And Then Things Got Worse

 

So you know how there's a pandemic on, and we're all having a tough time? Yeah, I thought you'd probably heard about that. Like, it has been on the news and everything.

 

I've mostly been pretty fortunate through the last few months. I mean, obviously I am stressed, like everyone else, and my shop is closed and we don't know if it will survive, and I have had a tough time concentrating or writing or accomplishing anything. But no one I know has died, all my friends and family are okay so far, and I am doing okay financially between unemployment and a big burst in purchases on my Etsy shop (NO idea why). Plus my fabulous Patreon peeps, all of whom have stuck with me during a time when I thought people might be leaving in droves.

 

So I really haven't had anything to complain about, comparatively speaking. 

 

And then the last couple of weeks happened.

 

The first inkling of trouble was during a major rain storm the Friday before last. I've had an intermittent leak in the roof for a few years that only shows up when the storms are really bad, and drips into my dining room. My repair guy has tried everything and has never been able to fix it. That Friday, the House Guest and I discovered a second leak--at 10 PM--directly over her bed upstairs. Further investigation showed that it had probably happened before, when no one was in the room to see it. My repair guy checked it out today and say that not only is the entire ceiling in that room probably going to have to be ripped out and redone (it's masonite, so that will be a messy and difficult task), but I also will need a new roof.

 

The old roof is less than 9 years old. (They should last for a minimum of 20-25.) For now, I've moved the House Guest into the other upstairs room, and now I will have to search for someone to put on a roof--in a hurry. Without charging me a bazillion dollars. Wish me luck with that.

 

There also appear to be a new infestation of rats. Yes, RATS. Probably because someone down the street recently got chickens. Rats don't just show up out of nowhere. But they can cause a lot of damage, and also EW, RATS. So now I get to kill some rats. Are we having fun yet?

 

Plus poor Koshka is gouging off his fur in spots on his face, so he probably has developed some kind of allergy, poor baby. I have to take him to the vet tomorrow, which should be interesting because A) we're in the middle of a heatwave and B) last I knew, the vet wasn't allowing anyone to come in with their animals, and I'm not quite sure how the heck you're supposed to tell them what's wrong if you can't be there.

 

If I haven't thanked you recently for your support, well, consider yourselves thanked.

 

Also, can this be enough for now, please?

RoberCon 2018

I just spent last weekend making my yearly jaunt to my local SF/fantasy/gaming convention, located at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton, NY, a little over an hour from my house. As usual, RoberCon was a blast. I got to meet Anne Bishop, who was the author guest of honor, and hang out with pal Tamora Pierce and her stalwart assistant Julie. My friend Alethea Kontis, who was visiting the area from her home in Florida, was one of the guest authors this year too.

My friend Ellen went with me (her nickname for this is "The Entourage" since she does the driving, carries the heavy bags, and is generally useful) and we got to meet up with our friend Robin and her kids, my goddess-children Nate and Sophie, who live nearby and come every year. I love it that my friend has raised some serious geeks. (Nate made his own cool steampunk vest, and Sophie wore my favorite shirt, which says, "Trust me, I'm a Doctor."

I was exhausted going in and I'm more tired now, but a great time was had by all. I have the pictures to prove it.

The gang, with the addition of Princess Alethea

Princess Alethea posing on the stairs of the Roberson Mansion

Day One lunch break: Sophie, Robin, me, and Nate. Check out that vest!

That's a lot of adorable. (Sophie got a new dragon. So did I.)

New dragons for everyone!

Crystal Sarakas, Tamora Pierce, Anne Bishop, Alethea Kontis

Anne Bishop, Alethea, me, and a slightly gimpy Tamora Pierce

Dancing authors!

I love that last picture. It really captures the spirit of these amazing authors. As soon as I stepped away from our "serious official picture" they all started dancing, even Tammy with her cane! Now you can see why we always have so much fun.

In the Garden

I'm not around as much at this time of the year, in part because I am madly trying to get the garden in and up. Here are some pictures so you have proof that I'm not just ignoring you!

The strawberry bed

garlic!

Iris at the edge of the pond

Various kinds of lettuce and some spinach

Pond guardian

Other irises

a frog and a crystal at the edge of the pond

Anyone else gardening? What are you growing?

Fall Cleaning for Samhain

I know most people do their major “big clean” in the spring, but I’m actually a fall cleaning kind of girl. In the weeks leading up to Samhain (Halloween), as it starts to get darker and colder, I am always seized by the urge to do a deep clean of all the rooms in the house, straighten up and rearrange any clutter, and get rid of stuff I no longer use or need.

My minimalist holiday display.

I’m not sure if this is because on some level I know I’m about to be stuck mostly inside the house for the winter, or if it is a more spiritual urge brought on by the ending of one year and the desire to start clean for the next. (Samhain is considered to be both the end of the year and the start of the new year in the Pagan Wheel of the Year).

