So it finally happened! My short story is out in the Anthology.
Here is the Amazon link for the Kindle version. It it called Mental Ward: Echoes of the Past. I'm not listed with all the authors on this page because they capped it at 10 authors. If you click to look inside, I'm there.
http://www.amazon.com/Mental-Ward-Echoes-Past-ebook/dp/B00FFNNTLE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380866291&sr=8-1&keywords=mental+ward+echoes+of+the+past
This is the link for the paperback. I am listed with the authors on this page as Kim Lay.
http://www.amazon.com/Mental-Ward-K-Trap-Jones/dp/0615890490/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1380866291&sr=8-1
You can also find it on Goodreads.
I was waiting and waiting for word to when it would be out and just a few days before my birthday I got word it was out that night! So happy surprise for me!
It is appropriate it comes out right now in time for Halloween.
I still think it is weird to be included in something that might be considered horror or paranormal. I think I do such a good job of scaring myself that writing about all the things that scared me kind of worked. Also when I worked at the Gold Hill Hotel just down the hill from Virginia City everyone liked to talk about ghosts around the area. I would drive home terrified at night. Especially the ghost they told us about that liked to ride with women that were driving alone so he could keep them company. That one freaked me out the most. I was always driving home from work late at night by myself. Virginia City has so many ghost stories and if you spend any time there, you totally believe the whole area is haunted.
I also used Virginia City as the place where the big climax scene takes place in my YA Western novel that takes place in 1884. I don't want to write too much about the process of getting this out there too much. But I am still querying this. I have had some requests from agents and waiting for more responses.
In the meantime I'm writing another YA novel that takes place in Alaska. I also have a character in it that lives in a Russian village of Old Believers. It is something I had to research more about and have found it interesting. Along with the Iditarod. I am almost half way done with that one and had to take some time off writing. I needed the break. This story is tough to write. It is pretty dark, emotional story to write. I have had wedding planning too. But now I want to hurry and finish this before the Nov NaNoWriMo starts. Not sure I will get it done but I hope so.
For Nov NaNo I'm thinking about a YA contemporary story that has a little gypsy influence in it or expanding a short story that is total sci-fi, more adult, and takes place in space. Big difference between the two.
As far as wedding goes, the planning got bumpy for a few weeks having to start over with trying to find other people to do the cake and marry them. That last one---big huge part of the whole thing.
I wish I liked party planning more. I am ridiculous. If I can plan it and hide for the day, that would be ideal. But I don't like crowds and I have been struggling. And Kels is just as bad so I'm concerned she will be trying to keep it together without falling apart all day. The best part is the venue and the people that run it. I think the fact that the people that own it are related to her fiance and are so warm and welcoming with us will ease things quite a bit. At least I hope so. Here's hoping all goes well here on out.
Friday, October 04, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Hubby in Alaska
I haven't mentioned this much but Lee Joe is in Alaska working. I did probably mention he left around the first of June. He is having an interesting time.
He is in village called Pilot Station located on the east side of the state along the Yukon river. For the summer he is one of only 3 white men in the town. The rest of town is mostly Yupik Eskimo. He was asked if he was a preacher since most of the white men they see are. This past week the teachers have all come back for the school year and so he is not the only white man around.
Basically he is there to supervise road building. He has hired the locals with and without experience. Most have none. The ones that have CDLs are limited in their experience. He is doing a lot of training.
He is learning a tremendous amount about the Yupik culture. It is quite fascinating. I learned quite a bit from Alaskan history when I lived in Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula. So he is sharing things with me from his first hand experience. In the picture above is a wedding reception. He is invited to everything that takes place there. I don't even think he was there very long when he was invited to this wedding. They are wearing what Eskimos wear in the summer. It is basically their lightwieight summer parka. When we lived in Alaska I bought a summer parka that was made for cabbage patch dolls back in the day.
There is a high mortality rate there. Considering how few people are there, he has been to or watched the entire town depart to attend funerals about 4 or 5 times in 2 1/2 months . When he first got there everyone went to the funeral of a man that committed suicide. Then not long there was a feast for an elderly person that passed away. Then he attended a funeral for a 17-year-old boy that drowned accidentally. He said it was interesting. The boy's body was on the floor in the middle of the main living area of the home. Everyone visited or said their goodbyes and the body laid there for several days as people came from the small towns around the area. In the meantime the family members closest to the boy built a coffin for him.
