Here it is, Friday the 13th! Are you a superstitious type person? Or do you love things which are a bit paranormal?
I’m not particularly superstitious myself. I’ve always thought black cats were some of the coolest cats around. At the moment, we have two black kittens who are about 6 months old. And they are into everything!
But bad luck?
Not so much. Just very curious. They seem to find all the cobwebs behind the furniture and come out fully decorated with webbing and completely unconcerned. The dog isn’t quite sure what to do with them.
But since it is the season for all things a bit spooky, head on over to my page on Vocal.Media. I have a couple stories over there with bit of the paranormal.
The first is Child of the Universe. She didn’t believe in ghosts. But in that case, who was she talking to? And more importantly, who was talking back?
The second is Moonlight and Shadows. Can you believe what your eyes tell you? Or are the shadows out there in the wilderness of the high desert playing tricks on you?
For something more psychological in nature, check out The Box. There was a place in her mind, a place which scared her a little and which she kept hidden. But sometimes, she wondered if she could take just a little peek inside…
Am I the only one who can’t believe this year is disappearing so rapidly? Where has it gone?
But autumn has always been my favorite time of the year, so I can’t really complain. It just seems the year has flown by at a breakneck speed
What plans do you have for this autumn? When I was growing up, it was always a busy time. We had a large garden, so we were trying to get everything in and preserved before winter hit. And then there were the wild grapes to pick, not to mention the crab apples…
Have you ever had pickled crab apples? If not, you have missed a wonderful treat. I haven’t seen any around here, more’s the pity. We had a couple trees all the way at the back of one of our big fields. Right at the edge of the woods, the old trees gave us plenty of the sour little apples to pickle for later in the year. They were perfect by the time Thanksgiving rolled around.
Around here, the apples are just coming in and everyone is getting ready for the hayrides and corn mazes. Me and mazes don’t get along. I mean seriously, I can get lost in my own woods. I have no sense of direction whatsoever. Are you more like me or my husband, who spent most of his life always knowing where north was.
I’m about to finish the edit on Whiskey Jug Genie, so watch for it later this fall. Who doesn’t love a story about a genie? Come join me for this crazy, magical tale!
Watch here for release dates of Whiskey Jug Genie and Ben of Blackstone’s Forge!
I know. I’m late for last week’s post, so this one will have to do double duty. But let me explain.
My husband had a total shoulder surgery last Wednesday. I don’t now if you know someone who’s had this particular procedure, but it makes life difficult during the recover. In his case, it is doubly so, since the surgery was done on his dominant side. So eating, washing, doing anything really, has been awkward. Everything is set up for him to use his left hand–he’s a lefty–and so everything is out of reach.
Having to do everything with one hand is awkward as well, like getting dressed or taking a shower. Unless you’ve had a shoulder issue of some sort, you don’t realize how much you use those muscles–even when you’re not using that arm.
In the meantime, I’ve finished my latest edit of Whiskey Jug Genie and of Gregor Thayne. One is a stand alone for my Sultonna Nadine books. The other is the next book for Esperance–after Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
This was my first time through Gregor Thayne, and I’m happy to say it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Yes, it needs work, and my editor will probably tear out her hair–or mine. But as a first read through, I was happy with the result.
Whiskey Jug Genie is just fun. And I’m so glad my husband came up with the idea. Since it isn’t part of a series, it is written under my pen name, Sultonna Nadine. Imagine, if you will, one of the djinn trapped in a whiskey jug for 200 years. He’d spent considerable time before this in the deep south of the United States and picked up quite a southern accent.
Now imagine him freed in modern day London, bound to the owner of his jug, who is an apothecary shop owner.
Next in Esperance will be Ben of Blackstone’s Forge.
Ben’s family has a way with iron, a particular talent which runs in the family. During his childhood, up until he went away to serve an apprenticeship with another forge, Ben had planned to marry Deborah. They’d always seen themselves together, as had their families.
But while he was away, something changed. The young woman will scarcely speak to him as they pass in the street. But no one can tell him why. His father keeps hinting he should find a wife. But the only woman he has ever wanted to marry was Deborah.
Deborah had always known she and Ben were meant for each other. But while she waited for him to return, something happened which she has kept secret even from her mother. She can’t marry Ben, or anyone else. Her father strongly suggests she at least go out with some young men suitable for her, but he doesn’t understand the situation. And she can’t explain.
So what are they to do when their parents arrange a marriage for them?
Yes, summer is beginning to think about winding down for the year. While the evenings have been a little cooler, the days are still hot and humid, thanks to the sporadic rain showers. Of course, the 2 1/2 inches of rain we got a couple nights ago really boosted that humidity. We’re getting ready for my husband’s shoulder surgery later this week, so we’ve had appointments with surgeons, the hospital, you name it, which is why I’ve been absent recently.
So, what have I been up to lately?
Editing. Not my most favorite thing, but it has to be done. At least if I take some time wit it, my editor won’t have a heart attack.
