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Archive for 2013

Yard Work

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 23, 2013| 9 Comments »

So, you know how sometimes when people first learn to ski and when they fall they forget to let go of the rope? Well, that’s kind of how I am with our self-propelled lawn mower. We don’t have a riding mower, but we have LOTS of yard (not level, either), so a regular push mower is just too much for us since we’re getting older. A self-propelled mower is a little easier. At least for most people. The thing just seems to get away from me. Of course, hubby can’t mow right now, so all he can do is sit and watch me and laugh. Seriously, I can’t seem to let go of the bar that propels the mower. When I’m doing little spots that need more precision, the self-propelled part of the mower needs to be turned off. All it takes is NOT pulling back on the little bar. But then there’s also the safety bar that keeps the mower running. So part of the time, I DO let go of the self-propel bar…and also the safety bar. Which stops the engine. Which means I have to pull the cord multiple times to start the thing again. Grrrr. I almost mowed down one of my rose bushes because I forgot to let go of the bar, and the mower was almost dragging me toward it. The sad thing is that I have it turned down on “1” and there are four speeds. I feel like such a wimp. I have to do this, though, because while hubby was in the hospital, our grass got really high and thick. I’ve worked on it two days, and it’s still not all done. 😦

So now my hands hurt (I’ve had trouble with them for years), my feet hurt, and let’s not even talk about my big toe. I actually hurt it while hubby was in ICU. I stubbed it on the couch in my little cubby hole in the waiting room, and I saw the nail lift up off the nail bed. There was blood and extreme pain. I didn’t mention this before because I was whining so much about all the things that have been happening to me, I didn’t want to mention one more thing. But, hey, it’s my blog and I can cry if I want to mention my toe. Right? So I’ll probably lose my toenail. 😦

Anyway, if you want a funny mental picture so you can have a great laugh, just picture me with my hands glued to the lawn mower and my feet flying out behind me. Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration, but it does make a funny picture, right?

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Sunday Update 4/21/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2013| 12 Comments »

Now that my husband is back home, I’m going to try to get back to a semi-normal life. I haven’t written or exercised in a couple of weeks. I haven’t been eating right. Let’s face it, who can eat right when they’re stuck at the hospital? Not only is there not a lot to choose from (the hospital cafeteria hasn’t been open for dinner), there’s also the stress that makes you want to eat comfort food. You know, like burgers and pizza. So this week I want to get back to good routines. That includes getting back to the FlyLady way of getting one’s house de-cluttered and cleaned.

I also want to again thank everyone who has donated to Kait’s Fundrazr campaign for me as well as those who have stopped by my blog to send good wishes. Sometimes I don’t know how much to say about all that.

When it rains, it pours. During my husband’s hospital stay, our garage door has stopped working. I’m having to manually raise and lower it, and it’s hard because it’s not really made to be done that way. Also, this morning, the sprayer on my kitchen sink came off. It can’t be put back on because the end that goes into the pipes is broken. What this means is that the faucets don’t work either. When I turn on the faucet, the water comes out under the sink. So that’s going to have to be fixed. And…I have a shower head that you can take off and hold in your hand. The hose that connects it to the shower is leaking so that half the water is being wasted. This means getting the garage door fixed, getting a new sprayer, and getting a new shower head (it’s only a couple of months old-I should have invested in a better one). Grrrrr. But on the bright side…my husband is still improving. 🙂

I hope the rest of you are getting some writing done. Maybe this week, I can, too!

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Why Do We Read/Write Horror?

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2013| 13 Comments »

I’ve been a fan of horror ever since my high school librarian first introduced me to Stephen King. She suggested I read “Carrie”, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Stephen King is the master. The KING. No one has ever been able to touch me quite like he has. He has a way of making you feel like you’re right there in the story and that you know all the characters intimately. King’s characters are his strongest point.

But then there’s the horror. The scary stuff, the stuff that gives you the chills. What is it that makes us want to read this? Why do we want to be scared? I’ve found, the older I get, the harder it is for me to watch scary movies, especially alone. But I LOVE reading the books. The horror fascinates me. I’m not as crazy about the slasher stuff, even though that’s sometimes part of it. It’s the supernatural, eerie, ghostly stuff I love. Or sometimes the horror isn’t supernatural, but the horror of the human psyche. There are some sick people in some of the horror books.

I’ve sometimes wondered if there was something wrong with me because I like horror. Is there something twisted in my mind? And what about the people who actually WRITE this stuff? They have to be kind of twisted, right? But, honestly, the horror writers I’ve met on the internet have been normal, well-adjusted husbands and dads or wives and mothers. Horror writers are usually just ordinary folks. So I may never know the WHY of it all. Maybe someone can give me some ideas of why we like horror.

