Well, today I got my second COVID shot. It was 2 hours ago and I already don’t feel great. The good thing about this issue is that it takes very little energy to either read or write books! Mental energy, yes, but not physical. I’m hoping to get some serious work done!

As of now, the biggest news in my life is the audiobook version of The Girl in White! I am unbelievably excited about that, but I’m even more excited that my narrator, Lauren Rodriguez, has agreed to narrate the entire series! I’ve already sent her the files, so I’m hoping book 2 will be done this summer too! This is HUGE for me. I’m more excited to have audiobooks than I was to publish my 50th title!

I’m still working on the editing/rewriting of the very first version of the Puppeteer. Obviously, there can be no puppeteer in this one, but the story itself is the same. It’s just the villain, locations, backstory, and names are all different. Okay, fine. You wouldn’t recognize it if you read that. But I do, so that’s got to count for something!

I’m hoping the creative juices will be flowing despite how crappy I feel over the next couple of days. I’m not that hopeful, but I’m trying. Oh, and just in case I don’t feel up to it, I’ve got book 3 in The Iron Druid series and a LOAD of other books awaiting me. So I’ll be ready for whatever happens!

Really good series, BTW. Check them out!

A friend and I are doing a podcast where we review books, talk about books, and promote books. It’s been going for three weeks, and I’ve enjoyed it very much. Our first review was of RA McCandless’ steampunk adventure, The Clockwork Detective. Our next was a book from the shop called Here, written by the writers’ group Write now.

Both books were amazing! The Clockwork Detective was the embodiment of all the things I love about fantasy, plus the extra fun of steampunk. And Here was an anthology of short stories, none of which were fantasy, though all proved to me how good our local authors are!

Next week’s review will be on a horror story that my partner in crime suggested we read called, The NIghtmare Room by Chris Sorensen. I started it over the weekend and finished it this morning. It was good enough that I downloaded book 2 immediately. I then found out I’d already read book 2! I remember some of it, but not all, so it’ll be a refresher for me. I don’t always like horror, but sometimes, it just hits the right notes for me.

I also joined another group whose plan is to read and review indie books! As an indie author, that just excited me, so yeah. I’ve got a lot of books in my future.

So since I have so many words to write, words to read, and words to mull over, I should probably get back to work. Life is better with books, so I’m looking at a pretty good life these days!

Check out the books I mentioned on Amazon!

The Clockwork Detective-

Here-

The Nightmare Room-

In the last week or so, I’ve been researching Irish mythology. It’s been a lot of fun…other than the spellings. I thought English spellings were tricky, but we’ve got nothing on the Irish!

Looking for names that can be recognized and also pronounced by the average American has been challenging. It’s a challenge I’m very much up for.

I’m not sure if it will be my next publication or just something I work on for a while until I finally get it right, but I am having a blast on this baby. It’s actually a rewrite of the first fantasy story I ever wrote…not including ghost stories. I have rewritten this same story before, but I changed it to a degree that there was very little other than the villain who was the same. With this one, the villain is different and my MC is back in her original form, an air marshal!

So if Google docs can handle translating from an old Word doc, which it’s had trouble with, this tale will rise again. I’m going to try and get the story told in one book. It’s a big story, so it might end up being long, but I think it’s going to be kind of fabulous.

Anyway, I hope you guys are either writing or reading and enjoying every minute of whichever you’re doing. “Keep on reading in the free world,” as my friend likes to say!

I didn’t intend to be this person! I wanted to write a post every week. Then, I simply forgot. So here I am, hat in hands, hoping you’re still interested in what I have to say.

I had something huge happen last week! I was told that doing audiobooks wasn’t as expensive as I thought it was. I looked into it, found pretty much the perfect narrator…AND I HAVE AN AUDIOBOOK BEING PRODUCED! It’s a milestone for me!

I’m legally blind, so audiobooks are how I ‘read’. Now that I can have them made and know that other visually impaired people can enjoy my stories, it makes my whole year! AND my producer was excited by the idea that Madison Mayer is an ongoing series. She’s happy to read all of them. I might pass out with delight!

That along with my bookshop, writing, running, and dealing with life was making it hard to remember to talk to you guys. Sorry about that. I promise to try and be around more. Plus, my friend and I are starting a podcast, so I should be on that way as well.

So, come on back! I promise to be as interesting as possible…as much as I’m capable of. *Dorky giggle.* Stay tuned, though! I’m excited about what’s coming.

I know, it’s been far longer than it should have been. I always go into these things with the best of intentions, then I get caught up in my life and forget to post something. Well, here I am to rectify the situation. No more neglect for you!

There’s been a lot going on recently. The most exciting thing that’s happened is that a group of local authors and book fanatics got together and we’ve decided to open a Pop-Up-Bookshop. I am THRILLED by this idea!!

Oh and I also published another book. I believe it was my 52nd title. I was able to use a painting I did a few years ago as the cover art, so that was beyond amazing. I can’t wait to see what it looks like. I’ll tell you more about the book later but right now, I’m more excited about the shop.

We were offered a space at our local YWCA which was the location of the first library in our town. That was the main reason I was excited to be there. I love the history and the connection to book lovers of the past. As far as I know for now, we’re opening on October 10, so I have a LOT of work to get done, including hopefully publishing another book before we open.

I fully intend to post something every week but please be patient with me if I don’t manage it. I’m good at writing. I’m far less skilled at organizing schedules, making plans, and thinking of all the things that need to be done. It’s the artist in me. Anyway, I need to get back to writing and maybe I should think about vacuuming my house at some point. Maybe…

I mentioned to my husband yesterday that a friend and I were thinking about doing a Pop-Up shop at a local florist who’s on the verge of shutting down. My friend’s idea was to add our things to the gift-type items he’s already got in the shop and then we’d run it. My husband suggested that we try another location.

So this morning I contacted the owner of the place my husband suggested and wonder of all wonders, she was very excited! She even offered it to us rent free! The problem was, there’s another Christmas shop that will be there as well. Long story short, my bookshop idea was again homeless.

Then, lightning struck! (In a figurative manner) There’s an art gallery down the street from me that doesn’t get much traffic and the artist is starting to feel fed up. So I proposed that we join forces!

One of the authors in my group is a photographer who does coffee table books. I’m an artist who hasn’t painted because of my writing obsession. And books and art do go very nicely together!!

I’d promote the heck out of the shop, which would get more people in to see the art, which might mean more sales for the artist! If we can get people to show up, this might be a friendship made in heaven! I got excited enough that I’ve already bought more shelves and I’m trying to think of great, non-irritating ways to market our shop.

I really love the idea. I hope the town will support us. Wish us luck, would you???