Hikes, baby goats, and other random updates.

After almost a year, Michael and I finally forced ourselves to leave the property/immediate area and do a proper hour and a half hike at Ruckle Park on Sunday. We’d been in the habit of hiking almost every Sunday for a good portion of 2019 into 2020 but got derailed by Covid19 and the fact that we are really, really bad at taking days off. Well, full days off. We are particularly skilled at pushing ourselves too long/far and then collapsing on the couch for a half day.

That is a pro/con of loving what you do for a living, I suppose. It doesn’t seem like work, but if you do it seven days a week, and therefore get little else done on the day you (occasionally) take off, you forget to at least go for a walk!

Anyway, I have no pictorial evidence but we saw two baby goats hiking the trail yesterday. Two and half months old, hiking with two adults and a six-year-old girl. Yes, like dogs. Nigerian Dwarf goats. They were insanely cute, nibbling on everything and not even sparing us a glance despite all our cooing.

Sunday, April 11, 2021. Ruckle Park. Salt Spring Island. A fallen, weathered arbutus tree, looking toward Pender island (far left) and Washington State (center).

The writing has stalled a bit. Not surprising because the constant headache had been really bad (spiking from the Estrogel and then back to being on nothing for two weeks) and therefore I had to focus as much as possible on getting Archivist 1 into the editor. For me, especially when I’m not feeling great, writing needs to be a daily activity so I can maintain it through deadlines, stress, etc. So now I have to either force myself back into it – maybe write something fun and frivolous – or just start writing a random scene for Archivist 2 even though I don’t have the novel perfectly plotted yet – I do have the opening, the midpoint, and a KICK-ASS ending all worked out, so it really shouldn’t be a problem sinking back into it.

Except, I’ve also been crazy neglectful of the other part of my job (for like over a year now) – marketing. And marketing, which I’ve been setting up/doing for a few days now, is a completely different mindset than writing. For me, at least. So I’m sort of blocking myself.

Anyway (x2) that is the long version of saying that I’m doing a marketing push on the Dowser Series specifically and the Adept Universe in general for the next four or so weeks, and any shares/likes/etc are greatly appreciated if you see any of my posts on your social media feeds.

And, it is possible, that there won’t be a new freebie short for April. I’ll try, but no promises. I’ll at least do a giveaway of some sort.

Okay … back to hoping the muse comes calling …

Have a lovely week!

A little sunshine.

I’m making this tidbit of sunshine my desktop photo for the day – aka a little yellow daffodil that has braved the still-chilly morning temps to bloom – because I’m about to do a second pass on Kandy’s second short, In Less Than A Moment. And I know I’m going to blubber through it. Again.

I’ll just keep reminding myself that Kandy has found her pack, her family. Not that life is ever without strife but it can be filled with love and laughter at the same time.

***

In other news, I’m (slowly) putting together a Frequently Asked Questions, Spring Edition blog post so if you have any burning questions – LOL – drop them in the comments below and I’ll add them to the list (as long as it’s not too rife with spoilers).

The day after a release day, part 25

So I had to count – novels only – to get the number of novels I’ve released to date. TWENTY-FIVE. Absolutely crazy! And I’m about to send number 26 (Invoking Infinity) off to the editor for story editing.

Yesterday was a lovely low-key release day for Awakening Infinity (Archivist 0) but with surprisingly strong sales numbers/ranking. Surprising, because I know a bunch of people had already read the book. I took a few screenshots of bestseller ribbons (B&N) and other fun things (Trending Now at Kobo) and I’ll share them on my social media for fun and to say thank you to everyone who won’t see this blog post.

Launching a new series is always a risk, but you’ve seemed to have enjoyed Dusk and Sisu’s prequel story, and I hope you love how their story continues to unfold.

