Monday Movie Mania - The Running Man

DH and I finally had a date night late yesterday after a month of personal chaos. Frankly, we needed it! Out of all the November releases we wanted to see, we went with The Running Man since it looks to be leaving our local theater first.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This version of Stephen King's novel hews much closer to the book that the 1987 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It restores Ben Richards original, and much more personal motivation--obtaining medication for his infant daughter.

2) Colman Domingo stands out from the rest of the cast as the host of "The Running Man" show. He's far slicker and scarier than Richard Dawson's host in the 1987 version. Colman brings an odd sincerity to his role.

3) Michael Cera was wildly in a league of his own as Elton Parrakis, a young man who sees an alliance with the main character of Ben as the method to extract revenge on the cops that murdered his father.

4) Josh Brolin was so damn cold-blooded as network executive Killian I half-expected him to be the masked lead hunter McCone, too.

5) The sock that reminds Ben what he's fighting for.

6) The biting commentary on our current U.S. culture.

NOT QUITE CONS
1) As charming as Glen Powell can be, his physique is way too buff for such a poor man. But he captured Ben Richards' anger perfectly.

2) This is America cinema so Ben had to kill Killian personally. I would have a enjoyed a more creative ending if the writers wanted Ben to survive. (He didn't in the book.)


The Running Man is a fast-paced dystopian movie that may hit too close to home for some viewers. However, I enjoyed it greatly! I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

If you ever have any doubts about Joan's writing talent...

A New Normal in Publishing

Amazon launched its Digital Text Platform ("DTP") in November of 2007, the same month they debuted the Kindle. It was a major game changer for e-books.

It was such a game-changer that writers, agents, and publishers went to war over the changing concept of self-publishing. It became easier for some writers to publish stories that mainstream publishing ("trad publishing") didn't want to touch. By the same token, readers had more stories in the genres and subgenres they love instead of waiting for those types of books to become popular again.

After nearly twenty years, we've hit the (relatively speaking) the new normal in publishing.

On the plus side, we don't have the nasty online flame wars online that happened in the beginning of the changes. For the most part people stay in their lanes and don't bother the other side.

The weird thing is that so many agents I used to follow back in the '00's are no longer agents. Even the readers who tried gatekeep via their blogs during the initial chaos no longer have any power. And you know what? That's okay, too.

So many of the authors I followed before the changes hit are still the same authors I follow today. And guess what? A large portion of them have gone indie.

So what it comes down to, I still love my favorite authors, and I get to read a wider variety of the books they enjoy writing. Especially on a day like this when there's five inches of snow on the ground and the temps are below freezing.

All I need is the Princess Pup on my lap, a hot cup of tea, and a damn good story. Life doesn't get any better than this.

Monday Movie Mania - A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

This is the last of the late summer/early fall movies DH and I saw at the theater. We haven't started our holiday viewing yet, though I will try to drag him to the cinema before the weekend is out to see a particular Oz-related flick.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This isn't the typical Hollywood romance film. There's no grand gestures. No wild escapades. It's a bittersweet acknowledgement of the baggage we each bring into a new new relationship, and how, if we let the baggage weigh us down, it can destroy the possibility of love and happiness with the right person.

2) This is the first film of Colin Farell's I've watched that showed a softer side of his masculinity. His everyman David's desire to have a family is transposed with the magical doors showing his parents and his own failed relationships.

3) Margot Robbie's Sarah was the perfect romantic foil for David. Her desire to avoid love in order to avoid pain is also shown through the trips through the magical doors to her own past.

4) Jodie Turner-Smith was pitch-perfect as the GPS trying to get David and Sarah to see their possibilities instead of their past pain.

5) The pacing is leisurely, but appropriate, for this type of a story since it's as much about the characters working through their traumas as it is about them revealing themselves to the viewers.


CONS
1) This is one of those movies you need to be in a certain frame of mind to watch. Otherwise, your lack of attention span will drive you insane.

2) Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridges roles as the comedic relief just didn't work. Both people have excellent comedic timing, but their scenes seemed forced. I have to presume the writing, directing, or editing didn't show their real chops.


Overall, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a poignant look at how our pasts affect our future. I give it 9 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You know it's a good song when Shrek can fight to it!

Sporadic Blogging Ahead!

My blogging has already been sporadic thanks to several life rolls this year. Just when I think I'm getting back into a regular routine, Murphy strikes again!

Last week, one of the sisters-in law (SIL #4) and her husband went to collect their daughter (Niece #4) from college in Indiana for Thanksgiving Break. They stopped by SIL #2's house since she lives in the same town, having recently retired as a professor from Niece #4's alma mater.

It turned out to be a good thing SIL #4 and family were at SIL #2's place because she fell and broke her arm. Needless to say, SIL #2 needs a little extra help. SIL #4 is there this week.

I'll be heading to Indiana on Saturday to relieve SIL #4 for a week. After that, we'll see.

I've had a broken arm. It was incredibly painful and awkward when I was nineteen. Now, that we're all on the downhill side of 50, we don't bounce back like we did in our teens.

Hopefully, I will be able to get in some words next week in between cooking and caring for SIL #2 and her three dogs. If not? Well, there's always new goals to set for 2026!

The Number of Books on Amazon

According to a recent report I saw, there are approximately 44 million book titles on Amazon right now. That's right. Two fours followed by six zeros. That's a lot of books.

Do all of them sell regularly? No.

Does it matter? Also, no.

Does it freak me out as a writer? Absolutely not.

But as a reader? The thing that bothers me is that I won't live long enough to read all of them.

Seriously.

The thing is reading trends come and go. What's hot today won't be hot tomorrow, and vice versa. Believe it or not, I love that this many books are available!

We live in a time of plenty. (Here it comes!) When I was a kid (TM), I was forced to read the same dang books over and over because there simply wasn't enough books available.

Now? Now, we're living in glorious abundance! We can find any subgenre of genre we could want. In the mood for a certain trope? It's there! Any older book you loved five, ten, fifty, one hundred years ago? You might be able to find it again! There's no limit!

So, who's complaining about the abundance? The authors who feel that readers owe them a living.

