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The monthly book post–and a great tool for readers
We’re talking books this week–what I’ve been reading, a nifty tool that lets you revisit your Kindle highlights, and of course the usual meme-y silliness. Oh, and weather bragging. We must have weather bragging. With apologies to those of you who live where winter exists: Feel free to gloat in June when it’ll be approximately 872F here in Satan’s Anus. Right now it’s my turn. Now that I have the weather bragging out of my system: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer, and the What’s On Your Bookshelf challenge, hosted by Sue, Donna, Jo and Deb. Grab a treat, have a seat, and let’s get to it.
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My poem won a prize!
Back in September I shared that my poem, “The Future Held in Store,” was a finalist in the Arizona Authors Association annual literary contest. Well… it won third place! I’m excited because I’m pretty inexperienced as a poet. This is the first time I’ve ever let anyone else read one of my poems, let alone submit one, so yay! I’m bummed I had to miss the awards banquet due to COVID exposure), but I didn’t get COVID, so that’s another reason to celebrate. And now I just noticed they put my real name rather than my pen name on the certificate. Oh, well. I have a little more news, a…
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The book is done* and the plague hath descended
If you’ve been hanging around here at all in the last few weeks, you’ll know I had a book manuscript due on Halloween. Well… It’s done!* *Except for one chapter that will be late because the original author bailed. **And the permissions issue for a figure that is requiring a last-minute edit to another chapter ***And any changes the publisher will request. ****And the marketing and promotion. But, yeah, it’s done! Woo hoo! I have a bit more news and the usual batch of memes, but first: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a treat, have a seat, and let’s get to it.
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I forgot it’s IWSG day!
I roll up to my computer this morning, take my time reading my email, and see a post notification from a blog I follow. And in that notification are four letters: IWSG. Crap. It’s IWSG Day–and I totally forgot. I swig Diet Pepsi and, as the caffeine jumpstarts my brain, I decide: I can do this. I can pull an IWSG post out of my [redacted]. Yes, I can.
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My scariest Halloween ever
Monday is shaping up to be my scariest Halloween ever. Am I spending a night in a haunted house? Did I meet a guy on Tinder who’s invited me to spend a week with him in his castle in Transylvania? Nope. (And the scariest part of that sentence is, “meet a guy on Tinder.” I’m so glad I’m married and don’t have to deal with such abominations.) So if it’s not a creepy destination or online dating, what’s so terrifying about this Halloween? Two words: Book. Deadline. [scary music] Yes, I’m still harping on about the book (work-related, not fun fiction) a colleague and I are editing. Our manuscript is…
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A few books, a few memes… and a big deadline
My book deadline looms ever closer (a week from Monday! Gah!), so this week’s post will be short and unadorned except for a small batch of memes. I did manage to get a new issue of my email newsletter out (if you’re not on my mailing list and want to be, there’s a signup box to the right). Other than that, I’ve been slamming Diet Pepsi, eating all the mini Hershey bars Long-Suffering Husband bought to hand out on Halloween (silly man–after over 35 years of living with me, how could he possibly think Hershey bars would survive in this house for 2 weeks?), and editing. Editing, editing, editing. Sending…
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Hosting a write-in and trying to finish a book
I’m going to open this week’s post with the same lament I’ve been lamenting for the last several weeks: work is crazy busy, which is cutting into my blogging time. Specifically, a colleague and I are editing a book, and the manuscript is due on October 31, which therefore will be the most terrifying Halloween of my life. I’m at the wake-up-at-4-AM stage of book deadline panic, so this post will be short. I do have some news to share, though, besides the aforementioned book. Before I get to that: Welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer! Grab a treat, have a seat, and let’s get…
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Flowers and Sunsets–and a Tragedy on my Campus
In last week’s post, we visited Bootleg Lake in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona. In this week’s post, I’ll wrap up the pictures from my September adventure with wildflowers and a spectacular New Mexico sunset, share the usual batch of meme-y hilarity–and reflect the tragic shooting this week at the University of Arizona. But first, welcome to the Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. Natalie has food pics this week. Try not to lick your screen.
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7 things I love about reading (and writing) crime fiction
As I noted in last month’s IWSG post, I write in several genres, and I will read almost anything, but I keep coming back to crime fiction. Why? Let me count the ways. But before I do: Happy IWSG day! I participate in the monthly IWSG (a/k/a Insecure Writers Support Group) Blog Hop, which happens on the first Wednesday of each month. We offer words of encouragement to our fellow writers and share our doubts, fears, struggles, and triumphs. Thanks so much to our wonderful October co-hosts, Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox. Each month our fearless leaders provide an optional question we can answer in our posts. This month’s question is:…
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Dispatch from Up North, Part 2: Bootleg Lake, Arizona
This week, we’re visiting Bootleg Lake, Arizona, a small reservoir on White Mountain Apache land outside Pinetop-Lakeside. Long-Suffering Husband and I happened upon this place while driving around exploring. We saw a sign that read Bootleg Lake and pointed down a dirt road. Unable to resist either lakes or dirt roads, I said, “Let’s check it out,” and off the pavement we went. After a mile or two, we arrived–here: Yes, that’s a lake, but this part is covered by lots of duckweed. According to a site for Arizona fishermen, Bootleg Lake disappears and reappears from year to year depending on rainfall. There’s been a lot of rain this monsoon…
Janet Alcorn
Suspense | Horror | Romance
