So…a new month. Another Monday. And life goes on. So does work. And critters. Reading. Etc. Lots of etc.

So, I’ve been back from NYC for a week. Stuff happened. Other stuff didn’t happen. Did I mention life goes on? 😉 Anyway, here’s the summary of past, present, and future.

Writing. Cooper’s story is done. Mostly. The first draft anyway. I’m wending my way through edits and should have it done by this evening. 🤞 Then it goes off to my editor in NY. So far, it’s turned out better than I ever thought possible considering how hard this book has been to write. I won’t bore y’all with the details. Suffice it to say that Life got in the way, big time. Anyway, it’s almost done and I’m liking it. Let’s hope my editor agrees. That opens the door for other projects. Two have been on the back burner–the next Nightrider book and the next Penumbra Papers book. I also have a project that’s due November-ish for a February(?) release. It’s part of Susan Stoker’s world and the hero is a silver fox volunteer firefighter who gets involved with a younger social worker. While the H/h are both human, the teenager they’re protecting is not wholly. She has ties to my Moonstruck world and that means the Wolves will be involved. 😀 I’m also going to get the Nightrider books–which is the most pressing project–ready for wide release. It’s a matter of updating the back matter and checking for typos I might have missed. They come of Kindle Unlimited on the 19th so I plan to have them all release on August 20th, but that means I need to get them done and unloaded to D2D.

Reading: I finished off a couple of series and started looking around for other books. My book budget is shot so I need audio books I could get from the library, Hoopla, or Audible Escape. I listened to an older Lisa Kleypas historical, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, about a Bow Street Runner. It was good if predictable. It put me in mind of a book I read ages and ages ago, also about a Bow Street Runner. To my delight, I discovered BLACKSTONE, by Richard Falkirk, had been re-released in KU. I grabbed it. It’s fun, like I remembered it to be, though slow reading because…eyes. I also discovered that Ann Aguirre’s Ars Numina series is available through Audible Escape. I’d read the first book, THE LEOPARD KING, for a contest several years ago and enjoyed it. Now I’m happily listening to it, and looking forward to the other books in the series.

TV: LIVE PD cracks me up.

Sports: My Cardinals are streaky. But they’re hanging in there in both the division and wild card races.

Critters: Gentleman Jake is still exhibiting a few signs of his abandonment syndrome. We now put all the stuff we normally leave on the counter–bread, buns, cookies, etc.–either in the upper cabinet or the fridge. He’ll learn, even though I try to take him whenever possible. It’s just too hot to take him when I shop for groceries. Loki is still the Kitten God of Mishchief and Mayhem. Especially early in the morning. Boone just doesn’t know what to do with the kit but they’re cute when Loki tries to play with him. Adidas has been up and down. Last week, she was down but over the weekend, she started walking better. We just clean up after her and go one. At almost 18, she’s entitled.

Food: There’s a new Asian restaurant in the neighborhood. A quick drive, good prices, huge portions, and good food. LG and I splurged Saturday night, after naps. He had to be up at 5:30 to help with the pancake breakfast and once I’m up, I normally don’t get back to sleep. Until it’s naptime. 😉 No siren tests. There were some small storms in the area so it was called off.

Family: A sad note. Baseball Boy’s mother passed Saturday after a short illness. It was expected, but still sad for everyone. Saying goodbye is never easy, even though the one who passed is in a much better place.

And on that note, Cooper and Britt are calling my name. Gotta get this puppy put to bed. What’s going on in your world?