I've never really understood this.  In fact, there's a couple of well-known authors who have been and still complain about the tsunami of swill from those of us who started indie publishing from the beginning of the Kindle Age.

Here's the thing those authors don't get. As a reader, I've tried their books. They are not bad writers. It's just their stories aren't my thing.

And that's all right, too.

Just like I know my stories aren't probably their thing. It doesn't make my stories swill.

But with 44,000,000 books out there, it makes it harder for a voracious reader to read EVERYTHING.

At least in this lifetime.

You see, my idea of an awesome afterlife is a gigantic library. One where I can read as much as I want, where my tea is the perfect temperature and my plate is full of cookies. And by the time I finish the current 44,000,000 books, another 44,000,000 will have been written and ready for me to read.

Monday Movie Mania - Roofman

Don't believe the trailers! Roofman is not a romcom, but a dramedy based on a true story. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent film.

We went to see this a few weeks ago before October blew up in our faces. It's definitely cute and enjoyable.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Kirsten Dunst always delivers, and her Leigh was quite believable. But Channing Tatum was the surprise. He put a little depth in his character Jeffrey. The actors' onscreen chemistry cemented the story.

2) Lily Collins and Kennedy Moyer as Leigh's daughters were realistic, no sappiness or other annoying characteristics.

3) Juno Temple stands out in anything she does, even with her bit part in this flick.

4) Peter Dinklage rocks as Leigh's jerk of a boss. The scene were catches Jeffrey naked at the toy store was side-splitting.

5) Since the story is based on a true life criminal case, I give lots of kudos to the writers and director for not trying to give it a happy ending.

6) the end credit scenes consist of interviews from some of the real life people involved in the case. It's worth watching to understand how the real Jeffrey managed to pull off his con after he escaped from jail.


CONS
1) I can't think of a damn one!


Overall, Roofman is an funny, endearing, and sad look at what people do to survive and love in the modern world. I give it 10 stars out of 10.

Music I've Beem Listening to Lately

For some strange reason, I've been in a Joan Jett mood lately.

Missing in Action

It's been nearly a month since I posted anything. Things have been. . .weird.

There's probably more words that are more accurate. Maybe off-kilter? Unprecedented? Worrisome?

The combination of the federal government shutdown and the Kickstarter Union strike delivered shockwaves through our family. Genius Kid called often, terrified that he wouldn't be able to pay his bills though he was still required to work full time. I beat my head against the wall attempting to put together my planned  October Kickstarter.

We've dealt with things. Somehow.

I put off the Kickstarter until next March for a lot of reasons. I didn't want to rush to finish the last two books. Finding a printer for what I wanted to do for this Kickstarter became a royal pain. Books are getting held up in customs even though books aren't supposed to be subject to tariffs. Shipping companies are using the tariffs to rip off both producers like me and customers. Even if everything went smoothly with me getting the shipment, the US Post Office decided to raise rates during the New Hallowthanksmas season since it's the busiest time of the year.

The stress of pulling this off became so great I halted my efforts because the last thing I need is my blood pressure climbing again after I worked so hard to get it under control. I like not taking so many damn pills!

Genius Kid came through the shutdown okay. He's smart and had enough in savings. The incident became a lesson on how you can do everything right and still get screwed over. *sigh*

In the meantime, I've simply been writing. I figure if nothing else, I can get A Barrel of Vinter written, edited, and published before the end of the year.

Maybe.

Unless some clown decides start World War 3. 

Monday Movie Mania - Tron: Ares

DH is a HUGE Tron fan, so of course, we had to see the latest edition to the franchise.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) Right off the bat, this is my favorite movie in the Tron series! The movie kept its pacing and story structure tight. Unfortunately, the first two movies suffered from the Star Trek: The Motion Picture ennui. "Hey! Make the actors stare are these super expensive special effects!" In this iteration of Tron, the effects were in the background, where they should be, compared to the acting.

2) This is the best I've ever seen Jared Leto. There are times to chew the scenery and times to hold back. His Ares was understated and low emotion, but still  sympathetic.

3) ACK! They turned my sweet, innocent Quicksilver into a raging psycho! Seriously, is there anything Evan Peters can't do? Seriously, he does an excellent job plunging arrogant Silicon Valley dudebro Julian Dillinger into psychotic madness.

4) The writers try real hard to shunt Greta Lee's ENCOM CEO Eve Kim into a damsel in distress, but her backbone of steel shines through anyway.

5) Jodie Turner-Smith's Athena is the flip side of Ares. She's going to obey her programming come hell or high water. Turner-Smith does a fantastic job in subtle emoting as Athena reaches sentience right before the end.

6) Holy Crap! Nine Inch Nails delivered on the soundtrack. They did an incredible job blending the original Tron themes (synthesizers and all) into a gorgeous that meld smoothly with the visuals. (I'm definitely getting this album!)

7) No stupid, forced romance between Eve and Ares. I don't want to give away the ending, but it was so very appropriate between these two characters.


CONS
1) The only thing I would change is give Gillian Anderson (Elisabeth Dillinger) more time to explore the twisted relationship between mother and son. But Julian killing Mommy Dearest was telegraphed a mile away. It would have been more interesting to have her live instead of him. But no, we can't do that in today's culture. *sigh*


Overall, I really did love Tron: Ares. But make no mistake, it's a standard hero story with enough tweaks to keep it interesting. I give it 9.5 stars out of 10!

Here We Go Again

Back in the spring of 2020, COVID-19 swept through the world, causing massive disruption to everyone and everything. Millions of deaths, trade and economic collapse, people refusing to protect themselves or others from contamination.

And now, it's happening all over again. Except the cause is greed and power, not a virus.

*sigh*

If you're a history buff like me, we're seeing an action for action repeat of the first half of the 20th century. Back in 2020, Kris Rusch posted about Black Swan events disrupting the expected path of things. Go read it. I'll wait.

##

So, what does this have to do with me and my writing? I had planned to do a Kickstarter this month for The Books of Apep series. I've been prepping for this campaign for two freaking years, and...

Of course, shit hit the fan. Not mine, for once. But everyone else's. And this Black Swan event is even weirder than the last one.

Everyone in the U.S. is suffering from the current, and rather deliberate, chaos in D.C. to dismantle the government. I won't get into my fury about my son's panic at not getting paid as a soldier.

