I've Been on a Christina Aguilera Kick

And the one that started it all...

TGIF!

We're ready for the weekend here at Casa Harden.

DH is incredibly hoarse tonight because he's been on the phone so much this week. I'm finalizing everything for Hero Ad Hoc's release next month and wrapping up Hero De Novo before the production phase begins.

But GK had the biggest week of all. He went to enlist in the army. Physical tests, medical exams, the ASVAB, etc. He wants to become a tank mechanic. So I taped the following picture to his bedroom door for when he gets home...

Maintenance Morning

I got up this morning, and instead of writing, I got caught up on a lot of maintenance tasks since I plan a massive writing expedition to my favorite haunt tonight.

- Entered basic information on A Matter of Death for its two ISBNs.
- Added the new covers to Bowker for one of Alter Ego's series.
- Tracked down the internet pages for Alter Ego's books on Apple, and updated the links on the general info documents.
- Started entering Alter Ego's revised series into Google Play
- Took down Alter Ego's series from her account on Amazon in order to add to the publisher's account.
- Started entering Alter Ego's revised covers and updated book files to Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.
- Realized the ending for Hero De Novo needs to come from someone else's perspective, so I can tie up loose ends and still leave room for expansion in case sales warrant another book in the 888-555-HERO universe.
- Jotted down some notes for HDN's ending so I'd know where to pick up this evening.
- Toying with the idea of a crossover event between my various universes, a la Michael Moorcock's Universal Champion. It tickles me, but would the readers go for it?

Sometimes, I need the mundane redundancy of office task work in order for my Subconscious to come up with an alternant storyline for a wip.

Cleaning the bathroom when I'm stuck on a story can do in a pinch, but the business clerical work is what keeps my publishing company going, too.

Now, it's off to write!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

I just woke up at 1 p.m. EDT, and the only reason I'm awake is because DH came in to get me up.

My sleep cycles were finally getting back into a "normal" pattern after Groundhog Day, then came the damn cold virus. I didn't worry about my sleep patterns because sleep and lots of fluids are what's needed in that situation.

But now, I reasonably healthy again. DH and I are back to walking every evening. And my sleep is still screwed up.

I haven't had to do a reset in five years, but it looks like it's time to consider it. What's a reset? I go to bed a little later each day until I'm back to going to bed at my normal time. I just have to make sure I have no daytime appointments over the couple of weeks I need to do it right.

I could do a hard reset over a weekend, but I'm getting too old to stay awake 36 hours straight. Often the stress leads to getting sick. That's unacceptable when I'm trying to finish my next two releases.

On the plus side, being self-employed makes a longer reset so much easier than when I was employed by a third party. I lost a bit vacation time by sleeping through it to rest my internal clock.

I've Been on a Christina Aguilera Kick

Wild and wicked and so appropriate.

It's Better Than I Expected

I swear to Cow this is the best backhanded compliment I receive on my books.

Look, I know I come up with some wacky ideas. Hence, the name of this blog. It's funny how surprised readers, especially if they are also writers, are that I can make my crazy concepts work.

On the other hand, I guess I'm disappointed by how many other writers think I can't write at all. By no means do I think I'm the most gifted writer to grace the planet, and I do try to improve on a daily basis. Over the last fifteen years, I just tried to stitch together something fun that would entertain me.

I do find backhanded compliments useful because, let's face it, they are meant to be an insult.

Which they are in the right hands.

But when you don't know how to use them, you sound like a jealous bee-yatch. So use your power wisely.

Because my laughter can deflect your attempted insult.

Back to Work

Yesterday wasn't as bad pain-wise as I had feared. I got a bit done.

The trade paperback of Hero De Facto was uploaded to Ingramspark. It should start showing up on retailers' websites soon.

I got some work done on Hero De Novo, but tomorrow I need to buckle down and finish reviewing the print galleys of Hero Ad Hoc.

Then there's Dory's advice:

When Pain Comes A-Calling

Too much social activity over the weekend left me in bed for the entire morning. Introversion or chronic illness doesn't begin to cover what socialization does to me these days.

If I described what I did this weekend to most people, they'd be like, "What are you talking about? That's a normal weekend for me."

Once upon a time, it would have been a normal weekend for me as well. On Friday, DH and I went for our walk (trying to get back in the rhythm after recovering from the cold we both contracted), bought groceries for our empty cupboards, and picked up some dinner.

Saturday was date night, the first one we've had since December. We went out for Mexican before attending the high school's production of "Mamma Mia!" (which was totally awesome).

Then on Sunday, one of DH's uncles on his dad's side organized a family reunion/birthday party for FIL who turns 87 today. FIL had seven siblings, so when the surviving sibs, all the kids, grandkids, etc. gather, it's huge event. It's not like DH's family are crazy party animals though. We had a low-key potluck and cake.

Not really a lot right? But I woke up this morning with such muscle pain that I rolled over and tried to sleep off the discomfort. Or I did until DH woke me a little after one p.m.

I hate having to blow a good chunk of my day. My fingers ache as I type this. And I need to wait a half-hour before I can take my next dose of naproxen.

