Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Toderick Hall has way too much fun with this melody!

TGIF!

After the cataract surgery on my left eye on Wednesday, I'm no longer seeing double. Distance vision is awesome. Medium vision (like being on my laptop) is doable. Close vision is bleah at the moment. Doctor G canceled my second followup because he thinks I'm doing awesome.

He also scored brownie points for intelligent discussing Star Trek.

So, I go back at the end of January for an eyesight check-up once the swelling in the left eye goes down. I may need reading glasses. I may not. We'll see. (Pun intended.)

In the meantime, I have enough visual acuity to complete the publishing and Kickstarter tasks I had to put aside back on December 13th. I'll finish writing the Millersburg Magick Mysteries holiday story, but I'll probably save it for next Christmas.

(Anybody besides me get that anticipation hangover after Boxing Day?)

In the meantime, I'm also wrapping presents and shipping those and cards to family and friends. My depth perception (or rather, lack of it) during the two weeks between surgeries made me leery of using tape or scissors around the gifts. Ironically, this was the year I tried very hard to have my gift shopping done well before Christmas. Maybe I should have stuck with gift cards for everyone as I have in previous years. I could have given DH the forms, had him print out labels for me, and made him sign the cards for me.

I guess being late is better than never showing my peeps how much I appreciate them!

Once More Into the Breach!

I need to be at the surgical center early this morning for my bionic left eye. Keeping my fingers crossed (until the sedative kicks in) that this surgery goes as well as the last one. Another three weeks of eyedrops, then we'll see where we are. (Pun intended.)

I'll probably need reading/computer glasses, but I'm still amazed how well I can see with my right eye when I wake up in the morning!

When I get home from surgery, I'll have one of my homemade cinnamon rolls.

Assuming GK hasn't eaten all of them!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

One of my favorite songs for this time of year.

(And if you're one of those kids who doesn't understand historical context, please leave my blog.)

Happy Holidays

No matter which holidays you celebrate, I hope you and your families have a joyous and wonderful time!

My Favorite Hotel

I'm still talking about my vacation because I cannot write at the moment.

Let me amend that. I'm having difficulty seeing my laptop screen while I type. My mismatched eyes are causing double-vision and headaches if I stay on the computer more than a few minutes at a time.

The issue will only last until my surgery next Wednesday. So, I do a little bit here and there and spend the rest of my time watching my very long list of programs I've saved. I can close my eyes and listen to Kevin Hart, Wanda Sykes, and Gabriel Iglesias's comedy routines.

Or I imagine DH and I are still in Las Vegas for a much needed vacation.

The Luxor is still my favorite hotel. It's not just the fabulous architecture. It's set up in a way I don't have to deal with too much smoke from the casino.

Before any smokers jump on my case, I stay away from you and your habit for the same reason I stay away from cats. I'm frickin' allergic. If I'm sufficiently forewarned, I stock up on allergy meds and decongestants.

The first time I stayed at the Luxor was the year after it opened. My friend and I had a room on the south side of the pyramid. At the time, construction had started on Mandalay Bay, but for all intents, the Luxor and the airport were the edge of the city.

These days, you can't tell where Henderson ends and Las Vegas begins as you drive over the Muddy Mountains and into the desert bowl. But damn, if you can't still see the light at the top of the pyramid the entire way.

Mismatched Eyes and One of the Greatest Singer/Songwriters of All Times

I'm still having a problem focusing on my laptop for long periods.

Which means only a few minutes of writing or anything else at a time.

So, here's my favorite thing from our vacation! DH took me to see Barry Manilow at the Westgate (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton). I've been a Fanilow since I was nine. Surprisingly, over half the audience were in their 20's and 30's. I'm glad the Gen Z's appreciate his talent.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Some light pop to counteract all the grunge at the time.
>br/>

Sunset in West Texas

As we headed into El Paso the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I found myself wishing I'd brought DH's 35mm film camera. The one on my phone didn't do the sunset colors justice.

What surprised me was the clouds. The West Texas mountains acted like a wool card, stretching the clouds into filaments as they blew towards the rest of the state.

You also don't realize how big El Paso is unless you go through it at night. During the day, the buildings blend into the desert landscape, and the city seems much smaller than it is.

We also had to go through border patrol checkpoints, once just west of El Paso and one in Arizona. At first, it confused DH. We hadn't gone anywhere near the bridge to Juarez. I had to remind him that not everyone passes into the U.S. via the bridge and are checked by customs.

On the other hand, I was more interested in the Border Patrol's change in techniques. We merely stopped on a plate in the highway before we were waved on, which confused DH further, but it's been twenty years since he's been out of the country. They either have infrared sensors or scanners like at the airports to check vehicles. Like I told DH, the B.P just makes sure we aren't smuggling five Mexican children in the trunk of our car.

The last time I went through a checkpoint was near McAllen, which is just a few miles north of Brownsville, another major crossing point. I was on my way home after a probate hearing in McAllen. That time, the B.P. agents ran a K-9 German Shepard around my car and checked under it with mirrors. Luckily, the German Shepard wasn't interested in my iced mocha from Starbucks. *grin*

But yeah, I need to find some 35 mm film for our next roadtrip. The sunset above was more beautiful than it appears.

While I'm in Surgery...

Depending on what time you read this post, I might be in surgery getting my eyeball sliced with a laser. For some reason, I'm more nervous about this surgery than I was about the mastectomy five and a half years ago.

Why? Because this only affects the quality of my life, not my survival.

Sounds stupid, right? Except humans are irrational at heart.

That idea is difficult to write about because we humans also want things to make sense. If I wrote about some real life incidents from my own or others I know of, most readers would do the proverbial "throw the book against the wall". Those incidents make good barroom tales, but most readers would write the idea off as unbelievable because it is so outrageous and there's no satisfying ending in real life.

We humans are the ultimate paradox.

Which is why, after wearing glasses and contacts over the last fifty-one years, I'm scared that I might see clearly without visual aids.