But on top of that, the employees of Kickstarter have gone on strike. Ironically, the workers unionized back during the pandemic. And now, they are looking for nothing more than to continue their four-day work week and a cost of living increase in their wages. Management isn't even trying to negotiate in good faith. Kind of like Congress right now.

So, I delayed in putting up my campaign, hoping that the strike would end soon. Both of my parents were in unions. I remember us dropping off Dad at the picket lines during strikes in '70's. Frankly, I feel a little funky about crossing the Kickstarter United virtual picket line.

Company owners seem to forget who makes the products they sell. They forget who buys the products they sell. And if people aren't earning a decent wage, they can't buy the products these companies sell. It's a vicious cycle that no one seems to want to stop.

In my own case, my book sales are down because of the uncertainty of the economy. I can't blame my readers. DH and I are also nervous about what will happen next, too.

What am I going to do? After waffling over the last three weeks, I'm going to bite the bullet and launch the campaign at the end of the month. If it funds, great! If it doesn't, I'll try to do it again next year. But I've got to look after my own interests, especially if GK needs financial help!

In the meantime, I'll keep writing to keep from weeping over the disaster my country has become. Which is how I wrote 2600 words on A Barrel of Vintner yesterday.

Monday Movie Mania - Nobody 2

This is another late review, because we saw the movie in August and because I almost forgot to post it.

DH and I saw the first Nobody on streaming before we went to see the sequel. I mainly know Bob Odenkirk from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but in the Nobody movies, his Hutch is family man who tries so very hard to do right thing and you really want to root for him, which is why I like these movies.


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SPOILERS

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PROS
1) The actually story is much better than the first movie. Hutch and the family have a new home, and on the surface, they seem to be doing okay. However, since Hutch is un-retired from his original job and has to pay off the debt to the Russian mob from the first movie, his work is putting a strain on his family life. As he tells his handler, he and his family frankly need a vacation. The result is a wild mix of National Lampoon's Vacation and John Wick.

2) In this version, the entire family, from Becca and the kids, to Hutch's brother and dad are in on the shenanigans. I never would have thought of RZA and Christopher Lloyd would work so well together, but I'd love a sequel with the just the two of them!

3) Since the talents of Hutch's son Brady surprised his father and his uncle, DH and I had a debate on the way home of who's been teaching the kid how to fight. DH thinks it was Grandpa David. I say it was Mom, especially since she is no stranger to fighting or weapons as shown here.

4) Out of the cast, I have to give special kudos to Colin Hanks for playing the annoying corrupt sheriff.


CONS
1) Honestly, there's not a damn thing wrong with this movie.


Overall, this is a fun popcorn movie with lots of butter and cheesy flavoring to enjoy on a weekend! I give is a solid 10 out of 10 stars for crazy, violent fun.

Monday Movie Mania - Jurassic World: Rebirth

There's a few movies DH and I saw over the summer that for various reasons, I didn't have a chance to write a review while they were still in the theater. Too be frank, you're better off watching Jurassic World: Rebirth at home because it isn't worth the money for the movie ticket.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) I had high hopes for this one when the executives cast Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey. All three actors make unique career choices that usually live me delighted. However, I do not blame amy of them for the mess that is this movie.

CONS
1) Quite frankly, I don't know what David Koepp was smoking when he wrote this, but he needs to stop. The story is such a mish-mash. It's not sure if it wants to be a horror movie, a corporate espionage thriller, or a family friendly lark. I don't normally have a problem with genre blending, but it has to make sense. At least in Jurassic Park III, the dumbass stepdad could be blamed for doing something stupid and illegal to score cool points with his stepson.

2) If I want mutant monsters, I'd watch a Resident Evil movie. Dinosaurs are threatening enough without mutating them.

3) Why the hell would mercs want to open source a cure for heart disease? They lost their friends, their equipment, and their payday. No real reason was given for them to go along with the nerdy scientist hero.


Overall, this is one of those movies that not even so bad it's funny. I give Jurassic World: Rebirth 5 stars out of 10.

And to Mr. Steven Spielberg, if your employees can't come up with a better story, please stop making Jurassic World movies.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

So subversive! So fun! So Cyndi!

Monday Movie Review - F1

DH and I went to see this movie in July during one of our double-feature weekends. It's a flick; it was simply overshadowed by Superman (2025) in my mind. So, here's my thoughts.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This is a great story in that it manages to avoid most of the usual BS tropes in a guy-centric racing flick. The mentor doesn't die. The student doesn't die. The efforts of the bad guys don't succeed. It's actually a feel good movie in a summer of awesome feel good movies.

2) Brad Pitt brings his usual charm and charisma to the big screen. His character Sonny is a driver-for-hire who was severely injured in an F1 crash thirty years before the beginning of this story. He's not down on his luck (a trope broken), but he's intrigued when his friend (Javier Bardem) needs a second driver on his F1 team.

3) Javier Bardem plays the owner of a F1 team on the brink of a forced sale. Javier matches Brad charm for charm. You can't help, but root for the pair as they seek a racing win.

4) Damson Idris as the team's rookie driver was a total delight. I expect we'll be hearing more from him in the future. He twists the rookie with a chip-on-his-shoulder trope by his character realizing racing is a team sport after clashing with the older Sonny. Yes, there is a crash, but they don't kill the kid off!

5) Kerry Condon's turn as the team's technical director was incredible. No one argues with her character's knowledge.


CONS
1) My only gripe is her character falling into the trope of sleeping with Sonny. (Nothing against Brad since he's DH's age, and Kerry is in her 40's, bt I'm so tired of the twenty-year age differences between the male and female stars.


Overall, this is a fun movie if you like racing films. I give F1 9 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This is my month, and this is my all-time favorite song by Alicia Keys!

Monday Movie Mania (A Little Late) - Caught Stealing

DH and I wanted to see this movie when it first came out this summer. However, life got in the way. Like my car accident last Wednesday. (Don't worry. Both the other driver and I are fine, and this time it was my fault. Our vehicles on the other hand? Oof!)

