Author M.I.A.

It’s baaa-aack!

Okay, “it” is really me and I’m only sorta back. I’m gradually returning to normal life. If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for the past month or so, let me fill you in.

December was a busy month. It seemed like every week brought a new event, both good and bad, and they all culminated into an emotional rollercoaster that’s only now slowing down. Without going into details, here’s the record of the ride:

December 15 – I arrive at my mother’s home in Mississippi for niece’s wedding.

December 18 – Wedding rehearsal.

December 19 – Niece’s wedding. Mom unable to attend due to illness.

December 20 – In the early morning hours, Mom passes away in her sleep.

December 22 – Nephew’s birthday.

December 23 – Mom’s funeral.

December 24 – Other nephew and niece-in-law welcome their first child. (Yes, I’m a great-aunt now. Gods, I feel old.)

December 26 – Family gathers for Christmas.

December 27 – Mark returns to Mobile and I remain in Mississippi at my mother’s home to work on Book 2 and help with estate issues.

December 28-Present – I’m still in Mississippi, planning first trip back to Mobile at end of January, and still working on Book 2.

So, it’s not that I wanted to disappear for weeks but circumstances have required my dropping out of sight for a while. However, I’m now happy to report that I’m returning to normal life -– if you can call my life up until this point “normal” –- and I hope you’ll see more of me in the coming weeks.

For those who follow the Criminal Minds group blog, I’ll be returning to my usual Monday posting February 1. I’m also planning to make my first posting to The Magic District blog next week (Wednesday, January 27). I don’t have constant internet access so doing anything, including responding to emails, is tricky. (If you’re expecting an email response from me, I’m not ignoring you, just interweb challenged at the moment.)

The good news here is I can report that progress is being made on Book 2. Given recent events, I can tell you that spelunking in the cave of my unconsciousness is not easy right now. It’s hard to write about rogue vampires, creepy killers, body dumps, and psychotic episodes when you’re living in the same house where your mother died only a month prior. Some days it’s not so bad, but the scenes that require a body… Yeah, I admit I procrastinate on those days and put off writing those scenes as long as possible. So while progress is being made, it’s slow and I’m nowhere close to where I’d hope to be in the story by this point. But, progress is being made. Words are making it to the page. They may not be the best (yet) but at least the pages are stacking up and the story is unfolding.

Speaking of pages, Mr. FedEx paid me a visit yesterday and brought with him the page proofs for BLOOD LAW. Squeeeeee! For those who don't know, page proofs are the uncorrected pages of a manuscript that has been formatted for publication. The text appears exactly how it will be printed in the final version. It's also the last chance for the author to make minor corrections. Over the next few days, I'll be reading these, making corrections (if needed) and will then return them to Ms. Editor who will send them along to the next stage: galleys! Galleys are similar to ARCs in that they are sent to various people for possible cover quotes, advance reviews, etc. Yes, I'll be recieving copies. Yes, I will be teasing you unmercifully with them. Why? Because I'm evil. Muwahahaha!

And…on that note, I’m going to shut this down and get back to work.

Thanks to everyone who’s expressed condolences for Mom’s passing and offered encouragement. You know who you are and how much you’re appreciated. *hugs*