Well then...

Hello there all you happy people...and depressed people.

I've had an awful fall...with some good in it. I now live in the Pacific Northwest's wet part of the Evergreen State. Good because I now don't sound like a horse when I sleep, didn't end up in hospital or almost dying, and can breathe loads better. Bad because money...costs a lot more to live where we're at. At least my family is together again.

I've been depressed. Severely depressed. A huge portion of it has been situational. Things I don't want to talk about in specific, but lies, betrayal, people pretending to be your friend, being apart from my kids during the week, being gone from youngest (whom I had with me) for 13-15 hours a day as I commuted to the job I found...yeah. Bad times. Depression like I've not known since Post partum hit me, only this was worst. I'd lost my center. I found it again. Depression is still trying to nip at my heels, but I finally have a grasp on its horns and can toss it out the window easier and quicker.

But I think why it hit me so hard, all the above things were happening and I had little to no time for my sanity. Ie art, writing, crafts. Didn't have time for anything. Well, I'm writing again. Pulled paints out of storage (I'm currently living in a friend's garage with my family!) and plan to paint again. Haven't painted in months due to time and space.

I love where my kids are going to school, but unless some miracle happens, we aren't going to be able to stay. Well, I'm trying to make that miracle happen. How? With my writing and art. I've started a newsletter, claimed all my books on my amazon author page, have marketing plans, new release, new covers being made, and am back at the editing job. Plus, I'm going to be back to selling my art. Have been through a lot of boxes in storage. I have found a few paintings that haven't been destroyed with the move (It was a bit depressing to see how many had been messed up) and will be putting the listings up.

I've added the subscribe list to the sidebar here on this blog.

I've put new stuff up in my Etsy shop here.

Point is, I haven't completely given up, though it was close sailing for a while. But onwards and upwards. Here we go!

First of all, let me show you our new release cover of the box set I'm in with some fabulous authors.

 

Isn't the cover gorgeous!! Pick up your preorder for only 99 cents here! You won't be disappointed.

 

PS Thank you to all of you whom have stuck around through my ups and downs. Time for more ups than downs, don't you think?

Art up!

So we're back with the update on the art business. I've not done too bad, considering that I ended up in Seattle with my son for an audition of sorts (not what they had said, so a bust, even though they want him back.). I did another HUGE one 24x36 in oil on canvas, as well as a 16x20 in one. So I'm up to 14. Way behind where I wanted to be, but in terms of size, not shabby at all. Here are my two new ones.

The top one is the 16x20x1 in oil on canvas. The bottom is the 24x36x1 in oil on canvas. Both are done from my own photos. The colors of the bottom one are actually a bit darker than my camera is taking. It's annoying the heck out of me.

Sheri is on a roll! her cards (which I believe are 2.5x3.5 ATC/ACEO size) are too freaking cute. She's also mentioned that she's inspired to take an official art class next semester...she hasn't had any?! I love her style.

This girl is rocking it! I'm going to have to do a bunch of small ones to actually make 30, but either way, I'm happy I gave this a go. I've completed more paintings this past month, than the prior year. Thanks for following us!







Today's photos, I dedicate to those who lost their lives in the Canadian Parliament shooting. It's hard to remember there is such beauty when ugliness is so in your face. But if you find the beauty, you will find the profound meaning of life.

It's me. No really, it is

Hi *waves madly* has this past year and a bit been nuts. I've not been good at blogging, but honestly, I had to cut back somewhere. As my general health improved, I tried to add guest blogs to help keep me active. I had about a month where I was not ill then came down with this current thing. Prior, I had about a month and a half (pushed it to two out of denial lol) in the spring time. Otherwise, I've pretty much been ill, with different things, aggravated by my asthma, since the fall of 2012. It's one of the reasons I've not blogged much.