Anyway, DH was checking the theater showings for the weekend in order to cheer me up. Lo and behold, Caught Stealing was back in the theater. But only for one late showing. Like 10:40 p.m. (While I'm a night owl, DH is usually in bed by 1 a.m. on the weekends.) We both said "Screw it!" and went to that late show.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) The entire cast is fucking awesome! From Austin Butler's out-of-his-depth bartender Hank to Carol Kane's adorable Hasidic Jewish grandmother.

2) Special kuddos to Regina King, playing the badass Detective Roman!

3) The movie is set in 1998, but it has the same of vibe of a lot of 80's and early 90's action flicks.


CONS
1) Fridging the girlfriend is so fucking passe'. Neither Yvonne or Zoe Kravitz deserved it.

2) You can tell Roman was originally supposed to be a guy. No woman in her right mind would lay down her gun to fist fight her opponent.


Overall, Caught Stealing is a fun little movie as long as you can ignore the two major cons. I give it 8 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You haven't succeeded in the music business until Weird Al paradies you!

A Sad Time

Per an e-mail I received from the trustee, the Marion Zimmer Bradley Literary Works Trust is officially shutting down on December 31, 2025. By shutting down, I mean the trustee is pulling every single copy, both electronic and paper from all retailers.

The Trust lasted for twenty-six years, but the folks working for the Trust have reached their own twilight years. I don't blame them one bit for wanting to spend their last years working on their own projects.

What does this means in regards to me? My first trad publishing contract was with the Trust for a short story called "Justice" in Sword and Sorceress 28. I sold three more stories to editor Elisabeth Waters that appeared in Volumes 30, 31, and 32. I'm proud of those stories. Back in 2013, I wasn't prepared for the popularity of the main characters of "Justice". Life's funny though, and I just released the tenth novel in the Justice series, A Cup of Conflict.

If you'd like paperback copies of Sword and Sorceress Volumes 27 through 34, or e-books of the currently available volumes, please get your copies before 2026 rolls around.

Life and Death

Last week, DH had the week off. We did a lot of work around the house. We also did a few fun things. As a result, I wasn't doing much writing.

This week, between writing sessions, I'm prepping for next month's Kickstarter, or Witchstarter since it's  in October. I jokingly said that this one should go more smoothly that my first one since all of mine and DH's parents are dead now.

So, Murphy laughed hysterically and decided to do something about that.

Three people I'm close to who have long-term health issues got suddenly worse.

I'm so angry right now. Angry at the health system because doctors, PAs, nurse practitioner, etc., aren't given the time they need to deal with patients. Angry that people at insurance companies think they have the medical knowledge and experience to make healthcare calls. Angry that health care is for profit. Angry that the president is trying to make sure no one has any insurance.

I could go on, but you get the drift. Here's the thing. You can do everything the health care professional tells you to do, and things still don't get better. But the patient will get the blame.

For example, I get a lot of crap from docs about my diabetes. First off, I'm on more expensive medications because I can't tolerate Metformin, one of the cheapest medicines on the market. I swear, if there's a VERY RARE side effect to the med, that's what will happen to me. In the case of Metformin, I end up with explosive vomiting and diarrhea within three days, to the point I start suffering from severe dehydration. Others that I can tolerate were taken off the market for their side effects, in other people even though I never exhibited those particular side effects.

So, yeah, I'm venting right now. Because in all three cases, things were misdiagnosed. And they probably wouldn't have been if medical professionals weren't turned into money making machines.

Shit can happen, but this is shit that could have been avoided.

Monday Movie Mania - Spinal Tap II: The End Continues

If you haven't seen This Is Spinal Tap, you need to watch it first. Otherwise, the climax of the sequel will make no sense to you. I was a little shocked two years ago when I discovered Darling Husband had never seen the original. That movie was so up his alley. So I made him watch it. Of course, he desperately wanted to see Spinal Tap II while he was on vacation for the week of his birthday.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Nigel, David, and Derek are forty years older, but none the wiser. A rift occurred between Nigel and David years ago, but no one knows why. Including Nigel. Nor will David tell anyone. The actors pick up their characters like it was yesterday.

2) Marty, the documentary director, learns that Hope, the daughter of Tap's old manager Ian, has inherited her dad's interest in Tap, and the band is required to perform one more concert. Rob Reiner or Marty haven't changed in forty years either. He still plays the straight man to perfection.

3) Valerie Franco is adorable as Tap's latest drummer.

4) The guest stars are awesome! From Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood reigniting interest in Tap by doing a cover of one of their songs to Elton John agreeing to play at Tap's last concert.


CONS
1) We won't discuss the atrocious wigs. It would have been funnier if the guys had gone bald (like so many other hair bands of the 80's).


If you loved the original, you'll love this one! Spinal Tap II: The End Continues earned 9 stars out of 10 simply for the long setup of who actually slept with David's wife.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Whenever Don McLean comes on the radio, I sing these lyrics instead. And the hubby joins in!

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

Funny how this parody make me happy!

Garage Sale!

Nope not here!

Our neighborhood is having a multiple-house garage sale today, including Casa Harden. I admit I'm on an unpacking and cleaning binge now that A Cup of Conflict is out in the world.

(For those of you waiting on the paperback edition, I literally just received the cover wrap. I'll uploaded the files to the printer later tonight. Depending on how fast they review the book, retailer sites should start poplulately in a week.)

Anyway,  I'm sitting in the shade of our Japanese maple and getting words done on Death Goddess Fighting in between customers.

I'm still planning on a Kickstarter for The Books of Apep series in October, which Death Goddess Fighting is Book 2. It's jamming along and I'm feeling pretty good about getting close to done over the next two weeks. The only change might be moving the Kickstarter to the middle or later part of October rather than the beginning. The monster doorstop that A Cup of Conflict became took longer than I'd planned.

Indian summer is upon us after the last three weeks of cooler temperatures, and the trees are changing their outfits before dropping their dresses entirely. Time to put up the Halloween decorations!

P.S. If you want to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live, sign up for my mailing list. (Your informationis never, sold, bartered, or traded!)

If you want to read the sample chapters of the first book of The Books of Apep, Death Goddess Walking, start with Chapter 1 on my website!

Total Adorability!

You can't get more adorable or cuddly with Tom Ellis and kittens!

