Spring Cleaning

It's that time of year again.

Both my kids are "expecting" this year. In my closets, I have STUFF that I saved from when they were babies, thinking maybe they'd like to share it with their babies, but I'm not sure the next generation is as sentimental as I am. With that being said, I'm taking along a box of things that they can use or not use - including MY baby blanket from when I was a baby. 

I also came across letters from an old pen pal. The girl I corresponded with for four years during high school invited me to visit her in the south of France. I didn't go, but the funny part of that is that my parents encouraged me to go (there were other underlying reasons why I chose not to go, not the least of which was a grave misunderstanding, but I digress). I think back on that now, and consider how trusting a world we lived in, where my parents would send me thousands of miles, across an ocean, to visit someone they/I'd never met. Fast forward a whole bunch of years and I actually did get to visit the region she invited me to visit. I looked her up through the magic of Facebook, but didn't get a response when I sent her a DM. 

And then there are other sentimental things. Poems I wrote in high school. My treasure box from when I was a kid. High school yearbooks. GRADE SCHOOL yearbooks. I managed to let go of some of the old correspondence I'd kept, but am still struggling with others. Tips to a healthy life include letting go of the past, but how does that apply to nostalgia? When a card from one of your first boyfriends says he loves every "microsecond we spend together" do you hold onto that? I suppose it's time to...

For those of you who've read the new release, INTERRUPTED MAGIC, (you have read it, haven't you?) I'm dying to know what you think! If you haven't, support a struggling author! Buy my books 😁 Click on the "Books" link above. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

New Amsterdam - Are we safe?

As the world cautiously tiptoes into the next stage of reopening, The Big Guy and I were watching a new episode of New Amsterdam entitled "Safe Enough." I have a love/hate feeling for the show - I like Max Goodwin and his "how can I help?" attitude. The problem I find myself dealing with is my own pessimism in that there aren't enough of those types of people in the world today. For those of you who watch, they deal with real-world problems, cutting edge, from the headlines. When I choose to be entertained, I prefer to forget about the issues we're facing on a daily basis. The theme that struck me to write this post was "will we ever feel safe again?" 

Over the course of the past year, we've had to deal with a lot. Adapt to a lot. And here we are adapting again. Easter Sunday is approaching, and for the second year in a row, I'm going to miss the trumpets and the celebratory music and the joy of sharing this most important Christian holiday. Yes, I could try to make reservations at church, but it still requires singing and aspirating and I'm not vaccinated yet. 

What else has changed? Last week I went to the ER. First, I felt perfectly safe going. My biggest hesitation, which is true even without a pandemic, is the time you have to dedicate when you go. I waited five days before I finally decided I wasn't getting any better and when I called my doctor, he told me to go and "I'll follow up with you later." Now I REALLY had to go because otherwise the doctor would be asking me why I didn't. Long story short, I spent six hours there and when all was said and done, they let me go home with a shrug of the shoulders. Which brings me to...

Have you ever felt sick, and by the time you finally went to the doctor, you were feeling better? Yep. That happens a lot, and I was actually pretty happy that this was NOT the case when I went to the ER. The symptoms that sent me were present and active. The good news, they didn't find anything to worry about. In fact, the resident in charge asked me if maybe I was claustrophobic and wearing a mask might have brought on my symptoms. (No. I'm not claustrophobic, and I don't mind wearing a mask and doing my part.) The doctors and nurses all took good care of me, were friendly, and it was a positive experience overall (something I should probably write as a Yelp review - hospitals rarely get good reviews). The downside was that the warm blanket they gave me while I was waiting had melted electrodes on it. In two different places. 

I am sympathetic to front line workers (THANK YOU for all you do!), and I know how crazy this last year has been, especially in hospitals. Things fall through the cracks. In a rush to help the legion number of people who pass through every day, I can understand how gathering sticky electrodes might have been missed, how those electrodes might have gone through the sterilization process and melted to the blanket. Was I put off by the experience? Yah, sure, you betcha. But if that was the only downside to my visit, I'm pretty sure those gross melted electrodes were sterilized! As their census returns to more manageable numbers, I expect those types of things will be addressed.

