Interview on The Author's Show and Book Release for "Makeup Your Mind"

So many great things have been happening in the past few weeks I hardly know where to begin!

Let’s start at the shortest update about the longest string of words I’ve put together in a long, long time. NaNoWriMo. I won!

At 50,169 words I validated my “novel” on November 22, 2017. It felt great getting this win for multiple reasons.

First, I found the beginnings of the next Shaw McLeary Mystery, Missing Miles.

Second, I had a CRAZY BUSY month and still managed to pull out a win (more on that in a minute…).

And, finally, this is the first time I’ve won in seven years. Holy crap that’s far too long! I’ve taken part in the challenge 4 times over those 7 years (2012, ’14, ’15, ’16) but this is my first real win since 2010.

Which leads me into other intertwined updates of course…

One of the main things I did over the past couple months, aside from NaNo, was some marketing and promotion for my recently released book 30 Chapters in 30 Days: Write a 50,000 word novel without feeling blocked.

First, I shared some of my personal and professional advice with the readers of the NaNo blog in my article: NaNo Prep: How to Write Believable Characters (and Push Your Word Count!).

With that article looming out there, plus a book telling people how to make it through the challenge of NaNoWriMo I kinda figured I should get through it this year as well. I mean, practice what you preach, right?

Right!

In the spirit of that, I also took part in another internet radio interview. As mentioned in the title, my interview giving even more detail and info on 30 Chapters went live on The Author’s Show TODAY!

I’m going to do my best to create a link to the interview so you all can come back and listen anytime you like but the first broadcast of the show is a brief 24 hours and then, poof, it’s gone off their website.

Listen to my Author’s Show interview here until November 30, 2017, just click on my name in the gray box.

What a crazy experience that interview turned out to be behind the scenes. And you know I’m all about the brutal honesty over here, especially about myself, so here’s the tea.

I nearly fucked up this entire thing.

Okay, that could be a bit over-dramatic but not much. The day I was supposed to talk there were timing issues (in AZ we don’t do DST but at the time of scheduling neither of us realized the clocks would flip). All of that was my fault for lack of preparation. Ugh. What I will blame on myself, but still hold a grudge against technology for, were my issues with Skype.

When I thought I was calling Don, my interviewer, I tried about ten times and Skype kept kicking me off/out and forcing me to log back in. I rebooted multiple times but my laptop is a dinosaur and takes FORever to do anything.

I was already 30 minutes “late” and panicked because I had a chiropractor appointment right after our interview. One more reboot and Skype seemed to finally want to work. But it was already too late. I had to jam.

I called from my cell and left Don a rambling, probably incoherent message about how sorry I was. As I pulled up to my chiro, I picked up the message he left while I was driving.

The one that said I was a full hour EARLY. Like I said, DST.

After all the confusion we managed to reschedule (bless him!), and on that day I tested Skype minutes before the interview (Matt is my hero!).

Don called, we chatted, I was prepared AF and feel like it was one of the better interviews I’ve ever done. Talking about that book while in the throes of NaNo reminded me I needed to open her up and take my own advice for how to get through the challenge.

It worked!

I have so many chapters that will be cut when I edit but it helped me better see the characters and where they were going. It also helped me step away from caring if my novel was perfect. And, not gonna lie, it felt great to rack up another NaNo win!

So, of course, because I didn’t have enough going on already, in the midst of NaNo I also listed my latest, book 3, in the California Dreamin’ Series, Makeup Your Mind for preorder on Amazon.

Click the title in that last paragraph, or right here to pick up your copy today!

My nail art at the beginning of this post is my nod to the book cover:

And I’m soooooo excited to get this one out there. Cherry Davis might be my favorite character I’ve written since Perth. She’s spunky, sexy, and self-sufficient. She’s a young retail whore living and working in the mid-nineties in coastal Cali.

I’m in love with her. Seriously. I might need to see a therapist.

But, regardless, her story officially hits the digital shelves tomorrow November 30, 2017 and I couldn’t be more excited!

It has been a fun, frustrating, but overall totally satisfying career month.

I’d love (LOVE!!!!!) you forever if you’ve already read either 30 Chapters or Makeup Your Mind if you’d be so kind as to review them on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews don’t really count for an author until there are at least 25 so please tell your friends, share the book love, share your opinion (even if you hated them both, I literally don’t care just review!).

