A-Z Challenge for June

F is for Fabulous!!!!
 
I feel fabulous. I'm not dwelling on the medical issues in my life. I'm not dwelling on the fact, I am livng in an apartment instead of a house. I have a roof over my head.

It was a beautiful day here in paradise today. The sun was shining, the temps were around 89. The skies were pretty clear. I can still see sunlight through the leaves in the woods behind me. It has been quiet and peaceful.

So, I have not bothered to dress and be human. No big deal, was not expecting company. Have managed to finish the crochet part of the afghan I'm making. Now I have to cut 144, 88 inch strands of dark blue yarn, 144, 88 inch strands of baby blue yarn, and 96, 88 inch white strands of yarn. I'm not complaining. I can't wait to see it finished.

Have I communicated with the outside world? Only via text or instant messaging. And that's okay. Sometimes being away is good.

I've been blessed by a design team who is working to release my new short story, The Heir. Then re-release Target of Vengeance and finally rename and release Cold Case: Sleeping Dogs Lie. Once done with those they are looking to release the Romanian version of Sihastrul a book by Doris Plantus put out by Lilac Publishing. Finally they will work on Death Wind by Margaret F. Laing to get it out this year. Yes, I have been blessed.

So, yes, today has been fabulous!!! Hope yours was, too.

TTFN

A-Z Challenge for June

E is for English.

The language I speak. The heritage of my ancestors. A subject studied in school.

The language of my country.

The English flag known as the Union Jack.

English tea, something I learned to drink at an early age in life and still do.

There's a lot to be said about English, but I'm keeping is short.

TTFN

A-Z Challenge for June

D is for decisions.

We are faced with decisions daily. Some are small and others can be life changing. Keeping mine pretty simple for the moment.

Buy a house:

Simple, find a house you like, make an offer, secure the loan, and move in. Unless of course, the one you like has already accepted an offer. So, you are back to looking for another you might like.

Build a house:dea

For me, I want a small ranch house, no basement, no neighbors that close, and nothing looking like everything else in the neigborhood. Plus side to buildinng, I get what I want and everything is new when I move in.

The third possibility is getting a remodel loan. Buying a house I'm okay with, but it needs work before I can move in. Not real sold on the idea and the Property Brothers don't work with small budgets.

In the meantime, I'm still looking. No decision has to be made right this moment.

Other decisions include what I'm going to do with my day and what I might want to eat during the day. 

Where am I going with regard to my writing is another decision. I'm happy with it it where it is. I have much on the writing agenda and need to clear it off before I take off on another tangent.

When am I going home, for how long will I be there, and who might I see. Those questions plague me daily. 

For now I'm taking one decision at a time and like Scarlette O'Hara, I'll think about the rest tomorrow.

TTFN

A-Z Challenge for June

C is for content.

While there is a lot going on in my life right now, I find I am more content than I have been in a long time.

I have changed where I live, yet I still have a roof over my head. There are still changes coming.

These are my books which have been published through my company Lilac Publishing.  There are currently three more with my awesome design team and I am working on a fourth for them.  This gives me great content as they are actually providing a monthly income.

Yes, I am in love with my best friend. The best part is he loves me, too.

So, yes even though I am 900+ miles from family and loved ones, I am content.

TTFN

A-Z Challenge for June

B is for blessed.

I truly am. First, the blood work this morning was quick and easy. Second, I had a wonderful brunch at Sunrise Bistro. Third, the man of my dreams is trying to get his sister to visit me while she is in the area. Fourth, I just had a call from Focus on Women Magazine and they want a 1000 word essay on how I became a writer to feature me and one of my books in their magazine. Fifth, for all the wonderful people, family, and friends God put into my life.

Yes, life is a blessing. May I always remember to count them.

TTFN

The A-Z Challenge in June

A is for anticipation.

            The first flowers in spring.

Seems pretty straight forward. You might be looking forward to a package in the mail, your next vacation, the birth of a child, the list goes on.

My anticipation is the results of blood tests which Lord, please will explain what is going on with me. The downside is knowing you have a disease, but it only shows up during a flare up. Here's hoping this flare up continues for a few more days.

So, I'm looking forward to blood work in the morning with the anticipation, some of my questions will soon be answered.

In the meantime, I will anticipate every moment of the day so I can live it to the fullest.

TTFN

Just a Quickie

I did not participate in the A-Z writing challenge during the month of April. With moving and settling in, the time just wasn't there. I really miss doing it and for the first time in three years I didn't. I think I'll sign up for next year now.

In the meantime since June only has 30 days I think I'll do my A-Z challenge then. Look for my first blog to be on June 1st. I will skip the four Sundays and write the other 26 days. Not sure if I will have a theme or just write from the cuff. You'll have to wait and see.

Lots happening in my corner of the writing world. I launched Doris Plantus in February. Her book Sihastrul is flying off the shelves. It is speculative fiction, so a bit different. We now have it translated in Romanian and will be putting it out soon. The big news for her is because she is adjunct faculty at Oakland University (my alma mater for my Master's Degree), they are going to get behind her and give her a ton of marketing. Good for both of us. The more books she sells, the more money we both make.

I have edited once again Target of Vengeance and sent it to my wonderful design team at Blue Harvest Creative (www.justaddblue.com). They will give it a new interior and cover design and it will be re-released later this year under Lilac Publishing. It will also be available in ebook format when we are done.

