2017 really got off to a great start in many ways. I self published the finally edited 13, and then self published the sequel to Black King Takes White Queen which has been anxiously awaited by readers who wanted more of Romney and Ivy's story. I also learned that Black King Takes White Queen was chosen as a finalist in the OZMA Awards. I also met with Russell Atwood and agreed to consult with him on a book project he has planned. I've also been busy preparing my speech for my appearance at the Women's Club luncheon on February 1st as their guest speaker, discussing how I became a writer and talking about my books. I've also written a little ghost story called Drink Your Wine, Darling in preparation for February 11th's Ghost Story LIVE! Boo! My Valentine event at Blue Umbrella Books here in Westfield, MA. Finally, I've been working through final edits on a vampire novel I wrote well over a year ago that's been cooling its heels on the dining room table when life events early in 2016 ground my plans to work with a major publisher's self-publishing division in getting that project rolling to a halt.
It may all look glossy and good on the surface, but there have been some serious stresses beneath that surface. I have been having some health issues that are concerning me. My 95-year old father-in-law has been hospitalized again today for confusion and mental status decline, failure to thrive. This is the third time he's been hospitalized since Christmas. My husband continues to ride the rollercoaster called Job Search in the wake of last year's job elimination from MassMutual, where they let people go as carelessly and recklessly as dropping pennies they don't want anymore into the gutter. It's had some serious repercussions in our life including the loss of 5/6 of our total income. I was working for basically my own mad money to support my hobbies and the things I like to do, and now we're living on that money, which has erased all the simple little pleasures in my life and added a huge heap of stress. My job has become humongous with more elderly patients requiring VNA services, more psych patients requiring home services, more prior authorizations as insurances change and people insurance jump from one plan to another, an increase in demand for durable medical equipment-it's relentless and sometimes gets overwhelming when I have so much else on my mind. And now Kelly is on the hunt for a home of her own, which is not a bad thing as she's an adult and ready to spread her wings and leave the nest. It's just having to deal with her father who can be very negative about everything putting a damper on her enthusiasm- having to be the buffer between them so I can help keep her on track with her goals for this year. Both of them can be procrastinators to the Nth degree. I am the fire that has to constantly be lit beneath their butts to get them to get things accomplished. It's draining when I'm already feeling drained.
Some days I feel like I live in a pressure cooker. I need a release valve.
Hoping things go well with my father-in-law whom I love dearly, but also realize that his life is winding down and we're getting closer to that time when we're going to lose him. January 31st will mark the one year anniversary of the loss of John's mother, which was the first bad thing to happen to us in 2016.
Will have to wait and see what develops in 2017, and just keep grabbing the frayed bits of my life and holding them together through these trials that are testing us on multiple levels.
I need to write a new book.
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