Tag: Death Wish Coffee

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wine, women and song…or at least the wine

It’s another early Saturday morning, so of course that means I’m writing while I drink my Death Wish coffee, except when a certain kitty comes and demands cuddles.  Cuddles trump everything.  I spent a good chunk of yesterday doing neglected housework, and there’s a bunch more of it to do, but not today.

I have a wine club box to pick up out in Lodi today, so I’m planning to go kidnap my mother and take her out for food of some kind and probably a run to a store or two (possibly to get some yarn to work on a few projects).

I’m in a pretty good place regarding work.  I have two jobs that have been offered to me, though both are contract positions and I would rather have a permanent one, and I have two permanent jobs that I have passed the first hurdle in the gauntlet of interviews. I have a good feeling that I will be starting a new job pretty soon.

In fact, I feel pretty good right now about the entire direction this year has started to take.  I have a new job on the horizon.  I have a planned excursion to Batuu West at the end of March, a trip to Austin and another Batuu adventure in August, and come October I will be back in Denver for Sirens.

Not a bad year so far.  All it needs is for that new permanent job to materialize.  I hope your 2020 is shaping up to be awesome too, Readers!  Happy Saturday…also known as half-price chocolate day.  Go get you some sweet!

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

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sleep, sweet sleep

You know those mornings when you wake up slowly, snuggled into warm blankets, with cuddly pets on either side and you lay there, not quite awake thinking how nice it would be to just fall back to sleep?

But then the alarm goes off and just like that you’re faced with the fact that now you’re fully awake, you need to pee, one cat is eating your hair and the other one is meowing at you for not being up already to give them treats?

Yeah, that’s what this morning was like.

I almost had myself convinced it was the weekend.  It is not, in fact, the weekend.  Not yet anyway. There are two more work days between here and there!

Oh well, at least there’s coffee, and this morning it is strong!  Happy Thursday, Readers!  May your cup be full and your work day short.

 

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash

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leaving on a jet plane

Finishing up the packing for my trip tomorrow and trying to resist the urge to pack every Star Wars t-shirt I own.  After my bit of a buying spree lately, that’s a LOT of t-shirts.  I think I could get through most of a month without having to wash anything…and I still have a few coming.

My obsession has gotten a little bit out of control of late.

Yesterday I had my ME day in preparation of the trip…got my mani/pedi, got my hair cut and dyed…bought new clothes that I didn’t actually NEED.

But I found a denim jacket that will be PERFECT for my Star Wars patches/pins.  Did I mention my obsession?  LOL.

I’ll try to remember to post all about the early part of the conference on Wednesday.  And tell you all about any MUST HAVE books I stumble across.  There’s always a few dozen…or more.

In the meantime, I’m off to heat up more water for some more Death Wish coffee to help power me through this early Sunday morning.  Y’all be kind and have a beautiful day!

Photo by Erwan Hesry on Unsplash

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axes with friends

Last weekend I was in Austin celebrating a friend’s birthday, and getting to see a cousin I haven’t seen since we graduated high school together.  It was a fabulous long weekend that started on Wednesday.

The mini-vacation included getting to hang in the pool and spend lots of hours catching up with my cousin and her daughter, then music and dinner on Lady Bird lake, Rocky Horror Picture Show with friends, a buffet breakfast, ax throwing craziness (which I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did), dinner and beer at the Family Business Brewing Company, followed by more beer and a concert.

Every time I get to do one of these weekends, I’m reminded why I’m willing to spend the money to do it.  Austin is a beautiful city and I’ve met some awesome people.  And our host’s reaction to my new appearance, after not seeing me in 3 years, was worth every penny too!

I came home to an extra week off before I start my new job on Monday, which has meant that I got a good amount of writing time this week and that has felt really good.  I’m hoping that I can continue getting at least 500 words a day, even as I start my new job, which I am admittedly both nervous and excited for.

It’s a whole new industry for me, and the learning curve is going to be steep.

But hey, we all know I love a challenge!

Well, Readers, the coffee is hot (DeathWish Valhalla Java this morning) and I need to get some words flowing.  I hope to get back to a regular cadence of posting here now that I will be settling in to a new routine.

 

Photo by Dan Edwards on Unsplash

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#amwriting

I’m sitting in my home office on a Saturday morning, enjoying the last bit of the Death Wish Coffee before I get my next shipment later in the month, and writing.  It is maybe my favorite day of the week, especially when the words are working well.

Today is one of those days, when the words are working and the story has changed enough that my re-write of existing words to change from 3rd person to 1st person has become writing fresh words that take the story in a slightly different direction.

My main character, my point of view character is an eleven year old girl when we first meet her.  She got her name when one of my best friends responded to my naming dilemma by telling me to name her Fred.  She was being facetious, but I took the suggestion to heart.  Her full name is Alliafred, but those close to her call her Fred.

The world she lives in is different from anything I’ve published before, and I’ve been really enjoying create a map of that world, though I lack in the drawing skills and naming skills.  I’ve been working on the world’s backstory for years.

In other news, I’m told to expect Where Shadows Fall to be ready to publish before the end of November, and as soon as I can, I will share the cover with all you.  I’m very excited to share this story with you to close out the Shades and Shadows series.

Now, however, it’s back to the coffee and the words.

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taken a-back

There is this moment, just as I am waking up, but before I’ve moved or opened my eyes.  In that moment, nothing hurts, at least not above my baseline.  I try to hold on to that moment, because I know that soon, I’ll have to move, have to sit up and put my feet on the floor, and then the pain will come.

