Memorial Day

 

Today's a day to remember those you've lost. Especially those who died in war.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Maybe we were ALL born to be queens.

Writing and Sleeping

I'm on Day 7 of the cold from Hell. It's not COVID. I had DH pick up tests for me because we've been cleaning out the in-laws' house. Last thing I wanted was to pass it to the rest of the family if it was COVID.

It wasn't in my case, but one of the sisters and her family did have COVID, so they quarantined for a week.

In addition to writing on Hero Ad Litem this week, I've been double-checking A Measure of Knowledge. I'd already FUBAR'd the release by rushing through things. I figured taking my time and rechecking the entire manuscript was the best way to make sure I didn't do anything stupid again.

Because of the cold I've been sleeping. A lot. As in, I slept until  6 PM today. But I needed the sleep. This is the closest I've felt to normal since the FIL passed away.

And right now, I'll take that as a win.

Again?

If you need to contact me, I'll answer. But otherwise, I'm going to go hide in one of my worlds for the next couple of days. Because I...

I just can't anymore. I don't have the spoons. I don't have the bandwidth.

And I'm so fucking tired of thoughts and prayers.

If you have to be out in reality this week, be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. I know I'm not the only one who feels utterly broken right now.

Paperbacks on the Way!

I received the paperback proof for Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice from Ingramspark this morning. After one last check, I approved it and ordered 90 copies.

90!

I normally don't sell a lot of paperbacks, so I was a little shocked when Kickstarter backers bought nearly 300 paperbacks of the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse series.

Granted, they got a little bit of a discount compared to the retail price, but not that much.

I hope all these books find good homes and don't end up in landfills. That would make me very,very sad.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

A little music to feed the need to groove.

Mail, Mail, Mail

I ran out of stamps last night while I finished stuffing and labeling envelopes for the Kickstarter Stretch Goal magnets. So on my tea run this morning, I bought more stamps, and...

I obviously miscounted because I have one lonely little envelope with no stamps. LOL I'll stop by the post office again this afternoon when I go in for a much-needed haircut. But you don't to hear about that.

In other mail news, a reader asked if Invasion! is part of the Justice series.

Technically, sort of, but it's more of a one-off. Invasion! is my version of Crisis on Infinite Earths or Secret Wars. Blame DH. He asked what would Chief Justice Anthea do if she ever met Sam Ridgeway from the Bloodlines series. But anyway, a vague idea took shape and I added Aisha Franklin from 888-555-HERO and Shan Wong from Seasons of Magick...

And I'm have a damn good time writing it! Plus, I have an excuse to introduce the Grey Ladies from an upcoming series.

So, yeah, this will be a fun book of the heart. It will address the prophecy Reverend Mother Alara mentioned way back in A Question of Balance if you REALLY want to know about that, and Aisha ends up coaching Anthea on how to control her lightning.

But if you need something that's stupid fun while trapped in a vehicle of some sort during the winter holidays, Invasion! is the book for you.

It'll be up for pre-order once I get the cover!

A Mountain of Work and Identity Theft

Between my Kickstarter campaign and the FIL's passing, I was way behind on the personal finances. So I spent the last four days paying bills, entering data into our accounting software, and reconciling statements.

Which brings me to this little bit of advice--always, ALWAYS check your monthly statements!

Someone used one of DH's credit cards to buy themselves an Amazon Prime membership. I think the person who tried to purchase $300 worth of chicken in October with my credit card had a better idea, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, calls were made, and hopefully, shit will be taken care of on the bank's end.

Now, that the personal finances are done, I need to order the Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice paperbacks. I dropped off the second round of stretch goal magnets at the post office during this morning's tea run. Once I get the rest out tomorrow *fingers crossed*, I've got nothing to do until the paperbacks arrive except write.

Ah, storytelling! I've really missed you over the last three weeks!

Catching Up Amid the Grief

Except it's not truly grief for me. My father-in-law isn't suffering anymore. No matter your belief system, I'm simply glad his body no longer tortures him. We buried the empty shell that housed his spirit or soul or whatever you want to call it. But yeah, I'm happy he's no longer in pain.