Thanks!

And now, look out December, I’m coming in hot for a vacation. After the month I’ve worked, it feels like I’ve earned a week off.

• • • • • • • • • • •
In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Is it Cheating if I Paste this Entire Post into my NaNo Draft?

I still love you even though I've moved on to Shaw.

Yeah, I know. I’m not supposed to be blogging. I’m supposed to be typing like a rabid squirrel in my silly manuscript document right now. I’m not supposed to be doing anything other than crafting my new book.

The one just shy of halfway to a NaNo win. The one everyone is already sick of hearing about.

Or maybe that’s just me.

Because we’re right here in the midst of week 2 and I swear, I got nothin’. At least, not today. All I got is a lot of complaining over a bad day at work. You’re welcome. Everyone has them, you know. This job is a motherfucker most of the time.

Writers are already very solitary creatures most of the time. When we’re working on projects most other stuff falls by the wayside. But force us to do our jobs? Force us to stay trapped indoors until our fingers pound out the designated, daily word count? Eventually we will grow to resent you.

Don’t tell me how to live, NaNo!

The “you” we resent in this case, in case it wasn’t clear, is NaNo in general. But, honestly, I know I have to keep reminding myself what’s on the line, the beginnings of a new book, even though I’m sick of hearing myself talk about this stupid challenge.

I feel like one of those vegans who can’t help tell literally everybody they’re vegan. You know the type. You’re together at the mall in the Hallmark store or somewhere equally free of food, fur, etc. with your loved one who happens to be vegan.

Approaching the cashier, who asks how we’re doing, your companion answers, “I’m vegan, thanks, and you?”

To which the cashier responds with a look of confusion mixed with uncertainty if she should ring up the order or quit to go work on a farm somewhere.

I’m literally the militant vegan of writers right now.

“Hi, I’m doing NaNo so if you want to talk to me I’ll need to record our conversation to later transcribe into my manuscript. Thanks so much.”

Ugh. We get it, you’re a writer. Just shut up about stupid NaNo, will ya?

Gladly. In about 30,000 more words.

The problem is, while I’ve allowed this challenge to consume my every thought, there’s still Makeup Your Mind. My poor, all but forgotten novella! I finished her and my excitement level soared. Cherry Davis was about to become a living character in the real world outside my laptop. Yes!

The pre-order link for Makeup Your Mind is live and everything!

And…enter NaNoWriMo.

Promptly forget all about your favorite character and her sexy little mid-twenties coming of age story. Forget that Cherry Davis has all kinds of dreams. Forget that you should, I don’t know, tell people about this book that drops in a mere 21 days.

Create an ad. Some press releases. Blog posts. Something?

Sigh.

I have no idea what I was thinking, taking on this challenge this year. But then I think, when the heck else would Missing Miles get a start if it wasn’t during NaNo?

Because, the funny thing about my Shaw McLeary Mysteries, every single one of them were born during a NaNo. A couple were during summer camp when the NaNo folks toast up some s’mores (wait, no, some ooey gooey s’mores, more words) and one during the traditional November challenge.

So obviously I’m feeling the pull to work this one out during a NaNo challenge. Because Shaw deserves my irritation and ridicule now so I don’t have to subject her to my scornful ways when I actually start writing her book.

Did you think I’d get a real manuscript out of NaNo? Sorry to disappoint but I generally use this month as the challenge to find the story they want to tell by writing them into situations they sometimes can’t even get out of. That’s so the real book reads without plot holes or other major issues.

(Hand to forehead, Major Issues)

And, in the spirit of issues, I’ve procrastinated entirely enough already today. If I expect to get to 50,000 by the end of the month, I can’t fall back on the three day pad I’ve built.

I need to put on my big girl pants and get typing in my other document.

Because, despite my title question, I refuse to cheat. None of these 750 words count.

• • • • • • • • • • •
In addition to this drivel I also write books, both fiction and non-fiction.
Learn more on my author page.

Writing for Real

I went out the other night with a couple writer friends. One of the things we talked about is where all of us are in our book writing endeavors.

Almost word-for-word, I said:

Every time I sit down to work on book 3 in my Shaw McLeary mystery series I give the finger to my laptop.

