No Wednesday Reads. Life Has Been…Busy

I haven’t finished a book this week. Partly because I was busy with RAGT. Partly because I just didn’t feel like reading (which doesn’t bode well for the book I’m reading, does it?). So much for being two books ahead. I’m right on schedule now, but fear I’ll be one book behind before too long.

Ahhh, but I only have TWO more contest submissions to judge and then THAT will be over. Whew!

Of course, I’m thinking that contest has a LOT to do with me not wanting to read, too. One of the stories I was judging was just a bit too close to the book I’m reading and I started getting the stories mixed up. Oops. Better to just not read and finish judging, huh?

Between RAGT and my constant doctor visits, I feel like I haven’t been to the fitness center in ages. Monday I had a follow-up appointment which will now require a referral to another doctor in Cleveland (Yes, my condition is serious. No, I’m not feeling sick. Go figure!), and yesterday I had a cyst aspirated from my breast (that thing popped up out of nowhere, just wanting to compound my misery I guess). Not a fun event, but man, I feel better. I swear, I felt like I needed to breast feed a baby!

I still need to exercise, though (doctor’s orders, now), but after the aspiration, I have to wait a bit before I lift weights. So I guess I won’t be doing that until Thursday or Friday. Hope the weather is nice so I can go walking. I’d rather walk outside than on the treadmill because when I walk on the treadmill, I like to read and since I don’t want to do that… Man, what a mess, huh?

So… Have I totally depressed you? I think I depressed myself. So cheer me up. What fun thing are you doing today?

Stacy

I Sold Some Books!

Lori Foster’s Reader Author Get Together this year was probably my best year EVER! I certainly sold more books here than I have anywhere else. Now, maybe 8 books doesn’t seem like a lot to you, but hey, I was flabbergasted! I’m a NOBODY (at least when it comes to the author world). And I didn’t know the people who bought my books. That they decided to take a chance on me is a humbling feeling. I sure hope I don’t let them down!

Also, between the three conferences, I managed to add 29 more subscribers to my newsletter. Not too shabby, huh?

But you want to know what maybe the best part of the whole thing was? I got to pick up Darynda Jones from the airport and drive her 45 miles to the hotel! She’s one of my most favorite authors. Sometimes volunteering turns out awesome (because I had volunteered before knowing who I was driving).

So… I had a great weekend (couldn’t you tell?). I hope you did, too. But just trying to get caught up and work on the submissions I’m judging and then realizing I had to put out my newsletter and announce a winner of the autographed book, and then realizing I still haven’t written anything for the blog, well, it just about did me in. So glad it’s all done with. Now maybe I can get back to finishing Ghostly Interlude. Is there something in your life you’ve been putting off and can’t wait to get back to?

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

I’m At RAGT and a DVR Update

Today I’ll be selling/signing books at the book fair during RAGT (that would be the Reader Author Get Together held at the Marriott in West Chester, OH). In fact, I’ll be there all day and tomorrow, so I won’t be on line for awhile.

Gosh, I hope I don’t explode or something! J

I finally went out this week and replaced the family room DVR (which is working fine, by the way—yay!). While at Time Warner Cable, I was told about their new, enhanced DVRs. This DVR can record up to 6 shows and we would only need regular boxes on the other TVs to watch any show recorded on that DVR. Sounds good except… If THAT DVR went out, then we would lose EVERYTHING. I think I’ll stay with the three whole-house DVRs, at least until they have a way of copying (or backing up) shows. We’ve been burned twice by bad DVRs. I’m not going for that charm! Plus, I can’t imagine when all our DVRs will be cleared of shows. We’re not exactly speedy watchers. That’s why we record in the first place.

Yesterday the weather was absolutely beautiful (about time, too!). I took advantage of an errand I had to make at the base and drove my sweetie’s convertible. Yes, I put the top down. One time I didn’t mind going on that errand!

So… Got any summer vacation plans this year? Our summer is relatively quiet this year (just an occasional baseball game). We tend to take our vacations when the kids are in school (and it’s not so busy). Although, spending a week at a beach doesn’t sound all that bad. Hmmm…

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and a New Page

Did you notice? Did you see it in my sidebar? I finally set up an author page on Facebook! I know, took me long enough. I’m surprised I already have over 50 likes. It’s not like I invited all my friends to like it (I refuse to do that). I won’t be posting the same stuff on my personal profile and author page, because that’s just dumb. Now to just figure out something interesting to say as my author persona as opposed to what I HAVE been doing on my personal profile, which basically is my author persona. Hmmm…

Anyway, this is what I read this week:

May 31: “Hard as You Can” by Laura Kaye, book 2 of the Hard Ink series, a contemporary romance (but more like a romantic suspense) at 370 pages long. Blurb from book: Ever since hard-bodied, drop-dead-charming Shane McCallan strolled into the dance club where Crystal Dean works, he’s shown a knack for getting beneath her defenses. For her little sister’s sake, Crystal can’t get too close. Until her job and Shane’s mission intersect, and he reveals talents that go deeper than she could have guessed. Shane would never turn his back on a friend in need, especially a former Special Forces teammate running a dangerous, off-the-books operation. Nor can he walk away from Crystal. The gorgeous waitress is hiding secrets she doesn’t want him to uncover. Too bad. He’s exactly the man she needs to protect her sister, her life, and her heart. All he has to do is convince her that when something feels this good, you hold on as hard as you can—and never let go. No way was this just a contemporary romance. Too much suspense and dangerous situations for that. And after reading this book (which I had gotten for free at RT), I wish I had started with Book 1. Not that I had to (I was never confused), I just WANT to. Lots of tension (sexual and otherwise) and I loved it. The major storyline is still in play, but there wasn’t any cliffhanger with this book (yay!). I have a feeling I’ll be reading the rest of this series, but gotta get book 1 first. J