He is in village called Pilot Station located on the east side of the state along the Yukon river. For the summer he is one of only 3 white men in the town. The rest of town is mostly Yupik Eskimo. He was asked if he was a preacher since most of the white men they see are. This past week the teachers have all come back for the school year and so he is not the only white man around.
Basically he is there to supervise road building. He has hired the locals with and without experience. Most have none. The ones that have CDLs are limited in their experience. He is doing a lot of training.
He is learning a tremendous amount about the Yupik culture. It is quite fascinating. I learned quite a bit from Alaskan history when I lived in Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula. So he is sharing things with me from his first hand experience. In the picture above is a wedding reception. He is invited to everything that takes place there. I don't even think he was there very long when he was invited to this wedding. They are wearing what Eskimos wear in the summer. It is basically their lightwieight summer parka. When we lived in Alaska I bought a summer parka that was made for cabbage patch dolls back in the day.
There is a high mortality rate there. Considering how few people are there, he has been to or watched the entire town depart to attend funerals about 4 or 5 times in 2 1/2 months . When he first got there everyone went to the funeral of a man that committed suicide. Then not long there was a feast for an elderly person that passed away. Then he attended a funeral for a 17-year-old boy that drowned accidentally. He said it was interesting. The boy's body was on the floor in the middle of the main living area of the home. Everyone visited or said their goodbyes and the body laid there for several days as people came from the small towns around the area. In the meantime the family members closest to the boy built a coffin for him.
One thing he noticed right away is there are lots of children everywhere all over the town and they just play and play. Since the sun wasn't going down until long after midnight, kids were coming to his door at 11pm asking him to fly his remote control airplane I sent him for his birthday. They practically mobbed him when he showed up and that happened for a few days where they asked him his name and what he was doing constantly. Then he realized he would probably need to hire people just to keep an eye on the kids to keep them out of the way of the equipment. They don't supervise the kids the way we do. Little 2 and 3 year old wander around. Just the fact that the Yukon river running next to the town makes me freak out and I'm not there. But the real tragedy was when one of his employees lost their 22 month old in a horrific accident. The little one was run over by an uncle in a pickup truck coming around the corner. He couldn't see the little one and it happened so fast. I was spared the gruesome details but I can only imagine. It was just a couple of weeks later Lee Joe was invited to go down the river on a boat ride to go on picnic with the employee, his family and the uncle with his family were all together. Lee Joe said it was a little uncomfortable for him but everyone got on well enough.
Life is hard there. There is no economy really. They have a store and a gas station. You can just imagine the cost of food. There is no bank. Just one of those store ATMs. When he got there people in town were pulling downed trees from the river and dragging them to the other side of town to gather firewood in the spring to prepare for winter. The fish and game department count fish and they leave the ones that die in buckets and leave them for the town people to claim. Lee Joe has had several different kinds of salmon. Right now it is berry picking season and there are blueberries in abundance and the town has also been out berry picking for days now. Whipped cream was hard to find though. He has to let his crew off for commercial fishing days. He has been able to sample moose meat and says it's not that bad. He's been given quite a bit since he's been there and is trying to figure out how to get a hold of a moose and send it home. He says Eskimo ice cream is interesting. He sampled some. I wouldn't have been so brave to try Crisco (in the old days is was whale blubber or seal fat), ground up fish, and berries mixed together.
They get around on 4 wheelers mostly and they pile everyone on to ride around town. But it's rainy season right now so that's a rough way to get around. Cars and trucks are in short supply there.
The ones that have vehicles like that don't necessarily know how to fix them. He's been helping where he can.
It is like progress only went so far there. They are still living lives rich with their culture but struggle with the remoteness of where they live and harsh climate. The suicide rate is high. They give what they can. That is how they find value in their lives by how much they give in this life. Not by how much they get.
I have a hard time getting to talk to him on the phone partly because we are 2 hours later here. But he is always talking to someone, asked to visit, or has visitors.
He will be there until Oct. Maybe I'll have a few more stories to tell. If the work isn't done before he leaves, he may return in the spring.
Friday, July 19, 2013
July
Very uninspired title huh? I'm falling to the wayside in keeping up with this whole blog thing. I'm not so good at keeping up with pictures on Facebook or anywhere else now either. Last time I tried to change the family pic on here I couldn't get it to load.