Back to New Amsterdam. The theme was "is it safe?" The answer? "No. But it's safe enough." Eventually, we will all return to old routines and habits - hopefully finding new and better options. 

In the meantime, in case you missed it, I've provided you with yet another reason to hide in a corner - a new book to read! The fourth in the Hillendale novels, INTERRUPTED MAGIC, went on sale yesterday (woo hoo!💥). A big thank you to those of you who preordered it, and if you don't have your copy yet, go buy one NOW! (available in paperback and ebook!) CLICK HERE to get your copy.

More on the new book...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!🍀

The next installment in the Hillendale novels is queued up and waiting to drop! Anyone else excited?

Release day is March 23. Here's the official blurb:

A stranger comes to Brynn Taylor looking to overcome a streak of bad luck, but when Brynn agrees to help, the hex transfers from the stranger to Brynn’s fiancé, Kyle Jakes. Four months ago, Kyle was laid off from the Hillendale Police Department. He’s postponed the wedding, taken a “filler” job out of town, and has grown sullen and irritable. While their relationship has eroded, Brynn vows to redirect the hex to its rightful owner. Her business is suffering, and once the town gossips get hold of the information she and Kyle—the town’s golden boy—have broken up, she may have to close her doors permanently. After a steamy encounter with a man at a grocery store, her gift for alchemy has gone on the fritz. Either the spell that transferred to Kyle stripped her of her talents or the man from the grocery store is responsible for her interrupted magic.

They only have two weeks to thwart the terms of the hex, the consequences of which could cost Kyle his future in law enforcement. How is she supposed to reverse the hex when her magic isn’t working?

What do you think? 

Buy it now!

Where do you buy your books? And where I won't list my books ever again

 Permit me a rant today.

My books are available widely, on many and varied platforms to varying degrees of success. Different people buy their books different places. One place I haven't had much traffic was GooglePlay books. In fact, when I first was listed there years ago, I saw a lot of pirating, and they even made my first book available without anyone having to pay for it. I scrambled to have the books taken down. Recently, I saw authors in one of my groups talking it up, how they'd made some improvements, etc., so I figured I'd give it another shot. Lots of traffic, they said, lots of exposure. And again, there's the YMMV (your mileage may vary) disclaimer. So let me tell you about my recent experience with GooglePlay books, where you will NOT find me listed.

Last year I listed my books with them once more, figuring, okay, they've changed their model, they've upgraded their exposures, etc. etc. etc. In fact, they started offering discount coupons for promotions. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you may have seen me offer such a coupon when COYOTE LEGACY was released for subscribers. As a lead up to this, let me say I've had minimal traffic at GooglePlay, despite their "improved" metrics. I figured the promo code would be a good way to drive traffic, or give up on them one more time. This is what happened.

Apparently, instead of 300 codes, the system only recognized 3. Problem, but okay. I wasn't able to edit the mistake to correct it. That's on me. Those three codes were redeemed promptly. Problem #2. The redeemed codes were not recognized as sales. So I asked their customer service department what was up. In practicing how to set up the codes, I'd also made a code for "free" for myself to see how it worked. They originally told me since I had a free code, they'd applied my redemptions to the SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT PROMO CODE I'd created for the free books. WHAT? So I pointed out these were separate and different promo codes and how does that happen? Not to mention the transaction report only reflected the one free book redeemed (by me) and not the others. After much back and forth, they said they had to refer my case to the "broader team" to identify what happened. It took that team SIX WEEKS to figure out that the redemption process wasn't completed, that people redeemed the codes but didn't buy the books. WHAT? How does the code get redeemed, then? Isn't that part of completing the transaction?

Where does this leave me? Welp, they're GooglePlay, after all, and if they want to cheat me out of $1.50, I suppose there isn't much recourse. It isn't worth suing them, and yet it makes me wonder how many other books I can't document that I sold that they lost in the system. I've delisted from them once again, and will NEVER sell my books on that platform again.

So to my newsletter subscribers who tried to redeem those codes, my apologies. I will stick with more reliable booksellers in the future. Coyote Legacy is currently featured at Smashwords for “read an ebook week.” Hop over there to pick up your copy.