Yeah. Kind of been like that lately.

But saying that out loud got me thinking about what I'm doing with my writing life and, after flipping it off repeatedly, how I spend my days since I stopped all progress on the series.

Tweets, blog posts, and a brand new book are all on the daily docket. Yea, new things!

I love writing those things and that’s terrific but what about where I left my audience hanging in the last Shaw book? That phone call? The possibility of a relationship? Her trip to Seattle?

What happens if I just can’t bring myself to write it? What if I feel like giving the book the finger every day of its existence and I don’t release one single title this year?

If I leave the series in the dust and move forward with all of my exciting, new, shiny work instead, what happens to Shaw, JJ, Danny, Krista, Shaw’s sister and mom? Do they languish out there in the abyss for the rest of their un-finished lives?

In short? Yes.

So here’s a few things I need to face facts about:

1. Life isn't fair.

2. I’m being a pansy.

3. Boo hoo I have to do work I don't feel like doing...

Said every employee ever.

However, this is where the unique part of my job comes into play. I'm not really an employee.

Self-publisher, self-employed, indie author means I do actually get to choose what kind of writing I do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. I get to be inspired and write things that I love. Be floofy! Play with my inner self-ness!

And of course I never have to worry about people forgetting about me and my writing because I take so long to release a book. Oh, and the other thing is I never have to worry about people caring if I answered all the questions from the first two books or not.

Wait, right?

In short? No.

Because I do have readers. People who have read the first two books, reviewed them, mentioned to me how much they’re enjoying the series. Said outright they can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

That means, no matter how much I want to pretend I can do anything I want, that I can forget entirely about writing ‘the end’ on my series, I know what I have to do. And also what I want to do about finishing the thing that I started.

Whether number 1 up there is true or not I still need to be fair to my readers. As well as myself and my writing. And that means I need to see this thing through to the end I decided on when I started writing the series in the first place.

Because when it all comes down to it, I love writing new things, love scheduling tweets and posting blogs like this where I work out all the crap in my head. But that doesn’t get me the loyal, dedicated readers that I really want for my fiction.

I think I finally figured out that what I need and want to do have to meet somewhere in the middle. Until I figure out how to bring the Shaw book to light, I’m just going to dedicate some time to it every week and do my best to pull a first draft together by the end of February.

Using all of my fingers. 

• • • • • • • • • • • 
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Off the Deep End

So here we are again. And by “we” I mean me and all the characters that live in my head. It’s November and for the first time in four years I’m back doing NaNo.

Yup, that’s right kids. The time for fiction has returned!

What’s that you ask? Have I gone off the deep end? Let’s just get all the questions out of the way now so we can push on unfettered:

“Um, are you crazy?”

“Didn’t you just start a business with a partner?”

“Aren’t you already working as a writer?”

“How do you plan to find the time?”

“Won’t you miss showering?”

“Won’t you miss your friends?”

“You won’t try to sell this thing you think will be a manuscript, will you?”

“Um, are you crazy?”

For those not in the know on the NaNo skinny (and why any and all of those questions up there are totally valid points)…

The challenge is to write a 50,000 word novel during just the month of November.

Sounds scary right? Well trust me, it is every bit as scary as it sounds. But I’m doing it anyway because fuck it. If I’m going to be a writer then I’m going to be the type of writer I want to be.

That I’ve always wanted to be.

But, there are so many reasons I gave up on the whole idea of being a freelance writer after 3 years. I had to have a long sit-down with myself to figure it all out. Which wasn’t too challenging considering I broke my wrist at the beginning of October. I had more than enough time to ruminate on life and career while I sat around doing nothing.

And, boy, do I ever mean nothing.

I was in a ton of pain, could not type, and I could barely move my left arm at all. Hell, I’m still in a temporary cast right now!

Last month was really a wakeup call in so many ways – personal and professional. I discovered many things that I never would have thought about before the moment when I incapacitated myself.

The biggies:

- Freelancing is not for me after all. Hey, I tried. Honestly I threw everything at the wall on that one and really wanted it to work out because it would’ve been nice to make a steady paycheck as a “real” writer. Alas, no matter what I did or what wall I tossed it at so little stuck that I just couldn’t justify wasting perfectly good shit like that anymore.

