General Interest – Mystery Deb

News, Views, and Upcoming Surgery

Goodness, it’s been a month since my last blog post, and spring is almost here. Yay! In late February, our area enjoyed a series of sunny, mild days, allowing the crocuses and camelia buds to appear. Shortly after that, the temperature plunged and our first snow of winter fell in Metro Vancouver. Because I live just south of Vancouver at sea level, we didn’t get snow. Just a lot of rain and wind, which was wintry enough.

Cancer Update

My final chemo/immunotherapy treatment was on February 24^th, and I’m feeling pretty good. My tastebuds are still a little off, but they’ll return. One side effect is the need for a stronger dosage of hypothyroid medication. Until now, I had been on the same low dosage for thirty years. I don’t know if this is permanent or temporary, but time will tell.

I’ll be having surgery to remove lymph nodes and my left breast on March 26. On the upside, I’ll be in and out of surgery the same day. The procedure sounds traumatic, but my sister underwent this procedure thirty-two years ago, and again two years ago, so this is nothing new in our family. I’ll be doing a lot of exercises to restore arm movement, plus a bit of physiotherapy.

My Writing Life

Slow and steady is the name of the game these days. I write every day, but there are only two or three days a week when I manage to write more than 1,000 words a day. I spend a fair bit of time thinking about this urban fantasy trilogy and have realized that more changes are needed in the first book, so my list of things to incorporate grows longer. I haven’t come up with titles for books two and three yet, but there’s plenty of time.

As for big picture thinking beyond the trilogy, I don’t know. What I do know, based on past experience, is that major decisions about writing, or any other life changes, shouldn’t be made when one is going through major challenges. Yes, sometimes those decisions prove to be the right ones, but it’s better to wait until the challenge is over before acting on any decision. Meanwhile, I try to stay focused on more immediate goals.

Promotional stuff

This month, I’m offering a $.99 sale for Casey Holland mystery #6, The Blade Man. Please note that these books can be read in any order. Below is a short blurb:

Who is the Blade Man and why has this mysterious loner been attacking Mainland Public Transport bus drivers? And who is trying to burn MPT down? The company’s president orders security officer Casey Holland to launch an internal investigation or face termination. Convinced she’s being set up to fail and with her wedding only weeks away, Casey desperately needs answers. Forced to take deeper risks, how far can Casey go before someone dies?

This book was inspired by the growing number of assaults on bus drivers in our area. I interviewed one driver who’d been assaulted three times and subsequently left the job.

The book is available at: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play

What I’ve Been Watching

A couple of these I mentioned in my newsletter, but they’re worth repeating. Did any of you watch The Copenhagen Test starring Simu Liu? It was an excellent spy thriller with a unique twist. Alexander Hale is a first-generation Chinese American who discovers that someone’s implanted tech in his brain that allows the villain to see and hear everything he does. Not an enviable position, given that he works for a secretive government agency. I’m hoping there’ll be a second season. It’s quite compelling.

I’m also enjoying the fourth season of Dark Winds, which is a superb police procedural/thriller based on the excellent crime novels by Tony Hillerman. This season, Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee are searching for a sixteen-year-old runaway who is inadvertently leading them into a deep and complex situation. Chee and Leaphorn find themselves following her to Los Angeles, where both are facing personal struggles. If you haven’t seen this series, give it a try.

Last but not least is The Night Manager starring Hugh Laurie & Tom Hiddleston. This crime drama is based on John le Carré’s novel of the same name. If you like his books, you’ll love this story. Season two opens ten years later and is a sequel to season one’s events. So, watch season one first. The acting is amazing and by the end of season two, you’ll be on the edge of your seat.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back in April, after surgery, when spring’s renewal, and mine, will be in full bloom.

The Post I Didn’t Want to Write

Every writer, with rare exceptions, spends the bulk of their lives juggling many things: childraising, day jobs, volunteering, household chores, errands, caring for elderly parents, and organizing special occasions, etc. They also combat illness. It’s simply part of our lives. We deal with the interruptions, distractions, and unforeseen events as best we can, which is exactly what I plan to do.