Gain, Loss, and Change

I didn't realize how much both DH and I needed a break from all the stress in our lives, not to mention the everyday routine. He was practically giddy the morning we left for our trip.

What I didn't expect that day was Kristine Kathryn Rusch to announce she would no longer be posting her business thoughts on her blog. Her business blog had been a staple for me over Thursday morning breakfast for the last thirteen years.

However, I understood her reasoning. It was costing her time that she'd rather put towards her fiction. Not to mention, the people who really needed to hear her message ignore her.

Yep, things have changed in publishing over the last thirteen years. A lot.

I no longer get the sniff of disgust for publishing my own works. Even today at my dentist appointment, my hygienist asked about my job. When I needed to separate business and home purchases, the clerk at Meijer asked what I did and if I had my own store. (The online store will be the big project for 2024.)

Even Texas is no longer avoiding renewable energy sources. We passed a number of windmill and solar farms as the terrain changed from the Hill Country to the West Texas Desert. I tried to grab a picture of one such windmill farm as we drove by it.

DH asked why I was taking pictures of windmills. It wasn't like we didn't have plenty around our home town. I said I was marking the change in Texans behavior. The gas and oil companies can hang on with teeth and nails, but when Texas is embracing alternate energy sources at a time when California is trying to put the kebosh on solar energy, we're definitely in the middle of a major change in behaviors.

Just like we were after the Kindle was introduced.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

The Funky Divas live!

Exploding Tumbleweeds

Two and a half weeks ago, DH and I took our first real vacation since GK was born.

Over the last 20+ years, all of our vacation time was used up visiting family. We were the ones who moved 1200 miles away. I get the trade-off. But we never prioritized an immediate family vacation.

We tried this year. DH and I would drive to San Antonio. GK would cook Thanksgiving dinner. Then the three of us would travel together to Las Vegas,

Uncle Sam had other ideas.

GK passed his noncom boards and was immediately sent to a leadership course held at a different base. His class was a month-long and started on November 15. Yep, the week before DH and I were to head to his apartment. No, it was not something he could get out of.

Luckily, GK was sent to Fort Cavazos which was only slightly out of our way. We did have Thanksgiving dinner with him, and I've never had a better meal at IHOP. And we generously tipped the poor waitress who handled all the tables in our half of the restaurant, all service people with their families who had traveled to the fort to spend an hour or two with their loved ones.

Sadly, DH and I continued on to Las Vegas by ourselves. As we left the Hill Country for the West Texas desert, I warned DH to watch out for tumbleweeds blowing across the highway. I need to watch what I say.

About five minutes later down I-10, we were following another white sedan in the left lane as we passed an SUV. Sure enough, a tumbling tumbleweed rolled north, heading for the asphalt. DH tapped the brake, but the car in front of us had no place to go. They hit the tumbleweed dead on.

It exploded.

DH and I laughed as dry, brittle branches rained down. No harm was done, and a few miles later, another tumbleweed rolled across the interstate well ahead of us.

But now, I know what happens when you hit a tumbleweed at eighty miles an hour. As I roll along in life, I'll try not to spin and dance across a freeway and get hit.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

It took a long time for this tune to be sorted, but I believe it's brilliant.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Why are ballads always rock bands' biggest hits?

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Sometimes, you need a little Tupac in your day.

Why Does Stuff Pile Up Right Before You Go On Vacation?

It's almost nine p.m., and I'm just now writing my post. I got up early to sprint with a friend. For me, parallel work keeps me on track.

But there's so much personal stuff to get done. The dogs want play time and walkies. Also, I'm the only one who can sweet-talk the Grandpuppy into taking his skin allergy medication.

We're eating too much junk because we end up grabbing take-out while running to the post office, the bank, the pharmacy, the eye surgeon, the surgical center, picking up the last of my ornaments from Hallmark, going back to Hallmark because I got so enamored with Chewbacca book end I forgot to ask for my ornaments, drop off the water bill, cancel the insurance on GK's Jeep which he sold last week while he was here, dye my hair, send a note to our CPA about the solar panels installed on the roof and me opening a online store, and somehow finish the new edits on the Millersburg Magick Mysteries and send them to my Kickstarter backers.

In the meantime, DH's employer had a massive layoff, and he's doing the work of three people. Needless to say, he's a little stressed already.

Plus, DH hasn't been able to mulch leaves as often as he normally does. So, all of us are tracking leaf bits into the house. And I hate coming home to a dirty house.

My weird little brain is spinning like a bionic hamster. Clean! Bills! Write!

I think I might need additional medication. It's a good thing pot is legal in Nevada!

Writing More than Showing On the Stats

Over at my main website, I keep a list of stats on current and future writing projects. Right now, it doesn't look like I'm doing much of anything. My NaNo project is an Alter Ego book, the first in three(?) years. 

Also, I'm double-checking for typos in Magick and Murder after finding a few I missed in Fae and Felonies while proofing the paperback. Also, there's the annual Christmas short to write. I need to have everything done before DH and I set out on our first real vacation since GK was born. (The treks to Ohio to visit family do not count as vacations because they definitely weren't relaxing. Neither were the staycations to fix house stuff.)

After we return from our trip, I've got two eye surgeries scheduled in December to fix the cataracts I have thanks to the tamoxifen. Like I told my oncologist, if there's a weird side effect to a drug, I'll have it. Merry Christmas to me.

But that also means, my writing may be limited until my body processes the new bionic lenses, as my buddy Jo would say, and we figure out if I need glasses or just reading glasses or *fingers crossed* I don't need anything at all. By January, I should be able to drive al night again.

Can I now? Technically yes, but I don't feel comfortable doing it.

This is just one of many things a person deals with on the way the big 6-0. Yet, I still want Barbies for my birthday, and I plan on hitting my favorite comic book shop when I'm in Houston. I feel very paradoxical at the moment.