I’ve been through Gregor Thayne, another book from Esperance. This was the first read through and while it had some issues, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Now, I’ll ;ut it aside for a while before coming back to it. Kind of let my mind take a break.
Next up is my final edit of Lady Calloway, from Sultonna Nadine. I’m still trying to decide on the final title for the book. I’m several edits into this book, so now it’s just finding all the loose ends and spelling errors I missed the first few times. What usually happens is I rewrite something and delete the old version. But once in a while, at 2 am, I don’t get all of something deleted, which leaves it sounding rather strange.
In the meantime, Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is coming along. It will be the fifth book from Esperance, featuring the son of a blacksmith with a unique family Talent. He has iron under his control. His love life on the other hand needs some help.
Have a wonderful week. Stay cool. And pick up something to read this evening.
This has been a week. Still trying to sort out auto and home insurance. Still working on getting things arranged for my husband to retire and get ready for his surgery coming up in about a month.
So the well decided to run low on water.
Yes, we now have aerated water coming out of the tap, which is not a good thing. The question is, do we need to drill a new well or see if they can do something to fix this one?
But at least we have two new little kitties to keep us entertain. Names for now are Licorice and Spook, who are both black, as you may have guessed, and 4 months old. They moved in and took over. Miss Kitty, our long haired white kitty is annoyed. The Lugnut, our 1 year old puppy, is not sure about the whole affair. They’ve taken over his bed and the couch, so where is a dog to sleep? I’ll try to get some pictures later.
In the meantime, when I’m not stressed to the max, I’m editing on Old Flame. Yes, still. I know… I’ll cut it down as I go. And writing on Tiger’s Tempest.
And as for wizards…
Check out Master of the Fleet, by Sultonna Nadine. I could use someone around here who could control wind and water…
So what are you reading?
Drop me a line with suggestions.
Or go over to Amazon or Smashwordsand check out what I have to offer!
In the meantime, have fun. Enjoy the nice weather, if you’re here in the Southeast.
Here it is August already and summer is in full swing down here in the Southeast. We haven’t had any rain in a few days and the temperatures are rising. But where has the summer gone?
I don’t know about where you live, but around here, school starts in August. In some areas, it starts as early as August 5. So everywhere in town is slammed with people trying to get their school shopping done. It is a crazy world out there.
But, with school starting, why don’t you sit back with a cold drink and a good book? With the kids in school, now’s the time to catch up on your reading.
Check out my books on Amazon for paranormal fantasy romance. Or check out Sultonna Nadine–my pen name for stand alones–for a bit more magic!
Esperance — a more frontier-like world where paranormal abilities abound.
Gambler’s Folly–a vacation planet with hunky shifters as Interpol agents, fighting crime and finding soulmates.
Master of the Fleet–an alternate universe of the Pacific Northwest, where magic is all around, but doesn’t seem to help Richard’s love life.
There you have it–a total of eight books to choose from.
So what are you waiting for?
Grab yourself a cold drink, find a comfy spot, sit back and take a virtual vacation to a mystical world.
I know. It has been a while. But about three weeks ago I had to go ahead and have surgery on my foot. The arthritis in it was pulling my toes down to where I was walking on the tips of my toes instead of the pads. So I’m hobbling around and taking twice as long to do anything. And I think it takes twice the energy as well.
My usual desk chair is one of the kneeling chairs. But since I’m still all bandaged, I can’t put any weight on my toes or bend them at all, so I’m using this other one. And it puts me at an odd angle, with the desk too high to touch type conveniently. So with my foot propped up under the desk, and my hands about six inches too high to be comfortable, I’ve put off any writing until I can do it with a little more ease.
Not to worry! I’ve been doing another read through of the next book in the Gambler’s Folly series. I can at least read while sitting on the couch.
Of course, the puppy thinks what I really need is a dog on my foot…
The Book Sale is still on over at Smashwords, so go on over and get the next book in whichever series you’re reading. Or start the other one!
Wishing you a wonderful week and I’l try to get back into the swing here in another week.
All right, who else remembers the musical, Camelot? With Julie Andrews?
Every time the first of May comes around, I think of the song from Camelot–The Lusty Month of May. It is such a happy, upbeat song as we head into spring and look forward to summer.
Now if the weather will cooperate… I put tomatoes out, thinking it would certainly be warm enough at night for them. But I’m keeping an eye on the temperatures. Last night it got down to 42 out here. If it gets much lower, I’ll have to start covering them.
In the meantime, I’m still working on Tiger’s Tempest. I’m also revamping Moonlight and Shadows as a novella for Smashwords.
So stay tuned for all of those coming up. Tiger’s Tempest will be a while. It is in progress and waiting in queue behind three other Gambler’s Folly books yet to be released.
Monday started with an appointment with the eye doctor, which wasn’t bad, but takes at least half the day with the drive time. And since my husband had a business trip the next day, once we got home we were packing all his stuff so he could leave early the next morning. By early, I mean 4 am. Yeah, he’s one of those.