But kid #2 is engaged and is getting married in October. This is totally different kind of planning than the first. For some reason I'm not so worked up over it. But they are having it at a great place and there isn't as much decorating for it. I have dresses for the the 3 youngest. Need ot get busy on losing weight before I buy mine. I'll be taking pictures of them sometime next week.
We are spending this summer the same as when the 1st was engaged and married. Lee Joe is working in Alaska until November. He'll have to fly home for the wedding. He's in a small village called Pilot Station. He is one of maybe 3 white men there. The rest are mostly Yupik Eskimo. He's learning a lot about their culture and is enjoying the experience. He's putting people to work and he always enjoys doing that, finding people jobs not watching people work.
I'm holding down the fort so to speak. Like last time, things like to break and not work. I've had problems with the AC in the house and car, I've fixed the outdoor faucet, I've had to replace the pool pump and patch the pool to death (big leak around the drain plug that keeps spreading all the way around it), moved the fish tank yesterday and had to replace the filter pump because I stopped working and the light because the light crumbled to pieces. I guess the fuse blew on the outdoor plug that pool is plugged into last night. The computer won't recognize the printer and can't fix that yet. Something new will probably show up tomorrow. It was 103 today. Everything wants to go into crisis when it's over 100. I'm done with the nonsense now. I think it's best if I sit tight and do nothing so nothing will break or stop working.
Oh well....
On writing, I'm querying a project at the moment and it's getting some interest. I've started something new in the meantime. The short story that is going to be published is officially done with edits and now I'm waiting for a publication date. There will be lots of publicity going on with that and I've started and Author Facebook page in anticipation of that. Hopefully soon I'll start a blog that is writing oriented so this can still be my personal one. If only I can get back into the swing of it.
https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.kennedylay/posts/10201692426577915?comment_id=6930919&offset=0&total_comments=6&ref=notif¬if_t=share_comment#!/authorKimberlyLay
But kid #2 is engaged and is getting married in October. This is totally different kind of planning than the first. For some reason I'm not so worked up over it. But they are having it at a great place and there isn't as much decorating for it. I have dresses for the the 3 youngest. Need ot get busy on losing weight before I buy mine. I'll be taking pictures of them sometime next week.
We are spending this summer the same as when the 1st was engaged and married. Lee Joe is working in Alaska until November. He'll have to fly home for the wedding. He's in a small village called Pilot Station. He is one of maybe 3 white men there. The rest are mostly Yupik Eskimo. He's learning a lot about their culture and is enjoying the experience. He's putting people to work and he always enjoys doing that, finding people jobs not watching people work.
I'm holding down the fort so to speak. Like last time, things like to break and not work. I've had problems with the AC in the house and car, I've fixed the outdoor faucet, I've had to replace the pool pump and patch the pool to death (big leak around the drain plug that keeps spreading all the way around it), moved the fish tank yesterday and had to replace the filter pump because I stopped working and the light because the light crumbled to pieces. I guess the fuse blew on the outdoor plug that pool is plugged into last night. The computer won't recognize the printer and can't fix that yet. Something new will probably show up tomorrow. It was 103 today. Everything wants to go into crisis when it's over 100. I'm done with the nonsense now. I think it's best if I sit tight and do nothing so nothing will break or stop working.
Oh well....
On writing, I'm querying a project at the moment and it's getting some interest. I've started something new in the meantime. The short story that is going to be published is officially done with edits and now I'm waiting for a publication date. There will be lots of publicity going on with that and I've started and Author Facebook page in anticipation of that. Hopefully soon I'll start a blog that is writing oriented so this can still be my personal one. If only I can get back into the swing of it.
https://www.facebook.com/kimberly.kennedylay/posts/10201692426577915?comment_id=6930919&offset=0&total_comments=6&ref=notif¬if_t=share_comment#!/authorKimberlyLay
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Failing at Blogging
So I need to pull it together. I need to keep this puppy up. I'm sure there is just a trickle of activity now.
So there is craziness going on like always.
First of all, I will probably find a way to put together a writing blog where all that fun info will go and a Facebook page and I'm already on Twitter with the sole purpose of keeping up with writing contacts.
I accomplished Camp NaNoWriMo in April. That was hard. April is crazier than November if you can believe that. I could make my own word count and I kept it at 50,000 like November's NaNo. If I do an April one again, it won't be that high. But I did come out at 57,000 words in the end and I worked on a YA Western I'm calling "Little Sharpshooter" for now. I should be finishing it right now. I'm pushing to the end. It's slow going because I am brilliant at procrastinating and doing things like this when I should be writing.
