#30 Days of Gratitude - Day 18: Good News

We haven't had much good news lately. The covid pandemic overwhelms us. Just when we hoped cases were slowing down, we've had a resurgence. Hubs and I are grateful that no one in our family has been infected, though we have friends who have gotten very sick from covid. The good news is they survived.

We all need some good news. Despite the virus that's consuming our attention, disrupting our lives, we need to look for something positive. I know this is tiny, but new episodes of TV shows are airing (or going to air next week). 

My family got some good news last month. An explanation of what's happening with Hubs. After he went through extensive neurological and psychological testing, we were told that his brain was so battered by the TIA (stroke) he had last October and three seizures (between April and July) the aging process accelerated. (Okay, that sounds better than saying dementia has kicked in.) Then we got the good news. Medication and being more active can slow down his brain's aging.

That's true for all of us. Being active--physically, mentally, and socially--can slow down the aging process. That's good news, indeed.

I'm so grateful for our doctors who've tried to discover why Hubs is changing. Finally, having an explanation is helping us deal with the present and the future.

#IWSG: The Future and The Past

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet @ Roaming About, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox! Be sure to visit these fabulous volunteers.

Each month we have an optional question. Here's July's: there have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

I wish I knew. That's why I'm really interested to read what others say. I'm excited by the changes in the past decade. Changes that allow me to publish my stories on my own. I dipped my toe into self-publishing in 2011. I'd gotten the rights back to my first published book. A friend pointed out it wasn't doing anything, so why not self-publish it. Why not, indeed? I was scared to death that I'd do something wrong. It seemed to take me all day to publish Switched on Smashwords. The next day, I figured out Kindle, and--bam--it was published on Amazon. Okay, not quite that quickly. Since then, I've published 14 more books. 

Would I have imagined this in 2010? Nope. My imagination never dreamed what I could do. My imagination still hasn't dreamed up what will happen in this next decade. I live day-to-day, month-to-month, and maybe imagine 6 months ahead.

One of the advantages of self-publishing is I can change the price of my books any time. I'm participating in N.N. Light's Christmas in July event. So, for the month of July, my holiday romance (with a hint of mystery) Romance Rekindled is only 99 cents. Amazon  http://a.co/jlmHYD2  Amazon UK  http://amzn.eu/12TqpEM 

What am I working on? My current wip, The Spy, an Outer Rim Novel, is coming along. I know, I've written about it before. I'm slowly getting more written/revised. Meantime, I have three more projects I can't wait to get back to: the 4th book in my Alex O'Hara mystery series plus 2 spinoff novellas.

On the personal front, even though Michigan has eased some of the restrictions (I got a haircut!!!), Hubs and I are still following the COVID safety procedures --wearing a mask outside the house and keeping social distances. I still order my groceries online and pick them up curbside. We get takeout, but don't eat at restaurants. Although we've seen the grandkids (and our kids), we don't hug. We're all trying to stay safe. I hope the resurgence of COVID cases isn't affecting you or your families. 

Stay safe, everyone, and have a good month.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: Quin's Not Such a Bad Guy #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is in Commission Vorinda's office. He's given her a document to read that reports what Quin d'Sernin has done to earn a rescue--Genna's mission. I hope this gives you a better perspective on the agent in peril.

Quintall d’Sernin deserved a medal for the work he’d done to maintain peace in the Central District—he’d thwarted three presidential assassination attempts, his information led to the capture of five gangster wannabes, Hallart’s competition. Genna bet that endeared him to the gangster. Because of Quintall’s actions, his sister and the president of the Coalition’s son escaped the bombardment and destruction of Hallart’s hidden base.

She knew firsthand about the last—she and Laning Servary had been on a mission to rescue Trevarr Jovano, but they’d gotten to the destroyed compound too late. Celara and Trevarr would have been buried alive if not for d’Sernin’s actions.

Okay, he risked his life and his mission to save his sister. She was family—big deal. Then, Genna thought more, she had to quit being so impulsive. By rescuing Trevarr and Celara, Quin could have blown his cover, or at least made Hallart question his loyalty.

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

Hubs and I have sheltered-in-place since mid-March. Like so many during the corona virus pandemic, we have "cabin fever." But to protect ourselves, we do want we need to do and, so far, we're okay. I hope you're staying safe, too.

#WeWriWa ~ THE SPY: Quin's Cover #sfr

Each weekend, the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from The Spy: An Outer Rim Novel. It's the 4th book in my series featuring strong women on the frontier of space. 

Because this is a work in progress, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Genna is in Commission Vorinda's office. This snippet starts after d'Sernin's handler leaves.

“Smarmy son of a bitch—defiant, too,” Vorinda strode to the floor-to-ceiling window, his hands clasped behind his back, “Maybe I’ll reassign him to a remote colony, like Marin 5.”

The prison colony? Yikes.

“He was technically correct about d’Sernin.”

“Technically, sir?”

Vorinda’s lip curled in a half smile, “Quin was a wild kid, followed his no-good father from town to town running confidence games. It’s true he spent two years in a Menacan prison—also true that he was locked up a second time, but that was part of his cover.”

Genna’s ears perked up, “His cover?”

“Quin needed a focus, a way to channel his energy. At that time, Hallart was just starting out, both Quin and I recognized he would be a force beyond anything we’d known.”

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.

Here's a reminder that Spring is here.

Please stay safe during this pandemic.