Well, there was a week. That felt like one Monday after another. The world is still a crazy game of whack-a-mole and I remain frustrated with the so-called leadership in this country. Every time they open their mouths, gobbledeegook spews forth. Orwell would be proud of the doublespeak. I have a war cry for Ukraine: WOLVERINES!!!!!!!! (And yes, I did steal that from a friend. If you don’t get the reference, you should look up “Red Dawn.”

Moving on. Writing. Lots of news there, some good, some bad, some a mix of the two. I’m getting the rights back to all the books (but the Tarpley VFD series) set in Susan Stoker’s worlds, as of March 31. That means I need to revise them and take out all reference to her characters that are in the book. This is a real pain in the arse but it means I have control over the books. Until they clear Amazon, though, I won’t be able to post them wide. The other good part of this is that I plan to insert the Hard Target Team into those books where feasible. That gets them more notice. That leads to this next bit of good/bad news. I’m pausing the Boston Wolves WIP for a bit. I have an idea for a second full novel set with the HT team. It’s timely–as in involving the current world situation. Since I’ll be introducing them in the upcoming “additions” to the Moonstruck Wolf series, I need to follow up with another story set in their world. I have the idea. It’s nudging me hard (no pun intended) and I’m going to follow my instincts. I’ll get back to the Boston boys ASAP. Sorry ’bout that but my writing world is currently in flux through no plan of my own. Gotta go with the flow, yeah?

Reading/listening is still rather up and down. I listened to a book I enjoyed a great deal in preparation for the next book in the spin-off series. I enjoyed the second book but didn’t love it like I did the first. The series is the Wolves of Elantra, which is Michelle Sagara’s spin-off from her Chronicles of Elantra fantasy series. And the Wolves are part of the Halls of Law, not actual…wolves. Then I listened to one of the books in Anne Bishop’s spin-off from her The Others fantasy series, thinking the new release was…you know…released. I finished it Sunday (LAKE SILENCE is a really good story!) and then realized that CROWBONES doesn’t come out until tomorrow. *sigh* That left me scrambling for filler. I settled on a relisten of a humours shifter paranormal by Shelly Laurenston. It’s fluffy and tongue-in-cheek and her depiction of the characters human traits matching their animal’s is fun. It’s a good compromise.

Sports. Baseball is still in talks. Opening day is pushed back again and the season has been shortened by at least two series. This gives me a big ol’ sad. At least the MLB network got smart and started televising college baseball games. My OSU Cowgirls are still winning more than they’re losing which is always a good thing. They’re currently ranked #9 so yay! With luck, I got to catch one of their games on ESPN+ yesterday afternoon.

Saturday was siren test and lunch with the Kids at our fave Mexican restaurant. Great food, even better company, and a nice break. Oh, yeah. I had a birthday last week. I’m too old to keep track any more. On a happy note, I was asked to beta read a YA fantasy novel for a friend. I don’t read YA as a rule but I do enjoy fantasy. Sadly, I can’t read as fast and as long as I used to because I. Am. LOVING this story! You can’t help but root for the characters and the worldbuilding is impressive. Good news is, the author hopes to have it released in early April, if not on April Fool’s Day. 😉

Mother Nature has been having hot flashes again. Last week was wonderful! Highs in the 70s and sunshine. Early March? That’s awesome weather. Now she’s cranky again and we have cold and chances of rain. Don’t get me wrong, we NEED the rain. It’s the cold I can do without. Makes me want to curl up under the covers with fuzzy socks and the heating pad.

Okay then. I think I’m at the end of whatever news has stacked up. Today is Wallyworld Day, which is going to hurt when I stick the ol’ debit card into the cardreader. Inflation is real. My paltry $35 increase in Social Security doesn’t even cover the increase of cost in one week’s worth of groceries. And trust me, I don’t buy the name brands or indulge and didn’t before. Let’s not even touch on gas prices. I go ballistic when I think about the stupidity there. Anyway. To end on a good note, unless the weather forces a postponement in Baseball Boy’s scrimmage, we’ll pick up Stormy from school and he’ll come play here until Only can swing by and pick him up after her extra duties at work. We enjoy Stormy. He’s almost 8 now and waaay too smart for our own good. 🤣 Have a great week, all! Let’s hope the world gets better and we all achieve whatever goals we set for ourselves.