 2 copies of WIOH at regular price, so there's that.  I also moved one copy each of DE and of FG, which I assume is from previous marketing.  Yay.  And someone's been reading PH in KU.  woot.  I'm up to like $9 for the month, which isn't gravy, but it's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

I'm still reading The Night Manager.  It's slow going because I'm also trying to read my book for edit notes.

This week, I made beef stew, which turned out awesome, and biscuits to go with that (also awesome).  Then I made a pineapple upside-down cake.  Yummers.

On the activity front, I did a couple days out in the woods throwing logs.  Those kicked my ass, which led to not doing anything for a day or two (or five) after each session.  I'm not as young as I used to be and I keep forgetting that.  So, doing nearly 2 hours in the woods hits me like a 200-pound boxer hits a weakling with a glass jaw.  Derp.  Let's not talk weight, eh?  It was 177.8 last Sunday and I don't expect it's gone down any since.  Did I mention the pineapple upside-down cake?  Yeah.

Speaking of throwing logs, Hubs is most of the way through moving the piles of firewood he's already made with the chainsaw.  And I'm making good progress creating other piles of not-firewood - better known as taking all the crap lying around and moving it to centralized locations.  (Can also be known as creating wildlife habitats, but that's tertiary.)  The hope for me is to create a glade down there in the woods, with wildflowers and pretty trees.  Maybe a gazebo... you know, if I win the lottery or something.

We're trying a new high-protein food for Lumpy.  I think she's looking better, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part.  This cold snap could be the deciding factor on whether she lives through this winter.  It's 10 degrees out there.  :shudder:  

Speaking of 10 degrees... Umm, yeah, I won't be going in the woods until the air can't hurt my face.

I went to the thrift store this week.  No books, but I didn't find a really nifty posthole digger for $7.  Woot.  Yes, I am a redneck who gets excited about cheap tools.  We'll be using the posthole digger to make holes... naturally... which will be used to plant trees.  Or at least to get the ground here broken up enough to maybe plant trees.  We have a plan.

And on that exciting farm implement news, I think that's it for me.  What's been up with you?

Amusing Myself

Here's a little sea-shanty I cooked up this morning.  Sing along with me...

What do you do with a slothful writer?

What do you do with a slothful writer?

What do you do with a slothful writer staring at a blank page?

Chain her to the keyboard until she writes words.

Chain her to the keyboard until she writes words.

Chain her to the keyboard until she writes words until she gets to THE END.

Yes, I am a slothful writer.  Although, to be honest, I'm editing right now not writing.  Still, the song amused me.  I hope it amused you, too.

Thursday This n That

I went to Wallyworld yesterday.  They've already put out a bunch of gardening stuff, including seeds.  It's too early!  Oh, and I got an email from Tractor Supply about it being time to start planning my garden.  No.  (Okay, yeah, I've already been thinking about it, but it's too early to actually do anything about it.)

Wow.  You can really see the dark side of the moon this morning.

I love the internet sometimes.  Oh, sure, it's rife with misinformation and morons abound, but it's pretty cool, too.  For instance, Hubs and I were talking about something the other morning and I mentioned how I babysat 3 kids when I was 13.  Which got me to thinking about those kids.  Which led to me running a search on them, starting with the oldest.  And well, shit, he's a clinical psychologist now.  Good for him.  He was a good kid and pretty smart at the time.  And now he's 50 and life seems good for him.  Yay.

What we were talking about is, on the off chance we have to both go out of town at the same time, we should get the neighbor girl (age 13 almost 14) to watch the cats - give her a key and instructions, etc.  He was worried that she was too young to cope in the event of an emergency, which was when I pointed out that I watched 3 children ages 8, 6, and 4 when I was 13.  Of course, times have changed and 13 ain't what it used to be.  Hell, in the olden days, some girls were married at 13.  (Jerry Lee Lewis married a 13-year-old, for instance.  I mean, ew, but it happened.)