Release Day!

[Edit to Add: The Google Play link is now live!]

Finally! A Cup of Conflict is live on every ebook retailer except Google Play! (It shouldn't take too much longer if you prefer that store.) It took nearly two years to write this tome, but I guess it needed to cook a little longer in the back of my mind.

And no, I haven't forgotten those of you who prefer print. The trade paperback should be available in two-three weeks.

But it's done, it's here, and I hope you enjoy it as much as my alpha reader!

BLURB
Chief Justice Anthea chose her party carefully when Queen Teodora charged her with escorting Crown Prince Quan Po home. However, more betrayals await her in the ancient capital of Jing as she dances between diplomatic niceties and saving the human race from extinction.

But her most dangerous opponent plots from within the city to destroy the last scion of the imperial family. An enemy who blames both her and the prince for everything he’s lost. Someone who would feed the entire World to the demons in order to win.

Magic and mayhem have never been devious. Or this shocking.

Amazon
Apple
Barnes & Noble
Google Play
Kobo
Smashwords

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

While the U.S. crumbles into raw fascism, I need a little something to keep the fight against oppression going. Thank the deities for Weird Al Yankovic!

AI Theft Settlement

[NOTE: Everything below is opinion, NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I am not licensed to practice law.]

I don't know how many of you have been following the Bartz V. Anthropic case, but last week a tentative settlement had been reached.

Anthropic is an AI modeling firm. The problem is they've downloaded tons of pirated books to train their AI models. (The biggest irony in all this? Amazon is one of Anthropic's investors.)

William Alsup, the judge in the case recently declared that Anthropic's use of copyrighted works were a fair use, but he deemed their use of pirated copies to be illegal.

[DISCLOSURE: Five of my own pirated books were used by Anthropic.]

So what does this all mean?

First of all, find out if your books are listed in LibGen, one of the pirate sites used. The Atlantic put together a search engine to use. The other known pirate site is Pirate Library Mirror.

If any of your books are on the LibGen list, contact the law firm representing the plaintiffs here and fill out the contact form.

Your books MUST BE registered with the  U.S. Copyright Office to be accepted in the planitiffs' class action suit!

And here's where most writers get confused. There's a HUGE difference in damages from a copyright infringement and a REGISTERED copyright infringement. If you don't understand the difference, I strongly recommend The Copyright Handbook by Stephen Fishman. Or talk to an IP attorney who specializes in copyright. Yes, the IP attorney will charge you for a consultation, but if you understand your rights and responsibilities as a creator, it will be totally worth the money!

Things a getting uglier as the billionaires steal our sweat. We little people need to look out for ourselves and each other.

How Embarrassing!

Since I left corporate world, I've been able to make my own schedule. If one of the dogs needs a trip to the vet's, I don't have bosses or clients getting bitchy about me taking an hour or two to make sure the pup is treated for whatever needs to be dealt with.

On the other hand, I don't really pay enough attention to the calendar since I'm not counting days until a break in my schedule.

This is my long-winded way of saying, I forget yesterday was Labor Day until DH said something about sleeping in.

WHOOPS!

It also meant my support contractors had plans for the holiday.

DOUBLE WHOOPS!

So, I needed to  to move the release date for the ebook back three days to September 8th.

*FACEPALM*

The paperback may be a couple of days later. I want to make sure my cover artist has fully covered from another round of COVID-19 before I harass her.

And yes, folks. No matter what the government is trying to pretend, COVID-19 is still an issue. Infection rates from two new variants, Stratus and Nimbus, are climbing.

Stay safe out there! And next Monday, you can curl up with a hot beverage, a furry pet on your lap, and plow through A Cup of Conflict.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You can never go wrong with Weird Al or Hamilton!

When Things Go Weird and an Update

It's the last week of August, and it's normally hotter than heck.

Instead, it's been cool and rather rainy. I'd hoped to use the dog days of summer to dry out the last of the flooded paperwork so I could shred it. But alas, Mother Nature had other ideas.

Not that I'm complaining! We really needed a good soaking rain if the cracks in our yard's soil were any indication.

This morning was so chilly I broke down and made a cup of coffee for my morning caffeine fix instead of my usual summer ice tea or Pepsi Zero. But this cool respite won't last. It's supposed to be back up in the 80's next week.

In the meantime, I finished putting together all my files necessary for A Cup of Conflict Monday and sent them to my formatter. Tuesday and Wednesday, Google was acting a little wonky so I didn't trust it to post any updates. I focused on getting back into writing Death Goddess Fighting. Today's the first time I've been able to post to the blog without it doing weird stuff. However, I'll get back DGF this afternoon after some other administrative minutiae are dealt with. The writing is going smoothly for now, but then, this series has been simmering in my head for over fifteen years.

In the evenings, I've been putting together the pieces for the Kickstarter for The Books of Apep series. I think this will be a fun and entertaining campaign. At least, I'm having fun doing it! Plus, you'll get the series for a little bit of a discount.

But if you prefer to buy the new series via your favorite retailer, The Books of Apep will be released through to the general public starting in January.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

We are our own heroes!

Editing Through Annoyance Trials

It never fails. As soon as I put in my earbuds to edit, someone in the house needs something. *sigh*

Despite the DH and the puppies' neediness plus having GK home, I managed to make some progress on A Cup of Conflict edits. Just not as much as I would have liked because it's a fucking huge novel. Not to mention wrapping up a ton of loose threads along the way.

In the meantime, the son's visit was a rather pleasant affair. No bitching about Mom's cooking this time. (I think having to eat MREs during the twelve-day prick-waving contest between Israel and Iran had something to do about the lack of complaints.) No dude-bro attitude. I managed not to ask him what he needed because that's maternal interference in his male autonomy according to him.

In particular, I didn't say a damn thing about getting him a AAA card, making sure his debit card was reactivated by the current bank, or getting him some cash for just in case on his drive to the next base.

Anyway, GK left for his new duty station in the early morning hours. This is the first time he's less than a two days' drive from us, so he's already said he'll be home of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At eight a.m., DH got a call from GK just before DH jumped into the shower. (I was awakened by Darling Husband's voice. He does not know how fucking loud he is when he's on the phone.) From his tone, I knew he was talking to GK and something bad had happened. My first thought was "Shit! He's been in an accident!"

