Finished “Blood is Not Enough” and I’m Home!

After a lonnnnng travel day on Oct 9 (I saw two sunsets that day-one in Japan and the other in Detroit), I crashed onto my own bed and slept. I don’t recommend that anyone stay up for twenty-nine hours. Man, I never felt so tired. But sleep on the plane? Yeah, I can’t seem to do that. Maybe if I were in first class… Like THAT will ever happen.

But I’m home now and will be for almost three months before the next round of lengthy cruises.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 29

Dates read: May 6, 2024 – October 13, 2026
Title: Blood is Not Enough
Year of publication: 1989
Author: Various
Genre: Horror short stories
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 306
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free from B&N
Blurb from Goodreads: Renowned editor Ellen Datlow has gathered seventeen variations on vampirism ranging from classically Gothic to postmodern satire, from horrific to erotic. These stories reflect the evolution of vampire literature from Bram Stoker to Anne Rice and beyond, resulting in a deeper exploration of their inner lives. Expanding the concept of vampirism to include the draining of a person's will or life force, Datlow's collection transcends the traditional "black capes and teeth marks on the neck" to reinvent an eternally fascinating subgenre of horror.
    In Harlan Ellison's "Try a Dull Knife," an empath stumbles bleeding into a nightclub, on the run from emotional vampires. A Broadway actress steals the emotions of her fellow performers in ". . . To Feel Another's Woe" by Chet Williamson. And in "The Sea Was Wet as Wet Could Be," Gahan Wilson offers his own surreal twist on Lewis Carroll's "The Walrus and the Carpenter," as two strangers on a beach lure intoxicated picnickers to a different kind of picnic . . .
    Blood Is Not Enough includes contributions by Dan Simmons, Gahan Wilson, Garry Kilworth, Harlan Ellison, Scott Baker, Leonid Andreyev, Harvey Jacobs, S. N. Dyer, Edward Bryant, Fritz Leiber, Tanith Lee, Susan Casper, Steve Rasnic Tem, Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann, Chet Williamson, Joe Haldeman, and Pat Cadigan.
Recommend: Maybe
My thoughts: The dates read are correct. I started this in 2024, on a cruise, no less. I don’t know what made me pick it. Probably because it was vampire stories and there wasn’t anything better to pick that month. But they were…WEIRD vampire stories. Which is why I put it down for a couple of years. When I picked it back up, I was determined to finish it, but I only read the story if it interested me. If after a few pages it didn’t, I’d skip it over to the next one. I probably would still be reading it if I had forced myself to read them all. So if you like weird short stories, give it a go. Otherwise, pass on it.

After twenty-eight days of cruising, I have almost reached my reading goal. It helped re-reading my own books, that’s for sure. But I’m glad I did that. I feel confident that I can get back into writing book #7 with a clear picture of where everyone stands (I really couldn’t remember!). Sometimes I really hate what is happening to my memory. I can only assume it’s from my treatments. I only have to take one of the treatment pills for another year, so I will certainly pay attention and see if my memory improves. If it doesn’t, I don’t know what to think. Because I can only think of scary things and those aren’t fun to think about, if you know what I mean.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished “Finding the Perfect Mate” and Finally Touched Land!

This will probably be the last blog post during this cruise since I don’t have any more of my own books to read. Plus, we have four port days in a row (before we fly home on Oct 9), so that also puts a crimp in my reading. But today we finally touched land. We docked in Kobe, Japan.

And what was it doing there? Raining. Lots and lots of rain. Our excursion was up on Mt Rokko for some scenic views. The only views we got were of the clouds. Just our luck, huh? Tomorrow we’ll be in Kochi. We don’t have an excursion, but it is also expected to be raining, so Hubby and I aren’t sure we’ll even get off the ship. Especially if there isn’t a free shuttle into town.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 28