Mom and I were talking the other day about swearing.  She never swears.  (Okay, every rare once in a while, she'll say ass or bitch, but that's it.)  She feels it shows a certain amount ignorance and laziness, and if you're smart / not lazy, you can find other words to use.  My standpoint is to use the best word for the situation and sometimes a swear word fits better than any other.  She had to admit my point, but she's still not for it.  For the record, Hubs doesn't swear much either.  Although, if certain situations arise, he can belt them out with the best of us cursers.  (Yeah... about that... I'm a foul-mouthed chick sometimes.)

Night before last, we were just falling asleep when something in the backyard started barking.  LOUD.  And it wouldn't shut up.  Even after I went to the window and banged.  Even after I walked into the bathroom, opened that window and told it to shut up.  It was only slamming the window shut that encouraged it to move off - but not to stop because I could still hear it barking as it moved off into the night.  We think it was a fox.  After doing a little research, foxes bark for three main reasons - defining their territorial boundaries, alerting others to a predator, and looking for a mate (which generally happens in late winter... which is now, I guess.)  

Okay, I think that's enough out of me for now.  Anything good in your this-n-that basket today?

Marketing on a Tuesday, etc.

 First off, UP WISH CREEK is free starting today.  

Starting today, UP WISH CREEK is free! (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get your copy of this snarky, paranormal suspense today. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVU03BV

Now that we have that out of the way, what should we talk about today?  World news?  Nah, you get enough of that already.  The woods?  You've probably had enough of that.  Personal shit?  I don't have any drama llamas hanging out here.

I guess that's why I don't post that often anymore.  Nothing to talk about. My life is pretty boring and the world doesn't need my input on its events.  I write books and try to sell them, I have cats, I get my jollies throwing logs in the woods, I read a little, and I watch way too much TV.  There's me in a nutshell.

I did get started on editing DN3 (tentatively called Justice: Past Due, although I'm also kinda attracted to Taint in the Blood - which may or may not also be a Bones title*), so yay.

So, I put it to you this morning... is there anything you'd like me to talk about?  

*Nope, not Bones.  It's the 14th book in another popular suspense writer's series.  Derp.  There's no book called Justice Past Due as far as I can tell, though, so yay.)

Sunday Update - 2026 Week 1

Well, we wrapped up the first week of the new year and lemme tell ya, I didn't have this stuff on my bingo card for the year (i.e. the Venezuela stuff, the Iran stuff, the Minnesota stuff).  Wow.

Anyway... Writing didn't happen, because I just finished a book and I took the week off.  Editing was supposed to start yesterday but, while I did email the book to my Kindle, I didn't do any.  I did write a short blurb.  And I think I have a title - JUSTICE: PAST DUE.  (Sucks, doesn't it.  Titles suck.)  I do hope to have this book done by the end of the month, so I'd better get cracking.

Marketing happened.  I moved 30 copies of PH.  I also sold a copy of DE and someone read pages of both TTW and PH, so yay.

I finished that book I was reading, so I have a new Books Read post for 2026, and I'm currently reading The Night Manager by John LeCarre.  It's pretty gripping.

In baking news, I made Raisin Pecan Quick Bread.  It's super yummy.  Yesterday, I did a vat of pulled pork.  Also yum.

On the activity front, I did three days of woods work and one day cleaning.  Woot.  Hang on, I have to go weigh myself...  Ack... never mind, you don't want to know.  I know I didn't want to know.  Weight: 177.8

Speaking of woods work, I moved the summer clean-up pile to the permanent pile.  (Summer clean-up pile is for any crap that falls in the yard during the hot months when we don't go into the woods due to ticks and snakes.)  Hubs went through all our old firewood and threw out anything that was roached, then reorganized the pallets for more efficient wood use, which gave us a couple of empty pallets for the newly sawn wood.  That black cherry tree is probably going to be a couple cords alone.  (Don't ask me.  I never did figure out how many chucks a woodchuck could chuck or how many logs are actually in a cord.)