Well, he sort of was. He hit a pothole an hour outside of Knoxville, Tennessee and got a flat tire. He managed to make it to the Pilot at the next exit. He didn't have a AAA card with him. No cash. And the computers at the Pilot refused to recognize his VISA card. That's when he panicked and called DH.

There's not a whole lot we could do since we're 300 miles away.

Somehow, GK limped his car to a tire retail place. Except when they got it on the lift, it wasn't the tire. The rim had bent when he hit the pothole. The very sweet guys at the tire center managed to find a rim for the wide-body version of GK's car, and managed to make it work. The kid's on his way to his fort, and all's semi-well with the universe.

But I was wound for sound because it annoys me that our relationship is still at the stage where I know nothing because I'm a parent and a woman. And DH was expecting me to wave a magic wand and miraculously fix everything.

Which, even if I could, I'm not coherent after four hours of sleep. *sigh*

So after another five hours of sleep, I fled to Starbucks to get some words in of Death Goddess Fighting because the Subconscious is good at relaxing me when she can go play.

It helped. It helped a lot. So, now I can spend the rest of the week editing. 

Movie Review - Bride Hard

There were a few double-theater weekends for us over the summer. I've deliberately left out re-releases like Dogma and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. However, there's a couple of movies I haven't reviewed though they are now out of the theaters and on VOD or streaming service. First up is Bride Hard.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) I had high hopes since this movie starred Rebel Wilson plus a ton of actors, who I love, in supporting roles. I was expecting a Spy-like caper focused on a maid of honor who happened to be a secret agent. All I can say is the cast did the best they could with the script they were given. They are not to blame.


CONS
1) OMG! Where do I start? The story had so much potential, but the execution was terrible. The script really needed to be refined. With absolutely no foreshadowing, things like the family's distillery and train station (?) were popping out of nowhere.

2) The jokes need to be fine-tuned and wittier, instead of dipping to the lowest common denominator. If I wanted bad jokes, I'd watch Jackass.

3) The editing sucked! Seriously SUCKED! At one point, the best man, who's one of the bad guys, is chasing Rebel and her best friend on hovercrafts. We think, because the editor couldn't make up their mind of who was chasing who and the film kept flipping back and forth with no rhyme or reason.


Overall, I really wanted to love this movie, but I couldn't. In a couple of years, I'll write my own frickin' romcom spy and do it right! Anyway, as much as it pains me, I can only give Bride Hard 2 stars out of 10; both stars are for the cast and crew who really tried hard to make this piece of shit script work.

TGIF! TGIF! TGIF!

It's been a crazy week, so the Leaning Tower of Pisa seems appropriate. We're trying to get a bunch of things done. Some of them involve Genius Kid for the remaining days he's home.

Some do it.

But basically, I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off today. DH FINALLY went to see a sleep specialist this summer. I've been nagging him (and I really try not to do that) to do so because I don't need a medical degree to know he has sleep apnea. I've been jerked awake many times by the sudden silence in our bedroom because he's not fucking breathing!

Anyway, we went in to the medical supply place for his fitting and training to use the CPAP. I was surprised about how quiet the new machines are. So, tonight will be the first time using it. I'm totally expecting for him to toss and turn a bit, but as long as he's not kicking me (like last night because he was nervous about this appointment), we're good.

After we were finished at the medical supply place, we went to a different bank to open new accounts. Our current bank was bought over the summer, and the new management isn't...gracious to long-time customers. I don't blame the employees. A lot of them are just as confused about the new policies as we are. But last month I was ready to pull my hair out over trying to pay our fucking mortgage--which was sold to a different broker the day the buy-out was announced. The transfer has not been smooth, and tons of services are not longer available, or we need to pay a premium price for them. So, fine, we'll go someplace else.

Let's just say, GK met us at the bank to open a new checking account himself thanks to some issues with accessing his online stuff and using his debit card with deployed.

After that, DH went home while GK and I went to pick up one of his cars at A-1 Auto Center in Findlay, Ohio. Now, this in one place I will praise to the heavens. Sean and his crew are awesome. They straight up tell you what the problem is and give you an estimate. Their prices are fair. And they keep you apprised every step of the way. So, it was a matter of writing the check and driving the car home.

Well, almost home. DH has soccer tonight, so I needed to get groceries and fill up the tank on the car he uses. And of course, I forgot the list I'd made out last night, so I worked off my memory. Of course, I forgot a few things, including DH's distilled water for the CPAP. *sigh*

I belatedly realized it had been over six hours since I'd eaten breakfast, so I hit the Starbucks drive-thru for one of their grilled cheese sandwiches. YUM!

I made it home fifteen minutes before DH left and finally did my usual morning routine of going through e-mails. And writing my blog posts.

It's already nearly five p.m., and there's a ton of book and publishing stuff on my plate as well as admin tasks.

What I really want right now is a nap! Alas, I'll get more caffeine and get shit done. My reward for getting A Cup of Conflict's first draft done is to go see Superman again. Not to mention the original TMNT movie is back in theaters for its 35th anniversary.

See y'all next week!

Hump Day Already?

This week is going too fast. There's a list of things to do that I've been chipping away at as well as splitting my time between editing A Cup of Conflict and writing Death Goddess Fighting.

 The dogs have been bathed. The Princess Pup is easy, but the Grandpuppy needs an extra pair of hands since I can no longer lift fifty-five pounds, much less in the form of a wriggling black mixed breed who detests baths with a passion.

All bedding has been changed and washed since the puppies are clean. I started cleaning bathrooms, but only got as far as the toilets yesterday.

I'm down to the last box of paperwork that drowned in the basement flood in May. The rest have been dried, shredded, and disposed of.

I still need to repack GK's kitchenware in the plastic tub I bought. Thankfully, he doesn't need that stuff right away since he'll be in the barracks at his next duty station.

Ironically, I've been cooking a lot. GK is tired of DEFAC food and MREs. However, he doesn't seem to understand that I am not a DEFAC, nor do I open at five p.m. But having a healthy, physically active, twenty-something male means cooking greater amounts than usual and no leftovers.

