Update and Status Report

Hello all,

Things in my neck of the woods seem to be settling down, at least for a while, and I find myself with some time to attend to things I've been neglecting. 

Most importantly, I'm working on Book 3 again. It's got a long way to go, but I'm able to do a little more than just pick away at the moment, so I'm embracing that while I can. 

First of all, I want to thank everyone who's emailed me over the past couple of years. I don't always get to check as often as I'd like, but every time I did, someone was there telling me how much they love Dino and Seth, and how they are hoping there will be a third book coming. 

I'm so grateful to all those people. It's wonderful and reassuring to know that even though a lot of time has passed, people still want to read more about Dino and Seth, and it's not too late to write another book. So, thank you so much for that. 

I also wanted to give an update of sorts as to WHY the third book has been so long in coming. 

Real life ramped up in a way I was totally not prepared for. (Parents of teenagers, please prepare to nod sagely.) My kids are 16 months apart, so there's never been any breathing room in any stage of parenting, and this has been no different.  

My son developed a bit of an attitude problem and spent the better part of two years trying to flunk both Junior and Senior years - something wildly frustrating to us, because he's very smart and had been doing incredibly well until that point. We didn't know for sure if he would be graduating until the very last day of school. (He did.) 

During this time, he tried to get into the Air Force, but due to some screw-ups, he was labeled with medical conditions he doesn't have, and was rejected. He took a stab at college, but his heart was really with the military, so we underwent a massive process to get those mistakes cleared up and he was able to join the Army. He graduated basic from Fort Jackson this spring, and is now doing very well at AIT. It was a rocky road, but I'm so proud of him, and it's wonderful to have him back to his old self. 

My daughter is right behind him in high school, and although she brings less drama to the table, there's still quite a lot going on with her that takes our time and attention. We've also been involved this summer in helping her switch high schools because she's starting to hate it as much as our son did. Plus there's ACT and college applications to deal with... 

IN THE MEANTIME...my husband and I were also looking ahead a few years to what we'll do when she goes off to college and we're all alone again. (Besides crack open the champagne.) 

A couple years ago, we hatched this fabulous plan to clean out the basement of our sign shop and create an apartment for ourselves. It would be PERFECT - it's right downtown and within walking or biking distance of nearly everything, and we'd be on-site for work, which could go a long way to helping us really move the business forward. It would certainly help us keep on top of things better, since we could go upstairs to get jobs running, and be able to check on them later without actually working all evening. 

Things started out okay, although the cleaning out part of the process was monumental due to the sheer amount of junk we inherited when we bought the building. It took us several months. Then came the rather long and drawn out process of getting the zoning worked out and convincing the city to issue us a building permit. Apparently, no one has ever done this before and it created quite a stir. It also created a mix of commercial and residential code requirements that’s so extensive it made the whole project significantly more expensive and more time consuming that we ever could have imagined. It’s still less than the cost of a house, but now we’ll have to sell our house before we can hope to do the project. Our original plan had been to build the apartment and move in, then fix up the house and stage it to sell. 

So, the whole of this spring was devoted to getting the house fixed up and cleaned out and ready to sell. It’s been on the market since the beginning of July, and we’re still finding more and more things that need to be done.  

HOWEVER, we’re hitting something of a lull as we run out of projects and are simply waiting for the house to sell. We COULD go back and start doing some of the simpler, inexpensive work on the apartment, and we will this fall…but we both needed a break to concentrate on something else for a while and relax. 

So, for a short time at least, I have both time and energy to devote to Dino and Seth. Let’s see how much I can get done while it lasts.

Like Pizza and Beer in PRINT!

Dino and Seth are back in a new and exciting mystery!

Like Pizza and Beer

NOW in PRINT!!

at Amazon - Like Pizza and Beer

From Lyrical Press




Working for his ex and his boyfriend, Dino's past and present cross.

Dino is caught off guard when his ex shows up out of the blue asking for help. His current lover, Seth, is pushing him to find dirt on his sister’s boyfriend. Juggling between two cases – and his boyfriend and ex – isn’t easy, but what choice does he have?

Working with his ex takes Dino on a trip down memory lane, raising a few doubts and stirring up Seth’s jealousy. Now he must save his ex’s restaurant and his relationship with Seth before it’s too late.



Seth hopped out and started around the car to cross the street. I hung back and reached under the seat to grab my gun and holster, which I’d been keeping there since the business with Gigi started. Easy to get to if I need it, but stays hidden until I do.

“What’cha doing?” Seth had turned back and was standing near my side of the car.

“Nothing,” I said. I got out and straightened my jacket, then closed the car door quietly.

“Bullshit.” He eyed me in the dim light of the streetlamp. “You’re actually gonna stand there and lie right to my face?”