Tonight, DH and his sibs, spouses, etc. are taking FIL out to dinner to his favorite restaurant for his birthday. Which means, I'll be pretty much physically useless tomorrow and possibly Wednesday.

This type of stuff makes me so thankful for my writing. It's something I can do while sitting on my recliner on the bad days. And I can still live through my characters.

I've Been on a Christina Aguilera Kick

I loved it when she went all jazz...

New Release - Hero De Facto!

YES!! *fist pump* My first book in a year and a day is out!

Hero De Facto is now officially available on Amazon.

This is probably the best release in my life. Eleven months ago, I got some pretty bad news, and with each medical test, the news got worse. At one point, I wasn't sure if I'd ever finish writing another book.

So I'm simply grateful to be here, writing and publishing again.

And guess what? Y'all won't be guessing, "When the hell is she going to put out the next book?"

Yep, that's right! Hero Ad Hoc (888-555-HERO #2) is already up for pre-order on Amazon! I'm excited and tickled about being back on track. And I can't wait to see what readers think about this new world.

In the meantime, I'm polishing Book #3 and hope to have it up for pre-order before Hero Ad Hoc goes live.

Thank you to my family, friends, and medical personnel for getting me through the last year. And a special thank you to all you readers who waited patiently for me to get healthy again!

Party Time!

I got the final print version of Hero De Facto back from my formatter yesterday. For once, the print version of a title will be available, if not at the exact same time as the e-book, within a couple of days, instead of several months.

Yay!

It's the little things like this that make me happy. My business is solidifying into a regular tempo. I feel like for once I'm keeping up with what I should be doing. I WANT to get the edits on Hero De Novo done so I can get back to writing A Matter of Death.

Maybe it's the warmer weather and longer days improving my mood, but I'm going to enjoy this feeling of accomplishment while I can.

Typos Are Lifeforms...

...and I swear to Cthulu, the little bastards are having crazy bunny sex in my files.

Oh, and I'm trying to battle them while the cold virus from two weeks ago is having a major hot tub party in my sinuses.

So while I edit, I'll leave you with this funny for the day...

I've Been on a Christina Aguilera Kick

Something Captain America and Agent Carter would have danced to...

Did I Forget Something?

Not only did I forget to write new words last night, I totally forgot to come up with a post topic for today.

Oops!

One look at the guys gets me on track.

Or should I be looking at a different poster? It IS International Woman's Day.

So I need to get my words done so I can watch Wonder Woman tonight.

A Plague Upon Your House

And we have the plague in spades here at Casa Harden. DH started showing signs Sunday night of the same crap I came down with a week ago. By Tuesday morning, GK was sniffling. This cold actually encouraged DH to call in sick for the first time in years. It's a little hard to talk on the phone when you can't breathe.

I'm feeling a bit better, but the household chores rest with me now that the guys are down. So I find myself doing things in small increments because I still exhaust easily at this stage.

Still plugging away on the new releases though rather slowly. Luckily, most of the work can be handled from a reclining position.

In the meantime, take care of yourselves. There's a strain of the flu making the rounds that isn't covered by your flu shot. You know it's bad when any Ohio school shuts down because so many students and teachers are out sick. Last thing I need is the damn flu on top of this cold!

Hero De Facto Is About to Debut

It was a busy weekend at Casa Harden, even with the atrocious head cold I picked up.

The e-book version of Hero De Facto is currently up for pre-order on Amazon. It officially drops on March 15th. The trade paperback should be up soon, as well as the e-book pre-order for Hero Ad Hoc. Just need to polish Hero De Novo, then I'll settle back into Justice Anthea's world for the rest of the month.

I worked on the writing biz on Saturday, but Sunday, I had to get tax stuff done. It's a pain in the ass, but it's off to the accountant to plug things into his computer. I'm not holding my breath that we'll get a large refund, but it's one thing off my plate.

Next month, I know my headspace won't be there. April starts the annual round of checkups, but I'll be poked and prodded thoroughly thanks to the C-word.

But I'm getting my publishing groove back. That feels pretty damn good.

I've been on a Christina Aguilera Kick Lately

Of course, all the women on this video is a powerhouse in their own right...

F***ing Riptide!

I was on a roll Wednesday morning. The second book in the 888-555-HERO series was delivered to my formatter. I sent the blurb and info to my cover artist so she could do the print cover on Thursday. I jumped into the edits for Book 3.

Except I started winding down during the afternoon. Which is totally unlike me. This is the point of the day where I'm usually the most productive. Then came the sinus headache.

Crap. It's too early in the season for spring allergies. Heck, we still have pockets of snow here and there.

DH and I tried to get our evening walk in. I hadn't even made it a full mile before the tickle started in the back of my throat, so we cut it short. By the time we picked up dinner (which we'd planned on because of some additional errands that evening), my nose gushed like Niagara Falls.

So he's slept on the couch to hopefully *fingers crossed* not pick up my germs.

In the meantime, I'm working, but it's at a crawl instead of the steady jog I was on. I should be glad that this is the first cold I've had in two years. And I will be.

Once my eyeballs decide whether or not they will explode.