As if I wasn’t behind enough already, we lose an hour tomorrow. Yay. On the bright side, the baby squirrels will be peeking their heads out soon, and the baby bunnies! The jasmine vine is deep red already which means those buds are going to start busting out and oh the smell! I cannot wait for that smell to waft in my balcony doors while I work. Few things keep the stress level down like the smell of spring. Love it! I am not too terribly upset about it staying lighter longer either. It seems like the dark side of this last season lasted but a minute this time around!
Now on to the reason for this fresh start and new adventure! New beginnings and all.
So, I hate blogging. I love bloggers, do not misunderstand! You are all amazing, dedicated and inspiring with coming up with something new and interesting every day. I am horrible at blogging. I simply do not have the extra brain cells to spare to come up with something new and exciting every week, let alone every day. Nor do I have the temperament. If I have something to say that’s more than two paragraphs long, it’s usually fought with swear words and guaranteed to piss someone off. I do that enough on Facebook. No need to alienate the rest of the planet with weekly op-eds. So, we are not calling this section of my site a blog, period.It’s just so much safer for me that way. Also, I cannot guarantee regular postings. Monthly, if I am lucky. Time is not my friend especially with losing another hour and all; you know. So, this spot will be for the occasional random musing, odd though or pontification, spat out into cyberspace… Good? Good.
Book #3 is coming! Yeah, yeah, I know, finally! If you follow me on Facebook you know may know that the last two years have been a little rough on me and my family. Just before the release of Shadows of Doubt, we lot my uncle Brian. That was a brutal loss for me, personally. He was the primary inspiration for my character Seamus. It was difficult slogging through the book launch, all the work, then my debut at ThrillerFest 2014. All of it was with a super heavy heart. That Fall we had a scare with my mother and well… If you’ve read my books, if you think Lou is close to Shevaun, you ain’t seen nothing until you see how tight my mother and I are. Needless to say the universe took a back seat, even my own health. I had no idea I was eve ill. I assumed I was just worn out, burning the candle at both ends and neglecting myself too much. Two blood transfusions and a surgery later, I felt like a new woman! Then, late last Fall we lost my uncle Kevin. Brutal. But wait, this January we lose my aunt Noreen. Smack! Smack! SMACK!!!!
The thing about living your whole life in such an amazingly tight family of amazing people is that you have no clue how lucky you are. Until it turns to how much luckier you were. I am still blessed beyond belief to have even had them for one second, and my blessings are too innumerable to count still. But the void that has been left behind is suffocating at times. I miss them desperately. So, I guess being busier than a one-armed paper hanger is another blessing I need to be thankful for. Right? Right.
Things have been so crazy busy that my lists have lists! Brain fried doesn’t even cut it when describing my thought process. Today is packed with stuff and for the most part it’s all super fun and exciting! Did I mention Book #3 is coming? Fantastically exciting stuff. However, it’s still work and there is a ton of it to do, with little time to get it done. Side note: I hate hard deadlines. They stifle the creative spirit like nobody’s business. Regardless, there is no rest for the wicked so I need to do anything and everything to keep on task and check things off this damn list! This one! Not the one on my wall or the one on my other wall or the one that my Echo is keeping track of or me! One list at a time. That’s all you can do and when you see that butterfly or squirrel in your peripheral vision, you gently talk yourself back to the task at hand. Wasting time berating yourself for all the things that remain on that list at the end of the day is a waste of that precious time you so desperately need more of! Save that for a mojito or a binge-watch session of House of Cards! Wow, that sounds so Zen, doesn’t it? It’s a process. I call myself every name in the book when I see I skipped something, forgot something entirely or got off track chasing that squirrel. I am getting better at cutting myself some slack on that though and I have to tell you, it’s hard as hell but it really has helped my mood immensely! If I can make one suggestion, it’s that. Don’t get upset with yourself if you slip behind your timeline. Just get back to it first thing you can.
The next next two and a half months are going to be insanely busy. The two after that even worse. I am so psyched! It’s all crazy good stuff and I just can’t wait to share it with all of you! After all, without you I wouldn’t be this busy and have so much to look forward to. To each and every one of you, not my fans, my friends and my support team, thank you so much for sticking with me. When Shadows of Doubt was released I had zero expectations. It was a personal goal and dream fulfilled with no expectations of it selling a single copy to anyone that I wasn’t related to. Wow, was I pleasantly surprised. Not only did Doubt exceed my non-expectations, it surpassed my dreams. The feedback and support was astonishing and brought me to joyful tears on more than one occasion, even still! With the unexpected clamoring for a sequel, Shadows of Deceit was a absolute must and again, the reception and reviews were amazing! Yes, #3 is a year overdue but you all have been so patient and understanding (See previous paragraph for explanation). Getting this one out will mark a major shift for me in many ways. First, it is the precipice of a mountain in the path of my life that I wasn’t sure I would be able to reach. Second, it has cemented my resolve that a Series of Shadows is going to be a very long and wonderful succession of books that I hope you all will stick with me through. Trilogy, shmilogy! This one is going at least double digits, baby!
You with me?
XO