I think I will be hearing from the editor soon on the short story that has been accepted for publication. In the meantime I am racking up the rejection letters like a pro. I queried some agents on the fantasy novel with no bites. I have had four rejections on two short stories. I just finished reworking a sci-fi short story that got some great feedback after it already got two rejections. It just needed to add a bit more to it. I will be sending it out again at the end of this week.
I'm waiting to hear about another short story that is out. It made it through the first round to be considered for publication. I might not hear back on that closer to summer.
I had someone read the fantasy though as a beta read and she blogged about it. You can read what she said about it here: http://www.angelad.me/the-children-of-dragons-book-one-by-kimberly-lay-day-8/
My plan is to get the historical "western" done, edited, and send queries out as soon as I can as well as find a market for my other short stories and make a decision on whether or not I will epublish the fantasy series on my own to see how it goes. If you haven't heard this cool success story you should google Hugh Howey and Wool.
So in life around here, Lee Joe is getting ready to leave to work in Pilot Station, Alaska for 5 months. He's been home for some time now so we will see how this goes. I survived North Dakota just fine.
Amber is graduating from BSU this weekend! She will have a degree in Materials Science Engineering and minors in Biomedical Engineering and Physics. Yeah, that's a mouthful for me. She is a smart one. :)
Kelsea is talking marriage! That figures with Lee Joe leaving the state again. But it's a good. No engagement ring yet. It's all talk right now. We like him. He is a really nice guy and brings out the best in Kelsea. I'm kind of marriage shy now. I better pull it together.
Kylee has had a full year. She is dealing with a pretty rough kidney infection right now. She has finished tennis, gone to Reno in Jazz band playing trombone and is doing well.
Autumn is also playing tennis. She has been trying to survive this school year. I'm so happy we are near the end. We are going to have her tested for auditory processing disorder. Hopefully we can get her some help so coping with school for her will get easier.
(don't judge my awful blogging writing skills. I suffer after I've been editing. It's weird when that happens)
Hannah is still full of personality. She was telling jokes to Kylee and Autumn last night and threw a fit. The girls said that they were too dumb to understand her jokes. One of them was an engineering joke.
I hope whatever is causing me to hurt Yoda accidentally passes soon. I trapped his leg in the recliner on Sunday and today I shut the end of his tail in the door when I was holding him. I think he got back at me though. He killed a squirrel and ate half of it. yuck.
So things are changing. I'm writing when I'm not migraining. The migraines are constant hitting me weekly now. I just deal with it. I think I will just have to come back sooner to post. I know. I said that last time.
So there is craziness going on like always.
First of all, I will probably find a way to put together a writing blog where all that fun info will go and a Facebook page and I'm already on Twitter with the sole purpose of keeping up with writing contacts.
I accomplished Camp NaNoWriMo in April. That was hard. April is crazier than November if you can believe that. I could make my own word count and I kept it at 50,000 like November's NaNo. If I do an April one again, it won't be that high. But I did come out at 57,000 words in the end and I worked on a YA Western I'm calling "Little Sharpshooter" for now. I should be finishing it right now. I'm pushing to the end. It's slow going because I am brilliant at procrastinating and doing things like this when I should be writing.
I think I will be hearing from the editor soon on the short story that has been accepted for publication. In the meantime I am racking up the rejection letters like a pro. I queried some agents on the fantasy novel with no bites. I have had four rejections on two short stories. I just finished reworking a sci-fi short story that got some great feedback after it already got two rejections. It just needed to add a bit more to it. I will be sending it out again at the end of this week.
I'm waiting to hear about another short story that is out. It made it through the first round to be considered for publication. I might not hear back on that closer to summer.
I had someone read the fantasy though as a beta read and she blogged about it. You can read what she said about it here: http://www.angelad.me/the-children-of-dragons-book-one-by-kimberly-lay-day-8/
My plan is to get the historical "western" done, edited, and send queries out as soon as I can as well as find a market for my other short stories and make a decision on whether or not I will epublish the fantasy series on my own to see how it goes. If you haven't heard this cool success story you should google Hugh Howey and Wool.
So in life around here, Lee Joe is getting ready to leave to work in Pilot Station, Alaska for 5 months. He's been home for some time now so we will see how this goes. I survived North Dakota just fine.