Wednesday our 12 year old kitty, Magellan crossed the rainbow bridge, so I had to deal with that, so all the stuff I was going to do was postponed until the next day.
That night, one of our other kitties, Monster, started sneezing. Afraid she might have caught what Magellan had, Thursday was a rush to the veterinary hospital to check her out. Fortunately, it seems she has seasonal allergies. And I will admit, the pollen this week has been terrible. Once again, things got pushed back to take care of the kitties.
So that brings us to Friday. I was finally able to get in and order new glasses and do some shopping. And after a couple weeks of nice cool temperatures–like in the 50’s and low 60’s F–the day turned hot. Like 85 F hot. And I’m not a fan of heat to begin with.
So my blogging has been put on hold while I dealt with life in general.
Never fear! I am writing, although I may not have done as much as planned.
Tiger’s Tempest is moving right along. I’ll keep you posted.
But in the meantime, how about a peek at Ben of Blackstone’s Forge–next in the Esperance Series?
Excerpt:
Moire had accepted his invitation to the Gather dance eagerly. After a nice dinner, she took his arm as they walked to the dance. At least she wasn’t awkward and could follow his lead. Not as well as Deborah, but well enough for the experience to be enjoyable.
After dancing for quite a while, he suggested a break for refreshments. Weaving between the tables, they carried tall glasses of lemonade to a free table and sat down to relax while they enjoyed their drinks.
He knew it couldn’t last. Something always came up when he began to enjoy himself too much.
“Ben Blackstone! What are you doing with her?”
It was Deborah, of course. She wouldn’t come out with him, but resented it when he dated anyone else.
“Drinking lemonade. Good evening, Deborah. Yes, I’m fine and enjoying my evening. Kind of you to ask.”
“Ben, I’m sorry. Do I need to leave?” Moire asked nervously.
“No. You don’t. Could you sit here and wait for me? I’ll be right back. Let me take care of this.”
Rising to his feet, he stretched to his full height and glared down at the source of his irritation.
“Shall we?” he asked, motioning her toward the open ground outside the refreshment area.
With a swish of fabric from her ankle-length skirt, Deborah turned and stormed away in front of him. Once they were away from the crowd, she whirled, hands on her hips, and fire in her eyes.
“How dare you ask Moire to the dance?” she demanded.
“Why is it any business of yours?” he demanded in turn.
“But Moire, of all the women you could have asked.”
“Look, I know you two are rivals. But since I figured you wouldn’t come out with me, I chose to ask her.”
“Why do you think I wouldn’t have come?”
“Let me see,” he stated. “It could be something to do with the fact that you’ve turned me down three dances in a row, and won’t even accept an invitation for coffee. What do you think?”
“I think… I hate you, Ben Blackstone!” she shouted.
Her wrist smacked into his palm as he prevented her from slapping him. He caught the second one, too, and smiled at her, as her eyes flashed angrily.
“Now, Deb,” he began. “You know better than to slap me.”
“Let me go, you bastard.”
“I’ll let you go when I figure you won’t try it again,” he answered.
“Fine! Can I have my hands back?”
“First, let me explain something to you,” he said softly. “I will see anyone I care to see. You do not have a say in the matter. If you won’t accept my invitations, you cannot dictate who I may ask. Are we clear on this?”
“Let me go,” she answered just as quietly, temper seething beneath the surface.
Releasing her wrists, Ben stepped back a pace.
“Good evening, Miss Wills. It was nice talking with you.”
Deborah turned, nose in the air, and strode away from him. Ben hurried back to the table he’d left and found it empty.
“Sir?” the owner of the stand said.
“Yes? What is it?”
“The young lady who was sitting here said to tell you she was sorry, she’d had a nice time, but she was leaving early. She didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Ben growled. “Why does she always do this to me?”
“I’m sorry?” the man asked.
“Not the lady at the table. The one who came bursting in shouting accusations.”
“Oh. Yes, sir. She is a bit forceful, shall we say.”
“She’s a gold-plated bitch,” he replied, startling the man.
Not sure what’s been up with this week, but I’m frazzled.
Maybe it’s the weather. The weather has been strange for the past little while. First it’s chilly, then warm. And then it turns cold, with evenings down in the 20’s F.
But then today, it was up to 80!
No wonder people were acting strangely in town today.
Seems like a good evening to sit and read. Or maybe sit and write. I have some work to do on Tiger’s Tempest. It’s a new book in theGambler’s Folly seriesand I’m about 26,000 words into it. So there’s a ways to go yet.
In the meantime, you could check out the other books in the series–Gambler’s Folly, Dante’s Angel, and The Russian.
Go over the SulltonnaNadine.com for Master of the Fleet. And watch for Whiskey Jug Genie later this year!
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. If you happen to talk to Mother Nature, remind her to get her prescription refilled. I think she’s off her meds…
