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!

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.

Stress and the Little Things I Do to Deal

The last five months have stressful for me. It's sucks that even good things stress me out these days.

My cataract surgery was very successful. It's so cool I ditched glasses for the first time in fifty-one years. But still, it's surgery. Things can go wrong. And I have one of those brains that has to analyze every single possible outcome.

Because of the unexpected surgeries, I got behind on fulfilling my 2023 Kickstarter campaign. I failed to get the majority of holiday gifts out before New Year's Day. I struggled to get my tax information collected and handed off to our CPA.

And I feared we would lose our fabulous CPA last year when he was diagnosed with cancer.

CANCER SUCKS.

Another friend also had cancer surgery this week, too. I know I'm at the age where shit happens to my peers. But the stress collects in my body. Yoga classes help, but not enough.

A friend noticed, and she suggested we get away for a weekend. She's had her own issues over the last year. We both need a little break right now. So, I'm taking her up on her idea of a little weekend getaway to a hotel with a spa.

I'm really looking forward to this getaway, and I'm sure I'll come back refreshed.

I hope you all find your own ways to relax over the weekend!

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

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!

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.

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!

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!

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?

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.

Back to Writing (and Recording?)

I've been writing my butt off over the weekend in an effort to finish Demons Run at Halloween. It's the last bonus story to complete from my Soccer Moms Kickstarter campaign. It's also the only bonus story that will be available to the general public. Yep, y'all will have the opportunity to buy and read at, well, Halloween. LOL The preorder for the e-book will be available as soon as it's finished, edited, and formatted.

I also promised to do audiobooks of the three bonus stories. Unfortunately, the gentleman I wanted to read Analyze Me had to drop out due to personal issues. So, I'll use the opportunity to test a text-to-speech tool I recently purchased.

That doesn't mean I'm not mindful of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. In fact, I thought long and hard about using an AI tool for one of the audiobooks. It comes down to the fact that I cannot currently afford quality voice talent. I'm doing the voice work for Demons Run at Halloween, and I bartered with a friend to do the voice work for Apocalypse? Not Now!

What I am paying for is an artist I like and respect for a HUGE job. She agreed to tackle a special project for the tenth anniversary of the Justice series. I can't say much more than that at this point. I'm hoping everything will come together as planned.

Besides, I think the Universe seriously owes me one after the cards she dealt me in 2022.

Smoke

Even though I packed up the last of the Kickstarter backer boxes yesterday afternoon, I didn't make it to the post office today. We've been inundated with smoke and haze from the wildfires in Ontario and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It's been bad enough the State of Ohio downgraded its air quality alert to "Unhealthy" for everyone, which remains in affect until midnight on Friday.

My eyes have been itching and my nose stuffed up since GK and I took the Grandpuppy to his follow-up vet appointment yesterday morning. Nor did it get better when I made my post office run, got gas before the price jump, and bought a frame for a print I selected for Youngest Niece's birthday. Even though the last two days were supposed to be clear and sunny, the picture of haze during the Australian wildfires above gives you an idea of what's going on in Northwest Ohio right now. I may have to pull my pandemic masks back out if this continues.

The effects actually started with Saturday night's Strawberry Moon. When I took Princess Bella out for her last constitutional, the full moon actually had the hue of it's namesake.

So, I'm staying inside inside to work today. And keeping my fingers crossed that we get the rain we're supposed to on Sunday.

Blessed Sleep

After getting up early through the weekend to talk to the artist in Bulgaria who's working on the special Justice project and early medical appointments the last two days, I crashed hard last night. Bella and Blaze even cooperated. No bark-laden roughhousing occurred until after I got up.

Twelve and a half hours of solid sleep did me good. Now, if I can stick to my current schedule...

It should be possible with Genius Kid used to being on day shift at his new shop.

I got the notice from the USPS that the first boxes have arrived to their backers. Yay! Next step is to format and print out labels for the remaining boxes. Unfortunately, I may have to do that late at night. Otherwise, I have two furry helpers climbing on kitchen chairs and volunteering their assistance.

Nope, the kitchen table wasn't the safe space I thought it would be. I really need to get my desk cleaned off before the next Kickstarter so I have some decent work space, and I can close the door.

Crazy Week and It's Only Monday

I spent the weekend filling boxes with loot from last year's Kickstarter. It will be a relief to have my living room and office back. DH asked why I wasn't sitting on the floor, which has been SOP for years when I was mailing Christmas presents to out-of-state nieces and nephews.

Needless to say, I dared him to sit on the floor. He quickly learned that if a human is on the floor, it's a signal to Princess Bella to drag all her toys over to you and place them in the open boxes. Some of my backers almost ended up with Kongs.

I'm still putting together the paperback for Queer Eye for the Super Guy. The re-write of Spells and Sleuths is finished and edits have started. And I need to finish the two short stories that were the part of the Kickstarter stretch goals so the audiobooks can be recorded.

There are surprises in the works for the Justice series' tenth anniversary. I really, really hope the readers of that series love the things in the works. My artist is doing some wonderful artwork for the projects.

Best of all, I had my annual mammogram this morning. For the last five years, it's been like sitting on a grenade. Has the cancer taken hold in the other breast? I've already had a lumpectomy, several needle biopsies, and a core sample. 

To my relief, the radiologist said everything looked good. Which means I'll be off tamoxifen at the end of June and I can drink during a writers' retreat I'm going to in July in Oregon. Like I told a few friends, it's not that I'm a huge drinker. I just don't like choices being taken away from me.

Actually, it's the second best thing. Genius Kid and the Grandpuppy are on their way here. Which means it'll be a Cincinnati chili and Long Johns week, too.

It's Going to Be a Busy Weekend!

Three boxes filled with Death in Double Mocha arrived this afternoon. Yep, they arrived a week early to my shock and surprise.

That means between cleaning the house before GK arrives for leave late Monday/early Tuesday and spotting for the booth during the Flag City Phantoms game Saturday night, I need to pack up 70 Kickstarter reward boxes.

I'm so not complaining! The movies I wanted to see in March and April are rolling into streaming so I'll be watching those while packing, taping, and slapping mailing labels on those boxes.

Yay! I can't wait!

My Subconscious Wants a New Project

I had a bizarre dream last night of an alternate Star Trek universe. Captain Kirk was a vampire. The Trill had become a warrior race. Seven of Nine was the Borg Queen, and Jadzia Dax convinced Seven, her ex-lover, to help the Trill and Vampire Kirk to protect the Vulcans from some strange, unknown race trying to wipe them out. Oh, and Vampire Kirk finally declared his love for Spock and tried to convinced him to let Kirk turn him into a vampire so they could be together forever.

This is Subconscious's way to convince me to move on to a new project. Which I will as soon as I finish Queer Eye for the Super Guy and the two stretch goal short stories for the Soccer Moms of the Apocalypse Kickstarter campaign. I also need to ship out the reward boxes for the last three Kickstarter tiers. Everything should be done by the end of May. *fingers crossed*

Then, THEN, I can write The Books of Apep series.

But damn, Subconscious is impatient!