That brings me to my writing. The first novel I ever wrote and published, A Rocky Path, was a ghost story/love story. I don’t know why I was compelled to write paranormal romance. My second novel, Starfane, was a fantasy romance with wizards, elves, etc. in a land the heroine stepped into from a mural. I then did three novellas, one ghost story and two vampire stories. But even in paranormal romance, there is an element of horror sometimes. My ghost story novella, See Me, was criticized by a fellow author because I had mixed humor and violence in the same story. See Me is kind of snarky, with some funny things that happen, but there is a pretty violent scene in it. I don’t see anything wrong with mixing humor and violence. Even in this story, I had a tiny bit of horror. Then along came The Gnome. It was my first attempt at an actual horror story. I wasn’t sure how I would do with the fight scenes, but one of my beta readers said I nailed it, so that was a relief. Two readers told me that the story creeped them out and one of them actually dreamed of a giggling gnome. Good. That means I did my job. The story stayed with them.

So, after saying all that, I’m wondering if I’m going to end up writing horror instead of paranormal romance. My last book, Soul of a Vampire, actually was paranormal romance, but there was a little element of horror, I think. And, now, my current WIP is looking like it’s going to be horror. This one, honestly, was supposed to be a paranormal romance about a ghost. Now the ghost is kind of secondary in the story, and there’s a truly horrible thing happening in the town. This story just took a different turn than I originally imagined. There is going to be a supernatural element to the horror. So I’m wondering if my whole genre is going to change. Or am I going to dabble in more than one genre? Am I really going to end up being a horror writer? Or are The Gnome and my current WIP just me veering off my normal path for awhile? And do I have to really know the answer right now? Or can I just enjoy the journey and see where everything goes? That’s part of the fun, right?

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Quick Update on My Husband

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on April 19, 2013| 27 Comments »

I’ll try to be brief. I’m playing catch up at work, and sales tax reports are due. We have to do them for five different states.

Anyway, hubby got to come home yesterday. They sent a prescription for Coumadin. I don’t know why they didn’t send one for pain killers. He’s been on one of the strongest pain killers, Dilaudid. Now he has nothing, not even hydrocodone. But he’s managing pretty good. He has to have his blood tested every three days at his regular doctor’s office. I guess that means paying a co-pay every three days for who knows how long. I wonder if they would give us a frequent buyer discount??? But I need to stop complaining about any of that. He’s home, and he’s better. We are truly blessed. The doctor said he had been a VERY sick man.

One day, in the hospital, hubby said, “I miss my puppy.” When he got home, they were both glad to see each other. Just in 10 days, Duke had grown so much. My son and his fiancee fixed him a run so that he wouldn’t get tangled up so much. (He did have a stake in the ground with a really long cable that kept getting tangled.) So Duke is glad we’re home. Our other dog and both cats are REALLY glad I’m home. And, oh how nice it is to sleep in my own bed. I’m at work right now, but I’m going home for lunch to check on hubby. His phone is by his side so he can call my mom or my son if he needs them. They are about a minute’s drive away. This will be a long, long process of healing. There’s a union where my husband works, so there’s probably no chance he’ll lose his job (I think that’s illegal anyway). I hope he can return to work in a couple of months, but it might be longer.

Sorry, I did say I would be brief. Oops.

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Wednesday Update 4/17/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 17, 2013| 24 Comments »

I debated on whether or not to link up to the linky tool today. I don’t really have anything to report for ROW80 except for one thing…the authors in this community have really rallied together to help me in so many ways. Even when you all just stop by with prayers, thoughts, or virtual hugs, it means a great deal to me. The support in this community is phenomenal, and I am so grateful to every one of you. I’m also so very grateful for the increased book sales and the contributions you have made to the fundraiser Kait has set up for my family. I had no idea she was going to do that, and I still don’t have words to express how I feel about that. It’s kind of embarrassing to NEED help, but I know I shouldn’t feel that way. I’ve always enjoyed giving to fundraisers when I could, but I never thought I would be a recipient. Kait has a heart of gold, and so do those of you who have helped. And Anya is still talking about all this on Facebook, trying to help me with book sales.

So here’s a report for those of you who are wondering how hubby is doing. First of all, I’ve realized he was more seriously ill than I really knew. I knew it was bad, but just not how bad. The clot in his lung could have caused so many problems. Most of you know my best friend died of this same thing, but apparently she didn’t die the way I thought, now that I know more about it. I thought the clot left the lung and went to her heart. That’s not the way it works. From what I’ve read, the clots that go to the heart and brain are from the arteries. The ones that travel to the lungs (and these are more common) come from the veins (mostly in the legs). Clots in the lungs cause lack of oxygen, and that can affect many other parts of your body. Many people go into shock from clots in the lungs. The reason hubby was in ICU for so long was because his oxygen level wasn’t coming up enough. When they were able to turn his oxygen down a bit, he was put into a regular room. But his blood still isn’t thin enough to go home. I don’t know when he’s going to get out of the hospital.

