I finished my novella, The Wolf and the Necromancer It is finished. It is done.
I submitted the piece to the anthology Wednesday night a few hours before the deadline. I'm still worried that the lady in charge will contact me and say, "No, it's crap."

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I've been in the same heterosexual relationship for longer than I care to share with the class. My own spot in the alphabet soup sometimes get's muddled. People seem to forget that I choose a person, not a gender.

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I'm almost at 10 thousand words in my story. It has to be at least 15 thousand, but I can't fit the rest into 5 thousand words. Here's to writing a longer story than anticipated.

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My goal of getting lots of writing complete this week failed. I did learn some things about the manuscript I'm trying to push out though.
1. I started at the wrong place...

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Is is possible for me to push out a novella in a month? Honestly, I don't know. I signed up to be a part of an anthology that comes out in February 2022 (because I obviously don't understand time management). I have a basic plot. I have characters with names. I have settings. Though, I haven't started writing. It's due to the anthology group mid December.

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I released my first novel today. The Witch’s Complement is released into the world and I hope everyone who reads it enjoys it.   How This Story Developed I started writing this version of the novel three years ago. At the time, I was working full time, married with a three-year-old son, and just finished ... Read More "Release Day – My First Published Novel" »

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I interviewed the main character of The Witch’s Complement, Jesi Osman. If you have more questions for her, please let me know in the comments.  Me: So Jesi, we’re here for everyone to get to know a little more about you. Are you ready? Jesi: Yes, I am ready. Me: Tell us a little about ... Read More "Meet Jesi Osman" »

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No matter how you say the word, we all see memes every day on social media. Of course, if you don’t use social media, you might be questioning what I’m talking about. Per Merriam-Webster, a meme is “an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is ... Read More "Let’s Talk Memes" »

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I want to share with you the top 5 books I read in 2020. I only read 17, so it was a short, yet difficult list to choose from. My mind was a little mushy this past year, so some books I read left impressions and feelings, but I have little recollection as to what they were about. Let’s start from the top.

1. Forbidden Harmony by Elizabeth Kelly

Forbidden Harmony is the third in the Harmony Falls series by Kelly and is a contemporary romance. The story is about a school teacher, Addison, who recently broke off her engagement to the man she’s been dating since high school. Left lost and heartbroken after finding him having an affair with his assistant, she does the things he thought were beneath her, or rather him. That leads her to the tattoo parlor owned by Preacher. She’s not attracted to him at all, at least that’s what she tells herself. And then all the sexy things happen.

I love reading anything by Kelly. She knows how to build tension. She knows how to develop characters I love to love and those I love to hate. And her sex scenes are off the freakin’ charts. If you pick up this book, be sure to have a fan handy. You’ll need it to cool yourself down.

2. Wildfire Hellhound by Zoe Chant 

Wildfire Hellhound is the fifth of the Fire & Rescue Shifters: Wildfire Crew series and is a paranormal romance. Fenrir is a hellhound that thinks he’s an ordinary wolf. He doesn’t know he’s a shifter, but now he knows better and he’s found his mate. Darcy is a PI that is just trying to find her client’s husband when she sees a very naked man pass out in the middle of the road. Her life is about to change forever.

I have waited for this specific book to come out for over a year. I even reviewed the second book in the series. I desperately wanted to know the background of the fire crew’s resident hellhound and why he wouldn’t shift. This book was worth the wait. Wildfire Hellhound is one of the most complex story lines I’ve read from Chant, and I loved it. Chant’s sex scenes aren’t anything to sneeze at either, so hold on to your seat.

3. I Should Be Writing by Mur Lafferty

I Should Be Writing is a professional book on writing that I read at the end of 2020. If you are thinking about writing, I recommend you read this. It is nice to have an author tell you that everyone has their own way of doing things and you need to figure out what works for you. She includes tips and tricks to try yourself and includes a great section on how to edit. If you are looking for professional writing books, I Should Be Writing should be on your list.

4. Edge of Night by Ramona Gray 

Edge of Night is the second of the Shadow Security series and is a paranormal romance. Daisy is the admin for a security firm owned and run by shifters. Shifters terrify her, but she can’t keep her eyes off of her boss. Her boss, Cooper, has had his eye on Daisy since he hired her. He is determined to help her get over her fear and into his bed.