But, have I been sitting idly by? No. Although I've slowed way down, I managed to become an editor, and now a managing editor at the publisher that took a chance on me for The Ulfric's Mate. As I may have stated before, that series now has two out, The Midwife's Moon being the second, and a contract for FIFTEEN MORE. I am not kidding :D five freebies and 10 full lengths (50k+) and whatever else happens. *makes note to write tonight*

So, in the last year and a half, I've released:

The Ulfric's Mate July 2012, book 1, The War of the Weres
Ravaged anthology, Volume 1 August 2012, (Barely There, a prequel to The War of the Weres)
Rick Sexed Up the Doc, November 2012, Naughty Nursery Rhymes
The Captain's Christmas, December 2012, Holiday
Crimson anthology, Volume 1, March 2013 (Daryn's Slayer)
Serviced anthology, Volume 1, March 2013 (Over a Dead Body)
The Midwife's Moon, August 2013, book 2, The War of the Weres
Slow Burn, October 2013, Dead Man Walking line
Mayhem in Mexico: Zombie Infestation October 2013, A Serena Rouge Novel
And, coming in January 2013, Ravaged anthology, volume 2, (Witchy Wolf)

I seriously became ill in September of 2012. Imagine if I were healthy? I've also edited a number of works that have since been published and are still coming out pretty regularly.

My family has grown so much. The kids by leaps and bounds as always. I made a half hearted attempt to do NaNoWriMo, but had family emergencies get in the way. So, I'm thinking of doing my own in January, but make it two weeks long. That's only 4k a day, with a day off even, which I'm more than capable of. NaNo is when I usually really buckle down on my writing. But, sometimes, the family stuff really isn't something that can be put off. Anyone else who wants to make up for NaNo or just wants to do a run with me, I'm planning on Friday the 10th of January through the 27th (giving myself the three weekends). So it's actually what? little under 3k a day, if I take no time off.

I've really neat hard core sci fi in the works that I've been asked for a full for (I mean, Robert Heinlein, hard core), and there's a nice romance built in to the intrigue and science, and it's set on Mars.) I'm just over halfway through with Book 3 of The War of the Weres, and somewhere have notes and few bits for books 4 & 5, and 3 of the freebies. Hopefully, I can find them again. Grrrrrrr time to clean out the docs, I think. I've also been asked to rewrite and resubmit a YA that I sent in that's 88k! So need to get on that.

I've been writing, but I let my editing take over my life, so have to seek out that balance I had before.

Christmas is coming, and for my family, that means gift making and baking. I've made a few gifts for my daughter and my new grandbaby, and her husband even gets something. I'm waiting on a paycheck to mail off a few of them that I have to go out. But first, must wrap them lol Have also been making hats and mitts for the kids still living at home (back up to 4 now lol) . Looking at trying my hand at making a kitten stuffed animal for the youngest that loves them so much. Possibly a pillow or something for the older kids. We'll see. Have to dig out my sewing machine and see what else I can come up with. It's going to be a lean Christmas this year. But at least, my son is home and safe. He wasn't safe for a while, so that worry is over. Thankful to have them all here this year.

I'll try and remember to take pictures before I send things out of what I've been up to. Course, some of the gifts will have to wait until after Christmas in case they look. :) No peeking, now...

I also did get a chance to do a little painting, finally. A cat commission I'm doing to trade for this awesome crochet blanket (yes, I could have made one myself, but I loved the pattern my friend had and she loves her cats. Good trade, methinks!) for my granddaughter. I also finished one I started years ago that I found while going through my canvases. I had to finish the faces...which I still suck at. grrrr. I would like to take another class for that.

Anyway, there's tons more, but here's the generality of my life for the past bits (Did you catch I'm grandma now? *grins*). Hope your family is doing well. I love to hear from people in the comments. Feel free to say hi and tell me how your family is celebrating the winter holidays.

Day 9 photo-sunset

Well, we didn't have much of a sunset and my hands wouldn't quit shaking and the thing I was standing on so I could see the sky, well, it was shaking too! LOL here it is, this evenings sunset (you REALLY have to look for the little itsy bitsy piece of pink in between the cloud lines. I know it looks kinda blue in the twilight, but that's not sky. It's clouds. Sigh.

LOL it looks like blus sky...maybe I'm wrong...maybe the pink was the clouds that were left...earlier it was mostly clouds... :P grrr

I painted two paintings today, Passion Restrained or Restrained Passion. I keep going back and forth! lol

With a close up of the flower:

And I don't  have title for this one, but it's done from a photo I took while on the way to or from Cannon Beach at Multnoma Falls. It's gorgeous, if I do say so myself :P LOL It just came together like it's supposed to! If only this chapter I'm writing would do the same!