However, I will be taking Baby Blue with me on vacation. DH no longer flies so the drive to our destination will allow me to only write. While technically a laptop, Baby Blue isn't much more than a glorified tablet with a keyboard. She only has WORD and EXCEL loaded, and the wi-fi remains turned off unless there's a dire emergency that my phone can't handle. And there isn't much a smart phone can't handle these days. However, I only have my personal e-mail on the phone.

If all goes to plan, I should have a few giant updates on stats at the beginning of December. Then, things will be quiet until the beginning of January.

P.S. The entire Justice series is currently on sale at all retailers (or it should be) until December 10th. Pestilence in Pumpkin Spice (Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse #1) is $0.99 until Deember 31st!

Monday Movie Mania - The Marvels

Don't let the trolls tell you what to do!

The Marvels was a damn fun and funny movie. Were there some nitpicks? Of course, there were. As a writer I have a hard time NOT picking. But I loved these characters in the comics, and I think the writers, directer, and actors did them justice.

* * *

SPOILERS

* * *

LOVES
1) The chemistry between Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani was awesome!

2) It was funny! Not pee in my pants Deadpool 1 hilarious, but I laughed through most of the flick.

3) Fan service by using all of Carol's monikers (except Warbird, which I hated anyway).

4) Kamala's fangirling was just too adorable!

5) I was really expecting Nick Fury to say "I'm getting too old for this shit" at a certain point.

6) Kelsey Grammer

7) THE FLERKEN RESCUE SQUAD!

HATES
1) Dar-Benn needed a little fleshing out. I don't blame Zawe Ashton. She's an excellent actor. I don't know if something ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor or if the script was that bad when it came to her characterization.


Overall, I give Ther Marvels a solid 8 out of 10 stars.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Here's a little more upbeat tune.

To AI or Not to AI

Yep, that's the question these days. Especially when it comes to cover art for my books.

Will I ever use AI for writing a book? No, because it kind of defeats the purpose of writing. For me, writing is almost the same as reading. I'm often surprised by what my Imagination can come up with.

Like the zombie Andean condor forcing down a plane in Blood Sacrifice.

But for cover art, I've been reluctant to use AI. There's more than a few ongoing lawsuits in regards to training the AIs with copyrighted material and no permission from or recompense to the artists.

At the same time, the US Copyright Office has deemed AI-generated items as non-copyrightable since they were produced by a non-human. Kind of like the Monkey Selfie or the paintings of elephants, chimpanzees, and gorillas. On the other hand, the EU says that AI-generated art is copyrightable because it's generation is directed by a human's instructions.

 However, the Bern Convention currently fails to address who owns the copyright to an AI generated image because the treaty is massively behind the times.

In an effort to make people comfortable with using their AI, Adobe offers indemnification. Does this indemnification hold up in court? It hasn't been tested yet, so only the Creator and the Supreme Court knows if the indemnification will hold up.

And I can guarantee if Adobe loses its first lawsuit over the matter, it'll rip that clause out of its Terms and Conditions and hang its users out to dry.

I've talked to the cover artists I've used about the matter. Frankly, none of us quite know which way to jump, but one thing was glaringly obvious. AI is not going away.

Even Alexa on my Echo Dot agrees.

It Has Been a Long-Ass Day

Yesterday, after I spent a good couple of hours of medical testing and a surgical consult, everyone agrees I need cataract surgery. After all the stress of tests, talking with the surgeon, and scheduling the surgeries for next month, I thought I'd be able to sleep in and get a lot of writing done today.

Didn't happen.

I woke up to Grandpuppy (yes, the gorgeous black boy in the picture) racing from window to door to window to door. Genius Kid sold his Jeep Liberty this morning to a family who made an appointment last night for 10 AM. So, Grandpuppy was all excited about new hoomans outside and then, his own hooman leaving. He didn't bark, but a 50-lb German Shepard-Staffordshire mix doesn't have a light footstep.

By the time that business was finished, I had checked my e-mail. One of my cover artists had questions about the two covers she's working on this month. I didn't have a chance to answer everything before we needed to take Grandpuppy to the vet.

Don't worry. He's fine. Genius Kid has been given so many new duties now that he passed his sergeant boards that he hasn't had a chance to get Grandpuppy to his regular vet. Plus, we're puppysitting Grandpuppy for the next two months, and I want to make sure he has his vaccinations since he'll be around Princess Bella.

After that, a stop at the pet store to get some more food for the Grandpuppy, a quick stop at the pharmacy for my prescriptions, another stop at the grocery store for a couple of ingredients for the homemade pizza Genius Kid requested for dinner, and a much needed trip through the Starbucks drive-thru for an equally needed pumpkin spice latte.

While the dough rose, I finished my answers to my cover artist, and the guys did a little car work. I put together the pizzas and put away the clean dishes in the dishwasher while they baked.

And now, it's 10 PM, and  I'm finally opening my current wip.

People often don't understand why I stay up until dawn to write and sleep through the day. Seriously, it's the only way I can get anything written.

A Justice Super Sale!

Yep, I'm having a Justice Super Sale from now until December 10th at all retailers! All proceeds received by Angry Sheep Publishing from this sale will be sent to Maui Strong for the benefit of residents of Lahaina, who lost everything in the wildfire that destroyed the town.

All e-novels are marked down to $2.99 and all electronic short stories, even the collection Justice: The Beginning, are $0.99.

Share this with friends you think might be interested in the adventures of Justice Anthea and Brother Luc!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Anguished ballads were such a big thing in the '90's, weren't they?

Author Fest and the End of Daylight Savings Time

This afternoon, I'm prepping for tonight's Author Fest. Hope to see you there!

P.S. Don't forget to turn back your clocks tomorrow night!

Author Fest and the Start of NaNoWriMo

The Findlay-Hancock Library is holding their annual Author Fest during the city's Art Walk on November 3rd, from 5:30 until 8:00 p,m, I'll be there along with a couple of dozen local authors.

