Spring Fever

I'm sitting here at my computer looking outside. What is it that I see? Snow. Yup. It's March 24, and it's snowing outside. Several parts of the state I live in got nearly a foot or more of snow in the last two days. It's not that bad here, but the snow is starting to pick up, and I can't see the brownish-greenish grass anymore.

I so desperately want spring.

We had a few days of tempting sun and warmth earlier in the month. You know, Mother Nature taunting us. I'm sure I'm not the only one with cabin fever. Heck, I've also managed to catch a pretty nasty crud that one of my kids likely dragged into the house. The crud plummets my productivity.

I so desperately need spring.

Not only does the crud destroy productivity, but winter does as well. It effects me in a bad way. I'm sure I've mentioned this before.

I long for warmer days to invigorate me, to give me extra energy to stay up a bit later and get a scene written or a chapter revised. I yearn for the sun to infuse me with its heat -- after all, I am a Leo, and Leos need their sun!

The last three months have been pretty dismal. While I haven't stalled out completely (which is great), and I'm not behind on my publication schedule (thank the gods), I haven't gotten done as much as I wanted to.

Now, again, I know I'm not the only one who wants spring to finally arrive. So, I think we all need to band together and use our collective brain power to wish it into being. Let's all ask Mother Nature to be kinder to us, to pack winter away for a few months and let the sun run free!

Who's with me? Come on, now. If you want spring to show up as badly as I do, you have to be ready to try anything. So, think hard, make your will be heard, and maybe we can all make a little magic and Mother Nature will finally unleash spring upon us.

Kitten Intermission

Remember this post: Kitten, Kitten, Kitten? Well, I figured we're about due for more kitten pictures. Though, nowadays, you'd think they were full grown cats! Our little stinkers are going to be huge!

The kitty pile picture above is from January, almost 2 months ago. So, they're about 6 months old. Big, no? And now they're even bigger at 8 months old! I mean, what happened to our cute little runts that could barely jump onto the bed? I think I fed them too much.

We have learned that Nightshade is the naughtiest of the bunch. He is still dubbed Shade and Boo Kitty, but he's also added Billy Goat Cat to his aliases. he jumps up on everything. Nope, not an understatement. This is the kitten who decides being on top of the cabinets is a great place to be. Counter to fridge top to corner shelf to cabinet top. Little snot. And of course he goes after anything that looks dangly or small and plastic. The worst thing, though? He is not graceful. So when he jumps on top of stuff, things get knocked over. I was tempted to buy him a bell so we know when he's being naughty, but honestly, he's an oaf -- we already hear when he's being naughty. My eldest daughter is his favorite human. He loves licking her chin as if he was a dog (clearly he never got the memo that he's a cat, not a billy goat or dog).

Rikku is my chest cat. Yes, chest cat -- a lap isn't good enough for her. She's my buddy. Now I know why I was drawn to her when I first saw her. I also call her Fluffers and Alto Kitty. She has the lowest meow I've ever heard from a cat! She is also Rikkuku Cuckoo Cat when she gets in her squirrely, crazy moods. Annoyingly, she still suckles, and wakes me up at night when she's doing it! She also thinks it's great fun to lay on top of the toddler when she's sleeping. As if we don't have enough problems keeping the toddler asleep. Right now, she's the smallest of the three. I hope she stays smaller. I want one small kitty, like my Roland used to be. I love my little blonde tabby, but I think it will get rather cumbersome if a fifteen pound tabby tries to curl up on my chest.

And finally Sylph. Remember this little runt? A runt no more! She is already becoming the resident fat cat. She has a huge belly on her. I also call her Sylphster and Fiddledeedee. Mostly she's the Tortie, sometimes Tubbie Tortie. She loves stealing my spot in bed, and she is a scavenger. If you are preparing any type of food in the kitchen, she is under your feet waiting for you to drop something, anything. Also, if you don't feed her ASAP, she will start chewing on the strangest things. Like the metal stove, the corner of a wood stair, plastic. We've been trying to find the right food for them and when they were only on canned food throughout the day, she was all about chewing on stuff she shouldn't!

All in all, even though they can be naughty rascals, they're all still sweet kitties. And I think we finally got that stinky poop issue under control. Well, it's still stinky, but it doesn't make you want to run out of the house anymore at least. I hope you enjoy all of the pictures!

Bound Snippet

Yup, it's time for another release! Bound releases on Sunday, so it's about time I post a snippet, right? It's also available for pre-order from Amazon if you want to nab it before you forget, and it'll be automatically delivered to you when it releases. Per usual during the Baker's Dozen Experiment, it will also be available via Kindle Unlimited and the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

This story has a bit of horror, a dash of romance, and a bookish librarian for a lead. Who needs a boyfriend when you have a book? The snippet is below!

❦

In the last cubbie, a student stares transfixed at a page of the book open before her. I pause before I approach. A chill shoves out the warmth I felt earlier. Her eyes aren't moving; her hand, clasping the page to turn it, is frozen.

I step closer. "Excuse me. The library is closing in five minutes."

She doesn't respond and remains still, as if she's a statue perched on the chair, her hands melding with the book. A detailed piece of artwork, like the metal monstrosity in the library foyer -- unwavering, cold.

Goose bumps spring up along my arms, and I shiver, the feeling I got when first crossing paths with Stephen King's Pennywise.

I inch forward, the shushing of my shoes on the carpet no longer a comfort, and place my hand on her shoulder. A small zap of static electricity sparks the tips of my fingers, and I jump back.

❦

Every book has a heartbeat. And some are louder than others.

Leda loves her job as a college librarian – books are her friends, ones that take her to far off lands and who don't cheat on her like her last boyfriend did. But a strange incident with a student has her wondering if there's something more sinister about the books in this library.

Even Sean, the man who's trying to woo her away from her books, claims the library made him uncomfortable when he attended the college.

Of course, Leda can't confide in anyone about her suspicions, though there have been several questionable deaths on campus over the last few years. Sean would likely think she's crazy.

Is she crazy? Or does danger lurk in between the pages?

Terribleminds - Chuck Wendig's Blog

This week has been a bit of a bust for most things, and the post I originally intended isn't going to happen.

Instead, I'm going to drop this link here: How Much Should Writers Pay To Be Published?

Chuck Wendig is a hybrid author (so both traditionally and indie published). I read his blog occasionally, and never regret it because he peppers his posts with a wonderful sense of humor.

This particular post, though, is a great warning for aspiring writers. And if you like drama, please read the comments. It gets interesting once Steve Alten posts, trying to tear down Chuck. Talk about digging the hole deeper.

Anyway, enjoy the drama, and next week I'll have a snippet of my next story.