Amber is graduating from BSU this weekend! She will have a degree in Materials Science Engineering and minors in Biomedical Engineering and Physics. Yeah, that's a mouthful for me. She is a smart one. :)
Kelsea is talking marriage! That figures with Lee Joe leaving the state again. But it's a good. No engagement ring yet. It's all talk right now. We like him. He is a really nice guy and brings out the best in Kelsea. I'm kind of marriage shy now. I better pull it together.
Kylee has had a full year. She is dealing with a pretty rough kidney infection right now. She has finished tennis, gone to Reno in Jazz band playing trombone and is doing well.
Autumn is also playing tennis. She has been trying to survive this school year. I'm so happy we are near the end. We are going to have her tested for auditory processing disorder. Hopefully we can get her some help so coping with school for her will get easier.
(don't judge my awful blogging writing skills. I suffer after I've been editing. It's weird when that happens)
Hannah is still full of personality. She was telling jokes to Kylee and Autumn last night and threw a fit. The girls said that they were too dumb to understand her jokes. One of them was an engineering joke.
I hope whatever is causing me to hurt Yoda accidentally passes soon. I trapped his leg in the recliner on Sunday and today I shut the end of his tail in the door when I was holding him. I think he got back at me though. He killed a squirrel and ate half of it. yuck.
So things are changing. I'm writing when I'm not migraining. The migraines are constant hitting me weekly now. I just deal with it. I think I will just have to come back sooner to post. I know. I said that last time.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Published!
I am still not sure what to think of all this. I can totally find ways to belittle this success. But I submitted a short story I wrote specifically for an anthology. I heard on Thursday that they accepted it for publication, sent me a contract to sign and I will be hearing from the editor. EEEKKKK!!!!
What is so funny about this short story is it's a ghost story. Any talk about ghosts freaks me out completely. I don't watch scary movies and I don't read anything ghostly at all. In fact when I started writing it at night, I was really jumpy and had to wait to write it during the day and when everyone was home. And I had no idea if it really was scary and I didn't have anyone read it before I sent it out. So I am astounded!
I need a published story under my belt for what I am pushing for in my efforts for later this year. So my story will be in the Anthology- Mental Ward: Echoes of the Past. More info will be forthcoming when I have it. It may take months before it is ready.
In the meantime a few weeks ago I got a rejection for my short short story. Not a biggie, I just need to see where else I can send that one.
I will save the updates on the kids in the next post because there is a lot fo cool stuff to report but this needs its own post. :)
What is so funny about this short story is it's a ghost story. Any talk about ghosts freaks me out completely. I don't watch scary movies and I don't read anything ghostly at all. In fact when I started writing it at night, I was really jumpy and had to wait to write it during the day and when everyone was home. And I had no idea if it really was scary and I didn't have anyone read it before I sent it out. So I am astounded!
I need a published story under my belt for what I am pushing for in my efforts for later this year. So my story will be in the Anthology- Mental Ward: Echoes of the Past. More info will be forthcoming when I have it. It may take months before it is ready.
In the meantime a few weeks ago I got a rejection for my short short story. Not a biggie, I just need to see where else I can send that one.
I will save the updates on the kids in the next post because there is a lot fo cool stuff to report but this needs its own post. :)
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
February already??
Thanks for the comments Cara and Melissa. I almost cried! :)
The migraine battle continues. Last week was good though. I got through most of the week. I was nailed yesterday and today. We had a superbowl get together yesterday. It was successful but I started out miserable. Today was rough but Hannah was home sick today too and cut half of what was on the schedule so that helped but attending a band concert, which I usually LOVE attending was a test of endurance.
Kylee is trying out for drum major. We are holding out breath. She made it through the first round. 9 kids trying out for 3 spots. She is now in the final 5. They were supposed to do their last round on last Friday but the band director went home early because he was super sick. She directed pep band and everyone said she did great. So we will see what happens after this Friday when she has to do it again.
Autumn is in a much needed lull. She is working hard at keeping up with her schoolwork.
Hannah is playing Y-ball basketball. I kind of found a team with kids from school. They needed another couple girls. She showed up for the first time on the first game. ran out and scored 6 of the 12 points her team made. She made 5 of the 9 points this Saturday. One was a free throw at a 10 ft basket which is hard for a fifth grader.