It's not often I do public appearances because of my health, but I love supporting our local library! Stop by and say "Hi!"

Also, today is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, AKA NaNoWriMo or just NaNo. There are no rules to NaNo. If anyone tells you there are, they're full of it.

The objective is to getting writers to sit down and concentrate on their craft for the month. I like to use is to jumpstart a new novel.

So, if you're a reader or a writer, there's lots of stuff going on this week. On the plus side, the weather should be a tad warmer with no snow!

See you at the library on Friday!

A Day Off That Wasn't

I didn't get my post written yesterday. There was too much going on. Lot's of stuff that needed to be taken care of before the end of the month like the car registration, the AAA membership, dog supplies, etc.

I'm glad I did get everything done because it's snowing right now. Has been for the last two hours. It's hard to believe it was 82 degrees five days ago. The ground is too warm for the flakes to stick, but they're lining the edges of the raised flower beds and the branches of the tiny evergreen trees along our patio.

Halloween itself is quiet. The town's trick-or-treating was Saturday night, so the streets are still now that everyone's home from school and work.

Tomorrow, I'll hit the grocery store, stock up on some chocolate, and start on my NaNoWriMo story. And in between sessions, I'll work on cleaning the house since GK and the Grandpuppy will be here sometime on Sunday.

So for now, I'll enjoy the quiet and the snow.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Samhain!

You know what time of year it is, and you know what I post. All together, folks! Let's sing!

Halloween Season

DH is taking me to see The Nightmare Before Christmas re-release tonight. It's hard to believe it's been thirty years since it's original release. I dragged some friends to see it back then. I don't think they appreciated it as much as I did. And still do.

And for those who like to cause trouble--the answer to whether it's a Halloween movie or a Christmas is YES!

I'm Blind

Well, that's true since I was seven. I always got put in the back of the classroom because I was so much bigger than most of the other kids. And I squinted at the blackboard. (Yes, young'uns, this was in ancient times.)

So, I was tested by the school nurse, and she sent home the recommendation that I visit the eye doctor. This was the '70's, which meant huge ugly plastic frames and equally huge heavy lenses. By the age of eight, I had huge ugly divots on my nose from the weight of the dang glasses.

Contacts came in high school and went with my pregnancy. New plastic lenses made it possible to wear wire-rims for the first time ever.

Then came the cancer. And the tamoxifen. And the cataracts, the one side effect from the tamoxifen I worried about the most. My eye doctor thought I'd be looking at cataract surgery after I turned 60.

Today, I had my annual eye check-up. My eye doctor said the cataracts have progressed faster than she guesstimated, and she referred me to an eye surgeon. My appointment with him is in two weeks. It means I need to get my winter holiday story done before November 7th since I don't know what happens next.

I'm rather glad I haven't committed to any releases for the first part of the year. My fingers are crossed that this surgery goes smoothly. I need to see my laptop screen!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

I remember when these folks were touring the college circuit.

It's Fri-YAY!

I'm home from Chicago. The actual visit was perfect. Lovely fall weather. For me, anyway. So many folks were walking around downtown with coats, scarves, and boots. On the other hand, I wore a t-shirt and overshirt and was perfectly fine even when we had dinner after dark on the outdoor patio at Broken English Tacos on East Lake Street. Excellent food! I highly recommend the place.

Besides, it's nice I can have a margarita with dinner again.

The weather changed as I was driving home. I hadn't even gotten out of the Chicago Metroplex before the clouds started spitting. And they continued to spit until the Ohio border when torrents of rain cut loose.

But I made it home in time for the Homeowners Association meeting. There were some things on the agenda DH and I were concerned about. However, the folks are so much nicer than the idiots we had to deal with in Texas. Our house was mentioned as a last minute item because we are planning to put in solar panels on our roof. We knew the HOA was never going to approve the panels on the south side of the house because it faces the street. DH and I even said that to the project manager and the broker, but the solar people submitted that south facing panel plan anyway. *eyeroll*

Anyway...

I'm back to working on the next series, and I'll clean the house this weekend in preparation for GK's visit in two weeks. We're dogsitting the Grandpuppy while GK is attending a month-long class at another base. He's a German Shepherd/Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix. Despite Blaze's size, Bella rules the roost. Two terrier mixes in the house  will be entertaining if nothing else.

In the Windy City

I went to Chicago at the last minute. (Long story) I haven't been in the city itself for thirty-one years. (Layovers at O'Hare or Midway do not count.)

It's amazing how a city can be the same and different over the decades. I'm at a cute little hotel on Michigan Avenue. Rush hour is starting to fade. From my window, I can see the sun is glinting off the lake.

The Millersburg Magick Mysteries, my second Kickstarter campaign, ended last night. It funded with nearly 200% of my goal. It was a normal campaign compared to the Soccer Moms campaign. Rewards will be out before the end of the year unlike the Soccer Moms campaign. No one is allowed to die in the next month!

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my morning. In a little bit, I'll head out for some breakfast.

 I just hope I don't get lost between the hotel and the restaurant. LOL

No Movies, Not Even a Little Taylor

DH and I didn't make it to the theater this weekend. He really wanted to see Dumb Money, but the entire theater was taken over my Taylor Swift's concert. Well, except for the new Saw movie and some other horror flick. He's not interested in Taylor, and I had too much work to do after losing a day and a half to side effects from the new Covid booster.

The side effects were minimal: fever, headache, chills, but I'm immuno-compromised, which is the reason for getting the blasted shot to begin with. However, I woke up on Wednesday morning, feeling pretty damn. Even the arm soreness was gone, and that usually lasts 4-5 days.

It's one of the reasons I said screw it, and I moved the release of Fae and Felonies to Halloween. There's a lot of stuff that goes into a release. It's not just writing the book (or rewriting the book in this case), editing, and formatting.

And if I can getting that stuff done while I'm in Chicago, maybe I can go see Taylor Swift's concert on the big screen. I may not be a Swiftie, but I can appreciate another artist's work.