Where do you buy your books?

Expect the unexpected?

The next Hillendale book, INTERRUPTED MAGIC, is with the editor. Fingers crossed that I haven't screwed something up! In the meantime, I've taken a running start at the next book - or maybe it would be more accurate to say I've taken a running start at TWO new books while I decide which one wants to be written more. And also depending on what my editor has to say about INTERRUPTED MAGIC and what comes next in Hillendale. Or not. Sound cryptic? Well, I'll let you in on a secret. Things are about to change! 

Here's a snippet of INTERRUPTED MAGIC -

When the first bubbles boiled in the pot, I turned off the flame. A car turned onto the street—Nora’s. Kyle and I hadn’t had a chance to finish our discussion, which increasingly felt like formalizing the end of our relationship.

“Great,” Kyle mumbled from the doorway. “Nora’s here.”

I poured some of the potion into the mug and gave him a glare. He knew Nora visited every Sunday. I refocused my attention on Daria.

“Now, before you drink, you need to ask for absolution from Madeleine.”

“But I didn’t do anything wrong. Her brother did steal the car.”

I held the mug away from her. “This is important. In her mind, you bear some of the responsibility for what happened, whether it was justified or not. You turned him in.”

Daria pushed to her feet, her lips pressed tightly together.

“I have to remind you, you will get sick after you drink this, but that will be an indication the spell is leaving you.”

She snatched the mug from my hand. “Forgive me, Madeleine. I didn’t mean to send your brother to jail.” She downed the contents, gagged, and returned the glass to me. “But he did steal the car.”

“Kyle?” Nora’s voice sounded worried, I turned to look. Kyle was on the floor inside the house.

“Are we done here?” Daria asked.

So much for a sincere apology. There wasn’t anything more I could do for her. “Yeah.”

Daria walked away and I rushed into the house.

I knelt beside Kyle and cradled his head. He opened his eyes and for a moment, I saw a dark flash there. “What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” He pushed to sit upright. “One minute I was watching you, the next I was laid out on the floor.”

Nora fluttered across the room in her flowing caftan. “What were you doing?” she asked me.

“Helping someone.” I raised my eyebrows, to indicate it was a discussion for another time.

Kyle started for the door and tripped on the threshold.

“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching for him.

“Just clumsy. I’ll be across the street if you need me.”

Was I supposed to follow him?

Nora stood beside me as we watched him go, then turned to me. “What’s going on?”

I filled her in on Daria and the spell I had sought to lift.

“Oh, dear.”

My heart stuttered. “Oh dear?”

“What did you give that young lady?”

“The recipe was in the grimoire.” I pointed toward the workroom.  

“The grimoire in the wall?”

Nora was making me nervous with her questions. “No. One of the recipe books on the shelves.”

She blew out a sigh.  

I hesitated. “I did look at the hidden grimoire the other day, to find out about casting a spell to atone for a wrong.”

“And?”

Kyle had walked in before I finished reading, chasing the book to its hiding place. “I assumed when the recipe grimoire gave me the potion for Daria, it meant I should remove the spell.”

Nora’s eyes glittered. “Show me.”

The hidden grimoire appeared on the dining table. My stomach did somersaults as the pages flipped. What had I screwed up this time?

Nora stepped to the book first. I looked over her shoulder, reading the part I’d missed after Kyle had come in.

Proceed with caution. If a spell has been performed, it could well be protective in nature.

To determine the purpose of the magic, look for these signs:

1.       Confirm the afflicted person has had contact with a witch.

2.       Be sure the afflicted person’s behavior is unusual. It is possible they are simply having a run of bad luck. If fortune has frowned on said person, traditional uncrossing rituals will set things to rights.

3.       Ask if the afflicted person is missing personal items or photos.

An interrupted spell runs the risk of transferring to another host.

“The grimoire gave me the potion,” I sputtered.

I closed my eyes, knowing in my heart the spell had transferred to Kyle. He’d tripped on the threshold.

My voice cracked. “Daria apologized.”

Her apology hadn’t been sincere.

I turned to Nora, panic rising. “How do I fix this?”

Want to read more? INTERRUPTED MAGIC is available for preorder now!