The Boyz are currently fighting in what I've begun to call The Box Maze.  Some days.  Ugh.

Other than that, not much going on.  It's pretty same-same here.  How are things in your world?

Oh.  It just occurred to me after I hit Publish that this is the 11th, so I had to come back to add this.  It's my accident anniversary.  32 years today.  :shrug:  Ya know, this used to be a bigger deal, but now I'm kinda over it.

Thursday This n That

Working in the woods yesterday, moving one pile of crap to another pile of crap, and I went to move a rather large hickory limb.  I stood it up and tipped it over to get it out of the way, but I neglected to account for the way the limb was weirdly twisted, so when it hit the ground, the thick end bounced up and hit me in the thigh.  Talk about ouch.  It's going to be a glorious bruise once it blooms.

You ever have a dream so happy that you were sad when you woke up?  

I'm driving myself crazy trying to think of a title for DN3.  I mean, I had settled on The Deepest Cut, which would be right for the MO of the killer, but all wrong for the timeframe (plus, it's been done to death).  Maybe that's why every other title sounds lame by comparison.  I need to get over it.  I'm laying in bed running the Title HamsterWheel and not getting any sleep.  I thought I had a good title - Green-Eyed Murder - but the next morning, it was lame.  Then I came up with a couple last night which I got out of bed to write down, but they seem lame this morning.  The best one out of that lot is JUSTICE: PAST DUE - I think the colon helps.  :shrug:  (And a big hug to Silver, who sent me a list of suggestions.)  Oh, well.  I'm in the between place right now, so I have time to ponder it.  I'll start editing probably this weekend.  We'll see.

I had a neat idea for a SF short story.  Whether I write it... eh.  

I think I need to bake a cake.  I've been jones'n for baked goods lately.  I really don't need the calories or the carbs, but mmmm.... cake.

I also want pizza.  I made a passable substitute for lunch yesterday, using leftover spaghetti sauce, rolls, and mozzarella.  Still, it wasn't enough to get rid of my craving.  I'm going to have to bite the bullet and make real pizza soon.

The bird of the day is a Great Blue Heron.  Love those birds, but they do make the most unholy of noises.

The other day, I found a neat new-to-me show called Exhibit A with Graham Green.  It's a half-hour show where they go over a true crime, present the facts, and give you the solution.  I like that I don't really have to think too much about it.  Wham, bam, thank you forensics.  I am all about the crime sometimes.

I'm almost out of ice cream, which is a crime in itself.  Yay for Dollar General being like 3 miles from the house now.

Well, that's it from me.  What's on your list today?

The Bad Review Blues

Every so often, I check my reviews and ratings.  (Yes, I have a spreadsheet for that.)  Yesterday, I went through the Amazon listings for each of my books, noting the number of reviews vs the number of ratings, and the rankings.  Nothing really new.  Some nice new reviews, some crappy ratings - the usual.  But one review has left me feeling a little blue*.

They said they liked the book, but then they said something about the plot resolution that showed they hadn't really read the end, and then they went on to say that the book was rife with errors in grammar and spelling, hinting that I should've edited better.  I, of course, was shocked.  You know me - I work really really hard to clean up all that stuff before I ever hit publish.  

So, I opened the last file and ran my spelling/grammar checker.  It pointed out some things, but everything it pointed out was a stylistic choice.  The book in question is, after all, written in a looser, more-dialogue oriented style.  It's entirely possible that is what she was talking about.  Unfortunately, I can't explain any of that to the reviewer.  So, that review sits there, hinting to potential readers that my books are poorly written and crappily edited.  (And yes, the above sentence is grammatically incorrect. It's how I write when I'm talking to you here.)

This might explain why the last freebie I put out for this book did so poorly.  Who the hell wants a crappy book?  If I read that review, I wouldn't download the book.  

So, yeah, I'm bummed.  The writing life is hard enough without stuff like that.  

*Yes, I know, you're not supposed to read your own reviews, but I do it anyway.  I'm a sucker for punishment, I guess.

