Bogged Down by Illness

Hello Everyone,

Well, it seems that my days of being well again were only in the single digits. Now I have bronchitis. This wasn't exactly unexpected. I have chronic bronchitis, but it does slow me down. I'm doing my best to finish the Christmas story, but I'm going at a pretty slow pace. I'm mostly dealing with a lot of fatigue. I'm counting my blessings it wasn't pneumonia. The way the doctor mentioned that made me slightly nervous. He kept saying things like, "I don't think we need a chest x-ray..." Chest x-ray? Eek!  Anyway, I'm going to try to take it as easy as I can with two children who are also still sick. (If getting over sickness makes you stronger, we're all going to be Spartans by the end of this ordeal. My entire household has been sick for over a month now.)

I'm working on the final draft of Spine Chillers: The Firefly. We should be able to publish it next week. I'm hoping that it will come out on Monday, but That depends on a few things. This weekend is going to be a busy one. I've had a great deal on my mind lately and it's sometimes hard to keep everything together. Also, I want to make sure its perfect or as perfect as it will be before I publish. As I mentioned, the bronchitis is slowing me down. I'll do my best.

I have the first sketch of the picture for the cover of the Christmas Spine Chiller. It looks awesome! I hope you enjoy it. We're planning a giveaway event to celebrate Christmas, so I'll keep you posted on that a little closer to time.  I'm hoping to get that story finished and ready to be published by sometime within the first two weeks of December, but I have a lot of work to do. While I have energy I've been devoting a lot of time to working on the story.

Something to show you how dedicated I am to these books and those who read them, I've been working on my stories instead of getting prepped to play in an awesome Dungeons and Dragons game. I've been looking forward to that game for months. I was going to send out a detailed character history, etc., and do everything to get ready and psyched up for the game, but I've barely done anything on it at all. Luckily, I'm reworking an old character history, so hopefully it won't take long when I finally get to work on it. Again, the problem is being ill makes me have to choose how I use my time. I get through with certain things and then I just feel like collapsing and resting for hours...so I do. If I don't force myself to rest I won't get better. The doctor said that rest right now is key.

Well, speaking of rest it's getting late. I have a little more work to do before I can relax, take my medicine, and curl up in bed. I'll keep you posted on the stories, and when I start feeling better maybe I'll tell you a little bit about my character for the game. Take care! Stay warm and try to stay healthy!

Hehe...I couldn't resist. Here's a picture of my character. Brynja is her name and yes, she might be a bard but she's also a viking! Her personality is a little like "Godbrand" from the Castlevania anime. I didn't draw this, but it seemed perfect for her given that it was clearly inspired by the video game Skyrim. Anyway, that's a sneak peek of what I'm planning for the game when I'm done with the awesomely fun horror stories I write. And no worries, even while I'm gaming I won't quit writing other stories. It's what keeps my imagination strong, and my characters need a voice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Spine Chillers series!

Get Motivated!

Hey Everybody,

I just wanted to write this because I know it's been a little while. Currently, I'm trying to get motivated in general. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I've felt like being lazy for about a week now. I can't afford to be lazy with two children, but it is what it is. All I want to do is nap, play video games, play my table-top RPGs, and watch anime. Ugh. I think I really really need a vacation. I hate feeling lazy when I should be working...

The weather in SC is on its way to being a slow broil, so going outside during the summer is a battle of how much water can you drink to make up for the sweat. Needless to say, the air is a winter breeze inside of the house. For some reason I can never balance my internal temperature during this time so I end up curled up in a blanket in the house losing the sleep war, or I step outside and feel uncomfortably warm like I'm cooking a little on the inside. Don't get me wrong, I do love SC but I'm not a fan of the heat. You can only take so many clothes off in public. At least in the winter you can bundle up with as many as you can.

I've watched some very good anime lately. "Darling in the Franxx" is surprisingly good and for once I like all of the characters. (Of course, when one of them inevitably dies I'll be devastated, but I intend to find out what happens.) It's ongoing, so I'm still in the process of watching it. It's a story about mecha fighters in a post-apocalyptic setting that are teenagers. Male and female pairs have to work in sync to operate the mechs and they are fighting in a war against bio-mechanical monsters. The sexual tension is pretty thick and there are some moments where you're just thinking "Oh, Japan..." with the "Oh, You..." meme face, but it's still really, really good. It does inspire me to write something like this in the future, but that is a ways away.

"Magus Bride" was fantastic. It's a fantasy that takes place in the modern day and focuses mostly on fey magic. The story is good, the characters are awesome, and the animation is beautiful. It might be one of my new favorites, though "Darling in the Franxx" is catching up. The main character of "Magus Bride" is a rare person that can see into the supernatural world and has the ability to wield powerful fairy magic, but the problem is the more magic she uses, the less time she has to live. It doesn't have much action, but the stories are all very interesting and dramatic.

In terms of video games I'm still playing World of Warcraft. I really should pick up VR Skyrim again, but I don't have my VR legs yet and I'm worried that I'll be sick. I won't give up on it, but I am giving it a break. In terms of table-top RPGs

I'm about to run a "How to Train Your Dragon" RPG using the PDQ system (it's a system with an easy, flexible dice mechanic, so it lends itself well to player-driven stories).  I'm playing in a friends PDQ game about a society where monsters and normal people are trying to coexist. I'm playing as a fairy member of the constabulary who is trying to help withhold the accords between the humans and monsters and investigate supernatural crime. It's a fun game and I'm really, really enjoying it.