Either way, I start by dusting and rearranging my altars, and the shelves where I store and display my stones, cute little cat and dragons, and all the rest. Then I go through each room and do a much more thorough clean and neaten than usually gets accomplished in my weekly Saturday house cleaning. Ah! It feels so good to have everything (okay, most things) nice and tidy, at least for as long as it lasts.

The shelf over the couch.

The desk in the dining room and another shelf. Look, you can actually see the surface of the desk!

This is also the time when I do my yearly protection spell on my house and property, preparing it for the seasons to come. Do you do a spring cleaning, a fall cleaning, or something else entirely?

The stone circle behind the barn, weed-whacked and ready for ritual on Tuesday.

Happy fall!

Book Research Taken to Extremes

I've done some strange research for my books in the past. For instance, when I wrote WICKEDLY WONDERFUL, I had to Google "locations of nuclear plants in California." For weeks I waited to see if the FBI was going to show up on my doorstep...

But this weekend I got a little more, um, hands on, with my research than usual. In the manuscript I'm working on right now, the protagonist--who knows nothing about farm animals--has to milk a goat. I had a pretty good idea of how it was done from looking at youtube videos and talking to a friend who used to have goats, but I wanted to make sure I got it right. (If you get info wrong in a book, I assure you, people will tell you about it later. Repeatedly.)

Luckily, one of the artists at The Artisans' Guild shop I run happens to be a nun who is in charge of the animals at the Holy Myrrbearers Monastery where she lives in nearby Otego, so she invited me to come milk one of her goats. My friend Ellen went along to watch, take pictures, and no doubt laugh quietly to herself.

It's not as easy as it looks.

 I had a great time, even if initially I got as much milk on my pants as I did in the bucket.

The goat was very patient with me.

Mother Katherine with another one of her charges

Where the milk ended up!

 There were three adorable little kittens in the barn that had been abandoned across the street not long before. (People do that in the country all the time, alas.) They were happy to clear away the milk I got out of poor Claire. The rest went to her kids, who took it directly from the source.

Lots of goats!

Ellen with her new friend Caliban

 Mother Katherine also tends to many sheep (whose wool is made into the yarn, scarves, and felted insoles she sells at the shop), chickens, and the working dogs who live there.

So tell me, what did you do with your Saturday? And if you're a writer, what is the strangest research you've ever done?

What I'm Writing Now

Sorry I've been a little quiet here, but on top of trying to get the garden in, dealing with a sick cat, and another major project around the house (report coming soon), I have had a LOT of writing tasks on my plate.

To be honest, I do a lot better when I can focus on just one project--put my head down and write, write, write. But once you are published, especially if you are juggling more than one publisher, as I do with Berkley (the fiction) and Llewellyn (the nonfiction), it rarely works that way. I often have to jump from one project to another, which hopefully I'm getting better at, although it will never be my best thing.

So here's what I've been working on and what's on my plate for the next few months:

• I just finished the first draft for VEILED MAGIC #3 and sent it off to my Berkley editor.
• Started work on THE BOOK OF CAT MAGIC for Llewellyn, due Sept. 1st
• Got revision notes from the independent editor I am using for the SEKRIT PROJECT (which doesn't have a deadline, since I am doing it myself, but I'd like to get it out soon)
• Got the revision notes from my Berkley editor for the next Baba Yaga novella, WICKEDLY SPIRITED, which features Jazz (the teen from WICKEDLY POWERFUL). Those are due on the 6th--Tuesday--so I spent most of Saturday finishing them and sent them off.
• Got the proof edits for A YEAR AND A DAY OF EVERYDAY WITCHCRAFT from my Llewellyn production editor, the lovely Rebecca Zins. They're not due until the end of the month, but I need to get them off my plate and out of the way, so I spent all weekend working on them and finished them Sunday  night.

  

  Proof revisions for A YEAR AND A DAY

• I also need to write up a synopsis and the first three or four chapters of a new fiction project to show my agent, so we can be sure we're both on the same page with it. Pretty much yesterday.
• Plus I need to come up with a few ideas to submit to the Llewellyn annuals editor for the Magical Almanac. Also yesterday.

Not on this list, but arriving at some point will be the revisions for the second Rider novel, copy edits for it and the novella, and proofs, ditto.

Plus writing cover copy for the Sekrit Project and organizing the cover, etc.

And somewhere in there, I should be making some more jewelry!!!! *falls over with a thud*

The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring Tra La

One of the great things about my property is that when I moved in, a lot of my favorite flowers were already here, including a bunch of lilac bushes. Most of them bloomed this week, and I thought I'd share. Sorry you can't smell them!

I've also got all sorts of birds nesting in bird houses, and in one case, on top of a bird house (apparently it didn't like the house itself, go figure).

Plus I put in a new flowerbed where there used to be strawberries (they're in the main garden now). This year it has annuals in it, but I'm planning to plant some perennials for next year.

What are your favorite spring flowers?

Closet Construction Chaos

It has been a fun few days at Casa Deborah...