Gray builds up the anticipation with this novel. The tension between Daisy and Cooper is tangible and delightful. The two character’s fit so well together. The dance they do before they commit is worth the read. This is another ‘fan yourself while you read’ novel.

5. License to Shift by Kathy Lyons

License to Shift is the second of the Grizzle’s Gone Wild series and a paranormal romance. (Do you see a theme yet?) Mark is a grizzly shifter that is slowly going feral. When he can no longer shift back, they will put him down before he hurts someone. But the one who got away, Julie, is back in town. There may be time for him to make amends to her and show her how he feels before he goes wild. Julie is questioning everything she knows about the world and about her own buried feelings for Mark. Mark is fighting his inner grizzly for one more moment with Julie while fighting off enemies looking for her father’s research.

License to Shift is full of action and tense situations. Mark and Julie fight each other as much as they fight the enemies. The anticipation builds towards the last moments of the last one question you’ve had since the first book in the series. Will Mark go feral and die? Honestly, it could go either way until the very end. This book is a wild ride. Get it? Wild…ride?

I hope you enjoyed this rundown of my 5 favorite reads of 2020. Looking over my list I see one book I need to re-read, because I have strong warm fuzzy feelings towards it, but I just can’t remember what happened. August was a stressful month of quitting my job and teaching my son at home. E-learning is great, but exhausting. Kids know how to push their parent’s buttons. Anything else that happened in August is in the mush part of my brain. Sorry August book I don’t remember.

Let me know what books were your 2020 favorites and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Subscribe to my blog and newsletter for updates. Go to my “About the Author” page to subscribe today!

*Book covers are not my own and are property of the authors named.

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Goodbye 2020 and hello 2021. 2020 is winding down and everyone seems to look toward 2021. After surviving this past year, I’ve looked back to see what I’ve accomplished. It’s not much.

What I’ve Accomplished

I have finished my first round of edits on The Witch’s Complement. I plan on publishing it in 2021. I started the first draft of the second book in that series.

I entered a flash fiction contest. The rules were to write a 250-word story on the topic given within 24 hours. I will know the results in January.

I wrote rough drafts of two short stories, one of which will be a freebie for anyone signing up for my newsletter. The other is solidly in the erotica category, which has me considering submitting it to an anthology or writing several short stories in that genre and releasing it as a set of erotic short stories.

I spent the last 5 months teaching my son and his friend via e-learning with the local primary school. I knew that teaching was hard, but I never considered the emotional and mental toll it takes on a person. Just the patience I had to maintain sucked away my mental strength. Teachers do not get paid enough to put up with and teach our bratty children.

I lived through being an “essential worker” for almost 6 months before I quit to teach my son. My job was neither essential nor fulfilling. They gutted my department by 40% within the 3^rd month of the pandemic and expected everyone to keep a positive attitude. I’d never been so disgruntled in all my life.

Past Goals vs Future Desires

Now I am facing 2021 looking back on my 2020 goals. My goals for 2020 were a bit great. You can read them here. I wanted to post one blog a week. That did not happen. And looking back, even in the first two months, I felt that it would not happen. It was too much for me on top of all my other responsibilities.

My writing goal of finishing my first draft and publishing was off. The pandemic stress and constantly changing priorities blew it out of the water. Without the pandemic, I think I could have been ready to publish by October, which is still past my original goal of July.

The conference goals were just dead by March. They were all canceled. I have no idea what conventions will be up and running this year.

What goals? Did you have goals? I lost mine…

My reading goals died with my stress level. Failing the goal of reading 36 books by the end of the year is the one that upsets me the most. I love to read. But I had a hard time concentrating this year. It just didn’t happen. I read 16 books, not even half of my goal.

Looking Forward

So goodbye 2020. I look toward 2021, and the only thing that I really want to do is publish my novella. So that will be my goal for the year. Anything else I accomplish is icing on the book cake. Now I want cake in the shape of a book.

Place holder for my book cover.

Whatever 2021 brings, let’s all try to great it with flexibility and understanding. Let’s look into the future and let go of the grief that 2020 introduced into our lives. Waiting for the next shoe to drop has weighed many of us down. I will no longer wait for that proverbial shoe to fall, but walk forward wearing a hard hat, knowing it will fall. I am prepared to roll with it instead of letting it stop me in my tracks.

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It’s Thanksgiving here in the United States and while I’ve been sneaking in some truth into my son’s curriculum I do have to say that the idea of taking the time to reflect on the past and what is good in my life is a good exercise. It’s good for my mental health and for my soul.