So, I’m working some every day now, although not the whole day. I’m going back and forth from work and the hospital. My husband will be out of work 2-4 months, and he is the major source of income. The medical bills will be pretty big because insurance doesn’t pay it all. So the fundraiser Kait set up is going to help a lot. I’m so, so grateful.

I just want to say a word about the hospital. I live in a fairly small city. The hospital here doesn’t have the best reputation, and most people go to one of the two larger hospitals about 40 miles away. I had a friend upset me yesterday because she begged me to get a second opinion. But I can say that my husband had been treated with the utmost care at this facility. Everyone has been professional, but also very, very kind. The doctors are great, the nurses are awesome. There’s always a smile on everyone’s face. And I’ve been reading a lot about his situation, and the research I’ve done shows that the hospital is doing everything they are supposed to do in this situation. I don’t know why people always talk about the negative things and rarely talk about the positive things. This world would be a much better place if people would just be nice to each other and do the best job they can do, no matter what it is.

I didn’t mean to get so long-winded. But I guess I’ve just needed to let some words out. Because, you know, that’s what writers do. 🙂

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A World of Thanks

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 15, 2013| 14 Comments »

I want to send out a special thanks to Anya Kelleye and Kait Nolan for their generosity and time. They have both sent big shouts out to the world about my current predicament. But, please don’t think I don’t know that many more of you are doing things to help. There are so many of you, I can’t list you all, and I don’t want to leave anyone out, so I’ll just say, you know who you are, and I know who you are. Thank you.

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Sunday Update 4/14/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on April 14, 2013| 45 Comments »

Those of you who follow my blog know what’s going on. My husband has been in ICU with a blood clot in his lung and another in his leg. This has involved getting to see him four times a day and spending most of the rest of the days and nights in the waiting room. Luckily, I had my own little cubicle. Yesterday, he was moved to a regular room, and they found me a recliner to sleep in. Let’s just say the couch in my cubicle was much more comfortable. I’ve had very little sleep. My arms kept going to sleep when I lie on my side.

I was so strong for the first three days, but these last couple…I keep bursting into tears. Stress, fear, lack of sleep, it all takes it’s toll. I was told it could take a couple of weeks for these clots to dissolve. We are both out of work, obviously, at the moment. Oh how I wish my book sales would take off for just a little while so the lack of work wouldn’t hurt so badly.

So, anyway, I guess it’s obvious I didn’t get any writing done. Maybe things will get better later in the week….

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A Quick Update

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on April 12, 2013| 28 Comments »

Hubby is still in ICU. He has a blood clot in his lung and a big one in his leg. We think it stemmed from his broken ankle. They are giving him blood thinners to try to dissolve them, but right now, he’s in a lot of pain from the clot in his lung. A LOT of pain. So they keep him pretty doped up. There are only four visiting times per day, so I’ve spent a lot of time in my own little cubby in the waiting room, where I’ve slept every night. I’ve been home once to shower in three days, and went in to work for about two and a half hours yesterday. My son is feeding my dogs and cats. I scooped the litter box the one time I was home, so it’s probably pretty rank right now. I have two cats, so it needs scooping daily. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi to everyone and let you all know what’s going on. I just want this to be over soon and have him back home.

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And Yet Another Trial

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on April 10, 2013| 10 Comments »

Hubby is in the hospital. Might be out of pocket awhile. More updates later.

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Sunday Update 4/7/13

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2013| 16 Comments »

Last week was so much better on the writing front. My goal is to write three days a week. Well, I was lazy Friday, so I did some things I wanted to do instead of actually, you know, WORKING. But, even though I only wrote two days, I churned out 3,822 words. If I was averaging 500 words a day, seven days a week…it would be better than that. LOL. I wrote about 2900 words on Saturday. I just sat down and words started flowing. I was by myself, there was silence, and I was in the mood. It’s really hard for me to write that many words in one sitting, but I did it. 🙂

My WIP is evolving into something totally different than I originally planned. It was going to be a paranormal romance, but it looks like it’s going to be a mystery/horror. I started out with a ghost. Then I suddenly had a “not quite human” murderer. So I had to figure out how the ghost was relevant now. But I finally figured that out. Now there’s a mine. There wasn’t originally a plan for a mine to be in this story, but it really helps explain some other things in the story. This story is starting to write itself and surprise me at every turn. That’s usually when I start loving it. 🙂

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