And, that's about it (for now) in terms of the things I've been up to other than writing. I haven't written in a week and I plan to get back to it this week once I feel inspired. I'm still halfway done with my fifth story in the "Spine Chillers" series and the cover art for the first book is coming along nicely. I'll keep you posted. I also intend to read "A Wrinkle in Time" soon and I'll let you know what I think about that.

Well, I'm off to lunch. Take care. Keep reading and writing.

Taking a Break...

Hey Everybody,

I just wanted to let you know that I have finished "Empty Eyes," the fourth story in the mid-grade horror series. I feel pretty good about it. Right now, I'm waiting on my primary test reader to check it before I start any editing, but while I wait I'm taking a break. I've found that after completing a project it's generally a good idea to take a week or two off to kind of re-calibrate your brain for writing.

In other writing news, I actually did come up with a better idea for the fifth book of the series while I was writing the fourth. I have a rough idea of where I'm going with that and will probably write up a detailed outline of it next week. I think this idea is much better than the one I had before, mostly because the one I had before was about something seasonal, specifically associated with the Christmas season. That being the case, if I manage to get enough fans with the first five books, I might be able to release that around Christmastime.

So, here's what I've been up to...video games. I've been playing Fire Emblem Fates Conquest for the Nintendo 3DS, and I've been playing on World of Warcraft again. (No worries, I won't let it eat my soul.) It's probably been over ten years now since I've played WOW. It's kind of hard to believe. A few of my friends started playing again and talking about it and eventually I couldn't resist, especially after I finished my book.

I basically play during odd times when I'm not taking care of the house or the children (basically the times when I would normally write). I think it'll be a nice break for another week or so and then I'll be back to writing in no time. For some reason, video games sometimes exercise my imagination in the same sort of way that playing table-top RPGs do. I find myself spacing out thinking about what the characters might be thinking or feeling especially in terms of other character interactions. (Hence, on of the reasons I love Fire Emblem games.)

Anyway, if I'm quiet for another week you'll know what I'm doing, but I'll try not to be too quiet. Things always are going on and I'll keep you posted on them. In the meantime, keep reading and writing.

Blood of the Werewolf = RAGE! >:-(

ARRGGG!

As most of you know, playing video games is one of the things I do with my little amounts of free time when I'm not writing.  Every now and again there's a game that comes along that really leaves an impression on me.  "Skyrim" left an impression on me because it was such a fun game with so much you could do.  "Don't Starve" left an impression on me because it was so unique and addictive and I love anything that alludes to Lovecraftian monsters.

And now, there's "Blood of the Werewolf."  I got this game (among many others) during a Halloween sale on Steam.  I enjoy platformers and consider myself to be decent at them, and this one sounded perfect for me.

Let me start by saying one of the things that really irritates me about video games is how women are portrayed in them.  I'm not what you would call a "feminist," but I don't understand how in video games  a woman is either portrayed as a complete "batch" or a damsel in distress that needs to be rescued.  (Don't get me started on "Metroid Other M...")  Anyway, I always thought it would be compelling to have a story about a woman facing overwhelming odds to rescue her kidnapped child.  One thing that people tend to forget is how powerful motherhood is and that it is one thing that makes a woman very strong.

Well, I got my wish.  "Blood of the Werewolf" is about a woman whose husband was murdered and her child was kidnapped and now she's facing impossible odds to get him back.  (And, she and her family happened to be werewolves, but you get the idea...)  Anyway, I was ecstatic.  Hooray for a powerful female character protecting her child!

This is the most difficult game I've ever played.  This is the kind of game that makes hard core gamers want to throw their controller through their screens.  I found myself close to the end of the second level shouting obscenities and fighting the urge to bite my controller in half.  The game was more difficult than original "Castlevania," but the deathtraps were more like "Meatboy." But, dare I say it, worse?   The point is, this game was too damn difficult.  I like a challenge, but I no longer have time to memorize every way to jump or spend thirty minutes trying to figure out one puzzle.  (I actually tried for about twenty minutes or longer before I gave up.  I can be pretty stubborn...)

So, long story short, what is frustrating and filling me with werewolf-like rage is the fact that I will never be able to beat this game, so now I won't get to see the ending.  GRRRR!  I suppose I could cheat and look it up at some point, but I hate doing that.  Well, I can have a little grim satisfaction thinking that probably since the child is a werewolf, his mother will get to the end only to see he's wolfed out and killed a his kidnapper anyway.

If you're a hard core gamer, pick this game up.  I must admit, when you get through one of the rough traps it is very satisfying and does make you want to go on even if you wished you had put the game down thirty minutes ago, if not, good luck.  If you're protonjon, please play this game with some friends and put it on youtube.  And, if you're a gamer and like to watch people play and comment on obscure, old, and indie video games you can check out "http://www.youtube.com/crono141" and you can listen to me, my husband, and our friends playing and commentating on various games.  

In the meantime, I'm going to go crinos and release some of this rage for awhile...