I have lots to be thankful for this year despite all the negatives 2020 has unleashed on the world. My family is still together. My mom, my sister and her family, and my husband’s family are all healthy. I have taken the opportunity to spend lots of time with my son this fall and as much as we drive each other crazy, we love each other more. I have watched his little mind learn and it’s a delight.

And honestly, I’m thankful my son is still with us. He was born with a pulmonary artery sling. So, I’m thankful for science and medicine and the doctors that treated him.

We didn’t know anything was wrong until he got his first cold. His breathing was shallow and he wouldn’t eat. That was our first hospital visit. He was hooked up to oxygen and IVs and given breathing treatments. After the third hospital stay, we pulled him out of daycare and hired a nanny.

He was sent to a pulmonary (lung) doctor. She performed a bronchoscopy. He was put to sleep and she took a look inside his lungs with a camera. She had several different ideas of what might be wrong. None of those ideas were correct. She noticed something that sent us to the cardiologist.

Once at the cardiologist, they did an EKG and an echocardiogram. The echo showed the pulmonary artery sling. His left pulmonary artery branched off from the right pulmonary artery and was laced between his trachea and esophagus.

He needed surgery to fix it. Otherwise, every time he had a chest cold, he would end up in the hospital on oxygen taking breathing treatments. There wasn’t a pediatric cardiac surgeon in my area so, we had to go to Atlanta. Six days after he turned one, he had the surgery, a pulmonary artery sling repair. They opened up his chest, put his heart on bypass, and moved his artery to where it’s supposed to be.

Right after surgery

It was so nerve-wracking. My EE, my mom, and my sister all sat in the waiting room. It was impossible to carry on a conversation. After hours of waiting, he was out of surgery and in the ICU. It felt like we lived in that hospital for weeks when it was around five days. And we brought him home on so many different types of medicine. He began walking within the month. The pulmonary doctor released us from her care after a few months. And eleven months later, the cardiologist told us to come back in 2 years.

A few days later – Kids bounce back well

My son still goes to the cardiologist every two years for an EKG and echo. Just a short check-up to make sure everything is still closed and working correctly. He can run and jump and do everything any other kid can do. He has no medical limitations.

The next summer we put him back in daycare (despite how amazing our nanny was, we couldn’t afford her much longer).

This month is the 5th anniversary of his surgery. He’s now in Kindergarten, he is learning to read and write, and he can play video games better than I can. He’s my healthy boy. I love him with all my heart, even when he’s mad at me or I’m mad at him.

The 6 year old now

So, I implore you to take a few minutes and think about the things that you are thankful for today and tomorrow and the next day. It doesn’t have to be something momentous. Somedays I’m thankful for my cat purring on my lap. Or that I have time for a nap.

Let me know what you’re thankful for today or tomorrow or whenever.

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It has been 14 weeks since school started for my now 6-year-old. He has been e-learning at home for 14 weeks. I have not killed him yet.

He is constantly pushing the envelope. He wants to argue about all of his assignments. He asks questions that he knows the answers to. I haven’t thrown him through a window.

By Hebert Santos from Pexels 

These last 14 weeks have pushed us to the brink. He walked out of the house this week saying he was leaving forever. He came back within three minutes. He was mad that I took away his video games for the day. Negative consequences are not his friend and he is not graceful when he loses. He’s kind of a poor winner as well. I keep reminding myself that he is six. We are still trying to teach him that there are consequences for everyone’s actions, including his.

For several hours this week he was furious with me. I was exhausted and tired of hearing him try to negotiate his games back. He would resort to whining. My EE, who is back to working half a week from home again, would yell downstairs for him to stop. I have not killed my EE either.

Yet as the day carried on, the 6-year-old still wanted to cuddle with me. He’s still a mamma’s boy. I remind him that when he’s in trouble, when I’m mad at him, I still love him. I remind him that my anger or the consequences have nothing to do with my love for him.

But the little shit needs to realize that he can’t cry and get his way. I don’t know what he’s thinking. It’s not like we negotiate with him when he’s in trouble. Where does he get this idea that I’m gonna change my mind? And the more time that passes the less he pays attention to instructions from me. Then he wants to know why I’ve raised my voice.

He complains every time we go eat. Now, we are lucky to live in an area that are only serving half capacity and he want’s to bitch about leaving the house. Really? You’ve been here all week. Put your shoes on and get in the car. Once we get there, he’s fine. He eats and enjoys himself. Dude is a major introvert.