Earlier this month, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although the prognosis is good, treatment will be lengthy. Since my last blog post, I’ve had a CT scan, MRI, a bone density test, two ultrasounds, a biopsy, and of course, bloodwork. Chemo and immunotherapy begins on September 30. This low-dose treatment will occur once a week for twelve weeks, and there could be more after that. Then there will be surgery, and possibly radiation treatment.

What’s so strange about all of this is that I feel perfectly healthy and neither of the two mammograms I had this summer showed anything suspicious. The suspicion arose from a single lymph node. Most of the testing has been to find the source, which the experts say was definitely in the breast. I’m told that my body may have already gotten rid of the initial cancer, but couldn’t do so with the lymph node growth.

Because this blog has always been about my life, professionally and personally, I’m telling you this for two reasons: one is that my posts will likely become sporadic. Maybe some months will have frequent posts, maybe others not at all. Secondly, I believe that sharing information is empowering for all. I view this as an opportunity for learning and growth and gaining a different perspective about life. Immunotherapy is a new treatment and I’m curious about its impact. My sister has survived two breast cancers (30 years apart), and it’s quite different to be on the receiving end rather than helplessly looking on. The goal is to help any of you who might have to deal with this down the road. I won’t be providing lengthy detailed descriptions. There are times when I might not mention it at all. At this point, I have no idea.

Cancer is not going to consume my life. Far from it. Is it scary? Of course. I’ve had my shaky moments, but I believe in facing my fears. I still intend to discuss writing, reading, family stuff, and other things. If you don’t want to read about my cancer journey, I understand. It might trigger painful memories for some. I’ll put subheadings on different topics, in case you need to skip over that part.

Because I’m cancelling all the Christmas craft fairs I booked this season to protect what will be a fragile immune system, I’ll probably promote my books a little more on this blog. Ebooks are my only way of selling for the next few months, and it’s my way of keeping my hand on the business side of my writing life. I’ll be living a secluded Covid existence again. Again, I’ll add a subheading so you can skip that part, if you wish.

Now, on a more cheerful note. Before my diagnosis, my spouse and I had booked a short 3-night stay in Penticton, BC for three nights to visit good friends. The 5-hour drive to the interior was well worth the effort. We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoying walks along the amazing Skaha beach. On one of our walks back to our hotel, we came across this deer, munching on vegetation. There was a family of them in this area. They seemed absolutely unconcerned with the pedestrians walking by or the cars on what is a fairly busy road.

Tomorrow, I’m getting my hair cut short before my first treatment on Tuesday. I’m told that it will start falling out in clumps after the second treatment. There will be a lot of information to unpack on Tuesday, but I’m ready. I know this is a shock to those of you who’ve followed me here for a long time, but life is filled with curveballs, isn’t it?

Meanwhile, I’ll be doing lots of reading, so if you have any great book recommendations let me know. The genre doesn’t matter. I’ll talk to you soon.

Summer’s End and New Beginnings

I don’t know about you, but summer certainly feels over. Sunset is happening all too early and even the morning sunlight is different. Vancouver’s annual Pacific National Exhibition has ended, along with my last summer craft fair at Township7 Winery. I’ve attended this craft fair for nine years as it’s always great fun, except for the weather. By the end of August, the heat is usually oppressive, and I’m less tolerant of weather conditions than I used to be. But the organizers always give vendors a free glass of wine, which is a bonus, and it’s an important fundraiser for the Osteoporosis Society.

Aside from craft fairs, our other end-of-summer activity is harvesting our vegetable garden. The photo below is a small sampling. This year, the zucchinis and cucumbers are huge and plentiful. The squashes are pretty good, but we had critters, possibly squirrels or raccoons, taking bites out of some, so we lost a few. There were also plenty of snow peas earlier this summer, so I’m quite pleased.

Even though my kids have been out of the school system for years, September still feels like a new beginning. This year I’m really looking forward to it. My eldest granddaughter, Ellie, has started kindergarten, and she’s so excited. I doubt that she’ll always be this enthusiastic, but it’s lovely to see now. Ellie’s an extrovert who talks to everyone, and she loves the idea of making more friends.

