Yes, I know I’ve been quiet lately, but so much has gone on with my family and me over the past few months.
The first was that in mid-December, my Mom, for whom I’d been actively caring for the past few years, died unexpectedly. At that point, we (my brother, daughter, and I) had to deal with her last wishes, sort through her belongings, clean out her apartment, and try to get on with our lives without her.
Trust me, it wasn’t at all easy. Mom was such a huge presence in our lives and even now I feel her lack of presence in my world.
My daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness late last year and the doctors still haven’t figured out what’s caused it and how it can be successfully treated without requiring some sort of major organ transplant. It’s terrifying to think that my child is going through such a terrible thing and there is nothing I can do except figuratively hold her hand and tell her over and over again how much I love her.
In the face of all of that, my daughter and I are also in the process of checking out southern New Hampshire in search of a new place to live. Much as I love California, having been born and raised there, the cost of living is entirely too high at this point. New Hampshire, though a purple state politically, has very favorable tax laws that are enticing to folks looking to have a little less month left at the end of the money.
Emotionally I’m exhausted, though I hope that by mid-year I’ll be close to being my old snarky self again. So much going on and it’s going to be a bit before things are anything near settled, between Mom’s stuff and our impending move.
Rather than trying to move an entire apartment full of stuff across the country, we’re going through things with a harsh eye and either selling or giving away as much as possible, including my beloved 17-year-old blue Beetle. I just don’t feel safe driving the little guy in snow country and I wouldn’t dream of even trying. He’s been a warm-weather traveler and he deserves a sunny relative retirement from my wild and crazy driving.
So yes, furniture and other things will be going away in one way or another.
On the writing front, I’m still doing that, though with my exhaustion, I’m trying to stay away from my main stuff to avoid screwing anything up through inattention/bad memory. That’s put me on writing some other stuff that is hitting my Patreon page for subscribers.
If you’re into reading stuff as it grows and can deal with what is ostensibly first draft chapters, I encourage you to subscribe to my Patreon page. Think of it as a first look, which most readers don’t have the opportunity to see. It also gives you a chance to comment on what you’ve read and even to call me out on spelling and grammatical issues I might not have caught yet.
Doesn’t that sound enticing?
The Luci stories are still in the works, but I’ve written more on the prequel than Rhoades to Recovery, for which I heartily apologize. There are times that I have to work on a different piece to get my brain going and encourage the Muse to get back to work.
She can be a harsh mistress.
Anyhow, I hope you can understand what I’ve been going through and that you can forgive me my extended absence here. Please know how much I appreciate you all and how much I look forward to being able to tell you all that something new is just on the horizon.
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