Kelsea has the craziest month. She is always full of drama. She broke up with her boyfriend when she was in Virginia. His boss is married to Kelsea's boss. So drama ensued. Rumors flew, and when she got off the plane when she came home, she was fired. And then had to borrow my brother's truck to get all the stuff she had at the boyfriend's house. She took that week off and then the first place where she applied last week hired her and then she also got an over the phone interview with Alaska Airlines and has yet to hear back from them.
Lee Joe is out of town again. Maybe until Thursday or the weekend. Not sure. But he is four hours away. Not so bad. He hates leaving though.
My oldest will be 22 this week!! She's old and so am I. Haha! Amber will be graduating in May. No signs of grandbabies. Probably we will have a grandpuppy before that.
Spot turned 14 on New Years Eve. We are having to keep a close eye on her. She has been having seizures. She hasn't had one in few days so maybe they have passed for the time being. I hope so. She is half deaf and half blind so we are enjoying the time we have with her. Losing her will be so hard for us all but Amber will probably be hit the hardest. Several generations of family dogs will end with her. She was born to my mom's dogs. A Japanese Chin and a poodle. Spot's dad belonged to Melissa before he went to mom. But he was from my grandparents Japanese Chins that they bred. So she is the end of that legacy. I never thought of myself as a real dog person until we had her. She is the first dog we got as family. Her only flaw is that she barks too much. Oh yeah, sometimes she stinks.
Dobby and Yoda are still crazy pups. And Socks the cat is turning 10 this year. The guinea pigs are still here too. Just so you know, males are stinky. I can't stand the smell. If you get a guinea pig, get females. I would pick guinea pigs over hamsters and gerbils and maybe even rabbits. They are close to rabbits though. This house really does seem like a zoo. As you can tell, I am sensitive to smell and it doesn't smell like one.
I am still writing. I am finishing up one section and the first novel will be complete even though the back half needs some heavy editing and reworking.
I am still waiting to hear back on the two things I submitted already. I am sure it could be months before I hear back.
The migraine battle continues. Last week was good though. I got through most of the week. I was nailed yesterday and today. We had a superbowl get together yesterday. It was successful but I started out miserable. Today was rough but Hannah was home sick today too and cut half of what was on the schedule so that helped but attending a band concert, which I usually LOVE attending was a test of endurance.
Kylee is trying out for drum major. We are holding out breath. She made it through the first round. 9 kids trying out for 3 spots. She is now in the final 5. They were supposed to do their last round on last Friday but the band director went home early because he was super sick. She directed pep band and everyone said she did great. So we will see what happens after this Friday when she has to do it again.
Autumn is in a much needed lull. She is working hard at keeping up with her schoolwork.
Hannah is playing Y-ball basketball. I kind of found a team with kids from school. They needed another couple girls. She showed up for the first time on the first game. ran out and scored 6 of the 12 points her team made. She made 5 of the 9 points this Saturday. One was a free throw at a 10 ft basket which is hard for a fifth grader.
Kelsea has the craziest month. She is always full of drama. She broke up with her boyfriend when she was in Virginia. His boss is married to Kelsea's boss. So drama ensued. Rumors flew, and when she got off the plane when she came home, she was fired. And then had to borrow my brother's truck to get all the stuff she had at the boyfriend's house. She took that week off and then the first place where she applied last week hired her and then she also got an over the phone interview with Alaska Airlines and has yet to hear back from them.
Lee Joe is out of town again. Maybe until Thursday or the weekend. Not sure. But he is four hours away. Not so bad. He hates leaving though.
My oldest will be 22 this week!! She's old and so am I. Haha! Amber will be graduating in May. No signs of grandbabies. Probably we will have a grandpuppy before that.
Spot turned 14 on New Years Eve. We are having to keep a close eye on her. She has been having seizures. She hasn't had one in few days so maybe they have passed for the time being. I hope so. She is half deaf and half blind so we are enjoying the time we have with her. Losing her will be so hard for us all but Amber will probably be hit the hardest. Several generations of family dogs will end with her. She was born to my mom's dogs. A Japanese Chin and a poodle. Spot's dad belonged to Melissa before he went to mom. But he was from my grandparents Japanese Chins that they bred. So she is the end of that legacy. I never thought of myself as a real dog person until we had her. She is the first dog we got as family. Her only flaw is that she barks too much. Oh yeah, sometimes she stinks.
