Howdy all. I know, I know, I’ve been a poor blog host not positing anything in like–forever. Unfortunately that is what happens when real life decides to switch over to the fast lane. It takes forever to find a safe spot to slide back into the middle lane.
Two good bits of news:
- The contract for the third Fate’s Vultures book, CAUGHT IN THE AFTERMATH, is signed and delivered, with anticipated release date of February 2019! (*much celebrating abounds*)
- I just finished typing THE END on the fourth and last Fate’s Vultures book. Now it’s a matter of taking a breath, then polishing it up before sending it off.
To be fair, the last Vultures book prove more challenging than most to finish. Maybe it was because it’s number thirteen overall (and yep, thirteen earned its reputation fair and square), or maybe because I was trying to get this book done while the rest of my life decided to kick in crazy, high gear. Either way, it was a tough one but I’m glad I survived. If you’re curious, I’ll be back at my keyboard around November to team up with Bishop and get back to my PSY-IV Team series. The goal is to have his book out by August 2019, without sporting a padded white jacket, but I’ll keep you posted.
As for what’s happening outside the writer’s desk, let’s just say it’s been crazy busy. We’ve had a series of news–some good, some very not good–we’ve been tackling, and my day job has ramped way up which seriously cuts into writing time.
I won’t share it all, but I’ll share one of the more irritating ones, It all starts with a garage door and a microburst. See down here in the desert we have these lovely mini-storms called microbursts that basically dumps a crapton of wind and rain in a concentrated area for a limited time. We’ve been luck, normally we tend to weather (hahaha) these incidents well. Not so much this time. At first, noticing a few upturned tiles on the roof, I thought, “Whew! That was close.” That thought was verified when it was confirmed, yep, the wind shifted them but the roof’s safe, tiles are back in place, you’re good to go. Great! Breath a sigh of relief.
Then I was backing out of the garage and it closed I realize it didn’t look right. Was that–? Yep, it sure the freak was–a jagged crease scored the door from top to bottom, as if some backed in to with a edged something or other. What the hell? Call someone out to look at it and they come back with–wind damage.
Seriously?
Yep, seriously. Seems winds at 50-60 mph can push your garage door in just enough to crease it.
Freakin’ great.
But Jami–insurance will cover it.
Um, sure it will but it’s cosmetic and I wasn’t keen on spending that deductible on some we had installed less than a year ago. So I called the installing company. They came out and talked to Knight and I. By the time they left, I was steaming.
I could get the door replace for $200 more than it cost me initially to put it in. Seems their salesperson lied (oh, I’m sorry, “misrepresented”) the quality of the product they sold us. Suddenly we find out this particular garage door was known for cheaping out on the steel (using a lower rating, but still hitting the bare minimums), then add in the new tariffs and suddenly I’m looking at spending double what a damn garage door should be.
Yeah, no thanks. Besides being disgusted by this local company, the Knight and I decided, screw it. The crease is cosmetic, the door is structurally sound and works. I’ve got other things (one college student, one high school senior, not to mention the day to day things) requiring my moola, so for now, we’re living with it.
That situation was just a minor irritation compared to the rest of the stuff that hit, but it gives you an idea of what the last couple of months have been. So completing the fourth Vultures book was a HUGE accomplishment. Now, I’m taking a few weeks to get the rest of my life back into a controllable speed lane before I dive back in.
Yeah, life is a wild ride, but damn, some days I need a freakin’ safety harness to survive this trip.