- I’m way to narcissistic to be a ghostwriter. Yeah, I really do need to see my own name, in print, on the cover of some amazing book that I wrote. I was good at ghostwriting but part of what I discovered is that my ego needs to release work into the world and, when people read it, they’ll know I wrote it.

- My words are worth more to me than the frustration of working like a dog for peanuts. I can make that writing fiction and have more fun in the craft again. I did make some money as a freelancer, that’s true, which of course was nice because I worked my ass off for it. I just couldn’t ever feel what I was writing.

- Freelance ghostwriting is essentially all marketing all the time. Sure, marketing is super important no matter what field you’re in, but I was always writing with a spin in mind – be it for a product or service – everything I wrote as a freelancer had the end goal of bringing in a sale. Hey, I’m all for that because I have shit to sell too. Which is why I’m glad I took a few years to really learn the concepts so I can now market my books instead of someone else’s product or service I have no vested interest in.

- I was reminded of something I’ve been saying since I worked in retail (circa 1996-ish.) I hate people. Most people are crazy, only out for themselves and pay no mind to your schedule, your business needs or anything else that matters in your life because they’re too busy worrying about all that same stuff for themselves. Just like me. It was time to get out.

Bottom line was that I missed writing from the imagination and not the wallet, I’m glad I learned better ways to sell my books though, and I’m using NaNo as the catalyst toward getting at least four out next year.

Yup. Four.

My goal is to get the heroine from my second book into a series and have her solving crimes all over this great nation for the next year.

Which reminds me…

Side perk of fiction I don’t get as a freelancer? A trip to Colorado can be a write off. Or a trip anywhere for that matter. Score.

By the way, I’m totally using this as word count today.

Just kidding.

No I’m not.

Or am I?

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Appetite for Dysfunction

I’m kind of over emo music. A bunch of years ago that’s pretty much all I listened to – Fiona Apple and Dashboard Confessional were at the top of the list because the lyrics just seemed so powerful. In recent years I’ve looked back on a lot of that music and realize the lyrics were given power through the inflections of the tone a lot of the time, though not all (I still find poetic beauty in almost all of Fiona Apple’s songs). And there’s nothing wrong with evoking a deep inner feeling through music of any sort be it instrument or vocally supplied. I’m just ready to mix up the suicide music now for something a little lighter.

But I don’t know what you crazy kids listen to these days.

None of the current pop music interests me much. You won’t find any Ke$ha (My inner grammar & spelling teacher dies a little inside every time I see her name written out.), Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, One Direction or the Jonas Brothers on my iPod. They’re still relevant, right? Wait, iPods aren’t even relevant? Damn.

Anyway I’d love to update my music with something fresh but there are so few bands/singers who really seem to capture emotion through their words. Lyrics used to be a lot fuller but it seems not so much anymore.

Okay to be fair, yes, I did listen to a lot of New Kids on the Block when I was a teenager. Yeah I own it. But when I think back I am fully aware of how thin most of the lyrics are. There were a few that were richer but overall any band that says the words ‘girl’ and ‘oh’ as much as they do on one album isn’t going to be winning many songwriting contests. But they sure were cute.

But I’m not fifteen anymore and to say a fifteen year old is cute would just be creepy unless I meant it in a maternal way. And we all know how maternal I’m not so I guess I finally fall into the place my parents and grandparents warned me about.

Those kids and their music today, I just don’t get it.

Of course when I reminisce on the music that really shaped my life, the music I would go back to and listen to time and again to evoke a feeling, a time and place of when the world was awesome because my days could be spent listening, I’m not exactly drawn to pop artists.

Give me some Appetite for Destruction, Whitesnake, Ride the Lightning, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Godsmack (“Stress”, best song ever), Lit, Limp Bizkit, Staind (everything on Dysfunction), Foo Fighters.

And I can safely say that anytime I was listening to any of these bands I’m sure (if she was around) my mom would have been saying she just didn’t get it. I guess that’s how the generational thing works right? But I grew tired of the same old stories, the same old songs so I dipped my toes in the broody waters of emo.

But the whining. Oh my goodness the CONSTANT whining is enough to make me want to poke a hot dagger into my speaker. But that shit is expensive to replace so instead I find myself changing the channel or forwarding the track to something more my speed.