Also, he has to write for school. Remember, he’s in kindergarten and they cover how to write your letters and sound out words. He will write a sentence using the letter form they are teaching him. Then he writes his name like it’s the first time he’s written anything.

I love him, but I just don’t remember enough about being 5 or 6 to understand what he is going through. Also, I never talked back to my mom. I was not great with confrontation. This kid lives for it. I think it’s just a good excuse for him to talk. And boy does he love to talk.

But I’m exhausted. I’m emotionally exhausted. I am not meant to be a teacher. I marvel at all the individuals that can handle a classroom of children and teach them anything. So, if you’re a teacher, I raise my well-deserved glass of alcohol to you and your skills. May you be blessed by whatever god you believe.

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My son is entering kindergarten this year and after great discussion and debate, my husband and I decided to take advantage of our county’s offer of e-learning for the semester. This means I’ll be stepping down from my job of 12 years and teaching my son.

The last day at my current job was August 13th. My first day as a stay at home mom/teacher is tomorrow, August 17th. We are fortunate that we can entertain and make this choice.

Wrong Choice?

Either way, I feel like I’m making the wrong choice. Will my son look back on this time with disdain? Will he understand the stress of making a choice with lasting consequences? Will this have lasting effects on our mental health and wellbeing?

I know that others don’t have much of a choice. Counties that are opening schools to only e-learning leave families in tough situations. There are families that cannot live on a single income or only have a single income with limited childcare options. Some families don’t make a living wage and barely scrape by with government assistance. These families rely on schools and the community for education and other services.

The truth is, as a society, we are not prepared or willing to consider that not everyone needs to or has to work. As robots are created to do more and more mundane labor, groups of laborers are without jobs and are forced to find new employment. At some point, jobs will not be there and people will still be standing, wanting for the basic necessities.

But I digress. At the moment, I am glad that an option is offered for my son’s school system but worry about the kids and families that will walk into school on August 17th. Kids need the socialization and education that schools supply but they should also be safe from the pandemic. We are faced with limited and conflicting data on how this virus affects children. People are prone to confirmation bias. I know that I’ve done it. And I will make the mistake again. Some may think that I am being overly protective and I’m okay with that. I just ask for support in my decisions as I support others in theirs.

The summer, my son has been in camp at the daycare he’s attended since he was a year old. He has lost 2 of his 3 masks. How many masks will be lost this school year as we try to prevent the spread of a virus with a growing list of complications? It will take years to sort out the long-term effects of COVID-19. People take for granted the fast-acting world of science. People forget that science changes as new evidence presents itself. And not in a “hey, look what I have for you today Science.” In a “look what I have been studying for the last few months. It changes what we know about X. Can someone recreate this process to see if it’s correct?” kind of science.

I take my temperature before I take medicine for a headache, just in case. I randomly take my son’s temperature because he runs a little hot and I run a little cold so I’m not always sure if he’s running a fever or not. My husband bought a touch-less thermometer to check to see if they were accurate and a finger oxygen sensor for adults. We have an oxygen sensor for our son from when he was a baby. That’s a different, long story unto itself. We could use that one, but my husband bought the adult one anyway. Rather, he bought it and then told me about it.

That is just the tip of his “hunker down mode” as he calls it. He is trying to gather all the supplies we need while I am out of a job with income. Lots of organizational items. I asked him to pick up a ream of paper printer paper. He bought a box.

Everything is changing here. I am scared that I will do a poor job and let my family down, let myself down. I worry that I will not have an escape plan from my marriage if it comes to that. My husband and I have a solid relationship, but it is still a worry. And that worry is just baggage of being raised by a single parent and knowing how hard it can be. I also know that it was one of the best decisions my mom made for herself and her children. It is still scary to think about. The what-ifs in life that creep into the back of my mind while I am trying to live and grow and change can consume me if I let it. Each step is filled with trepidation and questions.

For all the parents out there struggling with this, know you are not alone. We are all here trying to make the right decisions, the best decisions for our families. I see you and I hope you see me. And maybe, just maybe in a year we can look back and laugh. But know that these struggles contribute to who we are and we will get through all the worries and tears somehow.

