Feeling Good, but Still Sick...

Hey everyone,

Well, I'm finally getting things done again.  Between flooding, illness, and children, things have been very busy around here.  

As you probably know, the entire state of South Carolina is recovering from severe flooding.  My friends have dubbed the event "rainocalypse."  I thought it was just going to flood in a few places, but it turned out to be much, much worse than I expected.  Thankfully, we live on the top of a hill and in an area that was less affected than most.  My family did lose power and clean water for a little while, but they also live on a hill, so they were also lucky.  The amount of damage throughout the state is depressing.  For at least a week, businesses were shut down all over the state.  Even as it is, a lot of places are still closed or still suffering from lack of clean water/supplies.  Many of the roads are still closed too.  It's getting better, though.

Unrelated to the flooding, I've been sick off and on for about a month now.  I've had a constant cold and bronchitis.  Currently, I think I might be on my way to a sinus infection.  One of the problems with sending your toddler to preschool is that they bring back any illness going around in the classroom.  My poor older daughter is suffering from a constant cold as well.  For a short time she had croup cough.  The cold virus (not croup cough) also made the infant sick, but she's okay.  Honestly, she's taking it better than we are.  I can't complain too much, though.  It could've been a lot worse.  I just hope that we all feel better soon.  I'm very tired of being sick.  Also, being sick makes me exhausted, and that makes me less productive.  I get down on myself sometimes when I don't get much done, so I'll be glad to have my energy back.

I'm finally adjusting to having two children.  It is a challenge, but so far so good.  I love my little girls.  They keep me busy, but it's a good kind of busy.  We're starting to have normal routines again.  My two month old is starting to respond to picture books, so I'm starting to read to both of them.  My older child needs to stop watching as many movies, but I'm almost back to one in the evening and mostly books, toys, and learning games during the day (During my bronchitis, I sometimes had to resort to movies so that I could relax a little, so naturally that's what she expects now.).  Now that she's in preschool four days out of the week, she gets a good amount of learning games, activity, and books anyway, so getting back into that routine has been a little easier.  She's making friends as well, which is exciting to hear.

I've figured out the best times to write again, so I've been more productive lately than I've been in a long time.  I've finished reworking my "Grim of Black Pond" story (except for test reading).  It's now entitled "The Beast of Black Pond" and I know it's much better for the changes that I made.  So, thank you to my contacts at penguin random house for giving me the suggestions.  Currently, they're looking over my novella "Scarecrow" right now.  I'm hoping for the best.  I really want this to work out.  I think there's definitely a need for more young reader/middle grade horror.  It's a genre lots of children like, and a genre I love to write.  While I'm nowhere near arrogant or stupid enough to think I could compete with R. L. Stine, I would love to be even in the same section with him.  Wish me luck.

Well, that's about it for now.  I'll keep you posted as major things come up (first, the Halloween Party).  Talk to you soon.  Take care!