Musc I've Been Listening to Lately

Is it bad that I think the Peppers are still hot?

New Release - Demons Run at Halloween

Why, yes! I did have a new release drop today!

Demons Run at Halloween started as a stretch reward back in 2022 for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse series. This is a prequel novella set ten years after Ed and Laura Hudson (i.e. Pestilence's in-laws) retired from demon hunting for the Vatican.

But it's a fun, stand-alone story and perfect for Halloween!

Blurb
Got a demon infestation? Call the people who can eradicate your Hellspawn problem! Vatican operators are ready to assist you!

Retired demon hunters Ed and Laura Hudson live the quiet, boring suburban life in Oakfield, Illinois, with their young sons Gene and Theo. Until a gruesome murder raises the senior Hudsons’ suspicions. And the archbishop of Chicago demands proof before he’ll send in a team.

Can Laura and Ed keep their sons safe during trick-or-treating while investigating the murder? Or has the suburban boredom dulled their hunting skills?


Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Last Week for the Latest Kickstarter!

The Millersburg Magick Mysteries Kickstarter Campaign is down to its last six days!

Get all three e-books, plus Amish, Vamps & Thieves (Bloodlines #4) which introduced several of the Millersburg adults, for only $10. Yep, that's half the price you would pay if you get all four books from an online retailer.

It's pretty simple. Kickstarter handles the transactions, so you're not giving me any credit card numbers. If you pledge for a physical reward, I'll need your snail mail address, but that's it. Between Kickstarter's rules and my own personal policy, no one else sees your personal info.

These YA books would make lovely holiday gifts for your young person.

Millersburg Magick Mysteries closes on Tuesday, October 17th, at 11:59 PM EDT. Check out this campaign before it's too late!

Monday Movie Mania - The Expend4bles

Once again, I needed some stupid, crazy fun after busting my butt delivering the last rewards for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter campaign. Once again, a little Jason Statham fit the bill.

Only four of the original cast returned for this edition. Andy Garcia replaced Harrison Ford as the team's CIA contact. However, the new members for 4 were better than the kids the team had to babysit in 2 and 3.

* * *

SPOILERS

* * *

LOVES

1) Sly Stallone already announced this was his last Expendables movie, and after his on-set injuries in the previous editions, I don't blame him. Broken bones don't heal as well in septuagenarians. But he obviously had fun playing Barney one last time.

2) Female team members. YAY!

3) This one definitely earned it's R-rating. I swear it was bloodier than the last three movies put together.

4) Jason Stathm, even if he wasn't shirtless.

5)  Jacob Scipio was totally adorable as Antonio Banderas's character's son. Galan had his dad's patter down.

6) Lash (Levy Tran) and Easy Day (50 Cent) were awesome. I wish they'd filled out their characters a bit more.

HATES

1) Making Gina (Megan Fox) a whiny, pouty bitch. The woman's in her mid-thirties, and the title of teenage drama queen is already filled by Gunnar, thank you very much.

 

The one had a better plot than the middle two iterations. Like most Jason Statham movies, it's good stupid fun when you need to relax, especially for us older Gen-Xers who loved these guys' movies back in the '80's.

Overall, I give The Expend4bles 7 out of 10 stars. I had to deduct 1 star for handing over Dolph Lundgren's whiny bitch over to Megan Fox. What can I say? Male drama queen's amuse me more.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Opposites do attract!

Rewards

After spending the last four days catching up on tasks related to Kickstarters, I took this afternoon off and went to see to Barbie again. Why do I watch certain movies repeatedly?

Because I get something out of any story I love when I watch/read multiple times. I read A Game of Thrones twice to identify Jon Snow's parents. I didn't notice the dice in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon until my third viewing of Star Wars. I didn't understand how adult Spongebob Squarepants was until GK made me set down and watch the show with him.

Did I catch more during the second viewing of Barbie? Yep. It's even more woke that the Maga snowflakes realized.

It equally criticizes feminism and toxic masculinity. No one's perfect, and the harder you tr to be, the less perfect you are. Doublespeak doesn't help anyone.

It enforces why I believe the Wiccan Rede--And ye harm none, do what ye will. Life is that simple and that complicated at the same time.

The First Monday of October

I have a pretty extensive to-do list for today. However, I was up until 6 a.m., finalizing an audiobook that was a stretch goal reward for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter campaign from 2022. I'm seriously late, but darn it! My backers will get everything they were promised.

The Soccer Moms experience is why I made the Millersburg Magick Mysteries a very small and limited campaign. I didn't want to get in over my head, though four family deaths in one year was rather exceptional circumstances.

But I'll get notices and links out later tonight while watching Stephen Colbert! I'm glad the WGA strike is done, but I don't blame them or SAG-AFTRA one bit. After the experience of recording my own audio book, I believe the SAG-AFTRA folks deserve every penny they are asking for, if not more.

Just recording a novella did a number on my voice. I can't imagine recording a whole novel. I understand why it's so expensive to hire a narrator.

But it's done! Life is good, and I'll move on to the next project on my calendar.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

I love these ladies!

It's Officially Live!

I hit the publish button last night. The Millersburg Magick Mysteries Kickstarter campaign is officially up and running!

I really hope everyone will check out the campaign. It was nice to delve back into a world that's a lot of fun. Plus, I've got the covers for the next three books, so I'll have some fun over next summer! 

The campaign will run until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 17th.

Pre-Launch Page for Kickstarter Is Live

It's happening! My campaign was approved earlier than I thought it would. I now have an active pre-launch page! Hopefully, my pink hair in the video isn't too shocking. LOL

Yes, I'm giggling gleefully! I can't wait!

New Kickstarter Coming Your Way

I was up very late (late for me anyway) finalizing a new Kickstarter. Therefore, my Monday morning didn't start until 5 p.m. But the campaign set-up is done, it's in review with the nice people at Kickstarter, and (fingers-crossed) it should go live sometime this coming weekend.