Of course, these days my speed seems to be artists like Melissa Ferrick, Jason Mraz and Dave Matthews Band. All amazing lyricists and songwriters but a bit mellower musically speaking. But every once in a while I’ll let my Pandora shuffle through 90’s Alternative Radio to let my mind wrap around a song with a little more meat on its bones.

May’s Month of Music

Just Like I Am – Landon Pigg (iTunes first track)

4^th of July – Soundgarden (Pandora first track)

May’s Month of Music

The A to Z Challenge was fun and as I already said yesterday I plan to keep up with posting as much as possible this month. In fact here’s what my calendar looks like right now:



Aw, it looks so fresh and clean and optimistic right now!



It should resemble April with all the check marks and notes by the time we roll into June:



And everything got a checkmark. Boom!



Anyway, you see that coded writing all over my calendar? Well each set of initials represents the project I’m working on during May. Back in April I had each letter of the alphabet on the particular day of the week I was supposed to blog and each was checked off once completed.

So what does my code mean? Since this is kind of the central hub of all my endeavors I suppose it can’t hurt to fill everyone in on what is it I’d say I do here. This blog is the center of the wheel. The space where all my other personalities, er, um, projects, branch out from. And I have a really strong month planned so I can’t wait to get it underway. Oh wait, I’m doing that right now!

But I digress…back to my not so cryptic code…

RL – Randomness and Lunacy. I have seventeen spaces allotted for posting on this blog during May. Not as much as April but that’s okay. I think this will be easier to keep up with while still increasing over what I was doing all winter (read: not a whole lot).

JFS – Jenn Flynn-Shon website. Since I really use the blog you’re reading right now as my primary virtual soapbox, I don’t update my Author website too often. Once a month should be enough to give a brief career-only type update.

Writesy – Writesy Press. Twice during May I’m going to get something Writerly out there. I’m kicking around book reviews, more writing tips, interviews with Authors I know and a few other writing-only type updates.

GLR – Green Leaf Reviewer. It’s baaaaack……… My long dormant eco-blog is back up and rolling again. I think I started posting over there again this past February. I was finding so much Green news in my local paper and all over Phoenix that it seemed like a good time to give the planet a little bit of love again. But twice a month should work for now. I’m just looking to build the current portfolio and keep the peeps informed.

RAII – The sequel to Reckless Abandon is still on my radar and I’ve got about 15k words already invested so I’m going to get back to work making that a little longer, more polished and complete. My self-imposed deadline for the complete edited first draft is Tuesday June 11. I think having five days in May to work on plot, outline and word count should produce anywhere from 1000 to 2500 words a day. By the end of May I’ll have a jumbled mess to mold during the first two weeks of June.

TFTM – Trying for the Moon edits and revisions should be done by the end of the month. I also have to pick a theme, a tone, and start grouping each of the poems under the right chapter headings. Then I’ll need an introduction, table of contents, acknowledgements page, and chapter briefs. I don’t actually plan to have this finished until mid-summer so four days seemed like enough time this month to dedicate to this project.

And last but certainly not in the least bit least…

YDAS – This is a project that it’s safe to say is my longest running so far. It’s getting up on forty years in fact. I haven’t hashed out all the details yet but this is going to be a memoir or something in that realm; creative non-fiction. I got most of the introduction written a couple days ago and I’m in love with it. Because it’s just me. Honest and real and in your face direct from the inner depths of my head.

I posted during the A to Z challenge that I was tired of being afraid of writing what I really wanted to say when I talked about overcoming setbacks. With that post still stewing in my mind I set out to get the beginning stages of this hashed out. With memoir/creative non-fiction there’s a lot of different kinds of work to do from that of constructing fiction. The storyline is already set because I already lived it. The trick is making that story cohesive and only including what really needs to be said in order to tell the base story. No filler or it doesn’t work for the reader.

But you can bet your ass the voice you read over here at this blog is going to be the same one you’re getting with this new book. In fact there are some stories I’ve written here that I plan to snag, expand, etc. and incorporate into the book. Many things I’ve written about over here will work within the confines of a memoir. This one in particular.

Oh, and yes it is on purpose that I haven’t revealed the name just yet. I’ve reserved the url (did that about six months ago in fact) but only have the first 3400 words written right now so it’s still a little too early to put it all out there just yet. Needless to say I’m giving myself four days this month to be that person during the day and I think that’s plenty.

