Home With The Tummy Bug. . . .

Achieved: 1 Issue of the serial typed and sent to the editor.
1 Issue of the serial handwritten.

Today’s Goal: 1 Issue of the serial sent to editor.
1 Issue of the serial handwritten.

I should have known it was going to happen. First my oldest daughter and yesterday after school it was my youngest son. I woke up at 2:09 am. I could get more descriptive but you get the picture. I took the kids to school in sweatpants and sunglasses. Ugh! I'm turning into my nemisis - unkempt mom!

I took advantage of the free time and called the doctor’s office to see if they could squeeze me in. I waited too long for some blood-work I need regularly. Nothing too serious but just a few of those genetic malfunctions passed down through generations on my mother’s side.

Well, the scales tipped a bit in the wrong direction, the symptoms I suspected were verified and the lab technician was in training. Could it get any worse? There was more blood dripping from my arm to the lab table than was going into the three vials they needed to take. Here is the conversation after the last drop was sopped up by a sponge.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” she asked. Her trying eyes and tender age begged me to spare her feelings.

“Uh. . .I guess you just need a little practice,” I said as I held the gauze on my throbbing, bloody arm. “Everybody has to start somewhere.”

After that I had to run to the bank. Some chicky-poo decided she wanted to gab while then left-turn-arrow glowed green. I have a gentle tap on the horn and she gave me the finger. Ha, it would take more than the middle finger of a piece of white trash to make me feel worse!

On the writing front, last night I had a good night. I typed Issue 38 of Blood on an Appalachian Sunset and sent it off to the editor. I have Issues 39 and 40 handwritten in my notebook. I have some great ideas of how to proceed and some of the story from Book 1 (Issues 1 through 29 or the year 1861) is working well into Book 2 (Issues 30 to about 55K words for the year 1862). If I can get at least five issues out to the editor by Thursday I’ll stop and work some on Strange Fruit, my novel.

I haven’t heard anything from any of my submissions.

A writer friend of mine has a Christmas short story on Wildchild Publishing. The story is called Believing in Santa and it is a magical tale of hardship and faith. If you get a chance, register and vote for this lovely story.

My new word for awhile is discipline. I like the sound of it, but I need more of what it means. I have the time, now I must work hard while I can to write, write, write! Well, my tangerine zinger tea is ready (decaf of course) so it's off to the notebook.