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It has been months since I looked at my writing and my website. I went through over 75 comments that were posted on my site since…my last post in April. So much spam. So much potential spam? I approved a number of comments that I am sure are 90% spam in and of themselves. I need a better was of spotting the sneaky spam. The cam girl adds and buy CBD here comments or rather ads are easy to pin point. So what is the point of the “Hey your blog is nice” spam comments? Some may be legit, but others don’t fit the actual post. Anyway, if my site becomes over run with naked people using CBD, you’ll know what’s up.

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I know some writers start off writing fan-fiction. I’ve done it. Casandra Claire did it and the 50 shades lady did it. Writing fan-fiction is not as shameful as it used to be. At least not to me and I’m in my late 30s. So, I was intrigued when I learned about a set of mysteries starting Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice fame and Sherlock Holmes of, well, Sherlock Holmes fame. With the first book being 99 pennies, I decided to jump down this rabbit hole. 

Now as you can tell from the series title, these eight books are about Sherlock Holmes and Elizabeth Bennet teaming up and solving mysteries. It’s a great fan-fiction pair. This is essentially what these books are – fan-fiction that Littlewood is getting paid to write. She’s living the dream. And with both characters and stories considered public domain, anyone could take these characters and make them do the chicken dance…or fight zombies. 

I read them in order, starting with Death at Netherfield Park Ball. Now if you have read the first book and decided not to read the rest, I understand. It is a 3-star book. With the story keeping with the Pride and Prejudice plot, it was a tad awkward. It took a while for me to adjust to the language (I questioned its authenticity) and putting both characters in the same decade was a bit difficult for my brain to grasp…at first. Bennet existed in the early 1800s and Holmes in the late 1800s. Having read both of the original text, I noticed the struggle of marrying the two stories. 

The first book ended and I realized it was short. It doesn’t end where Pride and Prejudice ends. And I thought, you know, I need to read the next one. I wanted to see where she takes these two characters. I am so glad I stuck with it. The next seven books had a nice flow and the author kept true to the characters’ character. Characters’ personality? Characters’ nature? Anyway, I’m sure there are those that disagree on this aspect, but I think Littlewood did a good job of keeping the characters consistent with the personalities portrayed in the original texts.  

The next books followed a Holmes-style mystery plot with the subplot being filled out with Bennet’s home life and interactions between our two heroes. Littlewood takes some from the original Holmes mysteries and brings a little something more to the stories. My concerns with the authenticity of the language and setting disappeared as I sunk into the stories. 

I loved reading the interaction between Holmes and Bennet. Bennet was always a strong female figure and I loved seeing that translate into her solving cases. Holmes never quite softened, but the chemistry between the two formed a delightful friendship. 

Sexy Romance Rating:

There is none. This is absolutely not a romance. If you are looking for some Bennet/Holmes lovin’, you will not find it here. 0 out of 5 stars.

Overall Rating: 

Each book is short so I’m rating them as a whole. They are all fun and easy to read. The plots are all mystery driven with subplots giving you a taste of the Pride and Prejudice life. The pair of Sherlock Holmes and Elizabeth Bennet working together is entertaining. The friendship between the two and how they navigate each other’s worlds is enlightening. I would like to read more, but don’t expect a ninth book. I give this series a solid 4 out of 5 star rating.

Link to the first in the series – Death at Netherfield Park Ball

Amelia Littlewood’s Amazon page

Don’t forget to like and leave a comment below.

This has been another edition of Lucy’s Book Reviews.

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As I sit here eating dark chocolate covered raisins, I look back on the last week of this craziness. My irrational fears show themselves and I want to hunker down in the house and never leave.

And I worry.

My son had open-heart surgery when he was a year old. They needed to relocate his left pulmonary artery. A congenital defect, the left pulmonary artery grew out of the right pulmonary artery and snaked between his trachea and esophagus. Left Pulmonary Artery Sling.

He’s fine now. He’s 5 and strong. He will never need another surgery for this issue. But his left pulmonary artery is smaller than his right. And while he has never had any more problems and runs and plays with ease a little voice, that little voice, in the back of my mind whispers that any lung problems would be made worse by his smaller left pulmonary artery.

This is unfounded. There is nothing to suggest that he is at a greater risk of complications from contracting the coronavirus than anyone else. But he’s my baby, my world. Sure I want to shake some sense into him from time to time, but I don’t. He’s my baby, my little boy.

So I’m to go off to work tomorrow with a near-empty hangar. Even working only 20 hours a week, I worry I will pick up the coronavirus and bring it home for my entire household. And we will be at the mercy of our cats to take care of us. We gonna die.