Especially since I have seventeen others to basically be the same person. Me. My voice, my snarky attitude toward life and its many head-shaking moments.

It’s going to be really nice to spend this entire month doing not much more than writing.

But anyway, I said in the title it’s going to be a month of music. So let me explain.

For Randomness and Lunacy I really liked the idea of last month’s theme. It helped me to stay on track with writing because it limited the countless options down to a single suggestion – the day’s letter. Well I’m a music lover and each morning after I ride my bike to work (four miles every morning on the stationary bike in the living room “gets” me to work every day!) I boot up the computer so I can get my music playing.

During May I’m going to try to write something either directly related to, inspired by, or fictionalized from the first song that comes up in my playlist every morning. Obviously you won’t know if I’m just forwarding songs to get to something that sparks some creativity but I can assure you fine readers that I’m unlikely to do so. The point of this is to push myself to see what kind of creativity comes out under a more stringent guideline.

I want this exercise to help me uncover stories -

Did I spend time with someone and that song was playing? Was this song on during a time I got dumped? Was I still a smoker when this song came out and did I still smoke in my house while writing? How many times did my sister and I try to make up a dance for this one? How embarrassing was it to do that dance in front of the hottest guy in the neighborhood? What kind of smell does this song bring back to mind – was it summer or winter? Do I have nothing in the memory banks for this song so I have to write a fictional piece inspired by the words and lyrics?

And so on.

So starting tomorrow prepare for the onslaught of ‘who knows what might come out of my head’ because ‘who knows what might come out of my speakers’.

May’s Month of Music

Ride that Zamboni Right into the Playoffs Boston Bruins!

Despite the lockout that happened forcing all of us hockey fans into a world free of pucks and checks for a few months, I’m still a fan. For a few weeks I wondered if I’d get back into it again, if I’d be able to forgive all the crap that happened on both sides. In the end I decided I’m not in it for the money, I don’t fall on either side. I’m just a fan.

I like to watch the guys skate, I like to see what trades happen and who does well on what team and I like the thrill of the rush to the Stanley Cup. What they decide about contracts and all the other hoopla that comes with professional sports these days is not of any concern to me as a spectator. Not really.

So I stuck through the season and they were 40+ of the best games I’ve watched because every single one was like watching the playoffs. Teams for the most part brought their A game just about every night and it was high energy watching it unfold.

Being in Phoenix now we have the Coyotes to root for and I do like to see them do well because I’m a supporter of hockey in the desert. Rink rats and desert rats aren’t really that different. Sadly the playoff hopes for the Coyotes went down the drain in this short season. I just hope it doesn’t get them bought by someone who plans to move them to Canada. We have plenty of Canadian snowbirds here in the Valley, keep the ‘Yotes here and fill the seats!

But my real team of course is the Bruins. They only have a couple games left as I write this post on Friday afternoon. By the time this posts on Tuesday I’ll already know who took the top spot in our division – Boston or Montreal (Update: Stupid Bruins not getting it done!). Since the Habs finished just about dead-last one year ago, I have to scratch my head how they could’ve turned it around so fast this season.

Well, they did sweep the B’s. Much to my chagrin. And the chagrin of the entirety of Bruins Nation.

But by the time this posts, all of that regular season drama will be over and the playoffs will begin in short order for everyone. And most of the injured B’s are back in full force now. Watch out, here we come.

When the Cup Finals finally wrap up its likely going to be in the 110’s around here. I guess it’s just as well the Coyotes are out this season. Water skiing is tough wearing all that padding and the Zamboni wouldn't do as well on Lake Jobing.com Arena.

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge Z is for Zamboni

Yardage, Square Footage, and Inches. Oh My!

Now that the wedding spectacular is behind us, Matt and I have some pretty serious priorities for our money. Don’t get me wrong, we still want to get out and have some fun but most of our cash is going to be conserved for home improvement this summer and another wedding (yea!) coming up this fall.

So I’m getting my tape measures and lead pencils ready because in the next few weeks I’m likely going to measure out the entire house and put some plans together. Yesterday I even ordered a couple samples for kitchen renovation. But I must admit that the thought of starting something like this again causes me to get that ever so slight twitch in my forehead vain. Imperceptible to anyone but Matt.