I sometimes joke that if I ever woke up not in pain, I’d assume I died through the night.  I’ve had chronic pain conditions most of my adult life, and I’ve developed new ones as I’ve gotten older.

Most days I can be functional with a few coping mechanisms, some gentle stretching and my meds for nerve pain.  I’m fortunate to not need anything in the opioid category for pain relief.

This morning, as I slowly became conscious and I hung there in that glorious moment when nothing hurt, I wondered what it would be like to be there all the time, to have my body back.  I’ll probably never know.  I just adjust to the new normal each time something new comes to claim my body for its home.

This week has been rough for pain levels.  My lower back, and in turn my legs, have been extra loud in the symphony and have required I do some babying and icing.  They seem to be somewhat better today, though my whole back is a hair above what I call “normal.”

That’s okay though.  Today is a writing day, and aside from getting some laundry done, I have no other plans.  Just me, some Death Wish Coffee and one of the two stories I’m currently working on.

What about you, Reader?  What’s on your plate today?

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living off script

Life is an odd thing, if you think about it.  You’re born a squirmy, screaming thing that can do nothing for itself.  If you’re lucky, you’re cared for by people who love you just because you share the same blood.  You grow and you choose friends based on the clothes they’re wearing or the TV shows they watch or the color of their hair or whatever random thing makes them attractive to you.  You learn skills, you set yourself off on a path to earn a living, and maybe make your own squirmy, screaming thing that you then have to love and care for.

It’s almost like we’re born with a script to follow…even if some of us don’t follow it all the way.

Today is my mother’s 70th birthday.  She followed that script.  She became a nurse, she got married, she had two kids…but then there was an unexpected twist written into the script when she wasn’t looking.  She found herself divorced with two kids to raise with nursing skills so far out of date that going back to nursing wasn’t even possible.

She raised two kids, one who seems to be following the script pretty well. He married, raised two kids to adulthood, etc.  Me, well, not so much.  I kind of walked away from the script a long time ago. I never married, though I considered it once.  I never had kids, though I considered that once too.

At my age, it isn’t going to happen, though I have considered fostering from time to time.  I get attached too easily and I’m driven to fix things for others, so I think it would probably kill me to do.

I’ll have to settle for living off script, I guess.  It isn’t a bad life.

I have a cup of Death Wish coffee and some edits to get to before I head out to see Mom.  Happy Saturday, Readers!

 

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where shadows fall

I received word yesterday that my manuscript for Where Shadows Fall has been accepted by my publisher.  This means it should be ready for release in time for holiday sales.  Where Shadows Fall will serve as the ending of the Shades and Shadows trilogy, though not likely the end of stories in that world.

I have at least two short stories I want to write with these characters, possibly more, so I won’t be leaving it for a long time.

There aren’t really any new characters for me to introduce to you this time around.  The story moves from where In Gathering Shade left off and drives through the gathering darkness without really picking up any new characters.

We do get to see more of Emily and Victoria in this book, and some of the side characters really get ot shine as well.  I can’t wait to see the cover because I know that my publisher always comes through with great covers.

I hope you, dear Readers, are as excited about this as I am!  But for now, I have to go get another cup of Death Wish Coffee and get some work working.

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time to hit the road

By the time you are reading this, I will probably be somewhere on the road between Paris and Milan with my good friend and some good music at the start of our epic Italy road trip.

I figured since my normal Wednesday post would be pre-empted by a travel day, I’d pre-write it!

I’m such a nut for traveling.  I love to visit new places and meet new people, as long as I can control certain aspects of it, which is why we’re driving and not taking the train.  The agoraphobe in me balks at not having SOMETHING under my control.

Our first stop is Milan, but we likely won’t see much, as it’s mostly a stop for sleep before we head south.  Our first real touristy day will be when we get to Pompeii.  I’ve been wanting to visit Pompeii since I was about 9 years old.

Here in the states, or at least in California, it’s just starting to think about leaving summer behind for autumn.  The mornings and evenings are cooler and the wind is brisk.  I love autumn, it’s my favorite time of year.  I’m looking forward to being cold enough for sweatshirts!

But first, epic road trip through Italy, and a chance to see sites I’ve only dreamed of until now.  By the time I get home, it should be properly fall, and time to pull those sweatshirts out of the back of the closet.

I hope you are all having some fun too, Readers!  I’m off to finish my packing and have another cup of Death Wish.  I have a new book to read on the plane.  I hope to tell you about it once I’m done!

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exhaustion on tap

The last three or four nights, I’ve had really segmented sleep that totals to less than five hours per night, most of it in one to one and a half hour increments.  I’ve also needed to be in the office and at all day meetings this week, plus had social engagements with coworkers from out of town.

To say that I’m tired is not enough.

I’m here in the office again today, though today’s meetings aren’t a solid nine hours long.  We have our monthly all hands meeting, followed by break out sessions, which largely means smaller groups of people hashing out issues that were raised in the meetings. Because I’m the technical writer, I’ll likely float between the groups, which means I might find some time to actually squeeze in some actual work.

Which is what I should be doing right now!  I love being in the office this early, when I’m the only one here and I can rock out in my chair to some tunes  and power through stuff I can’t get to once the distractions of the day start pouring in the door.

Happy Wednesday, Readers!  May it be spectacular! I’m off to pour that first cup of Death Wish and kick this day into gear.