Friday, January 19, 2018

Celebrate the Small Things



It's Friday! Are you ready to celebrate something? Then let's get this party started. Thanks to our indestructible host, Lexa Cain, and her co-hosts: L.G. Keltner and Tonja Drecker.

Wow, it's been about a month since I posted for CTST. I've been trying to carve out more time for writing. However, time seems to be harder than diamonds and free time can be about as hard to come by.



Image: http://geologyrocks.tumblr.com/


But I digress. Let's celebrate:

The kindness of strangers.




Last week, Mother Nature dumped 14 inches of snow on our part of the world. I love snow. I love lots and lots of snow. However, my kids were scheduled to rehearse their play at 10 a.m. that morning, so I had to drag my sleepy behind out of my warm bed to shovel at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. I know. Boo-freakin'-hoo. 



Image: MWMS1916



Now the snow was light and fluffy, so I caught a break there. Still, it took me thirty minutes to carve a 4-foot wide path down the driveway to the bottom where the big-boy city snowplows had left a wall of solid snow and ice approximately 20 feet wide, 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Yeah, living on the corner sucks this time of year. The wall was so big I wondered if Wildlings and Whitewalkers were lurking on the other side. 



Image: Wikia Fandom



As I started to chip away with my shovel, a truck came by with duel snow-plows on the front, the kind of vehicle people hire for snow removal on their driveways. This guy stopped and with two swipes of his plow, he knocked that wall of ice all the way into my lawn. Ba-BAM! Forty minutes of back-breaking labor done in seconds. 




I was so stunned I just stood there and waved, grinning like an idiot. So THANK-YOU wonderful snow plow driver, whoever you are. You saved my butt. I would have never finished shoveling on time otherwise.

Has a stranger ever helped you out when you least expected it?  

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

IWSG and Flaming Crimes Blogfest



Happy New Year! And what's more happy than a crowd of stressed-out, insecure writers? Maybe a sleighful of elves on their way to Cancun for a Christmas-recovery bash? Well, you guys deserve it. Also working like Santa and his elves are our host, Alex J. Cavannaugh and his merry band of cohosts: Tyrean Martinson, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Megan Morgan, Jennifer Lane, and Rachna Chhabria!

This month's fabulous question: What steps have you taken or plan to take to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?


I had an excellent plan. Pure brilliance. Ready? I was going to write even if I felt bad. Yep, I'm one of those wusses who might let an afternoon of precious writing time slide by because I stubbed my toe or sneezed extra hard. But no more!

It's time to buck up and type even with a pimple in my ear or a hole in my sock. Time to get some work flowing. Yeah, baby!





And then, on the first day of the shiny, new year, I got a migraine. That's what I get for making bold plans. It's a little like saying you're going to write, no matter what, and then a elephant drops out of the clear blue onto your laptop and then proceeds to eat all your pens, pencils, and spare paper. Really?

But it's okay. I have medicine. I have time to recover while my darlings tackle the insanity that is middle school. Best of all, migraines come with super-sleepy powers. Man, I could snooze through a howling blizzard--um, I think I did that already. Twice, considering the snow piling up outside.

What's my next brilliant plan? I'll let you know, right after my nap.

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Prompt: What is something ridiculous you would save if there was a fire?


So here's the deal. The family is out of danger, as are any pets. Heck, I'll even throw in the laptop, since that's another obvious save. So you have a second to grab something silly, not necessarily nostalgic. What would it be?

It's tempting to pick artwork. There's a ton of paintings, drawing, and sculptures by me and my kids that can't be replaced, but I couldn't carry it all and I'd probably be overcome by the smoke deciding which pieces to grab.

So the winner is:

My pillow. It's old, probably infested with bedbugs, but it's a ridiculously squishy contour model I'm not sure is made anymore. I take it with me whenever I travel, even if I have to give up suitcase space for other stuff, like say, clothes.







 Series: Disaster Crimes #4
Page Count: 304 
Digital Price: 4.99 
Print Price: 16.99
Rating: Spicy (PG13) 

BUY LINKS:

BLURB: Beth and Donovan are now happily married, and what Beth wants more than anything is a baby. Her dream of starting a family is put on hold as fires burn dangerously close and Donovan becomes a victim of sabotage.

Donovan escapes what could've been a deadly wreck. Their past enemies have been eliminated, so who is cutting brake lines and leaving bloody messages? He vows to find out, for the sake of the woman he loves and the life they're trying to build.

Amidst a criminal mind game, a fire ignites next to their home. They battle the flames and fight to keep their house safe from the blaze pressing in on all sides, but neither of them expects to confront a psychotic adversary in the middle of the inferno.

Their lives may just go up in flames…





 About the Author: Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept blending romance, crimes, and disasters. She’s partnered with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and runs their Goodreads book club. She’s also an editor for Dancing Lemur Press.

Author Links:
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Want to read about other ridiculous items saved from a firey fate? Check out these blogs:


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How was your Christmas? Having a Happy New Year so far?