We’ve been here before. We’ve dedicated our entire wallet and free moment to making a house look and function better while living there. Every fiber in my being is nervous to do another major renovation. Every nerve ending perks up, as if I was walking through a power plant, alerting me to tread with extreme caution. But I know the feeling just stems from the residue left after that first failed experiment.

This time will be different for many reasons, primarily because we’re not thinking of leaving this house anytime soon, but also because we have learned from the first time what we should and shouldn’t hire a professional to do.

Flooring, windows & gas plumbing? Yes, a pro will do it all. Ripping down the fireplace, removing the extraneous wall, pulling up carpet, painting and stuff like that? Uh, no. I refuse to pay someone else to do the parts of this I know I’m good at especially if it will save considerable money.

But the pros will definitely come in handy to save me from breaking a hip. I’m not 28 anymore like I was when Matt & I bought our first fixer.

In our youth we did everything with the exception of carpet install, some demo, the electric-to-box connections, and some of the shingle/paint on the higher places of the exterior. And when I say we did everything I really mean everything. Demo of the entire inside including horsehair plaster/lathe on all walls and ceilings. We re-oriented the entire second floor so the bathroom was accessible from both bedrooms. Matt installed all the windows (20 of them) in the middle of the winter in New England. Insulation went in everywhere. Every single one of those 145 pieces of drywall were hung and mudded then painted. And we installed all the floors that weren’t carpeted. Oh yeah, and both bathrooms plus the entire kitchen, a back deck, two doors, and all the landscaping.

Uh, if even a fraction of that needs to be done to this house I’m so hiring someone to do most of it because just thinking back on those days makes me wonder two things:

1. How the hell did Matt and I manage to stay married through all of that insanity? And

2. Putting that kind of undue strain on our relationship again isn’t something I’m really thinking sounds like fun.

Welcome contractors! Come in and look around then please leave your bids at the door. Because the décor and function of the interior of my house is pretty old now. But so am I so you can bet your ass I won't be doing that much work this time around. 

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge Y is for Youth

The Letter Ex

I could see them standing inside the xyst but from where I was down on the lawn below it was impossible to hear what they were saying or even try to read their lips. I was dying inside to know what the outcome was going to be. It had been too many years of agony on his part and she wasn’t in a much better situation. Their collective misery was a recipe for catastrophe. I was afraid the culmination of that chaos was set to diffuse within minutes.

With a look around I decided to see if I could get a better vantage point to maybe sneak a listen. With trepidation in my steps I edged closer to the covered portico where they stood about a foot apart from each other. I took no more than two steps then watched as she stepped backwards from where he was standing. He immediately reciprocated the gesture and took another step toward her. I stood stoic as she took yet another step back. Her motions were definitive and he didn’t mirror them.

Instead, he hung his arms at his sides in a loose manner and I watched his shoulders hunch over ever so slightly as his head dropped into his open, ascending palms. With her attention full on him, I decided to make another approach and took a small sideways step closer to the stone stairs that rose to meet the entrance of the garden path. Neither of them flinched or turned to look at me so I covered a little more ground. They were almost out of view but I assumed I would be at a better listening advantage.

I sat down on the third step from the top but all I heard was silence. Not a peep came from the other side of the long corridor of trees where he and she stood facing each other. I was anxious but didn’t want to make my presence known. After what felt like an hour, with nothing to hear or see, I had to admit defeat in my eavesdropping endeavors. I got up and started to make my way all the way across the lawn, toward the guest quarters, west of the main house and xyst.

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge X is for Xyst

The above story is fiction.

Possible V Posts

Very late and very short – What this post will be by the time I finish writing it because I’m out of preloaded posts now.

VW – Matt’s car did pretty great on the way up and back to the Canyon for the wedding (tomorrow’s post!).

Variety – The musical selection on my iPod/iTunes/Pandora. It just played Matchbox 20 and Ani Difranco, then busted right into Soundgarden, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, and Air Supply. Yup. Because that’s how I roll. By the end of the day I’ll have heard every Nineties grunge/Alt band, most of the Adult Contemporary from the Seventies and Eighties, a big handful of solo female folk, and probably a healthy smattering of current pop.