Marketing Monday - Project Hermes

 Hello!  It's time for Marketing Monday!  :muppetflail:  This week, we're hitting my one medical/political thriller - Project Hermes.  Enjoy!

Starting today, PROJECT HERMES is free. (Always free with Kindle Unlimited.) Get your copy of this medical/political thriller today.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Y6G0EW

It's the little things that kill.

2026 - Books Read

Well, it's time again to create another Books Read post.  This will be my 18th year of doing this on this blog, so I expect my regular followers to know the drill.  For everyone else, here's how it goes:

The books are listed from oldest read at the bottom to newest read at the top.  There'll be Title by Author (Date) - Genre.  Title only, no series info because I'm lazy.  The title will mostly be linked to the book's Goodreads page.  If there's then an asterisk, it's an ebook.  If it's new to me and underappreciated (less than 50 ratings/reviews), I'll put a hashtag.  

I set my reading goal at 35, because I was such a toad of a reader last year.

Okay, so here goes:

4) How to Carve Wood by Richard Butz (2/28/26) - NF

3) The Complete Starter Guide to Whittling by Wood Carving Illustrated (2/26/26) - NF

2) The Night Manager by John LeCarre (2/8/26) - Thriller

1) The Dead Will Beckon by Jason Chapman (1/4/26) - Suspense*#

Sunday Update - 2025 Week 52

Time to wrap up the last week of the year.  All in all it was a good week, so here goes...

Writing:  Last night, I finished the first draft of DN3.  Yay!  It's just under 49K words right now, but I expect to add a bunch in editing.  And I hate the end, so I'm guessing it'll have a rewrite.  I also came up with a title last night when I was supposed to be falling asleep.  How does Duke Noble, P.I.: The Deepest Cut strike you?  :half-shrug:  I loved it last night.  Now I'm not so sure. (Updated 8:20pm - The phrase 'the first cut is the deepest' wasn't coined until way past when this book is set, so NOPE.  Back to the drawing board.)

I did marketing.  Thicker Than Water (DN2) was on the block.  I moved 129 free copies, one full price copy after the freebie, and someone read it in KU.  Here's hoping that those freebies turn into sales of Rumor Has It (DN1) 

I did reading.  I finished my first book of the year.  (And I totally forgot to add it in Goodreads, or make a 2026 goal for the year, so don't go looking over there.)  It wasn't bad.  Actually, it was pretty good.  Different.  And not what it was billed as... hard boiled crime? Not.  Anyway, it was good, so that's a win.

In baking news, I made stuffed pork chops yesterday.  Those were yummy, so yay.

On the activity front, I did 3 days of woods work - hauling deadfall and cutting it up and raking it up - for about 2.75 hours.  I haven't weighed myself to start the year yet.  I'm a little leery because I've been noshing quite a lot lately. (ETA: I did it.  Weight: 177.4 - well, at least there's a starting point to go down from.)

Speaking of woods work, the big fallen black cherry tree is mostly cut up now and all the top branches/twigs have been moved to a pile that's out of the way.  So yay.  We have several stacks of firewood laying out there that have to be moved, but they'll be fine out there for the time being.  We're both feeling pretty good considering what we've done and our respective ages, so we've got that going for us.

My Christmas tree is still up.  I have to take that down and get back to normal.  

I located my 2026 day-planner.  I bought it in early December and put it somewhere I wouldn't lose it (and the cats wouldn't eat it), then promptly forgot where that was.  I looked in all the obvious places, but nope.  Then I noted a spiral binding peeking out from the top row of books on one of my bookshelves.  Huzzah!  

Since I was a total spazz last month, I didn't get my spreadsheets prepared for the coming year, so I did a lot of those last week.  I still have a couple of personal ones to do, but those can keep.  

Other than that... Welcome to 2026!  May it be a banner year for us all.

How was your final week of 2025?

Happy New Year!

 May 2026 be awesome for us all.