As always, I couldn’t do this without you … I mean, I’d continue to write, of course. I can’t not create. But I wouldn’t have such a lovely life without your support, whether it is buying my books or getting them from the library. As well as all the conversation and reviews and recommendations.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I’ll be spending the next couple of days writing Kandy’s next novelette … with the fear that it’s actually a novella. And then I’ll start work on the next Archivist book – I have a ton of ideas but I have to figure out where each major reveal falls in the series overall. Lots of secrets that all must come to light at the perfect time!

Working out the structure for Kandy 0.5 aka In Less Than a Moment (Moments of the Adept Universe 0.3).

Don’t forget to enter the Archivist 0: release day giveaway!

Bed bugs 2021 (2020?)

We’re having a crazy morning. The short version of the story is: somehow in the midst of Covid19 we got bed bugs. Yes, we haven’t left the property for more than a few hours since the beginning of March, we haven’t had any visitors (we literally live in a one-room cabin with two exterior studio offices), but somehow Michael started getting bit in the classic three-bite pattern in October.

We’ve dealt with bed bugs once before. Many years ago (easily 15+ years) Michael saw an older gentleman covered in bites at his gym but thought nothing of it until a few days later when we were bit.

We did then what we immediately did this past fall, we tore the bedroom apart, removed all the extra mattress/pillow protectors, etc. Washed/dried everything on high heat. Then literally duct-taped the mattress back into its zippered dust mite cover.

No signs of bugs.

None.

Michael got bit again a couple of nights later. Even though wrapping the mattress, etc, had taken care of the problem last time.

So …

Michael then tore the entire bedroom area apart a second time and STEAM CLEANED every surface, including removing the kicks on the cupboards, the electrical outlets, EVERYTHING. Then he rewashed and dried the sheets/blankets/etc.

The bugs bit him ferociously that night.

I, BTW, hadn’t gotten bitten at all up to this point.

Sigh.

So … after much, much research and seeking professional help for an infestation we can’t find any evidence of, we have dropped about a thousand+ dollars on a heating system. Yep, we’re cooking the bugs. It’s taken Michael days to get the house prepped and we put the finishing touches on it all this morning. The fans can only be hooked up to the dryer and oven outlets – new electrical cords had to actually be made by the electrician working on our cabin addition. And everything that could be damaged by high heat needed to be removed … with the caveat that you want to remove very little that can’t also be run through a hot dryer for 30 minutes before sealing it in garbage bags.

There is also some concern that the heat will damage our cabinets (hence the green tape all over the edges in the picture). And when Michael cooked out his office last Friday, as a precaution so we could use it for storage, the heat managed to pull sap out of his hundred-year-old reclaimed fir desks … so yeah, that might happen to our gorgeous table, etc.

I’m leaving that HUGE typo!! LOL Saw it too late!!

Anyway! We are now officially locked out of the cabin for 24-hours. We’re hanging in our offices for most of the day with Leo and Miranda (turtle). And, you know, to make certain we don’t blow a breaker or set the house on fire. We’ll sleep overnight in a hotel. Eating picnic style out of a cooler for lunch/breakfast and hopefully finding something edible for dinner in ‘town’.

I’m supposed to be writing this afternoon but honestly I’m thinking of cracking open a new book.

Wish us luck!!

Pending tech trouble?

I’m very possibly in the middle of losing a battle with a techgod. It’s subtle, but ignoring the signs of the demise of my computer set up might just be pure stupidity at this point.

Firstly, it probably important for you to know that I’m not great with change. See the keyboard I’m still using after all these years as just one speck of evidence.

Secondly, I promised myself six years ago that I would replace my laptop every three years (as the AppleCare ran out) because I’d been left without a computer three times in the past due to massive crashes. The first crash lost most of my early writing (screenplays, etc) and the second one was crazy inconvenient because we’d just moved to an island with no Apple Store (or Apple tech repair).

Now. I’m due to replace my current laptop at the end of December (Michael is operating off my six-year-old laptop, so he’ll get to ‘upgrade’ to my current laptop as well). But … the price has REALLY increased on the MacBook Pros and we’re in the middle of a major addition to our cabin (aka hemorrhaging savings) … plus with the constant headache, I’ve only managed to release two books in 2020 instead of my typical four. So … I’d been thinking about not replacing the laptop as planned, just pushing it for a few more months … maybe another year?