As some of you know, I live in an approximately 130 year old farmhouse. It's not large--only 1,200 square feet, and most of it has been added on to the original even smaller structure over the years. Usually by people whose ambitions clearly exceeded their skill sets. In short, there are lots of crooked walls, slanting floors, and odd bits and pieces.

Take my bedroom closet, for example. This is what it looked like Monday morning.

The outside

 It looks like a small closet, right? (And it is short, only about 68" high instead of the normal 80".) But in actuality, the closet runs the length of the wall to the left towards the dresser.

The inside

Of course, the problem was getting at anything shoved in that far side, since you kind of had to sidle in sideways and pray the giant spiders didn't get you. It was, in short, a pain in the patootie. The door was also sort of jury-rigged and only half attached. I put up with it for 15 years, since I moved in, and finally hit the wall this spring. Or maybe hit the closet. Anyway, I decided to have it redone. I also discovered that the overhead space was actually empty--a continuation of the cupboards on the bathroom wall on the other side, so I figured I'd get them cut out too, so I could actually access the whole space.

Easy, right? [Any of you who have ever had work done will be laughing at this point.]

So the Guys Who Do Stuff came in and did the work yesterday, and it was sort of right, with a lot of not so right mixed in. (Also, the cats were very indignant about having to be locked in the upstairs room so they wouldn't accidentally get out while the Guys were running in and out.)

This is what it looked like when I got home yesterday.

Two of the three Guys Who Do Stuff

The mess, to be expected

 Even Magic, when she got to come take a look at the "finished" project, was not impressed.

That's not right.

The doors didn't line up

Seriously? WTF is this?

Nails coming through on the inside of the door for me to get snagged on

I'm a pretty easy going person, in general (stop laughing, people who know me) but if I pay for a job, I expect it to be done right. Also, HELL NO.

So the Guys came back today and fixed it. It's not perfect, but that's at least in part because nothing in my house is straight, including the walls, ceiling, and floor in that room. But it is a lot better.

Much, much better!

 I still have to paint it (or maybe stain it, I haven't decided). Probably paint. But now I can actually access the whole closet, so I get to reorganize All the Things, and hopefully move some stuff from other closets into this one. I'll probably get a few organizer thingies to help with that. I love organizing messy things and making them neat. Even though I know it won't stay that way. I call it my "Organizational Neurosis." LOL.

Look, I can get to the whole closet now!!! (Don't look at how ugly it is in there. There are limits to what I can fix.)

Of course, now I have to take the original contents of the closet and put them back in. I'm pretty sure I have too many clothes. My plan is to look at each one as I get ready to put it back, and hope that about 20% of them will go to the Salvation Army. Do I really need 8 black sweaters? (The answer to that, of course, is YES. They're all different!)

I have too many clothes.

 Still, at least one of the things that has been bugging me since I moved in is finally fixed. Only 527 left to go...

What construction project have you ever lived through? Did they go well? Or did you want to kill the Guys and bury them in the back yard?

Updates on Mystic, the Knee, and Other Stuff

So, it's April.

No, not this April. (Yes, I'm one of the people obsessively watching a pregnant giraffe. She lives in a park 45 minutes from me, for one thing. Also, this is my happy place right now. Don't judge.)

April, as in one year from the date when I twisted my knee really badly coming down the stairs and screwed it up beyond belief. (It turned out to be a bad bone contusion, which is a bunch of microfractures, plus I sprained every muscle, ligament, and tendon in the knee.) One year on, it is a lot better. I got to go back to the gym--carefully--in March, and I can actually kneel--carefully and on a soft surface. But I am not even close to "all better," which I expected to be by now. Knees. Argh. I'm still using ice and heat on it twice a day, doing PT exercises at home and going for ultrasound treatments at physical therapy, although that's about done with. Still, better this...

 Than this...

(Okay, I know they look pretty  much the same, but I haven't used the cane in ages, and if you look carefully, you can see that the knee in the second picture is about twice the size of the knee now.)

Many of you know that Mystic, the brother of Magic (and son of Minerva, who I lost March first a year ago) hasn't been doing well. As far as my vet can tell, it is a flare up of his continuing digestive issues (he has the kitty version of irritable bowel syndrome, poor boy). He's lost a lot of weight--although he's still a large cat--and doesn't have much appetite, which is unusual for him, to say the least. He's on prednisone and special food, but he clearly still doesn't feel well, and I'm spending a lot of time trying to get him to eat more. Still, he mostly acts like a healthy cat, and we haven't found anything dire (although it is always possible we're missing something), so I'm trying to stay positive.

Mystic last April

Mystic now. Yes, he's standing next to a box of tarot decks!

So mostly, we're doing the best we can and hanging in there. I'm working on Veiled Magic #3 and getting ready for Veiled Magic #2 (Veiled Menace) to come out in a little over two weeks!

And waiting for that silly giraffe to have her baby.

How are things with all of you?