My chances of contracting corona are low. They’d be lower if some of my coworkers we’re married to nurses.

Then I worry about them.

And my mom who’s over 60. And my sister with asthma and her family stuck in Ohio under a shelter in place order. A group of extroverts stuck in the house. They can’t hermit for a weekend without twitching at the end of it and now they are forced to work from home, teach from home, and not go insane.

I, in turn, have to bribe my kid to go outdoors. He’s fine playing inside, eating sandwiches, and creating all the art projects. Look, kid, we both need some fresh air and exercise. Put Your Clothes On.

We’re safer than most and being smart, yet I don’t want to walk into that hangar tomorrow to calibrate equipment or whatever else that needs done. I want to be home with my baby – who is 5 so not really a baby – and my EE who has the opportunity to work from home.

And if I’m feeling this deep urge to shelter and mama bear my family I can’t imagine the feelings of those people who don’t have the option to work from home, whose risk of exposure is significant.

Bless each and everyone one of you. We don’t deserve you.

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Son of a bitch. It’s only been two days of quarantine. The native is quelled, but my thought process is a little hazy. I managed to drag him outside for half an hour, before he escaped back into the house.

We’ve created so much art. Colors grace paper after paper after paper in pen, crayon, paint, and markers. Any activity book must be read as the creature can only read about a dozen words. Trying to get him to understand a sentence with only knowledge of a, the, can, he, and and isn’t sufficient.

This is just a small portion of art

He’s inundated me with flashing lights and pictures that rotate over and over with repeating stories. The constant “now watch this and don’t stop watching” request is new, leaving me with less time in my own head. It’s only saving grace is that these pictures and stories have educational value.

The animals are indifferent verging on annoyed by our constant presence, except the female who vies for attention. Hours pass with the native and female feline pushing each other out of my lap. Please stop touching me.

I head to the land of employment tomorrow. My time and research at this homestead doesn’t pay and the creature expects food and clothes, something of my own doing. The expectations I’ve given him have backfired in my face.

I will leave him with my companion. My companion’s time and research in the homestead rival my own, only he’s expected to labor in here for the company that provides currency. The native may not appreciate the lack of devotion and retaliate.

They say this will end in a fortnight. I lack the faith of that assurance. My companion and I will prepare and await the news from our leaders. We can hold this pattern for an unforeseeable future, but can the others?

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Ah, there is nothing like a little strep throat to set you back a week. Or is that a week and a half? I am not quite sure. All I know is I slept the last two weekends away. My EE gave me the bacterial infection and my 5-year-old escaped the entire sickness. We’ve watched too much Peppa Pig. I think the 5-year-old is too old for Peppa Pig, but I’m not going to stop him.

My EE did throw a cat party for the 5-year-old while I was down with a fever. It was adorable. The kid said one of our cats whispered in his ear that we needed to have a cat party. The cat cake turned out excellent. It was all thanks to my EE. I did zero work for the party. I didn’t even eat the cake. But it’s adorable. Look at that.

Cat Party Cake – Thanks my EE

I did read a book and am halfway through two different books regarding the writing craft. One is more about motivation and writing as part of your spiritual path or something along those lines. It wants me to follow along with the lessons. I don’t want to follow along with the lessons, or I’m not ready to follow along. So, I skipped to a different book. I know I will go back to the first. It has its merits, it’s just not the right time for me.

In the meantime, my novel is waiting, collecting dust. My word count is nothing, but my total sleep time has improved. Ha.

Anyway, have you ever made plans to attend a group and you just never make it? There is a writing group in town that critiques each other’s work. I’ve been telling myself I am going to go for about six months. I might actually go this week. I might chicken out. I won’t know until Tuesday.

And right now, I have a cat staring at my hands while I type. She has that ‘pet me’ look on her face. I’m sure she’s wondering why I’m petting a hunk of metal instead of her fluffy face. She’s cute and bossy.

I’m trying to type here

Yes, this isn’t a wonderful post, but I need to re-adjust some things in my life to get my words typed. Strep throat really set me back or maybe it rebooted me.

Now it’s onward into this week. With a writer’s group meeting and Valentine’s day on Friday, I am looking forward to it. But I really should look into getting something for my EE for Valentine’s day. He is the one that enjoys that holiday.