I can prove I've been writing cuz when I took my day off, I had 12,600ish and now I'm at 15, 400ish. Just slow going today!!! I finished the chapter after the difficult one but it feels sort of stilted. I'm hoping the painting will have released the rest of my inhibitions to go deep and now I can dive in again!! I posted a small blurb of the last chapter on my FB page. It's not as striking as the others, but it's a pivotal moment. The heroine, Lisa, has been pushed to face her past, not hide from it and is getting  help from a roommate/patient/friend staying at her house. I'm hoping to push her a little more in the rewrite. Now, back to poor Lance...

New Art & Day 5

I posted a new item on Etsy tonight.

Different in color, tone and style than most of my work. Very Abstract.

I also took my picture for Photo a Day April.

Todays assignment: Tiny

In case you're not a crafter, those are miniature eyelets and seed beads. Very small ones LOL

As for writing, I did do over 3k last night, but not much today. I'm mentally exhausted from the sex/murder scene. It's hard to do. I painted a little, but I'm going to need to paint more to put more positive energy back into my soul.

I'm exhausted from not sleeping well or long. At least some of my twitterai have carried me through the last few nights/mornings :D

My writer friends, how do you recover from an emotionally exhausting scene?

Well, I'm going for it. I'm going to self pub THAT book which has been known as Cerisa and the Dragon, quest for Riverhand & various & sundry other ideas. The final verdict? Cerisa's Quest. Why final? Cuz I've paid (paypal gods willing!) for my cover to be done for ebook and print versions :) This one is really clean and beyond the levels of my other works :)

I'll let everyone know about updates as they happen! But it'll be quick. I guess that's one good silver lining to my car being out. Couldn't go to work yesterday (was sorely needed) or today! (still needed ;( but what is a girl to do!) I'll keep working on my writing stuff. I got my meds on Monday thanks to friend Amanda driving me there to get them.  That'll help me get my focus for the others! Hopefully by Saturday :)

I still have that painting to do. It's driving me crazy. I hate messing up. Although, to be fair, the painting looks cool, just not what it's supposed to look like LOL So, have a larger canvas now. Maybe I'll find the energy to paint today :)

ON another note, we're getting so close to NaNo time!! Have a mentioned I'm excited? whoohooo

Yo Yo

So much of life is ups and downs for me right now. I've almost forgotten what it feels like to be on cruise control :D

Writing has been on back burner for two days. I had a really bad headache yesterday. After five minutes on the computer, I'd feel sick, so I did a bit of hit and run on twitter yesterday and concentrated on my art side of things. Printing out pics when I could stand the computer, and cutting, taping and laminating the stuff together when I couldn't. I did get a few things done...until I ran out of tape. What happened when I ran out of double sided tape?

Well, I had to stop and did some clean up. I love how my art and writing work together for me. Being out of tape is like being out of words. I might have these wonderful characters and ideas, but if the words are lost, they're going to sit there in a jumble until I can organize them and tape them all together to form a cohesive thought.

Sometimes, having that day off can rejuvinate my writing. And it will. I'm feeling it now. I'm going to write the first installment of the serial for splintered lands so we can get that up and running. I'm also going to watch some Doctor Who or Supernatural depending on what mood I'm in when I sit down to do some paper edits.

Then I'm going to REWRITE the MS I just finished. I learned something new about frist person and the difference between it and first person present tense (didn't know there was a difference. UGH) So, wish me luck in my endeavors. One day I will pay it forward as it has been for me.

As writers, we all pay it forward. There is so much free advice out there--some of it's even good :P --and we all give freely. We want each other to succeed, even as we want success for ourselves. Of course, like any group of people there are bad seeds out there; you just hope you don't fall under the shade of anything that grows from that seed and that you stay under the boughs that grew from the seeds of knowledge of the rest who want your success!

I wish you and yours peace and prosperity as we move forward. Especially to my friend who's grandpa has cancer. Love Ya little sis of my heart...

Squee It's up!

so first ever scary story is up!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/40805744/Forever-Nocturne-Vol-I-Iss-VI is the link.

My art work is on page 6 and that is where the story begins :) Lots of good reads in the magazine.