Hiatus

Coming In 2015

I'm working on a new story for the new year. Romance with a touch of mystery. I thought stepping out of my comfort zone I'd have a hard time writing a decent story, but so far I am proving myself wrong.

The Closer I Get To You (working title)

Brief Synopsis:
He found his happiness.
She's searching for hers.

That's all I can say about the story without giving away the plot at this time. Same with the cover. This picture isn't it.

My Gift To You

I want this year to end on a happy note, and for 2015 to start the same way. So I am re-gifting an inspiring story I told you on July 8, 2011.

An Amazing Thing Happened Today

I was able to rescue a large bird with a three-pronged fishing lure stuck in its neck!

I'm not telling you this story to brag. I'm simply sharing a side of me I never knew existed.

While bike riding this morning, I passed by a bird standing still in the parking lot of a convenience store across from the beach. It was the size of a seagull. Brown, not white and black. I noticed it didn't fly off even when I was less than four feet away. Near its beak something bright yellow glinted in the sunlight. I thought the bird was eating an odd type of fish. The bird squatted so low to the ground I couldn't see the yellow thing anymore. It hit me that the bird was in trouble. I parked the bike. Dashed into the store, and told the first person I saw. The man stopped what he was doing and followed me outside. There was a short section of fishing line attached to a lure and one of the hooks was attached to the bird. The man surmised someone caught the bird while casting out, merely cut the line and left it to fend for itself.

The bird inched its way toward the highway. The man stepped on the line to keep it from darting out into the traffic or from trying to fly off. He told me to cover its eyes with my hand. I did. He examined the hook. Said he couldn't find a way to remove it without further injuring the bird. He hurried inside to ask someone else to help me, then got in his car and sped away, leaving me kneeling on the ground holding the bird with both hands.

Other people came and went. They couldn't miss seeing me. Some turned away. Others flashed a sympathetic smile. "I need help, dammit!" I shouted, angrily. An employee came out and told me The Parks and Wildlife Service had been called.

Minutes later, a woman and a man pulled up in a van. She said she's a bird rescuer. They examined the bird while I continued holding onto it. The man tried to cut the barbed tip off the hook. Broke the handle of the tinsnips instead. The woman said it would be easier if they took the bird home with them. I didn't trust her. I had a sudden flashback to the time when I was forced to take my dog to a shelter because we were moving to an apartment complex that didn't allow pets. Heartbroken, I tried to come up with a plan to smuggle my dog into the apartment. I returned to the shelter a couple of hours later to find they had euthanized him not long after I'd taken him there. I couldn't help but think the same fate awaited the defenseless bird. She said they would remove the hook and return the bird to the wild. Reluctantly, I placed it in her care.

Two things amazed me. One: The bird stopped trying to get away from me, as if it finally understood I wasn't there to harm it. Two: My role in all of this. I love birds and animals. So I wasn't surprised that I didn't look the other way or find a way to quickly put the creature out of its misery. I was surprised, however, that I wrapped my bare hands around it without being scared or squeamish, even after it bit my hand hard enough to make a bruise. It's true when they say you'll never know how you'll act in a situation until you're confronted with it. I've always been a champion of the underdog, which made it easy for me to fight for the life of the bird like I did. It's also why it's easy for me to curse the person for hurting the bird in the first place and for not taking responsibility for their actions. Cutting the line and leaving the bird to die shows a blatant disregard for life.

I didn't think to ask the woman what kind of bird it is. The photo is a close likeness. I also didn't ask her when and where she would return it to the wild. Hard as it is, I need to have a little faith.
_________

At the time this happened I was job hunting nearly every day and not having any luck finding one. Later that afternoon I received not one but two job offers. I am still working for one of those businesses. Karma, baby. I believe in it.

Merry Christmas

Am Writing

I have the start of a romance story: Title, book cover, setting, list of characters and their role, and a rough outline. I wrote the HEA ending. Then the opening line. Now I just have to fill in all the white space in between. And write a brief synopsis.

I've written a couple of paranormal romances, but never a standard romance. The only problem I'm having so far is in resisting putting a dead body in the first chapter! Mysteries are in my blood. :)

What's Happening -- Updated

Update: I'm trying my hand at writing a romance novel. A new genre for me.

Previously:
I'm writing a novella. May end up being a novel. We'll see. Have what I think is a good title. Have what I think is a good plot. I'm bringing two characters together that are featured in other stories.

Signed up for Twitter in 2010. Never did much with it. Always felt like I was talking to myself. Nowadays, I post regularly. Try to follow trends. Try not to talk about my books too much or too often. Have picked up a lot of interesting followers. Have almost forgotten how to write complete sentences. :)

I wanted to follow a certain famous horror author just because I wanted to read anything and everything this writer -- one of my top favorites -- had to say. My follow got bumped. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

My mystery novel, CAPTIVITY, is still doing good on Apple iBooks. Sales of books two and three in the trilogy are gaining speed. I'm still smiling.

Most of my free books will remain free until mid January. Get your copy while the getting is good.

Nice weather today, but I have to go to work. Tomorrow is my day off, but it's supposed to rain. Sheesh

New Book Releases For December

Tami Hoag: COLD, COLD HEART (A Stand Alone.)
Laura Childs: SCORCHED EGGS (The 6th in the Cackleberry Club Mystery Series.)
Joyce and Jim Lavene: SPELL BOOKED (The 1st in the new Retired Witches Mystery Series.)
Rebecca M. Hale: AGROUND ON ST. THOMAS (The 3rd in the Mystery in the Islands Mystery Series.)
Jeffery Deaver: TROUBLE IN MIND: THE COLLECTED STORIES, VOL. 3 (A Short Story Collection.)
E.J. Copperman (aka Jeffery Cohen): INSPECTOR SPECTER (The 6th in the Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series.)
Waverly Curtis: THE CHIHUAHUA ALWAYS SNIFFS TWICE (The 4th in the Barking Detective Mystery Series.)
Isabella Alan (aka Amanda Flower): MURDER, SERVED SIMPLY (The 3rd in the Amish Quilt Shop Mystery Series.)
Juliet Blackwell (aka Hailey Lind): KEEPER OF THE CASTLE (The 5th in the Haunted Home Renovation Mystery Series.)
Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): DEATH WILL ALL THE TRIMMINGS (The 5th in the Key West Food Critic Mystery Series.)
Edward Marston (aka Conrad Allen & Keith Miles): DEEDS OF DARKNESS (The 4th in the Home Front Detective Mystery Series.)
Christopher Fowler: BRYANT & MAY AND THE BLEEDING HEART (The 11th book in the Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery Series.)

A Month In Review

November is a month to remember for my novel, CAPTIVITY.

The "First in a Series Mysteries & Thrillers" event with Apple iBooks was a big success for me!

And... I got fan mail!

I can't stop smiling.

Thank you, to everyone at Apple and draft2DIGITAL for this golden opportunity.