Dilemma Cover Reveal Tease #1

Here is a small piece of the fabulous cover for Dilemma that Alex has created.

I think he really did an amazing job on this one, so I want to tease it out a little. I will have Tease #2 next week. And then the week after, you get to see the entire wonderful image.

Despite the hiccups and wrong turns, the book is finally coming back together. I have decided on a firm release date (fingers crossed) of January 23rd. I am going to do a preorder on this one in the 2nd week of January with the full cover reveal. More on that when the links go live.

There are some other exciting things in the works, too. I'll talk about them once they are firmed up.

I think it's going to be an exciting year ahead.

Happy New Year to You All!

Audio Update

It's almost done.

I hope to review the last few chapters today and then send it to ACX for approval.

BUT

It's Christmas and then New Years and they will be closed for the holidays. So I am hoping that the files will be approved and out to retailers by mid-January.

I will update as soon as I know!

Planning for Brain Fog

I found a note I had left for myself for my 2020 writing calendar. It said to plan for brain fog in January and February.

I'm going to assume I wrote that note when I wasn't feeling well because I don't want to plan for brain fog. I want to plan a way through or over or around it.

My writing skidded to a halt last winter because I wasn't healthy. That isn't something that should be a yearly occurrence. I realize that you can't plan to not catch a cold, but I shouldn't expect to be flattened by my allergies for months.

I've been chipping away at them all year, trying to keep on top of it. I found some helpful supplements, and have been trying to avoid trigger foods. One of which is sugar, and man that's my downfall. And this time of year makes it even worse with cookies and candy everywhere.

Part of the problem is the fatigue. It creeps up on you, stealing your initiative. Before you know it, you go from not wanting to spend the energy doing good things for yourself to not even having the energy to think about it. Getting out of the desk chair to take a walk in the sunshine becomes a monumental task.

I've had some long stretches of good energy this year. That makes you less complacent when you start to slide back into the allergy doldrums. When you know what a good place you can get to, you don't want to settle for just getting through the day.

The note was a good reminder. I need to watch myself more carefully because I have a lot of plans for 2020 and all of them require a healthy body.

Looking Back at 2019

How did it get to be December?

Maybe it's because I'm getting to be an old fart, but time is passing way too fast. Now it's December and there are things on my list that have been there way too long.

I only managed to get one book out this year. I was going to say that I wasn't sure why that was, before I took a look at my publication schedule for the past couple of years. I started with my first mystery in 2012 and got 1 or two books out each year until last year.

In 2018, I released 4 books. The previous year I only managed one. Now I think I understand what might have happened. I pushed too hard and my brain needed a break. I'm a slow writer. But I've been slow and steady for awhile now. Last year I got on the treadmill and apparently used up my creative juices. I'd like to get a little faster, but not if it means extra downtime to recharge.

I'm still working on the rewrite for Dilemma. I hope to have that out after the holidays. And I am already brainstorming for the first book in the Children of a Changed World series. I've got a cast of characters and a loose plan of action.

There are several stories waiting to be written. I've got a lot planned. Now I just need to get it all on paper.