Actually, this campaign is a Witchstarter, i.e. one of Kickstarter's magic-themed campaigns for the month of October. I'm celebrating the re-release of the Millersburg Magick Mysteries.

This campaign is short and simple. You can get one or more of the three books in e-book and/or trade paperback form. And you have the option to get a beaded sugar skull bookmark handmade by yours truly. 

Short, sweet, and simple. Also a perfect All Hallows Read gift for the young person in your life!

Note: If you supported the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse  campaign, the download links for last of your digital rewards will be sent out later this week!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

There were a lot of ballads in the '90's, weren't there?

Roofers and Audio Recording Don't Mix

DH has been looking at solar panels for sometime, and since we needed to replace the roof (from sheer age, not any natural disaster), he deemed it time to get them, However, the shingles and vents needed to be replaced prior to installing the panels. That happened yesterday.

The roofers finished the whole project in one day, but they were cleaning up in the dark. In fear of potential missed nails, I carried Princess Bella from the house to a safe spot where she could relieve herself. DH wanted desperately to move my car back into the driveway. I even more insistently said not until daylight because I want to double-check the drive.

It's not that I didn't trust the roofers. Bless them, they were out there with metal detectors and flashlights trying to find both trash and their equipment after sundown. But being human myself, I know you miss things when you're exhausted as f*ck after a long day.

And sure enough, DH found quite a few nails on the driveway. In all fairness, a majority would have been underneath the roofers' pickup last night. Very easy to miss.

Not to mention, DH and the princess also found tin shears and an air hose for their nail guns in the back yard. He called the project coordinator about the equipment and the full pack of leftover shingles this morning.

But the dang roof is done, which means I can complete recording a bonus audiobook from the Soccer Moms Kickstarter. It's the very last thing I need to deliver, and hopefully I can finish it this weekend!

Making Progress

It's been a year and a half  since I launched my very first Kickstarter. The campaign itself went great, far better than I expected when Brandon Sanderson and his team at Dragonsteel Entertainment plugged Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse.

I really thought I'd have all the rewards out to the backers within six months. Reality conspired against me. Relatives dropped like flies in 2022. Four deaths during the pandemic, but none of causes were remotely related to COVID-19.

But I'm finally closing in on the last six digital deliveries. I just need to uploaded the last two e-books and the first two audiobooks to BookFunnel and finish recording the last audiobook. My fingers are crossed I can send out the download links by the end of this week.

It's been a long road, but I'm excited this journey is almost complete. I'm definitely ready to start on something new!

Something Old and Something New

I got up very late today, so here's a cute video while I work this evening. I saw this and was highly amused. I was in grade school when Lynda Carter debuted as Wonder Woman, and I love this little piece of nostalgia!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This came on the radio as Princess Bella and I made a Starbucks run this morning. She got a puppucino, I got a PSL, and we split a couple of breakfast sandwiches. Everyone has their version of a sweet fantasy come true.

When Old Things Come to the Rescue

I solved my Kickstarter picture problem by pulling out my old Windows 8 laptop. The poor thing has been heavily used since I bought it in 2014. It has its quirks, like a touchpad that doesn't always want to work right. And I broke down and ordered a new battery for it if I'm going to have to use it for the next couple of Kickstarters I'm planning.

Yes, Kickstarter does know there's some quirks with picture files and Windows 10 and 11 machines. They posted it was a known issue, which is why I dug out the old laptop.

In the meantime, I'm prepping the last of the files to go out to the backers of the Soccer Moms campaign. I'm hoping to have everything out to them next week.

In the meantime, there's a new chipmunk storing seeds and nuts in the flower bed. He's a lot smaller than Chip. I don't know if he's Chip's offspring, but it's nice to see some wildlife in the backyard again. I think I'll call him Frito.

When Things Don't Work Right

I was about ready to pull out my hair last night while setting up the Kickstarter for the Millersburg Magick Mysteries. For some reason, the darn software won't let me post pictures in the main body of my Story.

Plus, I've been having to wait until after DH and all the neighbors got to bed before I can record for Demons Run at Halloween. Almost everyone around us is retired, so they are using power tools for their automotive work, woodworking, and gardening. The vibrations come through the recording if I do it during the day.

So I'm bebopping along at night, and when I listened to the playback I hear bells. It took me a couple of tries before I realized it was Bella's collar and tags.

No, I cannot lock her out of my office. That would result in incessant crying and barking. However, taking off her collar did work. Yeah, I was seriously overthinking that one. I'm turning into my father-in-law.

I'm going to blame everything on Mercury in retrograde. The little bugger turns direct on Friday afternoon, so thing should start falling into place over the weekend.

Right?

Romance is Back, Baby!

 

Or maybe it's a lot of lust.

I officially stopped taking Tamoxifen on July 6th. My breast cancer tumor was ER+ and PR+, which means the cancer feeds on estrogen and progesterone. Tamoxifen, in computer terms, performs a hard shutdown of my ovaries.

However, the drug has also used for chemical castration of homosexuals and pedophiles for a reason. For five years, I've had no interest in sex whatsoever. I'm lucky DH is more concerned about my health than our sex life.

On the other hand, I felt like a huge part of me was missing. I discovered I couldn't write my Alter Ego romances because to tell a story, I need to feel what the characters are feeling. And that just wasn't happening for the last five years I was on Tamoxifen. I put aside all the Alter Ego stories. I was lucky the books in the Suzan Harden series over the last five years didn't deal with a lot of romance. It's also part of the reason The Books of Apep series sat on the backburner for the last five years.

While Death Goddess Walking is mainly an urban fantasy adventure, there's a subplot using the romantic amnesia trope. That's one of the reasons I waited until I was off the Tamoxifen before I started working on the novel again. I couldn't recapture the feeling Selket and Anpu had for each other in the prologue until this summer.

It's rather nice to reclaim a part of myself that's been missing for so long.