On the other hand, I ended up with a nasty UTI the night after his funeral, just like I did when my mother-in-law passed away five years ago. The stress of dealing with everything got to me despite my best efforts. But thank Sekhmet for antibiotics. The PA at the urgent care went straight for the sulfa drugs.

I slept for a good chunk of Saturday and Sunday. And last night, I did some writing, which strangely always makes me feel better when I actually have the bandwidth to do it.

There's more stories to tell, and since I'm still on this tiny ball floating through space, I will continue to do so.

For as long as this body lasts.

Sadness on a Beautiful Spring Day

Darling Husband and his sisters made the hard decision last Thursday to move their father to hospice. He passed away Saturday evening. I'm not surprised. None of us were. And yet, when you get the call, it's a shock to the system.

My father-in-law was a good man. Crotchety at times, yet he had a wicked sense of humor. He loved his wife, his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren fiercely.

The lilacs at his house are just starting to bloom, and their perfume is a much better ode to him than I could ever write.

A Rough Week

This week has been insane on so many levels.

- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has turned into a war of attrition.
- We haven't heard anything from GK for two weeks. So either the shit's hitting the fan at the Pentagon, or GK's social life is picking up. I pray it's the latter.
- The stacked Supreme Court is making its first play to turn minorities into non-citizens.
- DH's dad has been officially moved to hospice care.
- Bella was sick all day Wednesday, to the point I almost took her to the doggie ER.
- I'm behind on proofing several things.
- I'm behind on finishing A Measure of Knowledge.
- I'm still working on getting Kickstarter rewards ready for the mail.
- DH asked me to go with him and his oldest sister to the attorney's office next week to make sure they've asked all the right questions about handling the FIL's estate.
- Spring allergies have been a killer, so the constant headaches haven't helped.
- The tornado that developed from last Tuesday's t-storms didn't touch down in the county, but there was a lot of straight-line wind damage on the west side.
- DH was on the way to the stadium for the girls' lacrosse game when the tornado sirens went off. Yep, the high school is on the west side of town.
- Installing the cabinets in the primary bathroom will be delayed again with the pile of work DH and I need to take care of this weekend.

So, yes, there's definitely a reason I was exhasted when I woke up this afternoon. I also begged him not to plan anything for Mother's Day, which bless him, he didn't. But I might ask him to pick up brunch, so I can finish A Measure of Knowledge.

I hope you had a much more relaxing week!

Being a Non-Citizen in America

Normally, I post something cute and positive on May 4th. It is after all Star Wars Day.

But this week, women in the United States found out they are essentially about to lose their citizenship. The planned overturn of Roe v. Wade is the first step to turn us into property again.

There are those who will deny my observation with their very last breath. But after the last administration's attempted coup, there is no other way to call it. The United States of America is turning into a fascist state.

Get your passports and have your go-bags ready. Otherwise, welcome to the First Galactic Empire.

"So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause." - Senator Padme Amidala

Pandemic Anxiety and the Modern Writer

Last night, I went out to dinner with DH and the family of his baby sister. We had a nice time despite an extended conversation about the FIL's current health issues. But the kicker was...

I didn't wear a mask.

Mask use has dropped off in our county. We haven't had any deaths the last couple of months. Omicron-B hasn't wound its through our area. And yesterday was the first time I didn't second-guess myself about mask-wearing while in public.

Heck, I even went grocery shopping after dinner and didn't reach for my mask.

It doesn't mean I'm ready for every public thing yet.

I originally had plans to go to the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas this month. However, I'm still not ready to fly on a plane yet.

Even in the pre-pandemic days, I often caught travel crud from a fellow plane passenger who was flying while ill. People seem to like sneezing and coughing on me. I don't know why, other than sheer rudeness.

So, no, you can't pay me enough to get on a place just yet. I'm going to stay home and type away on my laptop because it's one of the few ways I can stay healthy.