“Well…if you can tell I’m lying, then it’s not really a lie, is it?” I nudged him in the direction of the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

“You think this is that serious?”

“I don’t know. But the kind of guys who sit in cars to intimidate nice women usually speak ‘gun’ very fluently and conversations tend to go better.”

“Yeah, all right,” he said, but I could tell he didn’t like it.


Now you can pick it up from Amazon.com - Like Pizza and Beer

Like Pizza and Beer in PRINT!

Dino and Seth are back in a new and exciting mystery!

Like Pizza and Beer

Coming soon in PRINT!!

From Lyrical Press




Working for his ex and his boyfriend, Dino's past and present cross.

Dino is caught off guard when his ex shows up out of the blue asking for help. His current lover, Seth, is pushing him to find dirt on his sister’s boyfriend. Juggling between two cases – and his boyfriend and ex – isn’t easy, but what choice does he have?

Working with his ex takes Dino on a trip down memory lane, raising a few doubts and stirring up Seth’s jealousy. Now he must save his ex’s restaurant and his relationship with Seth before it’s too late.



Seth hopped out and started around the car to cross the street. I hung back and reached under the seat to grab my gun and holster, which I’d been keeping there since the business with Gigi started. Easy to get to if I need it, but stays hidden until I do.

“What’cha doing?” Seth had turned back and was standing near my side of the car.

“Nothing,” I said. I got out and straightened my jacket, then closed the car door quietly.

“Bullshit.” He eyed me in the dim light of the streetlamp. “You’re actually gonna stand there and lie right to my face?”

“Well…if you can tell I’m lying, then it’s not really a lie, is it?” I nudged him in the direction of the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

“You think this is that serious?”

“I don’t know. But the kind of guys who sit in cars to intimidate nice women usually speak ‘gun’ very fluently and conversations tend to go better.”

“Yeah, all right,” he said, but I could tell he didn’t like it.


Print copies available soon from Lyrical!!

Watch for further updates!

Contest!!

Hey!  It's a Win It Before You Can Buy It Weekend!!

Chris over at Stumbling Over Chaos is holding a giveaway contest for Like Pizza and Beer. Head on over and check it out, and don't miss the fabulous Misadventures in Stock Photography posts.

 You can enter the contest here at Stumbling Over Chaos

By the way - I love this cover!

Dino & Seth are back! Like Pizza and Beer

Dino and Seth are back in a new and exciting mystery!

Like Pizza and Beer

Coming October 4th!!

From Lyrical Press




Working for his ex and his boyfriend, Dino's past and present cross.

Dino is caught off guard when his ex shows up out of the blue asking for help. His current lover, Seth, is pushing him to find dirt on his sister’s boyfriend. Juggling between two cases – and his boyfriend and ex – isn’t easy, but what choice does he have?

Working with his ex takes Dino on a trip down memory lane, raising a few doubts and stirring up Seth’s jealousy. Now he must save his ex’s restaurant and his relationship with Seth before it’s too late.



Excerpt:

Seth hopped out and started around the car to cross the street. I hung back and reached under the seat to grab my gun and holster, which I’d been keeping there since the business with Gigi started. Easy to get to if I need it, but stays hidden until I do.

“What’cha doing?” Seth had turned back and was standing near my side of the car.

“Nothing,” I said. I got out and straightened my jacket, then closed the car door quietly.

“Bullshit.” He eyed me in the dim light of the streetlamp. “You’re actually gonna stand there and lie right to my face?”

“Well…if you can tell I’m lying, then it’s not really a lie, is it?” I nudged him in the direction of the sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

“You think this is that serious?”

“I don’t know. But the kind of guys who sit in cars to intimidate nice women usually speak ‘gun’ very fluently and conversations tend to go better.”

“Yeah, all right,” he said, but I could tell he didn’t like it.


Get your copy October 4th, 2010 from Lyrical

Print is finally here!

It's been a bit of a frustrating road, with a few delays, but the print version of Like Coffee and Doughnuts is finally available!!



It's hefty and wonderful to hold, and I'm so thilled with it. *g*

You can get it from Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and very soon from Lyrical's own website. They're in the process doing a major overhaul to their bookstore and it's going to be excellent.

Why spam this way?

I've been working hard to clean up and catch up, and get things squared away again, and part of that is weeding out a few anonymous comments in the blog.

What is the purpose of spam comments like this???

Anonymous said...

I wish not approve on it. I assume polite post. Expressly the title-deed attracted me to study the sound story.


I can sort of get the ones that advertise Viagra or a website, but what does someone get out of spending their time doing this? I assume there's some computerly purpose I've never heard of, but I'd love to know WHAT.