Wednesday, January 2, 2019

January IWSG



Happy New Year to you. Happy New Year to me. Happy New Year, dear writers, may we all write with security. And if not, then let us know all about it during the IWSG monthly blog hop, hosted by the illustrious Alex J. Cavanaugh and his band of web-surfing maestros Patricia Lynne, Lisa Buie-Collard, Kim Lajevardi, and Fundy Blue!

January 2 question - What are your favorite and least favorite questions people ask you about your writing?

Least Favorite: So, how's the writing going?

Answer: It's not. The world has conspired against me having the time, energy, or brain power to string together letters into anything resembling coherent thought. But thanks for asking!

Favorite: Um, could I read your (unpublished) book?

Answer: Sure. Let me give you a pencil. Feel free to circle any typos you may find. On second thought, take the whole box. They're pre-sharpened!

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Ho, Ho, HELP!


Down Through The Chimney



I owe my commenters from last month's IWSG an apology. Usually I can return comments within a few days to a week. Not last month. Instead of being the most wonderful time of the year, December was brutal. 

How bad was it? Here's a small sample: (Sung to The Twelve Days of Christmas, final verse)

On the 31 Crazy Days of December, here's what happened to me:

Too many presents wrapped in a frenzy.  (Because family Christmas was on the 15th due to travel)

Eleven days my husband had the shingles, (Poor guy)

Ten days before my daughter got chicken pox, (From him)

Nine (plus 12) humongous anti-viral pills,

Eight days of pill splitting,

Seven (times 4) hours before pox reoccured, (Damn it!)

Six more days of pill splitting, (More like 12 at the rate we're going.)

Five hours on a plane.

Four horrid migraines. (For me, best-timed of which happened thirty minutes before leaving for the airport. Really?)

Three school concerts,

Two nervous breakdowns, (There were serious doubts on whether we could fly due to the chicken pox both going and coming home.) 

And our brand new kitten lost in the Christmas Tree......Touchdown!

At least there's some good news. Meet our new fur baby: little Noche, which is Spanish for "night". 




And if you're wondering about the "touchdown" reference, watch our family's favorite version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

_____________ 

How was your December? Get anything amazing for Christmas or Hanukkah? 

(I've also posted on the Parallels:Felix was Here website this week. As if you didn't have enough blogs to visit. ;)


32 comments:

  1. So that means the new year has to be better, right? Right! :)

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  2. Holy crap that sounds like a hectic December.
    I will never ever let anyone read my unpublished work again (besides ACTUAL beta readers). Made that mistake once. Now if anyone asks I will tell them to wait until it's published and then they can BUY it.

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  3. We have an identical kitty (he's two now:) and his name is Fluffy Butt. Okay, it's Oliver. And he is the BEST cat ever!!! Glad you made it through last year!

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  4. I've never had anyone ask to read an unpublished book. Wow. That's nice, but I'd think I'd run and hide if someone asked me that. At least if it wasn't one I was about to send to a publisher.

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  5. Yikes! Shingles and chicken pox do go together. I hope everyone has recovered. Cute kitty!

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  6. Sorry about all the illness. Shingles suck. You survived. And Noche is cute, even if he likes your Christmas tree.

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  7. You had a truly horrible December, poor thing. It's going to get better for sure. And the kitten is adorable.

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  8. How miserable, especially when you had a flight in the middle of it.

    Heck, take my published book and find the typos as I'm sure a few still linger.

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  9. Oh my gosh I'm sorry you had such a rough month! But little Noche is so adorable! How precious, and what a cool name.

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  10. Ooof. I hope everyone is recovering from their illnesses and things calm down for you.

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  11. The good news is, December is over! And you’ve come out the other side with a gorgeous new cat!

    Hanukkah is not like Christmas - not a gift exchanging season. But I got lots of gifts anyway, from my friends. My favourites were a gift voucher for books and aStar Trek calendar and - most exciting - a little medallion from NASA made of metal that had been in space!

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  12. Ugg - shingles. My hubs had them earlier this year - left three fingers on his left hand numb. And airplane travel with chicken pox, because air travel isn't already a nightmare! Hope things have calmed down now.

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  13. Loved how you shared about December though sorry you had to go through it. Hope the start of 2019 is better.

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  14. Oh my those 12 days! You gotta laugh or you'll cry, huh? @mirymom1 from
    Balancing Act

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  15. This reminds me to go get a shingle's shot. I hope your hubby is on the mend. I've heard it is painful. And I know you have been worked to a flitter taking care of your family. It certainly will be a Christmas to remember. I'm proud of you getting the Christmas gifts together by the 15th. Wow.

    Here's to a relaxing January. If that is possible with children, let me know. Take care my friend.

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  16. Oh my goodness! You had quite the December! I hope everything and everyone is well again :)

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  17. Oh, wow, glad you made it through okay. A fun way to sum things up in song. Gotta keep the sense of humor. The kitten is adorable :)

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  18. I failed at returning December comments too. My blogging gets sloppier and sloppier...something I hope to change in 2019.

    I hope you're all feeling better.

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  19. Love your attitude. Humor makes everything better. Shingles, ouch! I got them 2x even though I'd gotten the shot. Then chicken pox! Double ouch. No wonder you got migraines. Here's hoping this month will be much better.

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  20. At least it ended with a super cute kitty? Even the thought of Shingles makes me cringe. Ugh. AND chicken pox. Wowsers. Hopefully, it all it and 2019 will be much smoother because of it.

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  21. I've completely forgot what I was going to write because little Noche is stuck in my head. Good kitty.

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  22. Dude, December sounds like it was brutal. I'm glad you and your family survived! I hope this year is illness free for everyone.

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  23. First things first. Your new kitten is adorable! May that little cutie entertain you for many years to come.

    El sucko on the shingles and chicken pox. I hope your hubby and daughter are both feeling well now.

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  24. I don't mind what people ask about my writing – but 'where can I buy your books?' would be my favourite question.

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  25. Yes how cool would that be if people everyday asked to read your book or MS. Here's to a healthy and prosperous 2019 to you and yours.

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  26. Noche is adorable! Thankfully our cat doesn't bother with the Christmas tree. I hope everyone in your household is doing much better now. We had a sickly December too. Here's to a much healthier new year! :)

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  27. Oh, she's adorable! That's like a professional, cat calendar-worthy photo.

    If you haven't tried Zomig for migraines, I can honestly say it's completely changed my life.

    So sorry to hear about your month. Sounds like we had similar Christmases, as mine was complete shite too. Still, it can only get better from there, right? Right?

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    1. I was on Zomig for awhile, but the insurance company decided to put me on a cheaper one: Relpax. Zomig took the pain away quickly, but left me feeling very sick for a day or two. Relpax takes away the visual problems, but I usually have pain for the first day and still feel sickish for a few days. Neither are perfect, but Relpax has grown on me.

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    2. Eek! That sounds horrible. The worst side effect I've ever had from Zomig is it can make me feel sleepy.

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  28. Happy New Year, Tamara! I was just double-checking for any replies people had made to my comments, and I discovered I had missed visiting you on IWSG Day. I'm sorry that December was a brutal month for you and your husband. I do hope your hubby is feeling much better. My great Uncle Chester had shingles when I was about four, and his suffering left a big impression on me. Noche is darling! I hope every month is better for you this year!

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  29. Noche is so adorable! Sorry to hear about the illnesses.

    www.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com

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I will do everything in my power to visit commenter's blogs unless I've been abducted by aliens or my children get sick. (If my children get abducted by aliens, I will be very busy, of course, catching up on my sleep.)