Month: April 2020

Office Update

I’m making slow but steady progress in my quest to redo my office.  I’m cleaning out stuff that should have been cleaned out ages–even decades–ago.

Example. I had over twenty years worth of old Romance Writers Report magazines that I mean to go through, tear out articles I wanted or wanted to save because I’d finaled in a contest or something. That project was at least four years old with no progress. There were also six years worth of RWA national conference handouts in spiral notebooks. I had these stacked in the hall outside my office.

It took a couple of weeks, but I tossed it all.

I have plans for that space in the hall, so I needed to start clearing.

Step 1: done.

I

 

MJ Monday-Manuscript: Excerpt

Here’s an excerpt from the very rough draft of BESIEGED BY THE MOON, tentatively scheduled for July 2020 publication:

“So you’re doctor? My mother will be thrilled,” Phoebe lied.

Parker chuckled, the vibrations rumbling against her back. I’m an EMT, working toward being a paramedic. Big difference.”

“They have schools that teach lycan medicine? Doctors and nurses?”

“I’m not a doctor, and no, I’m not aware of schools for werewolf paramedics.” He rubbed his new erection against her bottom. “Homo lupus and homo sapien are close enough in basic physiology that I can adapt my knowledge to help my pack.”

He didn’t ask her a thing about herself. That was okay. The fewer lies between them, the simpler life would be.

“Does that mean you don’t want to play doctor?”

He didn’t react. Maybe he didn’t know the sapien joke. He was male. Males didn’t have to worry about sexual assault in any form, whereas she’d been raised to be always conscious of what males were up to, especially sapien males, no matter that age.

Dustin had taught her that.

“No, I’m an EMT. Long way from being a doctor,” Parker finally said.

She tried again. “You don’t want to examine me? See if I’m hurt?” She tried to sound playful or seductive, but neither role was in her repertoire.

“I hurt you?” He was immediately concerned. “Why didn’t you say something?”

And she was the one who thought she didn’t understand the meaning of fun. What was she thinking, trying to be playful and carefree with the lobo the Creator had chosen for her? One more sign, as if she needed another, that she was meant for other things. Joy and fun were not on her agenda, right along with passion.

“You didn’t hurt me.” She swallowed a sigh. “I was being frivolous.”

Focus. That’s what Corbie would say. Stop being distracted by the unimportant. How silly to have believed mating was important.

“I don’t understand.”

“Unfocused. The important thing is we’re mated. You’ve marked me. We are one in the eyes of the Creator.”

“The Creator?” Suspicion darkened his words. “What’s your pack again?”

Thursday Thoughts: On Being Essential

My day job is working for a beverage distributor. According to the Department of Homeland Security and the governor of my state, I am essential. My employer takes this seriously. Not because they can make money, but because we are a business-to-business industry; we help other business stay in business. (My internal editor is cringing at all the “businesses” in this paragraph!) My company has donated to a bartender relief fund.  When ventilators were donated to my state from another, Jet Blue provided air transportation  and my employer donated the ground transportation.

My employer takes the safety of its employees seriously. We have been given masks. Hand sanitizer–we’ve even made our own. Our temperatures are taken every morning before we enter the building. Social distancing is strictly enforced. People have been hired to do nothing but walk through the office and wipe down the surfaces with sanitizer several times a day.

My particular team has the option of working from home. Several of my co-workers have taken advantage of this.  I have not. Other than my hours being changed, my routine hasn’t been drastically altered. And yeah, I like getting out at 4:30 instead of 5:30. If and when I have to start working from home, I’m afraid I will never want to leave my house again.  It’s the downfall of being an introvert.

I order in food when I can, and am as generous as I can be when tipping delivery people. I want my favorite restaurants to stay in business.

The toughest part of being essential has been talking to restaurant and bar owners who have been forced to “pause”. Some of them will be okay. Others are scared they will lose everything. Some cry. Others curse. All I can do is listen and assure them I will work with them once the state is off pause. We want them to stay in business.

I’m not a health care professional or a first responder. I don’t work directly with the public. But I’m proud of what I do to keep the economy going.

MJ Monday-Music: Linda Ronstadt

My husband and I tuned into the Kennedy Center Honors this year because we both wanted to see Sally Field and Linda Ronstadt. Ronstadt’s music is an integral part of the sound track of my life. Shortly after the Kennedy Center TV special we watched the documentary, LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE.

I could listen to the sound of her voice forever. Until relatively recently, there was no compilation of her greatest hits. I know because I looked.

Ronstadt was an amazing performer, with an unmatched versatility that allowed her to sing in a wide variety of genres.  She has performed with many other legendary musicians. Her voice is arguably one of the best of voices of her generation.

Check it out.

Different Drum

Long, Long Time

Thursday Thought: The Colors of Pain

When I was a child, I saw pain in two colors. Ear aches were red. Stomach aches were black. As I grew older and experienced different types of pain, they always red or black.

RED PAIN:

  • Headaches
  • sinus infections
  • foot cramps
  • leg cramps
  • torn meniscus
  • damaged ACL
  • toothaches
  • coughing
  • giving birth

BLACK PAIN:

  • gas pains
  • menstrual cramps
  • labor pains

How do you see pain?