Now what?

Posted: March 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Risking Alex | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

The horse races are mostly over, that means no more weekly trips to Tucson, but Spring Break is upon us. I’ve got a week ahead with 4 kids at home. I’m prepared though, I’ve put together a list of chores I want done. When  they get on my nerves too much, I’ll give them something else to do….

Meanwhile, I’ll be working on my next project, the content of which is currently top secret. I’m also working on the final details for Risking Alex.

Longest Short Week EVER…

Posted: April 4, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Odds and Ends | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

So, I didn’t get home from last weekend until Tuesday morning. I’m used to coming in on Sunday night but due to the previously mentioned death in the family, I spent Sunday night in Tucson so I could travel 3 hours in the opposite direction from home and attend the funeral. It wasn’t all that late when I got back to Tucson, not even 7pm, but I was emotionally exhausted so I stayed one more night and headed home the next morning.

The kids were on spring break, I had no reason I needed to be home before 1pm on Tuesday for writing group… It was fine… Well, that spring break thing is what kicked my butt.

I cruised along, everything fine… then on Thursday I realized it was Thursday, not Sunday or Monday (the old man was working but the kids were home and I had none of the usual routine to kick my butt in gear.) I hit a mild state of panic trying to get everything done, Easter shopping and making sure the family has food for the time I’ll be gone this weekend (just Friday evening and Saturday this week, no racing on Easter Sunday.)

So what made it feel so long? Partly the funeral. There was a LOT of time in the car, which is both good and bad, I tend to find myself thinking about characters and story, sometimes to the point that I realize all of a sudden I have no memory of the last 50 miles.

The funeral itself was draining. All of them are, but more so when the deceased in young. My cousin was only 22 when he was taken from us suddenly. This only leads to more.

Then there was that panic of trying to make sure everything that had to get done before my weekend was done so I can do what I need to do without worrying about the rest of the family.

Either way, it’s the weekend now and I’ve settled in. I’ll be hitting the racetrack in a couple hours. I love the track, there are so many characters to watch and draw from.

How was your week?

A long spring break leads to a tired writer.

Posted: April 6, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Escape, Odds and Ends, White Mountain Chanat | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

To start with, we were supposed to leave last Friday to go camping. I had been watching what the weather would be like, cool, but nice. However, I’d forgotten to check road conditions. So I spent three days working and working to get things ready to go, only to discover within an hour or two of leaving, that the roads are still snowed in and we can’t get there.

Hubster insists nowhere else will do, we can only go to this one lake. So we’ll wait. We knew when we scheduled this early that there was a chance we wouldn’t be able to make it. We planned for the possibility of delaying. So Hubster canceled his vacation and the kids stayed home with me for spring break (which was how we’d planned to do it if we couldn’t go this early.)

On the upside, this meant I got to finish the revisions on my latest project (more on that soon) in the comfort of my home, with conveniences like electricity! On the downside..it’s hot here. Mid-90’s already, and I think one day, we actually hit 100, though, not officially.

Things went along fine, until I went to the grocery store on Wednesday. There, I discovered the card I use for all my purchases has expired without the bank sending me a new one. Talk about embarrassing. I apologized to the clerk, told her I was going to have to cancel the order, and we came home. I got a hold of the bank, there’s a new card on the way, in the mean time, I’ve pulled a different card out to get me by.

Then there was Thursday. I was doing laundry like normal, everything was fine, until I noticed water pooling in the laundry room floor. I looked up my washer model online and did everything I could find or think of to find/stop the leak… no go. I had to call a service person. They’ll be here Monday, no clue how bad the damages will be.

Today, Kidlet 1 and I made a trip to Tucson. It’s a 4 hr drive each way. We went, picked up a truck load of furniture, a party pack of Eegees and came home. It was a long day and I’m exhausted but it was a good day. 

The other really great part of the week was finishing the revisions on my latest project. No, I’m not ready to tell you all about it yet, but I will say it won’t be another nearly year before you get another book from me. It’s a great feeling. It also means I can go back to work on the next White Mountain Chanat book. Yes, a sequel to Escape is in the works, and going well so far. No, I don’t have a title yet, but I’ll let you know when I know more.

Making time for Family.

Posted: March 25, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Fight, Odds and Ends | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

I recently finished the first draft of Fight, the second book in the Kitsune series, and I’ve set it back on the shelf for a couple of weeks to let my mind rest a little. In the mean time, I’m making some time for family. Taking a trip to visit my dad and grandfather, the kids will be on spring break soon, and the old man is off while the kids are on spring break, the two things together means getting anything done will be next to impossible.

After spring break is over (basically, after Easter,) I’ll pull up Fight and start rewrites. It’s not a simple process but I have high hopes for where the story is going. I’m excited about this installment in Nickie’s story, and already plotting out what will happen in the third book, I just have to keep working to bring it to life. It won’t be fast, and it won’t be easy, but hopefully it will make for a better book. I’m hoping to have Fight available by the end of the summer, but I’ll let you know more as things get closer to that goal.