Music I've Been Listening To Lately

The One. The Only. The Sorely Missed.

Weird Week for Narrating

I'm doing something sort of new for me. I'm narrating and recording one of my own stories as an audiobook for the Soccer Moms Kickstarter backers.

It's not like I've never read aloud before. But it's a little different reading a story to my son and reading a story to my backers.

Some professional narrators act out the parts, but I'm not a SAG/AFTRA member. And I know my acting abilities suck. But I do enjoy reading to kids, and that's how I'm looking at this project.

I'm a little nervous because I don't like the sound of my own voice. But then, I don' think anyone does. But I do like the story. I hope the backers like it, too.

Life, The Movies, and Everything

Last week is the first week DH and I haven't gone to the cinema in a month. Instead, we crashed over the holiday weekend. We caught up on a few chores, but we spent most of our time as recliner potatoes and eating good food.

However, we did watch Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on streaming. It was a rather adorable gender-bender of tropes. Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez were absolutely cute as best friends. We also plowed through the second seasons of Picard and Ted Lasso.

My crimping tool and crimp tubes arrived over the weekend. While Tacky Glue on knots works well, it's not as an attractive finish for beaded bookmarks. I'll be working on those for an hour or two every day until I can get my arts room cleaned out and arranged to my liking. I say "arts" because there's Barbie face painting and hair rerooting in addition to the sewing and beadwork. Plus the stickers I plan to design will be a wacky mix of Dia de Los Muertos and Barbenheimer.

Yes, I already bought the t-shirt above. It's available at TeeFury.com

Why am I going to all this trouble? I need something to do besides writing and crocheting during movies and TV at home in order to keep my mind active and my fingers nimble. I want to be as crochety and active as FIL and the dad of DH's best friend when I hit 90.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

I'm still listening to SiriusXM's '90's on 9 channel. Things seemed so much more positive in life back then.

Looking Back and Forward

During the pandemic, I wasn't reading. Like a lot of people, I binged TV, but it was older favorite series: Friends, Jem and the Holograms, The Big Bang Theory, etc. All of my friends were suggesting new shows. Finally, DH and I started watching them last week.

We finished the first season of Picard last night, and we started Ted Lasso last night. Do I wish we started these before now? Yes. Do I regret waiting? No.

I don't think I would have enjoyed these shows in the middle of the pandemic. I needed comfort viewing for the emotional support. While Star Trek: The Next Generation is a favorite, I would have lost it over Picard's bittersweet ending of its first season. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I would have had trouble connecting with the characters of Ted Lasso. Not with all the fury and agony swirling around me.

What does this have with the publishing industry?

Readers are the same. They may not be in the right mood to read your stories. I know if I'm feeling down I pull out my copies of Stephanie Bond's novels. When I'm feeling nostalgic, it's my boatload of Star Trek tie-ins, my comics collection, or the Oz series. If I'm super-stressed, then it's romances.

Not everyone is going to love my stories. But more likely they haven't had time to read them yet. And I say that as someone who has roughly 3,000 books. And those aren't counting comics or GK's children's books I'd like to read to my grandchildren if I ever have them.

Otherwise, I may create a new position: rent-a-grandmother.

Change of Plans

I'd planned to send the first three paperbacks of the Millersburg Magic Mysteries to a couple of friends' daughters for #AllHallowsRead this year. Plus, I've been having fun with some bead work and found some cute sugar skull charms to go with the theme, so I decided to make the girls Dia de los Muertos bookmarks to go with the books.

As I'm working on the bookmarks, I realized the series and the sugar skull bookmarks would make a perfect #Witchstarter campaign! This will now be my second Kickstarter campaign!

It's gong to be short and sweet. Two weeks. $100 goal. Only the Millersburg Magick Mysteries ebooks and paperbacks and the Dia de los Muertos bookmarks for the main rewards. Maybe some stickers for the first stretch goal.

I'll post here and on the www.suzanharden.com website at the end of September before the campaign goes live.

Note 1: All Hallow's Read was started back in 2010 by Neil Gaiman as a book-giving holiday for us non-Icelanders. Iceland has Jolabokaflod, which makes me want to move there!

Note 2: Witchstarter is the name given to October Kickstarter campaigns with a magickal theme.

Monday Movie Mania - Meg 2: The Trench

It's been five years, but Jason Statham and the megalodons are back! And this time they have company!

I love "B" monster movies! I can't help it. Saturday nights with Svengooli, watching the old Universal monster movies, the Godzilla series, and the '50's sci-fi/horror flicks after putting Genius Kid to bed used to be the highlight of my week. Occasionally, there's a modern film company who gets the old thrills of something so bad it's good.


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SPOILERS


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LOVES
1) Jason Statham in anything rocks. He always looks like he's having a damn good time, even when he's making fun of himself.

2) Nearly the whole cast who survived the first movie is back, except for Li BingBing (Suyin) and Ruby Rose (Jaxx). Through dialogue and photos within the movie, It's revealed that Jonas and Suyin did marry after the end of The Meg.

3) Wu Jing was a nice addition to the cast as Suyin's brother, who took over the Mana One project after her death.

4) Sienna Guillory chewed the secenery as the film's head bad guy. Or she did until she was chewed by something other than the titular megs.

5) PIPPIN LIVES FOR ANOTHER SEQUEL!


HATES
1) I have to suspend a lot of disbelief when the film continuusly breaks the laws of physics. J can let it go with gratuitous shots of a shirtless Jason, but since this is a US/Chinese co-production, I didn't even get that.


This ain't high-falutin' cinema, but it's a good rainy, Saturday afternoon flick. I give Meg 2: The Trench 8 stars out of 10 for stupid fun.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

A brilliant day in the life montage.

Products by an Artificial Intelligence Are Not Copyrightable

Note: We're not even getting into the issues of theft for training here. It violates our copyright, and it pisses me off. No to mention, it's an entire blog topic on its own.