If you hated this post, that’s okay. I do too. But I don’t want to leave you hanging and thinking I’m giving up. You dear reader (even if it’s just family) are keeping me accountable and I appreciate it. Keep up the good work. If you want to connect, comment or reply to this post. You can also email me or sent me a message through the About the Author page. Until next time.

The post Small Achievements: Coming Back After a Delay appeared first on Lucille Yates - Writes.

There is a website called Random Word Generator. It is a great place to look for a writing prompt. It offers prompts as words, names, sentences, phrases, numbers, and more. It is an interesting site I stumbled across. I haven’t written from a writing prompt in a while and I want to share what I’ve come up with based on the one I chose from this page.

Prompt:
He had a hidden stash underneath the floorboards in the back room of the house.

Screenshot from randomwordgenerator.com

Timothy was not in a hurry. He was never in a hurry. He made it his life’s mission to never rush to do anything. This was not the impression others had of him. His clothes were always clean and pressed. Lunch was never forgotten at home. Timothy was predictable. Timothy is always early. Until the day he wasn’t.

Jane was Timothy’s closest friend and co-worker. In the office, they sat side by side and were perpetual teammates on projects. And Tuesday, Timothy was late.

Jane threw her coat on the back of her chair and looked at the desk beside hers. Empty. While unusual, she was a bit early. Traffic on Timothy’s side of town did look bad that morning. But as the clock crept closer to eight, Jane got a bad feeling. At eight o-one, Jane was already dialing Timothy’s number. It rang until his voice mail picked up.

Picking up her coat, Jane found herself on the road to Timothy’s house. Pulling up to his house she instantly knew something was wrong. His garage door was up, the front door was open, and Timothy was spray-painting symbols on the front yard. She jumped out of her car

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I have to go home,” he said without looking at her.

“You are home,” she said. “Look behind you. It’s your house.”

“No,” he said looking up from his work. “I have to go home to my family. They need me. Jazu needs me.”

“Jazu?” she asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Jane,” Timothy started, “it’s a long story that I just don’t have the time to tell you. I have to hurry.”

Jane stood there and stared at her co-worker. This man carried her through countless projects. They never finished late and they never hurried. Timothy wouldn’t let them. He was the master of time management. This was literally the first time she’d seen him sweat. And boy was he sweating.

“Let me help you,” she said. She walked over to the symbols he was painting in the grass.

“I don’t think you can.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and compared it to the lawn art.

“Sure, I can,” Jane said. “I don’t have anything better to do today.”

“Jane,” he said, “you are my closest friend. There is something I must tell you before I go.”

He pulled her by her hand and led her into the house and sat her down at the dining room table.

“Jane, I’m not from this world,” he began. “I grew up in a different dimension, one adjacent to the earth we are on now. That world was called Jazu.”

“Do you have any medicine I can pick up for you?” Jane asked.

“Jane, listen.” Timothy’s voice shocked Jane. “Jazu is a land of chaos. A world of fear and vengeance. Most of all, it is a world without time. Of course, it has time, only people counted time differently. No one is ever on time. In fact, each family has its own unit of counting time. It’s terrible. I hate it.

“My family counts time much slower than the other families. On Jazu, we were never where I wanted to be. We were late for everything. The food was gone when we arrived to events. Once we arrived just as our friends were coming back from a three-day excursion. We were three days late. That is when I decided to leave and come here.”

“You came here?” Jane asked. “Because everyone uses the same system of time?”

“Yes,” Timothy said. “And now I have to go back. I got word that time has gotten worse in Jazu and it’s ripping the planet apart. I think I can bring what I’ve learned here to help keep the planet together.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Jane ran her hand through her hair and focused on her friend. His eyes were wide and clear. He didn’t look any different.

“Please trust me,” Timothy said. Jane studied his face a bit longer then nodded. She could always have him admitted to a hospital after his plan fails.

“Thank you, Jane,” he smiled. “I have a hidden stash underneath the floorboards in the back room of the house. It’s the last thing I need to get to my dimension.”

Timothy stood up and made his way to the back room. He moved the bed to the side and pried open the floor with a crowbar he pulled from the closet. Underneath the floor, he pulled a small leather bag. She could hear whatever was inside clink together.

“Come on,” he said. “I have to hurry.”

“Hurry?” she asked. “You?”

She found herself rushing after him. He made his way to the front yard where the markings were still fresh. He put his arm out to keep her from rushing into the middle of the design.