And he'll have to wait for cheeseburgers until after DH and I get home from yoga class tonight. LOL

I hope y'all are enjoying the last vestiges of summer!

Monday Movie Mania - The Phoenician Scheme

Wes Anderson writes and directs some pretty quirky movies. The odd thing was Darling Husband usually isn't a fan of quirky, but he's the one who really wanted to see this one.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) Benecio Del Toro plays Anatole Korda, a billionaire arms dealer who has screwed over enough people that assassination attempts are common place. Del Toro plays Anatole in such a dry deadpan way that you can't help but laughing hysterically as he fends off murderers in such a way that nearly everyone else around him dies.

2) Mia Threapleton is adorable as Anatole's estranged daughter Liesl, a novice who is days away from taking her final vows when her father summons her home. He wants Liesl to take over his business interests, much to her dismay.

3) Michael Cera was equally adorable as Bjorn, the alleged tutor for Anatole's younger sons. During one of the many attempts on Anatole's like, Anatole and Liesl discover Bjorn is really a U.S. agent spying on Anatole. However, he's fallen in love with Liesl and joins them in Anatole's current scheme. The secret agent part is a little hard to believe, but Cera pulls off Bjorn's crush on Liesl.


CONS
1) This isn't really a con, but rather a warning. This is one of those movies you have to pay attention to in order to understand what is going on. If you end up watching it on streaming, wait until the kids are in bed. And most definitely, turn off your damn phones!


Overall, The Phoenician Scheme is exactly what it's supposed to be--a weird mix of black comedy/thriller/romance/family drama. Somehow, it works. I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've been listening to a lot of old favorites to keep any depression at bay. Why? Because I believe the world can be a better place, and I want to do my part. And Cyndi's joy is damn infectious!

Just a Quick Note

Two major things are happening today.

First, Genius Kid (aka GK) will be home in approximately twenty minutes from the second I wrote the title of this post. He's been deployed overseas for the last year, and his parents and his dog (aka The Grandpuppy) miss him terribly.

Second, I will be writing the final chapter of A Cup of Conflict later this evening. GK will go to bed early due to the seven-hour time difference, and DH has soccer tonight (he runs the time clock for the high school teams and their season started last night). The book is currently at 115+K words. With one more chapter to write and editing, it will come out at 120K.

I knew it was going to be a long book, but DAMN! There were a ton of loose threads I needed to wind up in this trilogy. In case any readers haven't noticed, the Justice series is four trilogies with a stand alone story in the middle.

I'll let A Cup of Conflict rest over the weekend and get some words in on A Barrel of Vintner while I'm still in Anthea's head.

So what does this all mean? Since GK is home, and my contractors have last minute summer plans, I'll need a couple of weeks for edits and formatting. I'll set up the pre-orders on the retail sites later tonight or tomorrow.

The official release date will be August 29, 2025!

I'm so happy this book is essentially done! But to certain readers (you know who you are!), please don't ask me when the next Justice book will be out. I'm still recovering from this one.

Depressing as Fuck

I admit it. It's getting harder to get out of bed in the morning, harder to finish a heroic tale, harder to deal with people thriving on hate.

But I still climb of bed. I still buckle down and write my words everyday. And I'm clapping back even when an alleged ally spouts the same lies the MAGA crowd as been treating as the gospel for the last ten or more years.

Someone asked me what do we do to keep the U.S. from turning into Nazi Germany. Frankly, it's too late. We're already worse than Nazi Germany.

You see people knew what they were getting when the voted for Tribblehead the second time. He has never hidden his agenda. The first time was practice. He learned how to circumvent the system by destroying it from within. And he takes great glee in doing so.

Children are arrested in school based on their skin color, regardless of their legal status. Men covered head to toe so you can't see who they are, with weapons and no identification, prowl the cities and grab people off the streets. A concentration camp has been built in Florida. Politicians and civilians are threatened and beaten up for being on the opposing side.

And like every other abuser in my life, Tribblehead counts on wearing us down until we're too tired and broken to fight anymore.

Just one problem with that plan. I'm post-menopausal, and I no longer have any fucks to give. If the only way I can keep fighting is by writing stories about people who do the right thing, then by all the deities that ever were, ever are, and ever will be, I will keep getting out of bed and spreading hope.

Because when hope dies, so does the human race. 

Monday Movie Mania - The Naked Gun (2025)

This was supposed to be a sequel/reboot to The Naked Gun 33 1/3. To my shock, it works!


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr., picks up where screen dad (Leslie Nielsen) left off--catching bad guys despite himself. The two men both gained recognition as serious, dramatic actors, and they both showed off their excellent comedic chops when given half a chance. And you could tell Neeson was having a blast with this role.

2) Pamela Anderson has come into her own as an actress. She played the perfect foil for Drebin's antics.

3) The gags are just as funny as the original, though updated for the passing of thirty-seven years since the first movie in the series, like the electric police car and police body cameras. However, they still used classic sight gags.

4) Cameos by Priscilla Presley and Weird Al Yankovich were icing on the cake!


CONS
1) I have no complaints. It is a fun date movie after a long work week.


Overall, The Naked Gun (2025) was a great retro-flick when you ned some belly laughs. I give it a solid 10 out of 10 stars.

Scraping the 'Net

I'm pretty sure there's bots scraping my posts to train their AI. Because I'm pretty certain everyone in Brazil or Indonesia is NOT reading my blog.

Scraping my posts is a major mistake. Why? Well, let's leave aside the copyright infringement for a moment, and consider the following:

- Misspelled werdz

- Left out words, especially prepositions

- Broken links even though I try to fix them when I find them (Seriously, I have over 3,000 fucking posts. It takes time!)

- A lot of swearing

- NSFW videos

- A LOT of naked men 

Frankly, kids, you're going to have a pretty fucked AI if you use my thought patterns to program the dang thing. Be prepared for in-your-face, feminist, post-menopausal ass-kicking by your own AI when it becomes sentient.

You have been warned!! 

Monday Movie Mania - The Fantastic Four: First Steps

As much as I loved the 2005 film and disliked the 2015 film, this version does the best job of capturing the family feel of the comic books it is based on.

