Combining mindless chatter with writing updates since 1982. (That might be a slight hyperbole.) |
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HAPPY NEW YEAR! Like most of you, I was wondering if we'd ever escape the clutches of 2020. This year was starting to feel like Groundhog Day (Groundhog Year?), where no amount of throwing ourselves from cliffs or electrocuting ourselves with toasters would free us. But, much to my relief, I woke up this morning to discover that it was indeed January 1, 2021. We're free! Though this might be a good time to point out that 2021 sounds a whole lot like "2020 won." |
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Feature Article: I Got the 'Rona |
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He's kinda cute, right? All proud and virus-y. Anyway, I was so close to escaping the clutches of 2020 without catching a global pandemic. While Christmas Eve and Christmas day were packed with their normal festivities to which I tackled like a warrior (if warriors were kind of flimsy and unimpressive), I developed a fever on Christmas night. No coal in my stocking this year, just a big lump of COVID. |
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So, I spent the day after Christmas knocked out on the couch. It wasn’t horrible. There’s something satisfying about being deliriously tired and feeling like your head has a two-ton semi parked on top of it, then getting to sleep the whole day away. I needed to recover from Christmas anyway, so two birds, right? Also, my dog Gus curled up with me the whole time. He’s been my best COVID buddy, never leaving my side. By the 27th I was vertical again. Er, vertical-ish. More like a 45-degree angle. On the 29th I drug my butt off my mountain to take the COVID test. My results came back the next day: Positive for Coronavirus. As of today, my symptoms are equivalent to having a cold, with the caveat that I can't taste or smell anything. I know a lot of us find food to be rather flavorless/bland when we have a cold, but in this case, I have no taste at all. It's like COVID broke my taste buds, and even coffee tastes like hot water. Yesterday my husband tried to add a load of hot sauce to my mac and cheese so I could taste it, but all that did was burn my throat a little. It still had no flavor. I know I sound spoiled, but I JUST WANT TO TASTE SOMETHING. I want a cookie, dang it. Anyway. I think my recovery has gone pretty well considering I was comatose the first day I came down with Coronavirus, which means there’s a chance I’m doing something right. So if you or a loved one gets COVID-19, here's what worked for me: - Take Zinc and Vitamin D daily (and really, you should start doing that now).
- Drink lots of water. I can not emphasize this enough. Even a fever of 100° is burning up every little bit of fluids you take in.
- Move around periodically to keep the oxygen circulating (I got that advice from my mom—who’s an RN—and my songwriting buddy over at Halloween Hopes, who recovered from Coronavirus himself last month.
- If food makes you nauseous in the beginning (it did for me), drink smoothies with mild ingredients (i.e. fruit, peanut butter, etc.) and nibble on toast.
- Avoid over-dramatics. Yes, you caught a pandemic, and that thought can be scary if you give it space, but most people recover on their own with no issues. Keep your spirits up and focus on getting better.
- Don't lose your taste-receptor-thingies. It sucks. Comfort food isn't comforting when you can't taste it.
Okay, that last one might be out of your hands. Cheers to 2021, and here's hoping you make it through with your health-- and taste buds--intact. 🥂 |
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Marketing As mentioned in December's newsletter, the Greek edition of Chasing Echoes is now available in eBook, and paperbacks are scheduled for release in February. Likewise, Black Lilies is now set to be released in Greece in July. Celene Publishing has also decided to produce the novels as audiobooks. The bad news is these audiobooks will only be available in Greek. No big deal though. I just need to learn Greek really quick and then I can read my book. I wonder what |
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the names "Taz" and "Stryder" sound like in Greek? I'm imagining something Greeky, like Τζαζ and Στρίντερ. (<-- I may have Google Translated those.) Writing The holidays slowed down progress of Spring of Crows, but I did manage to add a thousand words. Of course I was under the influence of COVID when I added them, so they're probably garbage. But hey, it's quantity, not quality, right? Here's the new word count: |
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When I was a kid, I adored the movie Back to the Future, but I never realized while writing Chasing Echoes that I might be incorporating subconscious head nods to that movie. The most obvious example is the fact that Chasing Echoes and Back to the Future both feature an iconic clock tower. But there are subtle things, too, such as the name of the town. |
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As you know, the Aevos sisters live in Sezona Hills. I chose that particular name because "Sezona" means "seasons" in various languages. But why "Hills"? It's kind of a running joke in the series that the little town of Sezona Hills actually contains no hills. In fact, when Aviva travels to 1886, Sezona Hills is called Sezona Valley. When examining why I chose the name Sezona Hills, preceded by Sezona Valley, I made a revelation. In Back to the Future, Marty McFly lives in Hill Valley. Coincidence? 🤔 All I can say is I didn't do it on purpose. Apparently my subconscious won't stop fangirling over my all-time favorite time-travel movie. |
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This moody melody was suggested by Tom M. from Boston, who imagines this song playing in Black Lilies when Aviva is mourning over her lost ghost. |
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Is there a song that reminds you of a scene from the Chasing Echoes series? Email it to me and I'll feature it in a future newsletter. |
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Hope you enjoyed this month's tidbits. See you again next month! |
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Missed last month's newsletter? Click HERE to catch up (and discover why Santa is actually a vampire). |
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