I'm baaaaaaaaaaack.

Amazing how quickly an author will give up on their blog with they've got a world of other poo on their plates.

Hi, all. How are ya? I've missed you. Allow me to recap the last 6 months, if you will. Here goes nuthin':

1. The school year ends this Friday. Summer, here we come.
2. We have more chickens. I'm hoping they're girls, but it'll be a little while before we know for sure. We also have a new coop, since the one my brilliant husband built was not built with treated wood and warped in the rain/wind/miserablehotsun.
3. We will be eating any of the chickens that are male...and maybe very soon, if they either begin to crow or WON'T STOP BITING MY ANKLES!!!!!!! (It's just two of them that try...and they're both soon to be toast if they don't quit it.)
4. I came out of the proverbial closet a few months back in support of medical marijuana. There are many, many ways to take it - read: it doesn't have to be smoked, and you don't have to get high! - and it turns out that it's a virtually side effect-free medication that mitigates almost EVERY SINGLE fibromyalgia symptom I have. I don't advocate its legalization, I won't protest that it's safer than booze - even though it is - I just "came out" because I live in CA, and it's a) "legal" here (medicinally) and b) being widely persecuted in the area where I live, meaning it's VERY difficult to attain the NON-smoking versions...not to mention from a reputable establishment where I feel SAFE. Yes, I use medical marijuana - generally TINCTURE, to be specific - but other than being generally pain-free, migraine-free, IBS-free, panic-free, and my short term memory returning (woohoo!), I'm not "pushing" it on anyone, only asking that if you live locally, you'll support safe access to safe medicine from those of us who sincerely benefit.
5. My Mom's book, The Very Name of Christmas (by Martiele Sidles), will be OUT THIS WEEK! Her website is still heavily under construction, (www.theverynameofchristmas.com,) but you'll be able to buy a copy from amazon, smashwords, kindle, and the like very, very shortly! What is it about, you ask? It's the long-awaited sequel to Charles Dickens's immortal A Christmas Carol, and it follows Tiny Tim - now Dr. Tim Cratchit of the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital - after his college education (funded in part by his dear old Uncle Ebenezer, of course). They say that no one recognizes a prophet in his own land, and as a teen, I had no interest in reading my mother's book. As a self-publisher, though, I wanted to have a look-see, and my mother has allowed me to go ahead and put it in print. I can honestly say it's a PHENOMENAL work, and coming from a daughter, I think that's a double-compliment; under normal circumstances an author's child might roll their eyes as Mommy's work. It's 5 star all the way; a Dickensian-style literary masterpiece. Hang tight. If you're a close friend or family member, you'll probably be getting a copy from me for Christmas!
6. Oh, yeah...I have a second book out. #2 in the Unbound Series, to be exact, and it is entitled Sun is Burning. It's available from smashwords, itunes, B&N.com, diesel, sony, kindle, and, of course, Amazon. The reviews (for both books) are really rolling in. Check 'em out if you get a chance. Even the bad ones make me happy! :) (Not that there are that many, but it's always nice to know that people feel strongly one way or the other!)

Hoping to get back in the game here, people. You know: chicken updates, self-publishing info, books, books, books, and all that rot. I wouldn't mind a little encouragement (blog comments are always welcome!), and if you've read Hazy Shade of Winter and/or Sun is Burning, please do me the great favor of rating and writing a quick review...on goodreads, amazon, smashwords, barnes and noble...anywhere there's a place to review it...but please be HONEST. (How can we authors improve if everyone just tells us "Good job!"???)

That's all for now, friends. Enchiladas for dinner, and I've yet to thaw the chicken! (I suppose I could just go grab Ankle-Biter, but that's a lot of blood and guts to clean up on a Tuesday afternoon...) More soon! Jess :)