Jun 2: “Eighth Grave After Dark” by Darynda Jones, book 8 of the Charley Davidson series, an urban fantasy at 293 pages long. Blurb from book: Charley Davidson has enough going on without having to worry about twelve hellhounds hot on her trail. She is, after all, incredibly pregnant and feeling like she could pop at any moment. But, just as her luck, twelve deadly beasts from hell have chosen this time to escape onto our plane, and they’ve made Charley their target. And so she takes refuge at the only place she thinks they can’t get to her: the grounds of an abandoned convent. Of course, if hellhounds aren’t enough, Charley also has a new case to hold her attention: the decades-old murder of a newly vowed nun who she keeps seeing in the shadows of the convent. Add to that the still-unsolved murder of her father, the strange behavior of her husband, and Charley’s tendency to attract the, shall we say, undead, and she has her hands full…but also tied. While the angry hellhounds can’t traverse the consecrated soil, they can lurk just beyond its borders like evil sentries, so Charley has been forbidden from leaving the sacred grounds. Luckily, she has her loyal team with her, and they’re a scrappy bunch who won’t let a few thirsty hellhounds deter them. While the team scours the prophesies, searching for clues on the Twelve and for a way to kill them, or at least send them back to hell, Charley just wants answers and is powerless to get them. But the mass of friends they’ve accrued helps. They convince her that everyone in her recent life has somehow been drawn to her, as through they were all part of a bigger picture. Their presence is comforting, but the good feelings don’t last for long, because Charley is about to get the surprise of her crazy, mixed-up, supernatural life. Aaarrrggghhh! This is the problem with urban fantasy series. The overall storyline doesn’t necessarily end in one book. Yeah, I hate cliff hangers, and this one has a doozie, but I do love these books, so I’ll impatiently wait for the next one. And man, that’s one long blurb, isn’t it? I never read them until I go to put them in my post. Guess they have more room to put it on the inside sleeve.

I’m kind of perturbed. My daughter has YET to finish reading “The Shadows” (the latest book from J.R. Ward). I’ve been patiently waiting. Okay, maybe impatiently waiting. I’m about ready to just grab it from her (and when I finish the next book I read and “The Shadows” is not waiting in my stack, I might just DO that!).

I’ve decided to take a writing break (a small one). Too much crap going on right now, I can’t even concentrate on my story. Trying to fight it was only making it worse, so I just decided to accept that I won’t be writing until sometime next week. Amazing what making a decision can do to a person. Really freeing! More time to read. Well, until tomorrow, when RAGT starts.

So… Have you been hit with some cooler weather? Enjoying it? I kind of am. Even though I’m taking medication to help with my night sweats, the cool nights are helping, too. Plus, opening the window makes the house smell clean. It won’t last, though. I can see it in the forecast. Hot & humid will be back soon enough.

Have a good Wednesday and happy reading!

Stacy

Books and Baskets and Movies

Well, I drove up to the Cleveland Rocks Conference with 36 books and drove home with…36 books (Okay, actually I drove home with more, because I won two of the raffle baskets and they were loaded). Yeah, I didn’t sell any books. That’s okay (I guess). I got a few more people to sign up for my newsletter. That’s a plus.

Which I should probably mention: if you don’t belong to my newsletter, send me an e-mail to stacy @ stacymckitrick . com (just leave out the spaces), with GIVEAWAY in the subject line. I’ll add you to my list of subscribers and enter you for a chance to win one of my books (your choice). I’ll even autograph it for you. There’s no obligation to remain subscribed to my newsletter. Once you get the first one (which will be on June 8th to announce the winner) you could unsubscribe. I certainly hope you WOULDN’T, but understand if you do.

If you by some chance subscribe to my newsletter via the form between now and June 8th, I’ll still enter you in the drawing, but it’ll be a whole lot easier if you e-mail me and I have that reminder, you know?

So, back to the baskets. Yeah, I won two. I wasn’t even going to buy any tickets, but felt it was for their fund raiser and they had TONS of baskets (I think close to 100 and there were only 50 of us there). One of the baskets I won I hadn’t realized I entered (it didn’t contain anything I really wanted—I probably put my ticket in the wrong bag), so I’ll be donating it for a RAGT raffle, after I add some books I got from RT that I don’t want but will fit in nicely with that basket.

The other basket had gobs of stuff I wanted. A bottle of Irish Cream (yum), a nice star-shaped glass bowl loaded with candy, and several books I actually WANT to read. The basket will come in handy for the stuff I was donating for another RAGT raffle (nothing like waiting until the last minute, huh?), because I don’t collect baskets, I just reuse them.

Driving up to Cleveland was nice, but coming home on Saturday we hit storm after storm after storm (or maybe the same storm but at different parts?). Nasty weather. But now it’s a lot cooler out and not near as muggy. I'm sure that won't last, though.

Yesterday I got to use the Mother’s Day gift my hubby gave me (gift cards for dinner & a movie). I chose to see “San Andreas.” I’m such a sucker for disaster flicks. Have to say, it was hokey (I think “Earthquake” was probably more realistic than this one), but the graphics were awesome. It looked so real. Oh, and for dinner? We ate at Chili’s. Good time!

So… You plan on seeing any movies this summer? “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” interests me. Not only because I enjoyed the series when I was young, but I like Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. Yum! (Yeah, I can be shallow at times).

Have a good Monday!

 

Stacy