Apparently that line of thought was enough to rile at least one techgod.

Because yesterday my laptop crashed three times in a row. While I was proofing the audiobook for Unleashing Echoes (Reconstructionist 3). It normally crashes – MAYBE – two or three times a year.

Then, this morning, I head out to the office, all ready to write, only to find a strange little plastic dot on my desk next to my trackpad.

Back view of trackpad, with broken ‘foot’.

Apparently this foot is needed to trigger one of the ‘touch’ sensors of my trackpad. And yes, my trackpad is almost as ancient as my keyboard. It’s also cracked across the front. In two places.

Close up of the miscreant trackpad sensor foot.

The point is, I can’t figure out how the hell the foot fell off. There are no moveable (or loose) parts. No way to replace it without cracking off the back of the trackpad.

And that is just … weird.

It also might be a sign [other sign?] of pending computer doom.

I might have to give up, give in, and order new … everything.

But first I’m going to put the $$ I dump into Dropbox to good use and actually back up a bunch of files. Yes, I have a backup hard drive that I use every ten days. But it is also six years old …

Dream Rages

Me: I had the craziest rage dream early this morning …. about Chinese food.

Michael: Okay …

Me: We were with a group of people, maybe 12, but I can’t remember anyone, of course.* And I wanted to order Chinese for dinner, then three of the assholes hanging with us were all like, ‘oh, yuck, Chinese, no’.

Michael: Someone actually said no. Had the balls to say no. To you. Regarding food.

Me: Hilarious.

Michael: *chuckling* I’m just saying …

Me: I got insanely enraged. I lost my shit, completely. Screaming, calling the naysayers ‘morons with their stupid sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken’, yelling that they’d ‘never had authentic Chinese food before’ and therefore they had absolutely no say in what we ordered for dinner. I woke up with my heart pounding, absolutely livid. *pause of disbelief* Over Chinese food.

Michael: well, Facebook did show you that memory of last year’s dim sum yesterday.

Me: Oh. My God. Damn it, Facebook! I was perfectly okay before that!

Picture our dim sum spoils from December 6, 2019.

In other news, apparently it’s been a year and a day since I’ve eaten dim sum aka ‘authentic Chinese food’. And I’m having a bit of – subconscious? – trouble with it.

🤣

*Though it’s probably unusual for a writer, I rarely remember my dreams.

ETA: apparently I wasn’t terribly clear (not surprising). I can’t get ‘authentic Chinese food’ on the island on which I live and Covid19 prevents me from traveling into Vancouver and casually going to restaurants. Otherwise, I would have had dim sum numerous times since last December!!

Michael gets disappointed

In my inbox today (and yesterday. And a few times last week):

Every time I receive one of these spam emails and delete it, Michael gets terribly disappointed when the video of me ‘working on myself’ doesn’t get sent to him. And yes, he is listed in my contracts.

This particular bit of blackmail has been updated to actually fit current times, which is why I assume there has been a rash of them in the last couple of weeks. And the stilted tone is such an interesting mixture of threatening-while-attempting-to-be-friendly (and oddly supportive) that it makes for an intriguing character study.

“If you do something stupid, I will distribute the video.”

“Good luck.”

“Don’t stress.”

Brilliant.

There is a new character in the Archivist series – Doran, a vampire/antiquities dealer – who totally flirts in a similar fashion. Of course, he actually follows through with the threat when he doesn’t get ‘paid’. 🙂

The one time I ignore my phone …

After a few hours of working yesterday – managing my inboxes, social media, checking sales/rankings, etc – I was suddenly hit with this feeling of utter rawness, of overexposure. Nothing bad had happened (the complete opposite, in fact) but apparently I just exist close to that edge with the constant headache/state of the world, etc.