“Stay back,” he said. He opened the leather bag and held it high above his head. He began speaking in a language Jane didn’t understand. Her eyes were wide and her breath quickened. Timothy’s voice began to get louder. That was when Jane noticed that the wind was whipping around her face. In an instant, she saw him thrust the contents of the bag out onto the design. Dice. He rolled dice from the bag onto the yard like some strange LARP experiment.

The ground began to shake. Underneath the markings, the ground cracked and opened. Violet and red light shined from the crevice. Jane stopped breathing. Everything she thought she knew was turned on it’s head.

“I have to go,” Timothy said over the noise of the wind. “Come with me. I could use your help.”

“Are you crazy?” Jane asked. “I can’t leave.”

“Why not?” he asked. “What do you have keeping you here?”

“I…,” Jane stammered. She couldn’t think of one thing to keep her on earth. He was offering her adventure. And they did make a great team.

Timothy held out his hand to her. She looked at it and back at the strange light stretching from the ground. Without another thought, she put her hand in his.

“Let’s do this,” she said with a smile. He smiled back.

“On three,” he said. “One. Two. THREE.”

They jumped into the crack. Into Jazu. To fix time.

Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think. Please reply to leave any comments or questions.

• Lucille

The post A Writing Prompt: Underneath the Floorboards appeared first on Lucille Yates - Writes.

I’m not ready and neither is the FREE software.

Are you curious about speech to text software? I am definitely curious. I have this idea that it will give me freedom. I can get my ideas down while moving and working with my hands – see laundry. And I hear other authors use dictation to write their books. So, it can work for me. The prospects are positive.

And I’ve downloaded some free software to try it out called Speechnotes. Well, I downloaded it on my phone a few months ago. Since last year actually. I tried to use it with my last set of Bluetooth ear buds. Due to the age of my ear buds the microphone did not work. I ditched it and talked into my phone speaker. Disaster.

I want to be able to use speech to text while working. Either driving or folding clothes. I gave up on the project. Recently I remembered that I have a new set of Bluetooth ear buds and a new Bluetooth set up in my car. (I was slumming it with an AUX cable for years. Welcome to the future Lucille.) So, I tried it again…

While driving. Now I know that people suggest doing this kind of dictation while driving in slow traffic. I am extremely fortunate to not have much slow traffic coming home from work. The timing is just right. So, I just started talking to my speech to text software going 80 down the highway. 

First, I tried re-writing a scene from my current work in progress (WIP). It starts with my character Jesi coming home to her apartment and her love interest knocking on the door a few minutes later. I had to take many deep breaths. I was nervous and losing my train of thought. 

Then I just talked about where I grew up. I have this essay idea to discuss the benefits of spending time in the woods, even if you don’t specifically live in the country. This went smoothly in terms of talking. It was just easier. It could be that I was warmed up by talking through my WIP or I didn’t have a real goal at the moment. It could be a little of both. 

And I didn’t use any punctuation words. I know that it makes it easier in editing if you throw in a ‘period’ and ‘open quotes’ key words while you talk. Honestly, this experiment of using the speech to text software was spur of the moment and I don’t know those key words or if the software recognizes them. It is free software. 

Just take a look at the paragraph below. This is the first part of my speech to text from my WIP. Or it’s supposed to be from my WIP. No punctuation. No spacing. No breaks. It reads like some of my school friends Facebook posts. (Dude, we grew up together. Did you not pay attention in class? Do you know how to use a period? Comma?) So, I want to show you my comparison of what the software heard vs what I was trying to say. 

What the Software Heard:

END COMPARISON 

The software missed some of my words. Big chunks to be honest. This is most likely my fault. I tend to mumble at times. Just ask…well anyone in my life. I was also driving and road noise is another reason for the lack of record. And as I said before I was nervous. So, it is highly possible that what I was thinking never made it out of my mouth. Either way the AI transcription is a jumble of nonsense. 

My take away from this is:

• To not use this while driving. Getting rid of the road noise should help. 
• Be closer to the microphone when speaking (use the Bluetooth head set/ear buds)
• Try it more often. This will get you accustomed to telling your story out loud. 
• Maybe use a program that is not free. Don’t be cheap like me. Invest if you are serious about using a speech to text program.

I will update if I try any of my take-aways in the future. I have also found another software app to use called Otter. I might give it a shot.

And you can always comment below and let me know what I’m doing wrong, what I can do better, and/or what software is worth the money. 

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