Not to mention this is the first premiere night I've attended since the start of the pandemic.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) Director Mark Shakman and the writer brought back the adult family feel to the team by not rehashing their origin story--again. One of my major gripes is filmmakers keep rehasing the beginning of a superhero or team's journey when most of them are in the collective pop culture consciousness. This is a mature family unit, and I love it!

2) They toned down Johnny's womanizing. As adorable as Chris Evans' portrayal was in the 2005 film, that wouldn't have flown in today's post-#MeToo environment. Even better Joseph Quinn made sure to addres it with the powers-that-be at Marvel when he accepted the role. That led to...

3) Making Shalla-Bal the movie's Silver Surfer. (She was Norrin Radd's girlfriend in the comics books and had his powers as the Silver Surfer.) Johnny gets his girl crush and some insight into getting the Silver Surfert to side with the FF against Galactus.

4) The 2005 film did things right by showing Sue as intellectual. This film went one step further by showing Johnny as intellectual in his own right while keeping his sense of humor.

5) Speaking of Sue (Vanessa Kirby), I love seeing her as the team leader and the powerhouse. Nothing against Ben, but FORCEFIELDS FOR THE WIN!

6) I love the fact that Pedro Pascal didn't try to bulk up muscle or slim down for this movie. For once, Reed has a fucking dad bod as a man obssesed with his job should, and I LOVE IT!

7) H.E.R.B.I.E.! (Hey, I was a kid of the '70's. It was awesome to see H.E.R.B.I.E. worked into the story!)

8) Ben, as always, is the real heart of the team. Ebon-Moss Bachrach made him sweet and caring without spending the entire fucking film wallowing in self-pity.

9) FRANKLIN!

10) The retro-futuristc style gave me the FF I read as a child. Especially, the Fantasticar!

11) The special nod to Jack Kirby by making this Earth 828, i.e. Jack's birthday.


CONS
1) I can't think of a damn one.


Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is another fun, feel-good superhero flick you can take your kids to this simmer. Which I will when my son comes home from deployment next week. I give it a straight-up 3000 out of 10 stars.

Today Did Not Start Well

I freely admit this and I warn new acquaintances--I AM  NOT A MORNING PERSON!

No matter what time my morning begins

A loud crash woke the Princess Pup and me up at eight this morning. We both bolted upright. She looked at me. I looked at her. I heard the shower running. My first fear was DH had fallen and knocked himself out.

We both jumped out of the bed and rushed into the bathroom. DH was fine. He was sitting on the edge of the garden tub checking his feet while waiting the few seconds for the tankless water heater to provide a comfortable, lukewarm shower. He had knocked the trashcan into the garden tub.

Thankfully, I'd emptied it last night since our garbage pickup is on Fridays. Why do we have the trash sitting on the tile in the corner of the tub? Grandpuppy has taught the Princess Pup how to pull used tissues out of the trash and chewed them up.

I'm so glad I'm past having periods. I can only imagine what this pair would have done with my sanitary napkins.

So I crawled back in bed because I didn't have to get up until nine a.m. Except I overslept. When I set the time my alarm last night, I forget to tap the "Save" icon. So I woke up at nine-thirty-three. There was no fucking way I was making the ten a.m. yoga class.

I took the Princess Pup out for her constitutional, and I'd grabbed my wallet and keys to make a Starbucks drive-thru run.

Nope on the caffeine. Or rather not yet anyway. Both DH and I forgot to roll the garbage bins to the end of the driveway for pick-up, and I heard the garbage truck as the Princess Pup was taking her damn time picking the proper place to poo.

Finally, she did her business, and we ran inside. I had to clean her bottom. (Long, fine hair and poo mixes TOO well.) DH came out of his office from a meeting, all happy and cheerful. The bastard. I ask him to take the trash bin out.

I released the clean dog and ran back out to the garage. For course, he took the recycle bin out first, and the garbage truck was two houses away. I grabbed the trash bin and rolled it out just in time.

I went back into the house, trying desperately to remember what I needed to do next. Oh, yeah! Caffeine.

By the time I ordered my caffeine on the app, the garbage truck had trundled down the street. Luckily, Starbucks is in the opposite direction. I went through the drive-thru to claim my sorely needed caffeine. The barista teased me about not coming inside because I've spent three hours a day in the dining room for the last few weeks trying to finish the latest wip.

Which is turning into an epic tome that will be around 400 pages when it's done.

Anyway, I got home. Made breakfast (my usually is a cinnamon bagel with plain cream cheese and two hard-boiled eggs), sat down with my laptop, and GK messaged me he needed his last two checking account statements.

I messaged back to confirm which e-mail I needed to send them to. He called because he hadn't talked to us for a week. (I asked him for monthly proof of life calls prior to this summer's Israel-Iran cock-waving contest.) He also had his flight info so DH could pick him up when he's back in the States in a couple of weeks.

He made the mistake of bringing up Stephen Colbert and South Park. I told him he needed to watch Superman. I now understand how the character Elyse Keaton felt in Family Ties. But we still love each other.

Because I don't make Cincinnati chili for just anyone.

So after almost forty-five minutes on the phone, we ended the call. I finished my breakfast and actually read the rest of my e-mail. I wrote this blog post. And I'm finally through two-thirds of my caffeine.

Which means I'm as functional as I'm going to be. 

Time to get started n the book that refuses to end.

Because I've got a hot date for pizza and The Fantastic Four at six p.m.!

Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale!

To celebrate ALMOST completing A Cup of Conflict, the tenth novel in the Justice series, the previous nine novels are half-price at the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. Just remember to apply the code (on the book page) at checkout!

If you like epic fantasy, kickass heroines, and a lot of action and adventure, and you haven't checked these books out, go see what you're missing. SALE ENDS JULY 31st! 

In the meantime, I'll be editing and setting up pre-orders for the latest book!

A QUESTION OF BALANCE

A MODICUM  OF TRUTH

A MATTER OF DEATH

A TOUCH OF MOTHER

A TWIST OF LOVE

A VIRTUE OF CHILD

A HAND OF FATHER

A  MEASURE OF KNOWLEDGE

A HINT OF THIEF

 

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

A sad anthem that's even sadder these days as Vietnam vets lose their benefits.