It was an acute enough overwhelm that I had to sit down on my pilates machine and just breathe. When that didn’t alleviate the feeling, I put on my runners, snagged Michael, and walked down to the mailbox. On our way back to the house, we discussed me taking a few days (mostly) off – writing if I felt like it, but letting my inbox, etc, slide – and then, come Monday, implementing a new schedule that prioritizes the writing of new words and limits my inbox/notifications running me quite so thoroughly.

So, of course, when I actually set my phone aside – physically across the room, and muted as always – Michael got stuck on the roof of the cabin addition.

Yep.

Hooked into his harness on the steep pitch of the garage. Can’t reach the ladder. Completely stuck.

He texted.

He called.

He yelled.

I was listening to an audiobook while knitting. ‘Unplugged’.

Michael had to flag down the neighbour to help him (Thank you, Jim!) even though I was hanging out less than the length of the house away. Ironically, I heard them talking, but not what was being said.

So … turning off notifications but keeping my phone nearby might help today’s ‘day off’ run a little smoother.

Oooo, look! A pretty green bestseller ribbon for Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4) on Barnes and Noble. Thank you to all my Nook readers!! Amplifier 4 also ranked highly in the store and in its categories on Apple Books, Kobo, and Amazon (though Amazon calculates things a bit differently), and I am very very grateful to all my lovely readers without whom there would be no roof for Michael to get stuck on!

The day after a new release, part 24

Release day for Idols and Enemies (Amplifier 4) was delightful – filled with little treats and lovely messages/comments/early reviews from absolutely lovely readers. But this morning I found I was feeling a little (extra) rundown. So, after making my daily hot chocolate at 10:30 am, I decided to set up on the kitchen table and get all the giveaways packaged and labeled all at once.

Then I thought I’d treat myself to a new book.

It is now 3:48 pm.

I took maybe thirty minutes for lunch.

Haven’t even had a chance to look at my TBR list.

4.5 hours! 4.5 hours of packaging and signing and weighing and printing shipping labels. That is way, way too many giveaways! [My fault completely]. And I feel a bit badly for the two winners who haven’t gotten back to me yet. Who knows when I’ll actually force myself to get their autographed paperbacks in the mail now.

Speaking of ongoing giveaways, The Amplifier Protocol (Amplifier 0) is still FREE on all retailers but only until the end of October. Also, you can still enter to win all the paperbacks in the Amplifier Series.

And! Don’t forget there is a short story from Opal’s POV, The Music Box (Amplifier 4.5) bundled with Amplifier 4.

Thank you for all your preorders, and release day purchases, and messages/comments!! Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.

R.I.P. Fuzzy

We lost our rooster Fuzzy a couple of weeks ago, but I was way too emotional to post at the time. The original plan in the Fall of 2014 was to only have laying hens. But when we sold/gave away the other cockerels from our first batch of chicks, no one took Fuzzy so he just kind of … hung out … then suddenly found himself overseeing a flock of hens.

Fuzzy the Blue-Lace Red Wyandotte, sharing the best greens with Red.

We had a rough time when we first moved to Salt Spring Island. I adored Vancouver. And I really, really missed it. Getting the chicks helped cement us on the island, and – nine months later – when our landlords broke our ‘long-term’ lease, it was the chickens that helped us make the decision to stay, to find a place where we could house them on our own property.

Sometimes when I couldn’t sleep at night from the anxiety that surrounded that time in our lives, I would imagine the chickens cuddled up in their coop, sleeping peacefully and cooing softly to each other.

After a snowstorm and terribly distrustful of the chilly ‘white stuff’.

Fuzzy had been having trouble with his legs for the last two years, and the vet couldn’t figure out the issue. We carried him around a bit for the last few months of his life, just when he needed help or encouragement. Placing him with his ladies when they were free-ranging always made him happy. He loved giving them treats or finding them comfy places to nest, though they usually ignored him. He used to crow after us, calling us back when we dared to leave the property for a walk.