Vampires – I’d love to write about this topic but you already know that if you’ve been hanging around here for a while. My favorite vampire type stuff is here, here, and here, if you’re interested in some extra credit feel free to peruse these earlier stories.

VHS Tapes – Yes I still have some as well as a VCR. I’m pretty sure the VCR is on its last leg though as it keeps losing time regardless of how many times we re-set the thing. We’ll watch them until we can’t anymore then add the whole kit and caboodle to the yard sale pile in the garage.

Vacillate – One of my favorite words of all time. Phonetically it sounds exactly like what the definition is, if that makes any sense.

Vacation – The reason I’m so behind on pre-written posts, comments, exercise, Blog Tour promotion, and quitting smoking. Time to complete at least four of those five things. Later.

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge V is for Vagaries

All but Useless

Here in Arizona one might think the umbrella is a totally useless piece of junk cluttering up a closet. Most of the time I’d be inclined to agree but there are definitely times during the year when we are truly in need of a sturdy working umbrella.

You like our early seventies tile? Hot right?

Monsoon season is just around the corner and I don’t know about you but I’d prefer not to get stuck out walking across the mall parking lot or something when this is coming down.



On the road back from Tucson, yes that is a line of rain.



The winds before it are what bring in stuff like this.



It was right about this moment Matt asked what I was thinking getting out to take pictures.



And then usually, if we’re very lucky, the rain, thunder, and lightning are close behind. That’s what makes stuff like this happen.



Very early but same pattern. April of this year.



It’s raining mud! (You should’ve seen Matt’s car just from his drive home.) But despite the gross factor of the falling clay, the rain brings the temperature back down from the 110+ range to something more reasonable like 95. Trust me in the middle of July in Phoenix 95 does feel cool.

Lots of people here use their umbrellas in the middle of the day too. That sun can really beat down on you and an umbrella will keep those dangerous rays from sneaking under your skin to cause any permanent damage. Plus you won’t go ruining your white T-shirts with cheap sunscreen stains.

Which is the primary reason I just picked up some bleach this week. It isn’t my preferred method, not as environmentally friendly as I’d like it to be but certainly effective. And it helps me from purchasing more new white clothing which probably has a bigger impact to produce than my small bit of bleach going down the drain.

At least I’m going with that tradeoff for now.

Anyway, as far as the umbrella goes, I’m really posting the picture today for my mom because we talked weeks ago about u is for umbrella and I didn’t want to let her down.

How else can we stay dry during these summer months in the desert.

All photos taken by me

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge U is for Useless

Too Many Topics

As I’ve been writing most of these posts way ahead of time I haven’t had the benefit of going through the whole day for inspiration on the letter at hand. It has forced me to think a lot more about what I want to say and how I want to say it.

So when I get to a day like today with a letter of such commonality it ends up leaving me blank. Because there’s just too many topics for T.

T! The letter T! It’s so easy, just pick anything and it probably has a T involved.

Tea

Tristan Prettyman (who’s singing on my Pandora right now)

Tongs

Toasty temperatures

Travel

Tops

Totally unrealistic character traits

Torture

And so many more I don’t have time (Time!) to go through the dictionary to document them all. So why can’t I just get one of those topics up there as my quick blast creative writing assignment and tell you all about it?

I could tell you how I like to sip a cup of iced tea in these toasty temperatures while listening to Tristan Prettyman and spinning a top.

But that would pretty much be bullshit. I’m not much for iced tea, don’t own a top and really have to be in the mood to listen to Tristan. Even when it is toasty outside.

After my “Blue Shirt” experiment the other day I know that those particular topics above would have a different feeling, resonance, vibe for everyone who reads them. Someone might not know who Tristan Prettyman is and wouldn’t think to write about her. Maybe someone else has never traveled outside their hometown so that would be their travel story. What tale might be told related to tongs?

I think I’ve just been writing so many posts per day at this point I feel like maybe I’ve run out of interesting stories to tell. Or something like that. I’m still rambling on so clearly it hasn’t taken too much of a toll. But I seem to be struggling right now because I’m actually looking forward to getting back to working on my fiction.

Only six more posts though and this challenge is in the bag. Then I can get back to torturing my beta readers with totally unbelievable character traits.

Posted for April 2013 A to Z Blog Challenge T is for Topics