Finished Reading “The Crazy Cheetah Lady” and Stuff

New year, new reading goals. I decided to stick with 30 this year since I managed to reach that goal last year. Not gonna put any stress on my reading and I don’t see this year being all that different from last.

I have started the year off right, though. I finished a crochet project before the 4^th. I had been working on it since October and realized that I wouldn’t meet with the woman I give my projects to until February if I didn’t finish it by the 4^th, because I was meeting her that day. I made it (on the 3^rd—talk about cutting it close) and she was very thankful.

I also finished revising Alien Desires! I still need to go over the last chapter I “fixed,” but that shouldn’t take long (hopefully will get to it today). I emailed my editor to see if she could start working on in next week. She can! Now I just have to get the blurb written so I can get the cover made. Let’s see if I can get that done before the 16^th, when we leave for Florida to cruise and spend time with friends.

Yep, we’ll be gone about three weeks. Some of it on a cruise. Some of it in Ft Lauderdale. Some of it with our friends in their timeshares (Titusville & Kissimmee). At least it should be warm down there. Well…warmer than here!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 1

Dates read: December 30 – January 5, 2025
Title: The Crazy Cheetah Lady
Year of publication: 2015
Author: Pepper McGraw
Genre: Paranormal romance (MMMF)
Series:  Murrysville Coalition #1
# of Pages: 172
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased from author
Blurb from Book: Abby doesn’t exactly believe in the paranormal, even though she’s made a career of writing about it. Then she saves a trio of cheetah cubs from the river and everything changes.
    Alpha shifters, Marcus, Peter, and James are on the trail of their kidnapped triplet nephews. They’ve tracked the cubs to Abby’s town and heads are going to roll.
    When the men reclaim their nephews and leave Abby behind, she follows their trail, determined not to lose the cubs she saved. This is fine with the alphas since they’ve decided she’ll make an excellent shifter mate. For them.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: Didn’t realize that this was a male/male/male/female erotica paranormal story when I bought the two books. I thought it was going to be a funny series. It’s light-hearted, but not humorous. And very short. I thought there would be more to it, but when it's erotica, it’s all about the sex, I guess. I don’t mind reading these when I’m prepared. And frankly, with my memory, it could be I just forgot what these books were about when I bought them from the author I sat next to at a book convention.

We’re expecting a lot of snow later today. I’m hoping it’s all hype and blows over. Or maybe it just shifts away from us. I really don’t want to clean up snow. Why do I live in Ohio again? Oh yeah, family. I have so little as it is, don’t want to be away from it. So I guess I just deal with snow. Ugh.

Happy Reading!

Stacy 

Finished Reading “Ice Planet Octogenarians” and Got a New Laptop

My new laptop was delivered on the 27^th. I got it all ready to use on the 28^th. I’m calling it IceBlue, since that’s the color of it. My old computer was called BigRed because it was red. And while the screen on BigRed is an inch smaller than IceBlue’s, IceBlue is a smaller laptop (by about an inch wide and deep). Go figure.

One thing I HATE about Windows 11 is that it uses One Drive. I HATE One Drive. I thought I had disabled it on my travel laptop, but apparently I didn’t as the files from that computer showed up on IceBlue. I realized I needed to uninstall it. So I did. On IceBlue and the Travel laptop.

Talk about an annoying software.

I purposely do NOT use the cloud. I don’t trust it. So no way would I use One Drive. I’ll just manually transfer whatever files I need to my travel laptop when I’m traveling. Besides, a lot of my traveling is on a cruise ship, so I doubt I would even be able to access the files I want through One Drive. The internet is not everywhere.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 34

Dates read: December 20-29, 2024
Title: Ice Planet Octogenarians: Haroom’s Harmonance
Year of publication: 2025?
Author: Opal Mason
Genre: Science Fiction Rom Com
Series:  Ice Planet #1
# of Pages: 219
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: ARC from author
Blurb from Book: Ice Planet Barbarians Meets Golden Girls!
    You’d think being eighty-five years old would protect you from being kidnapped by sex-trafficking space aliens. But you’d be wrong.
    Because my friends and I took out the slave traders only to crash-land on an ice-ball of a planet called “Oog.”
    The natives here are huge and purple, with feet like beaver tails, two thumbs on each broad hand, and towering antlers. You wouldn’t think they’d be interested in a quartet of eighty-somethings, but their tribe is really short on females.
    Also, their saliva contains a chemical that, when applied to the right location, turns back the clock on these rickety old bodies.
    Before you judge us, let me ask you this: What if you were standing so close to the Grim Reaper you could see the whites of his eyes? And what if a strapping young fellow came along and offered you the chance to be twenty-five again?
    Do you really think you’d turn that down?
Recommend: Yes, once it’s published
My thoughts: This was fun to read. I was asked to beta read this book because the author is still working on the series and needs some help. Once she has all four books finished, they will be available for sale. And when they are, I’ll be getting them.

