Month: April 2021

Of Course I Know What I’m Doing

Sunday evening Studly Doright and I decided to go out for dinner at our favorite Asian restaurant in Tallahassee. The place was really busy, but they were still maintaining social distancing protocol. We had a nice meal and didn’t linger since others were waiting for a table.

We walked out of the restaurant and I hesitated on the sidewalk because the driver of a pickup truck was maneuvering to back into a spot adjacent to the path we needed to take to get to our own vehicle.

Studly said, “Why’d you stop?

Me: Because there’s no curb and I don’t want him to back over me.

Studly praised me. You see he’s always saying I have awareness issues. “Maybe you’re learning something after all these years.”

The pickup came to a complete stop and Studly and I continued on to our Lincoln SUV. Well, Studly did. I tried to get into a similarly colored Chevy van. So much for conquering my awareness issues. Sheesh.

Peace, people.

Into the Dark

I read a lot. I’m not the speediest reader in the world, so I average about a book a week unless the book in question is a lengthy sci-fi tale. Sometimes sci-fi books become so technical that I might need two or three weeks to absorb a single book.

Recently though I read a trilogy that fell into a category called dark erotic romances. My curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t figure out why the books were labeled “dark,” but after five pages I thought, Aha. NOW I know!”

My first inclination was to order a different, much tamer book and forget I’d spent money on the trilogy, but dadgum it, the author kind of hooked me right away. I already liked her main character and needed to see what happened to him. But, holy cow the story was dark and gleefully erotic—and I read all three books in the space of four days. Yes, they were fairly short, but still that’s something of a record for me.

The author mentioned several songs I’d never heard of in the text of the stories, and one made it to my writing playlist. “Ride” by Chase Rice might be the hottest song I’ve heard in a long time. It makes me wish I was 21 instead of 64.

And as for dark erotica, I believe I’ve reached my lifetime limit after those three books. I don’t need to travel that path again. In fact, I’m thinking about rereading the Anne of Green Gables books just to cleanse my mind.

I’ve always heard that variety is the spice of life. Well mine got a little too spicy—at least for a few days.

Peace, people!

In case you’re curious…

Looking for Love

Remember Johnny Lee’s hit song, “Looking for Love (in All the Wrong Places)” from the movie Urban Cowboy? https://youtu.be/FAyDmJvjxbg. I two-stepped a time or two to that song back in the day.

Now that I have a book on the market, I’ve found renewed interest in the song. Indie authors like me are always looking for love in the form of new readers and reviewers. I’d say it’s a hard knock life, but that would be an exaggeration and a whole different movie/song reference.

I find myself touting my book to everyone: my esthetician, my physical therapist, my gynecologist during my annual exam, the checkout person at the grocery store, random folks in line for their vaccinations at CVS, etc.

Occasionally my marketing strategy pays off and I’ll gain a new reader, but often I run the risk of being an annoyance. So far I’ve not been chased away with torches and pitchforks, but it could happen.

So, at the risk of annoying you, dear reader, I’m promoting my first novel, Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PDRH2Q9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_N8QPC4KEQNA1TTH8WD9Y

Please be gentle with me.

Peace, people.

Queen Gracie

This is the look Gracie gives me when I’ve been typing too long. I don’t know how anyone expects me to write when this little girl is vying for my attention.

Peace, people!

Beating My Head Against a Wall

For two straight days I’ve worked to make major changes to my sequel to Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort. Like a good little author, I always save my changes to a thumb drive in addition to saving to my original document.

But when I opened the document this afternoon, the file had none of the changes I’d made and neither did the one I’d saved on the thumb drive. My head is spinning. I’m not sure what happened or how I lost about 3,000 words. And worse yet, apparently I had the auto save function turned off.

Oh, and now, my document wants to put about five lines of empty space between paragraphs. Any Mac experts out there to help me fix this particular issue?

I’m about to cry. Seriously. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

Damn.

All I Need is This Box

Do you think our cat has enough toys?

And yet Gracie prefers the box.

Peace, people.

Blame it on Allergies

On a scale of one to ten, with one being the lowest and ten being phenomenal, my productivity level today has hovered right at a negative eight—below slug level. As is my right as a citizen of the state of Florida on this pollen-dusted spring day, I’m blaming my lack of progress on seasonal allergies.

Actual photograph taken in my backyard.
The hills are alive with the sound of sneezing.
We all live in a pollen-covered state.

Okay, the antihistamine is kicking in, I’m not sneezing anymore, but now I can’t keep my eyes open.

Peace, and gesundheit, people!

The Cowboy (an inspirational poem, wink, wink)

While I don’t yet have a publication date set for my romance novel, The Cowboy and the Executive, I have been daydreaming about my male protagonist, Barton Young, quite a bit. He’s tall, tan, and I’m pretty sure he’d taste good.

My inspiration for Barton came from an encounter with a rodeo cowboy at a honky tonk in Amarillo, Texas, a few decades ago. We had but a single dance, but oh my! What a dance it was.

Here’s my bad poem about a good time. https://nananoyz5forme.com/2020/11/14/the-cowboy/

Barton, is that you?

Peace, and giddy up, people!

Adventures in Book Clubbing

On Saturday I celebrated a “first” (for me, anyway). Mayhem at the Happy Valley Motor Inn and Resort was the featured book for a Tallahassee book club meeting, and I was invited to say a few words and answer questions from those in attendance.

It was a virtual meeting, so there were no worries about masks or social distancing. But I did pour myself a glass of Merlot, because what’s a book club meeting without wine?

I was a bit nervous at first, but the experience was so much fun that I soon forgot about my nerves and just relaxed and enjoyed myself. The funniest thing was that some attendees knew my book as well as, and in one instance, slightly better than I did! That was humbling and a little scary. Now I need to reread Mayhem before any future book club adventures.

Peace, people!

Bummer

The threat of impending thunderstorms has resulted in the cancellation of many of the scheduled Word of South events; therefore, I shall not be hawking my book to festival attendees this weekend. Instead, I shall parade around Doright Manor speaking formally to the resident feline and to the gentleman with whom I sleep.

Thankfully, today’s virtual book club meeting should proceed as planned, unless lightning intervenes. What is the old Yiddish proverb? “We plan; God laughs.” Alas, ‘tis true.

Carry on, fellow travelers. Weep not for me, for the heavy skies have taken on that task in your stead.

May you have peace, good people.