On the writing front, the critiquing process for book two in my urban fantasy trilogy is now finished. I’ve also written about 16,000 words in the third installment and this book will be my only writing project this fall. I’m hoping to have it done by the end of the year. The challenging bit will be reading all three, one after the other, to prepare for the next round of edits.

So, here we go, onto the last four months of the year. It’s going to be interesting.

Summer Fun and Then Surgery

We’re back from our vacation in Parksville, BC, and I’m happy to say that everyone had a great time. The weather wasn’t overly hot, and the walks on the beach were spectacular. Soothing for the soul. Although I’m not one for lying in the sun, walking along the beach in the mornings or evenings has always been one of my favourite holiday activities.

Ellie and Abby had some trouble adjusting to a new sleep environment, but managed to adapt after the third night. As you can see from the photos, they loved their beach time, too. By the way, their 3rd and 5th birthdays are in a few days. 🙂

We discovered the community park, in the area where the sandcastle competition was held and the entries were still on display. We also revisited the wildlife reserve, which was a favourite place of everyone’s last year.

I’m now settled back into my routine, except for my first cataract surgery last Saturday. People say that it’s a piece of cake. Hmmm. I’ll admit it was quick. The procedure was only about fifteen minutes. The bright light in my eye and heavy plastic covering the upper half of my face wasn’t particularly comfortable. Nor was the blurriness and achiness that followed. The eye patch I wear at bedtime to keep from rubbing my eyes is fun, sort of, and then there are the endless rounds of drops.

I’m seeing details on my face now that startle me. Holy cow, where did those bags under my eyes come from? Because only one eye has a news lens, I still need my glasses, and my vision feels lopsided. With or without glasses, nothing’s quite in focus right now.

For this reason, I’m not spending as much time reading all the lovely blogs and newsletters (especially the longer ones) because of this blurriness, but I will catch up by the end of August. The second surgery is on August 12^th, but my vision should be much better about a week after that.

Before surgery, I outlined the third book in my trilogy. Since outlines are merely guidelines for me, other twists and developments are likely to pop up. It always happens, but that’s the fun part of creating. You start writing and are surprised by a character’s action, or comment that can lead to a minor plot twist or an intriguing angle I hadn’t anticipated while outlining.

Working on one family’s story over a six month period has been an interesting experience. The cool thing about working on the third book is that I know the main characters and settings, and what needs to happen. Now I just need to finish writing the darn thing. I’ll get down to it once my eyesight is fully functional again. Until then, I’ll plod along a little each day. When I was working day jobs and raising kids, that’s how most of my writing life unfolded. But I learned that you can accomplish a lot in short bursts of time. All it takes it discipline and a little bit of planning.

I’m not sure when my next blog will be, but until then, I wish you a lovely rest of summer and your own sweet place for strolling and reflection.

A Busy Summer Underway

It feels like summer now, doesn’t it? Canada Day is over and the Calgary Stampede is here. The weather is warm, although not overly so here in western Canada, but there’s been a heatwave happening in Eastern Canada. I feel for those who are suffering through wildfires in the prairies and other areas. Summer isn’t idyllic or perfect, and probably never was. Still, there’s much to appreciate. Our garden harvest is proving fruitful with the giant zucchinis and heads of lettuce. The snow peas are about done, and the tomatoes are still to come.

I always feel energized at this time of year, which is just as well as I’ve been especially busy these past few days. We had a birthday celebration in June, mine was earlier this week, and four more are coming up in August.

My local literary society hosted a 3-day writers’ festival at the end of June. Between giving a workshop and volunteering, it was a busy but fun weekend. We’re now preparing for our annual family vacation on Vancouver Island. The granddaughters are already excited. They’ve got new pink crocs for the beach, which they want to wear everywhere.

I’m also undergoing two cataract surgeries this summer, which will be less than three weeks apart. I can see well enough, but the concern is a growing risk for acute glaucoma. The surgeries should eliminate the problem, so it will be worth the discomfort, all the eyedrops, and about four follow-up appointments. Happily, I can walk to my ophthalmologist’s office and the hospital where the procedures will be performed. I might need a follow-up with my optometrist because the glasses I’m wearing will no longer be of any use. I’m hoping I can get away with ordinary reading glasses, but it will all be done by the end of summer. Yay!