Dates read: October 2-4, 2026
Title: Finding the Perfect Mate
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Stacy McKitrick
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Bitten by Love #6
# of Pages: 226
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: I wrote it
Blurb from Goodreads: Finding the Perfect Mate just got way more complicated.
    When Perry pledges abstinence until he meets a Perfect Mate—a rare mortal perfect for a vampire—he doesn’t expect to be tested. Especially by another vampire. But Mandy smells like heaven. Has a sexy British accent. And is the smartest person he’s met. She’s just so … perfect. If he holds on to his fantasy, will he lose his chance at love?
    Finding the perfect vampire was never on her radar.
    Mandy hasn’t seen her father in 500 years but when he goes missing she drops everything and heads for the States, only to discover the Russian vampires kidnapped him. She insists on being involved in his rescue and suggests she and Perry—who’s sexy as sin and makes her laugh—infiltrate as lovers. As they pretend, she realizes he’s just so … perfect. But she’s got a secret that will mean her death. Can she trust him not to turn her over to the authorities or does she keep mum and let him go?
Recommend: Yes (duh)
My thoughts: I had forgotten the nickname Perry gave Barnet at the end of this book. So it’s probably a good thing I read it if I do bring Perry back from his honeymoon. And I really do miss the guy. He was so much fun to write. I still cracked myself up with some of the lines I gave him. Mainly because I had forgotten I wrote them! He was the best comic relief I ever wrote.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished “Biting the Curse” and Lots of Water

I told Hubby that so far I don’t feel like I’ve done much on this cruise (especially compared to the back-to-back-to-back cruise we took in July & August). We’ve seen one port (Ketchikan) and lots of water. Tomorrow is our first stop in Japan. Hopefully I’ll feel differently after that. We’ll see.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 27

Dates read: October 1-2, 2026
Title: Biting the Curse
Year of publication: 2019
Author: Stacy McKitrick
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Bitten by Love #5
# of Pages: 236
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: I wrote it
Blurb from Goodreads: When Janie Robinson says “I do,” she might as well call the morgue.
Two days after her wedding, David died in a car accident.
The day after she accepted his proposal, Justin fell to his death at work.
The day after she agreed to move in, Aaron died in a freakish drone accident.
Now Sam wants to date her because she’s some kind of Perfect Mate.
If she’s perfectly anything, she’s perfectly cursed and she’s not about to risk Sam’s life.

Sam Kincaid is a vampire.
He has been searching for Janie since the day he let her go.
Her so-called curse doesn’t bother him until he becomes the killer’s next target.
He’s never feared for his life before, but if he lets her go again, it wouldn’t be worth living.
Recommend: Yes (duh)
My thoughts: Breezing through another re-read for me. I’m enjoying this process tremendously, too (I really think it’s going to help me in writing book 7). And I love what the defunct InD’tale magazine said in their review: Stacy McKitrick’s “Biting the Curse” is a sexy, romantic, action-packed mystery readers can really sink their teeth into! They always liked my books and I’m sorry they no longer exist.

Sometimes I wonder if I need to go and change all the covers to the Bitten by Love books. Something that doesn’t have people on them. Would that help in sales? And is it an expense I really need? Something to ponder… (especially if it’s done just before book 7 is released). Your opinion is greatly desired.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished “Blind Temptation” and More Itinerary Changes

So… there are apparently storms to and around Japan. So much so that two of our ports were cancelled, one was moved to another day, and one (maybe another) was added. We were supposed to dock on our first stop on Oct 3, but now we get another sea day and won’t dock until Oct 4. Boy, this cruise is something else, isn’t it? I just hope we don’t experience any of the tropical storm they hope to go around tonight. I can’t imagine that would be fun to cruise through.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 26