I am working with Amazon.com attorneys to get my book Cold Case: Sleeping Dogs Lie taken down. The company who put it out has gone under and are keeping my royalties. Since I did not break the contract they owe me royalties for 2013, 2014, and  2015. I will never see the money. I want the book taken down, so I can send it to my design team and have a new cover and interior and re-release it under Lilac Publishing. It's frustrating, because I own the copyright. It is my work.

On an up note, I am working on edits for a book titled, Death Wind. It is about Native Americans. The cool thing about this book is the author is 94 years old and legally blind. It's been an interesting book so far and will by my afternoon project tomorrow.

See I'm finding ways to keep busy without getting into trouble. Those who know me well, understand this is a major accomplishment. I still find time to crochet, write letters, see friends here, and I'm thinking the pool is starting to look pretty good.

TTFN

I've Survived a Month

This have been my new digs for just over a month. Most of the time it's quiet and a pleasant place to be. Still and all it is an apartment. I hear the young woman upstairs from the time she gets home until she settles for the night. Not because she is noisy, but because like all apartment buildings no one puts in sound proofing.

I see the kids come home from school as they like to sneak in through the woods. I never hear them outside playing or carrying on like kids should. I don't even hear them when the ice cream truck comes through. It has been through twice for sure.

I have a north facing apartment so no real sunlight gets into this place. Someone needs to tell their interior decorator, north facing apartments need cream colored walls to make it lighter and appear larger. This grey-beige color is depressing. Which is why I try to go somewhere every day.

This week I am starting to use the library more. I've made copies and used the Internet to make other copies. I've set up an on-line account so I can read magazines on my computer and have learned there is no known writing group on Johns Island. Food for thought.

I purchased and put together two bar stools so I can now eat at the counter. Tomorrow I'm cleaning the counter to make it possible for me to eat there and work on the computer from there. I will set one end up as my home-office and one end as my dining area. The bar stools are neutral enough to go anywhere and I only purchased two. I'm not expecting to have large crowds of people here.

Monday I'm going to look at this little gem. It's on the largest lot in the neighborhood, but I'm thinking the person who owns it likes privacy as much as I do. There are trees and bushes all around the property and you could miss it if you didn't know it was there.  While I know it has prison windows, I really want to see what is inside. According to what I have learned so far it was built in 2007. Someone was going for an old fashioned look. No, it does not have wood siding. Yes, it does need a storm door, something you see very rarely in this area. I do not understand.

My training with Next Steps continues Monday morning and I have additional training on the CareTrac database. It is a program to keep us from duplication of services. Some of our participants are registered with other outreach organizations in the community. I'm keeping busy.

TTFN

Settling In

It took two long years to get my house sold. But I did it on my own. I sold it on a land contract, which is also something else I was not going to do. I believe the new owners will enjoy the house and it is theirs.

I have temporary digs in an apartment complex in the area of South Carolina where I want to be. I am just south of Charleston and close enough to take in the cultural events there. I am close to Fort Sumter where the Civil War began. There is history everywhere.

Mondays between 9am and 1pm, I volunteer at Next Steps Johns Island. It is a program brought together by several churches in the area. (There are approximately 181 active churches in Charleston County). The program is to help those who want to take the next step to a better life. It will take them from where they are when they walk through the doors to where they hope to go for a better future. I feel fortunate to be a part of this.

Tomorrow however, I will not be volunteering as I have to get a new driver's license and plates for my car. I also need new auto insurance as my current carrier cannot cover me if I no longer live in Michigan. Good reason to change coverage. Supposedly, coverage is cheaper in other states, than in Michigan. I am not finding this to be the case. I am waiting for a quote from a local agency to see if they can come up with something better. She has several programs she can look at.

Then it will be home to bake dessert for Bible study. I am trying out a new recipe. It looks wonderful, so we shall see. I'm excited about it.

I have a couple snapshots of the inside of the apartment.

The living room as you enter. This is my daybed sofa. 

The other side of the living room.

The kitchen. As you can see I need bar stools. Those chairs are a bit short. 

It's a very quiet place to live, which makes it condusive to writing. I rarely see or hear anyone. I have a feeling of privacy. There is a pool. I'm going to need to check it out soon.  The weather is beautiful. We get our rain mostly at night and the days are warm. 

I could get accustomed to this. I am still seeking a house or land to build on. I have time to do both. I am no longer in a rush to find a place. I have one and it's working. 

TTFN

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TTFN

Wow it's Been a While

We all have those nights when sleep won't come. This is one of those nights. I have no clue what is preventing sleep. I'm tired. The shut-off button in my head seems to be broken. Two hours I lay in bed tossing and turning. Finally I gave up.

I need my sleep. I get ornery and grumpy when I don't get enough sleep. It throws off my blood sugars, which I really don't need.

So, here I sit on my sofa, crocheting a baby afghan and streaming 20/20. Really? I can't find something more productive? I probably could, but I'm hoping the elusive sleep will over take me, soon. I do not intend to sleep all day tomorrow.

This little one has the right idea. I wish I could fall asleep as easily as a young child. If I can't sleep then something witty to write about would be my second choice. Tonight, I have nothing.

Sweet dreams.

TTFN