So… 2024 is about over. It wasn’t a horrible year for me (heck, I’m technically in remission, so…yay!). Well, it wasn’t horrible until I had to fix the water heater, get a new washing machine and a new laptop. Here’s hoping all my electronics work in 2025!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “Falling Stars” and My Laptop is Dying

It’s been an expensive month. Besides Christmas, we had to get the water heater repaired and then buy a new washing machine because the old one (from 2007) died. Now? My laptop, which I’ve had since 2016, is dying (the hard drive is going bad). I had to buy a new one (which I won’t get until the 26^th) because working on my travel laptop is NOT FUN. It’s just too small for everyday use.

I really did NOT want a new laptop. But even if I replaced the hard drive, I would still have to get all new software, so I might as well get a new one. I just hope the new one lasts as long (or longer) than the old. I hate change!!

This year is certainly not ending on a high note, is it?

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 33

Dates read: December 7-19, 2024
Title: Falling Stars
Year of publication: 2022
Author: Fern Michaels
Genre: Contemporary romance
Series:  N/A
# of Pages: 222
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free from B&N (membership perk)
Blurb from Book: Emily Ammerman has always felt at home amid the ski runs and slopes of Snowdrift Summit, the Colorado resort her family has operated for decades. Snow is her element, and she doesn’t hesitate when a new client asks her to train him to ski The Plunge, one of Colorado’s most treacherous runs.
    But Zach Ryder is no regular client. On screen, he’s famous for starring as a daring CIA officer who always saves the day. In real life, he’s just as handsome and charming as his alter ego, though not everyone is impressed. Some are concerned about what kind of impact these slick, showbiz types will have on their town.
    As for Emily—she’s got a secret, and it’s one she can’t reveal to anyone, especially not to Zach: she’s his biggest fan. But she’s also a professional. She’ll train him till he’s ready to tackle any slope, but she won’t fall in love with him, the way so many others have.
    Still, not everything in life can be planned, and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t help but fall . . .
Recommend: Not really
My thoughts: I struggled through this “fun and festive holiday story.” It just confirmed that I am not a fan of contemporary romance. Although, it was ONLY in Emily’s POV, so it’s really hard for me to call it a romance. I thought the characters were a bit on the boring side, too. I will not be purchasing another book from this author. I am NOT her audience.

Can’t believe Christmas will be here in less than a week. I’m basically ready. Still have wrapping, but I’m getting that done little by little.

Oh, and a reminder… my books are on sale over on Smashwords. My Sunny Vampire and Ghostly Liaison are free, the rest are at 50% off. If you’ve wanted to try my books, now would be the time to do it.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

End of Year Smashwords Sale!

 

Smashwords is having their annual end of year sale (now through Jan 1, 2025) and my books are included!

You can get My Sunny Vampire and Ghostly Liaison for free and the rest at 50% off. Click HERE to find all my books on Smashwords. And happy reading!!

Stacy

Finished Reading “This is Why We Lied” and Stuff is Breaking

Here it is, the coldest week of the year, and it appears our water heater is on the fritz. It wasn’t heating the water, in any case. Hubby and Son tried to look at it, but they couldn’t figure out how to drain it. Then they tried the reset button. That seemed to work.

Then it didn’t. So we called the plumber. The plumber hasn’t gotten here yet, but now it’s working. Or so it seems. So do we cancel the plumber? I just don’t know what to do.

Then I started laundry today, which is my day to do it. Figured we’d give the water heater a work out and see what happens. Nothing is happening because now the washer is on the fritz. It won’t spin. So no laundry today (repair person won’t be out until Monday). What a drag.

I’m almost afraid to use another appliance. I don’t want it to break, too.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 32

Dates read: November 22 – December 6, 2024
Title: This is Why We Lied
Year of publication: 2024
Author: Karin Slaughter
Genre: Suspense
Series:  Will Trent #12
# of Pages: 451
Paper or plastic: Hard cover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: A Secluded Cabin Retreat
    For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night.
    A Murderer in Their Midst
    Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying… Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.
    Who Killed Mercy McAlpine?
    It soon becomes clear that normal rules don’t apply at McAlpine Lodge, and Will and Sara are going to have to watch their step at every turn. Trapped on the resort, they must untangle a decades-old web of secrets to discover what happened to Mercy. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I love this series. And I had no idea what was going on until close to the end. Good mystery. Good suspense.

Well… since I can’t do the laundry today, I might as well get back to Alien Desires. I’m really close to the end. But I keep stopping at parts that need extra work. Hopefully I can get through that section today and not run into another one!

Yeah, that’s not likely. At least I’m working on it!!

Happy Reading!

Stacy