Dobby and Yoda are still crazy pups. And Socks the cat is turning 10 this year. The guinea pigs are still here too. Just so you know, males are stinky. I can't stand the smell. If you get a guinea pig, get females. I would pick guinea pigs over hamsters and gerbils and maybe even rabbits. They are close to rabbits though. This house really does seem like a zoo. As you can tell, I am sensitive to smell and it doesn't smell like one.
I am still writing. I am finishing up one section and the first novel will be complete even though the back half needs some heavy editing and reworking.
I am still waiting to hear back on the two things I submitted already. I am sure it could be months before I hear back.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
2013
I am behind in blog posts. And I looked up my blog today and saw I had 10 comments on my last post. I thought, "wow! What happened?" What happened was it was spammed 10 times with the same nonsense message. Oh well. In all the years I have had my blog, that has never happened.
I have spent the past few months battling migraines constantly and they are getting worse. I haven't been able to take all my supplements, go to the chiropractor or see the massage therapist that helps me out so much. I also think that change is coming and my hormones are a big part of my problem. So hopefully this next month I can try and tackle that again and get it under control. It is frustrating losing so much of each day battling my headaches until I can function. They get so bad so fast that I get pretty sick to my stomach. Driving Hannah to school in the morning is a test of endurance when I have one. I hate it.
I am trying to do the things that I can. Progress is slow. But I have been writing. I did so much that I completely fatigued my brain and had to take a break.
The beginning of January I worked on a really short story. It was 500 words and submitted it to a contest to win itunes giftcards. I won! But I don't how many stories I was up against. It may not have been very many. But still I won the giftcard was $20.00 and I could submit the story elsewhere to try and publish it. So I did. I can't post it here because of that. I worked on another short story for an anthology. It was a ghost story. I don't read that sort of thing and when I was writing it, I got really jumpy and it's probably really dumb. But it was good practice. I have no idea how long it will be before I hear back on that but hey, I have started and I am building my novel at the same time and have more ideas of things to do. Now if I could get the headaches under control, I might be able to accomplish so much more.
I have learned that I hate commas. I missed so much school in 4th grade and 7-9 grade that I can see where I am lacking in my grammar education and it is frustrating while I try to remember how to use something that seems so easy. It's not. I am trying. So don't judge me. ;)
All the kids activities have settled down some. It is quite nice. Down time is a good thing for them to have after school.
We are COLD!! I don't remember a winter that has been this cold for so long. I am tired of it. I am sure I was complaining about how hot is was for so long this summer. It is just crazy. Over 100 in the summer and below 0 in the summer. The snow has been here for weeks. The Christmas lights will have to stay up until spring I am sure.
It's late and I am going to go write something else now.
I have spent the past few months battling migraines constantly and they are getting worse. I haven't been able to take all my supplements, go to the chiropractor or see the massage therapist that helps me out so much. I also think that change is coming and my hormones are a big part of my problem. So hopefully this next month I can try and tackle that again and get it under control. It is frustrating losing so much of each day battling my headaches until I can function. They get so bad so fast that I get pretty sick to my stomach. Driving Hannah to school in the morning is a test of endurance when I have one. I hate it.
I am trying to do the things that I can. Progress is slow. But I have been writing. I did so much that I completely fatigued my brain and had to take a break.
The beginning of January I worked on a really short story. It was 500 words and submitted it to a contest to win itunes giftcards. I won! But I don't how many stories I was up against. It may not have been very many. But still I won the giftcard was $20.00 and I could submit the story elsewhere to try and publish it. So I did. I can't post it here because of that. I worked on another short story for an anthology. It was a ghost story. I don't read that sort of thing and when I was writing it, I got really jumpy and it's probably really dumb. But it was good practice. I have no idea how long it will be before I hear back on that but hey, I have started and I am building my novel at the same time and have more ideas of things to do. Now if I could get the headaches under control, I might be able to accomplish so much more.
I have learned that I hate commas. I missed so much school in 4th grade and 7-9 grade that I can see where I am lacking in my grammar education and it is frustrating while I try to remember how to use something that seems so easy. It's not. I am trying. So don't judge me. ;)
All the kids activities have settled down some. It is quite nice. Down time is a good thing for them to have after school.
We are COLD!! I don't remember a winter that has been this cold for so long. I am tired of it. I am sure I was complaining about how hot is was for so long this summer. It is just crazy. Over 100 in the summer and below 0 in the summer. The snow has been here for weeks. The Christmas lights will have to stay up until spring I am sure.
It's late and I am going to go write something else now.
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