My author's blog has moved to my new website. Check it out here for more information on my newest works and past and future books to come.

Silver and Other Established Rules

Can vampires wear silver jewelry? Probably not, but I love the look, and prefer silver to gold. I think my new characters would look good in silver, but... well they're vampires and that kind of kills the idea. Unless I bend the rules. I mean if Twilight vampires can shimmer instead of burn, maybe my vamps can wear silver as long as it is just jewelry. It makes me wonder how far we can bend the established "rules" for certain types of characters. If you do it, of course you have to explain it so readers aren't thrown off by it. But is there a limit to how far you can go before even an explanation won't work?

I have a short story up on Amazon Kindle now and am remembering all of the excitement, fun and frustration of being an author with a book for sale.

It would be great if authors didn't have to be salesmen and marketing gurus along with writers, but it's not a perfect world.

Saving Grace

There's nothing worse than losing all of your writing in a crash. It's happened to me more than I'd like to mention. All of that is in the past since I use backup systems now. Actually I am rather anal about backing up, saving multiple copies of work in various formats. I am always looking at new systems and methods for backup and saving files. In this backblaze review I'd like to point out a very easy to use system that works on both Windows and Mac and is totally web-based. I like that because when I have backed up to hard disc type storage such as my external hard drives I'm always worried something will happen to them. When it's all online, it is available no matter what computer you are using, where you are, and it is never outdated and incompatible with new computers or devices.

GoodReads Great Site

Found "Goodreads" online yesterday. What a fantastic resource! I am waiting for my "author" approval, but in the meantime, having fun reviewing books I've read in the past and am currently reading as well as meeting lots of great readers and writers from that community. If anyone knows of other websites like Goodreads please let me know about them.

A Better Mattress

I have a great bed. It is a king-size mattress with pillow top, but after three years of use it is beginning to have worn spots. One of the biggest problems with pillow tops is you can't flip them to keep them rotated. You can only turn them around and exchange sides every so often. That isn't really a great way to go if someone uses the other side and creates dips and dents too. Then you're both sleeping in those divots trying to make your own. All in all it's a great recipe for a backache. My back has been acting up badly lately, and I'm pretty sure it's due to the bed. I've looked into several options and I think getting a to put on top of my pillow top will solve the problem nicely. It will recreate a comfortable and supportive mattress, and get rid of the divots while allowing for flipping as well as turning to keep it in good shape.

Business as Usual

Wow, it was a lot closer to finished than I thought it was. I got it cleaned up, polished up and loaded up and Business as Usual is now available on Amazon!!! It's on Kindle and in the book section as well. For Amazon Prime members it is in the loan area too so readers can get it free as their monthly library book.

Knowing the Side Effects of Adipotrol

Losing weight takes a little help sometimes. I know that for a fact. I'm working on it again myself. Nothing new there. As a woman it seems like I am always working on that. Using appetite control pills or fat blockers can really make things go faster. Fat burners like Adipotrol are especially helpful. Before you take anything, including Adipotrol you should understand how it works, what ingredients it has, and if there are any side effects. You can find sites like http://sideeffectsofdietpills.net/adipotrol-side-effects/ that will help you choose the best products for your needs. One of the things I like best about Adipotrol is that there are no side effects, unlike some prescription diet aids that require constant monitoring by a physician due to the severity of the most common side effects, you can take Adipotrol over the counter without a prescription. For someone like me, over 50 and needing a little help in the metabolism department, a fat burner is the best type of diet aid. I can control my appetite fairly well, but my body doesn't use the food it does get as efficiently as it did when I was younger.

Excited Re-Start

I'm kind of excited. I decided to dig out my old non-fiction manuscript that was about 1/2 finished when I last worked on it. I've been so busy working for other people that I never felt much like writing for my own purposes. Now is the time to start again. Actually it was a fiction impulse that got me started on this again. Last night, right before bed, and after I turned the computer off, I had the budding idea for a novel hit me. Then I got a great idea for a first line hook that is one of the best I've ever written. As I lay in bed the plot began to unfold. It was kind of wild and will need to be tamed (maybe with a whip and chains), but it was exciting anyway. This morning I still remember the idea, and I had texted myself that wonderful opening line so I wouldn't forget it. I saved that and made some notes on my idea for later, but decided that before I went off on that, I really needed to get the non-fiction book finished. So I hooked up my external hard drive and dug it up from the cyber dust it was collecting. I've almost finished my "work" work for the day today, and I hope to get several pages in on the book too. I even put it on my schedule like I am my own client. Okay, so I won't get paid from myself. Hopefully eventually it will pay off.

Swimming in Private

Up where I live now, if you have a pool, or any type of open water area it must be surrounded by pool fencing. It makes sense in order to keep anyone from climbing in and drowning even if you have an above ground pool. A good fence around a pool is also attractive and gives you extra privacy in urban areas. Pool enclosures come in many different styles and setups. I prefer wood look fencing and you can even get a traditional fence look on an above ground pool. Another extra advantage of the wood look fencing is that the posts are bigger than iron fencing so you can attach lights on top for those late night swims. You don't even need electricity for the lights if you use solar lights. They aren't as strong as electric lights, but they give the pool area a nice warm glow and plenty of light for taking a midnight swim.

Taking a Break

Okay, everybody needs a little break from writing now and then (or whatever their job is). For me, especially when the weather is as beautiful as it has been, my break is gardening. Last year I stripped a couple of ugly, overgrown evergreens that were blocking the path of the house I'm in now. I didn't take a picture of the evergreens themselves before I started, but over the winter, the ugly bare branches that were too big to just cut off were left like a sinister silhouette on either side of the path. Here is a picture of one side of the path this spring before I got the chain saw out and cleared it up.


And here is a picture of what I did to cover the stump on the other side I had cut down already. The brick is only half-way done. I will do the same to the other side. When I'm totally finished I'll post a picture of the finished product with flowers planted in the containers.