Dates read: September 29 - October 1, 2026
Title: Blind Temptation
Year of publication: 2015
Author: Stacy McKitrick
Genre: Paranormal romance
Series: Bitten by Love #3
# of Pages: 263
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: I wrote it
Blurb from Goodreads: Dreading the prospect of losing her position on the Vampire Committee, Victoria is forced to integrate with the mortal population. She hasn’t stepped outside since her husband died over 40 years ago and the thought of being treated like the 17-year-old she resembles frustrates her. But when she discovers that Ben, her hot & sexy driver’s ed teacher, is blind, she gives into temptation and flirts. She never expects to fall in love.
    Ben knows he shouldn’t get involved with Victoria—she’s his student. But something compels him toward her. She makes him feel young, alive, and more importantly, whole.
    Victoria would love nothing better than to have Ben as a mate, but fears he wouldn’t want to be blind forever. As she struggles to keep her identity hidden from him, an old acquaintance of Victoria’s turns up and is willing to do anything to win her love, including disposing of her boyfriend.
Recommend: Yes (duh)
My thoughts: I’m rereading some of my books to help me write book 7 of this series. I couldn’t remember the small details I need to write Susannah’s and Barnet’s story. And Susannah first appeared in book 3. After reading this, I realized I probably need to reread books 5 & 6, too. Not that it will be a chore. Far from it. I LOVED rereading Blind Temptation. I will LOVE reading those other books too. I almost forgot how much fun I had in writing those. But then, Perry was in them and he always made a scene fun. Should I have him in book 7? Technically, he’s on his honeymoon, but hey… how can I not have him? Especially with it being Susannah’s book. Something for me to think about.

Do you think it’s cheating when I reread my own books and count them toward my reading goal of the year? I mean, I am READING them. I never did count them when I wrote them (and I read them several times!), so why not count them now?

FYI: I know it says I posted this at 1:40am, but it's 3:40pm where I am now, so I'm not up that late!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished “The Tuesday Night Survivors' Club” and Crossing the International Date Line

Yesterday or last night we crossed the International Date Line. I was afraid my phone would have a fit, but it turned out that the Carnival App had the fit instead.

I woke up with the time on the app being different than the time on their map channel (which I usually have on all the time) and my phone (which I changed exactly as instructed last night). In fact, the app was indicating it was the wrong day, even. I wasn’t sure what was correct!

But it all worked out around 7am. The app matched my phone and the map channel. Whew! I can’t imagine what mess that would have caused if it wasn’t figured out.

So, we technically missed Sep 29 (went from Sep 28 to Sep 30). But my laptop still shows the time and day from home (EDT), so do I mark the date I finished reading EDT or Vanatu time (which is the time zone we’re in right now)? I think I’ll go with EDT, because that’s what my laptop says. I’m confused enough as it is!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 25

Dates read: September 24-29, 2026
Title: The Tuesday Night Survivors' Club
Year of publication: 2022
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Genre: Mystery
Series: Survivors' Book Club Mystery #1
# of Pages: 203
Paper or plastic: Nook
How obtained: Free from B&N
Blurb from Goodreads: Survivors become sleuths to find a missing member of their book club in new-age Sedona, New Mexico . . .
    Two things got Rarity Jones through her breast cancer treatments: friends and books. Now cancer-free, Rarity is devoting her life to helping others find their way through the maze to healing. She’s opened a bookstore focusing on the power of healing—Eastern medicine, Western medicine, the healing power of food, the power of meditation, and the importance of developing a support community. To that end, she’s also started the Tuesday Night Survivors book club. With its openness to new-age communities, Sedona, Arizona, is the perfect fit for Rarity’s bookstore and the tightly knit group.
    But their therapeutic unity is disrupted when one of their members suddenly goes missing. Martha has always kept to herself, never opening up much of her personal life to the group. Now she’s nowhere to be found. With her car abandoned on a trail and her dog left with a friend, Rarity is sure something terrible has happened—but will she be able to uncover Martha’s secrets before it’s too late?
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I picked this book (when B&N used to offer me a free book each month from a list of 5-6) because I sort of knew the author (I was with Lyrical Press at one time). But I discovered after a few chapters that cozy mystery is not my jam. The book is cute, but I just like a little more danger for my reading pleasure (also a reason why I don’t always read contemporary romance, too). But if you like cozy mystery then give this a try.

I finished the edits on The Alien’s Change of Heart and it is now back with my editor. Yay! Which means I’m free to work on the seventh vampire book. But to help me with some of the details, I’m re-reading Blind Temptation because that’s where Susannah started (since book 7 is hers and Barnet’s story) and I just couldn’t remember the small details. Hey, I don’t mind getting credit for re-reading a book. One that I enjoy soooooo much, too.

Makes me think I write pretty good books when I can go back and just get lost in the world again.

Happy Reading!

Stacy