The issue is fairly simple. Anything "created" by AI is not copyrightable. Last week, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell upheld the March determination by the U.S. Copyright Office that a piece of art created was not copyrightable.

This isn't a surprise to me or anyone who paid any attention to Naruto v. Slater, No. 16-15469 (9th Cir. 2018), i.e. the notorious Monkey Selfie case. When the liberal 9th Court of Appeals leans into such a conservative opinion, it's highly unlikely, they, much less any other court will change its collective mind.

The basis of copyright law is to protect the rights of humans who create. Not animals, not computers, not anything that doesn't have some kind of human intervention.

This is the reason I've avoided AI for both writing, book covers, and miscellaneous swag. I've paid extended licensing fees to humans for the use of their art for my covers and swag. I've also had a couple of long talks to my  cover designers/artists about whether or not they use AI. I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before the judicial system came down against the copyright of such an AI use.

It doesn't mean con artists aren't already using AI to rip off people. And the publishing industry is already up in arms. Hell, so is Hollywood. The big studios were planning on using AI to screw over writer and actors. Hence, the ongoing strikes of the SAG/AFTRA and WGA. This case is a major blow to the corporate plans.

But in the long run, the decision is a boon for all artists, no matter our medium. If we put the work in, we deserve the copyright and the money that comes from our work.

Monday Movie Mania - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

One last Indiana Jones movie (until they recast Indy with some young, hot up-and-comer because Hollywood can't come up with new ideas).

This film was made for those of us who were kids when the original Raiders of the Lost Ark came out forty-two years ago. It acknowledges the crap we go through as we grow older. The regrets. The disappointments. The question of whether we still have relevance in today's world.

It's been pretty obvious that those who've one-starred this movie are the kids who haven't grown up yet. But I give James Mangold, Harrison Ford, and the rest of the cast and crew credit for putting together a movie that addresses all the issues of a world that's changed around the character, and his ability to adapt or not, as the case may be.


* * *


SPOILERS


* * *


LOVES
1) People bitched about the CGI de-ageing of Harrison Ford for the flashback scene at the begining, but I thought it was nicely done for the most part. My only complaint is Ford's double couldn't mimic his awkward running style. (Yeah, I know it's a bizarre nitpick, but it's something very specific to Ford's style.

2)The return of both Marion and Sallah.

3) The way the writers dealt with Mutt. A child's death often drives a permanent wedge between spouses.

4) The addition of Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy's goddaughter, Helena Shaw. She's more like Indy's child than Mutt ever was.

5) Mads Mikkelsen as Nazi scientest Voller was pitch perfect as someone on the flip side of Indy's sorrow and regret. Voller is determined to kill Hitler and avoid all of the mistakes Hitler made. What he doesn't understand is that even if the time machine allowed him to go back to 1939, he wouldn't have succeeded.


HATES
1) None. The movie did what it meant to do. Not even King Arthur gets a happily ever after, but this adventure got Indy out of his depression over his age and Mutt's death. It's too bad the kids who watched this movie didn't get it.


I give Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a solid 10 out of 10 stars. Because I'm an old fogey, and it's my blog. GET OFF MY LAWN!!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This song was Lady M's respone to the critics trashing of Erotica and Sex.

Oversleeping and Book Thongs

I had to get up early Monday and Tuesday. Or course, my body claimed payment for the deficit, and though I went to bed at midnight, I slept nearly sixteen hours straight.

And the backup I started before I went to bed still wasn't finished because I forget to adjust the sleep function timer on the new laptop.

While the backup continued, I worked on another project. Eons ago, I broke a couple of my original Book Thongs. Book Thong, Inc., no longer exists. The broken book thongs got tucked into my sewing box. I found them again when I started organizing my sewing room.

And the lightbulb went off. Why don't I make some Egyptian god themed book thongs for my next Kickstarter?

I made the first one today, a scorpion for Lady Selket. Plus, I got half of my rabbit book thong rethreaded before I needed to make supper. I'll finish fixing the bottom half tomorrow and rethread the silver high-heel one that broke.

But today gave me the confidence I can make a bunch of book thongs for the next Kickstarter for The Books of Apep series. I'll mix them up for the gods and goddesses in the novels. My only problem is finding affordable charms for Nebet-Het (Nephthys) and Set.

I'll have to keep looking.

Monday Movie Mania - Oppenheimer

People, you need to see this movie, too.

It's not an either/or with Oppenheimer and Barbie. Both are awesome in their own ways. Both are examinations of our cultural dynamics.

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SPOILERS


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LOVES
1) The sheer acting power Christopher Nolan and the producers recruited for this movie! The ads focus on Cillian Murphy, as well they should. I'm going to be very upset if he and Nolan don't get Oscar nods for Best Actor and Best DIrector along with a Best Picture nomination for the movie itself.

2) Holy crap! The supporting cast is a master's class on acting. Emily Blount (my pick for Best Supporting Actress). RDJ (one of my picks for Best Supporting actor). David Krumholtz (one of my picks for Best Supporting Actor). Gary Oldman. Kenneth Branagh.Florence Pugh. Harry Groener. Rami Malek. I could keep going, but Holy Shit! There's a ton of talent in this flick.

3) The costuming, set design, and music were so perfect you didn't notice them. Which is how it should be in a historical flick.


HATES
1) There's only one nitpick. During one of the black and white scenes, the line of RDJ's bald cap was obviously showing. It's one of those things that probably wouldn't have been obvious if the scene was filmed in color, but in black and white, the issue was glaring.


Overall, I expect a ton of Oscar nominations for Oppenheimer. Barbie will get a few noms, but it was too popular and too successful for the Academy to take it seriously though it fucking should! Overall, Oppenheimer earned the rare 20 stars out of 10.

Seriously, folks, go see both movies as a double-feature if your ass and knees can handle it. Mine and DH's can't anymore, which is why we had to do two different nights. As DH pointed out, both flicks cover a lot of the same themes.