In August, I’ll be facilitating four creative writing workshops on Thursday mornings, which will likely be my last with Port Moody Recreation. The 50-minute drive each way these past two years has become arduous and not fun in poor weather. So, after fifteen years as a casual employee of Port Moody Rec, it’s time to move on. Opportunities are popping up where I now live, and I’m happy to be connecting with more writers in different ways.

I’m still working on those novels, bit by bit, but it’s slow going at the moment. As mentioned in my previous blog, I stopped querying agents back in February. I hadn’t followed up with any of the outstanding queries, so I decided to check QueryTracker for responses. Sure enough, there were three nicely worded rejections offering encouragement, etc. One of the agents asked me to send her any other work I might have, which I don’t. But it’s certainly motivation to keep going. My challenge is finding the time. This autumn should be a bit quieter than usual. Famous last words, right?

Enjoy the month everyone, and I’ll check in with you after vacation 😊

How My Spouse is Spending Retirement

My spouse, Bark (yes, with a B), has always had a number of interests outside of his career. He was an accountant in the healthcare sector for decades and had little time to pursue his interests in art, motorcycle riding, running marathons, and gardening.

His life changed two years ago when he finally retired. He didn’t jump into his hobbies because we were preparing to move. Until our old house was sold, he went back every week to maintain the yard and work on small repairs. He also tended the flourishing vegetable garden at our new home. A few short months after we sold our house, his father passed, and as co-executor, there were things he had to deal with.

Last September, he finally had time to sign up for an acrylics art course at our local seniors’ centre. He’d previously dabbled in watercolour and oils, but wanted to try something different. He’s been enjoying the classes and, since the centre was hosting a competition, Bark entered three of his paintings. All are based on photos he’s taken. The ones of our granddaughters, Ellie trying to open the door, and Abby waiting for her mom to take a photo, came from last year’s family vacation. Abby was almost two at the time and Ellie almost four.

The photo with Ellie won the People’s Choice award. The other two didn’t win a prize, but he’s still very pleased for having finished the works and gotten great feedback. He gave the paintings of the girls to our daughter for Mother’s Day.

I love the details in his work, especially in the Shanghai Alley photo. If you look closely, you’ll see a dragon on the lamppost, something in the window, and even an escape ladder on the side of the building.

I’m so impressed with the way he’s embraced retirement. For too many years, work was all-consuming. It took time for him to adjust, but he clearly has. If he produces enough work, he’s considering selling his art at the craft fairs I attend. I think we’re going to need a bigger car.

😊

About Plants and Planning

Although we moved into our home two years ago, I’m still discovering new plants in our garden. They were probably there all along, but perhaps I’m allowing myself more time to actually see them. In any event, here’s a couple of examples from our front yard.

It’s become clear that the previous owner(s) put a lot of thought into choosing a variety of colourful plants that bloom throughout the months. Some of them are especially beneficial for bees and hummingbirds. It’s quite remarkable when I think what’s been accomplished on this small plot of land.

My writing life has required a fair bit of planning lately, too. This week I’ve been researching craft fair market opportunities for the fall and winter. And then there’s the writing itself. I haven’t accomplished as much as I want to lately. Slow and steady progress has been my theme over the years. Switching to a higher gear is more challenging than I thought. So, it might be time for some thoughtful planning. The question is what I want to accomplish by the end of this year, and what it will take to make that happen?

My activities this month, while welcome, are carving chunks of time out of my writing schedule. I’m selling books at a craft fair on Saturday (which requires prep time), Mother’s Day is Sunday, and my wedding anniversary is shortly after that. We’re also helping my sister move the following week, and then there’s a wedding we’re attending on the 24^th. You can see why I’m questioning my productivity right now. Of course, this has happened many times over the years and will again.

Eye surgery is likely to happen over the coming months. I’ll learn more from my ophthalmologist in June. And there will be a week’s vacation with the family, where I’ll likely not write at all, I expect. I have a few other commitments for August and the fall, but that’s real life, right?

Earlier this week, I was listening to a podcast from the Alliance of Independent Authors. The host was interviewing two authors, one a thriller writer and the other writes what she refers to as spicy queer romances. Both of them earn a six-figure living from their work, and both of them publish three books a year. Their output is a head-scratcher for me. I guess they skip critique partners or beta readers, although both have editors and teams of people helping them with the production aspect. It’s not my goal to be that prolific, but I would like to do better than what I have been. It’s doable. Time management and mindset are key. And planning. Lots of planning.

How about you? Are your plans, writing or otherwise, going as well as you hoped this year? Are you making progress or is it time to rethink a few things?

Embracing April

Here in BC’s Lower Mainland, we’ve enjoyed more sunshine than rain this month and the temperatures are starting to rise. It makes the afternoon walks so enjoyable. In our area, we’ve seen plenty of geese and eagles flying above us, and the finches and other small birds like the birdfeeder I’m constantly refilling.

The picture’s a bit grainy as I’m not much of a photographer and took this on my phone. Nor could I get too close to the feeder. When I came home from babysitting the granddaughters on Monday, I found it on the ground. I put it back together only to come back a few minutes later and find a squirrel trying to balance on it. Now I know what happened.

We enjoyed a lovely Easter dinner at our house and an indoor Easter egg hunt for the girls. Ellie got tired after twenty minutes, but as the evening progressed she came across more eggs, to her delight, in the family and dining rooms. Abby, at age two, just took it all in stride. My daughter cooked a wonderful ham, plus a couple of side dishes while I prepared some things. My son brought over appies and my sister made a chocolate mousse. It’s a combined effort these days, so no one is saddled with all the work.

I’m still plugging along with the edits of my second urban fantasy. I’ve also begun outlining the third book, which is one of my favourite parts of the writing process and I’m excited about it. The conflicts that began in book one and expanded in book two, come to an all-out global situation in book three. I’m already thinking about keywords, and urban fantasy thriller comes to mind, but we’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos from my yard this spring. My allergies have flared up this year, particularly with my eyes, some sneezing, and fatigue. I’ve experienced worse so I consider myself lucky. The growth of everything is worth it.

How is your spring going? Are you gardening? Working on creative projects? A little of both and other things?

Do You Have an Emergency Plan?

I’ve lived most of my life in an earthquake zone. I remember ducking under my desk during classroom drills in elementary school, but the practice was abandoned in my adult working world. I had travel plans and working goals, so I never thought much about it. Time passed.

When my daughter was six years old, the ground shook for just a few seconds at our house. My son was a baby at that time, so I started creating an earthquake kit and planning an escape route. When that was done, life went on and things got back to normal.

Then the horrible quake near Indonesia and the subsequent tsumani struck on December 26, 2004, killing over a quarter of a million people. Just like that. I was working in retail (Zellers) at the time and joined a committee to work on earthquake preparedness. People were worried. They asked questions that I tried to answer as best I could. My kids were seven and fourteen by then. So I updated my earthquake kit and tried not to think about what might happen.

Time passed once again. There were the occasional slight shakes, but then last week a quake hit not terribly far from Vancouver. The entire Lower Mainland, and beyond in some places, was jolted. I was on the ground floor of our house and didn’t feel anything. My spouse was on the second floor and said it felt as though a truck had hit our home. He came downstairs to see what had happened and I didn’t know what he was talking about. My sister and daughter who were in different parts of Vancouver at the time definitely felt it. Neither of them were on the ground floor when it struck. Depending on the source you look at, the earthquake was anywhere from 4.7 to a 5.1 on the scale. Thankfully, there were no injuries or damaged infrastructure that I know of.

The experience was another stark reminder of what could happen. At a family dinner last Sunday, we discussed possible scenarios. Four family members work and/or live in Vancouver and either have to take a bridge or drive through the George Massey Tunnel to reach us. If it happens while my daughter and son-in-law are at work, my spouse and I will get our granddaughters from daycare, which is within walking distance. Chances are they won’t see their parents for several days until my daughter and son-in-law find a way to cross the Fraser River, as I suspect bridges will be damaged and the tunnel flooded.

I’ve been thinking about worst case scenarios a lot this week. In fact, after the 9.2 Indonesian earthquake, I still often think about earthquakes while driving over a bridge or through the tunnel. Vancouver is capable of receiving a 9.0 force which will kill a lot of people and devastate infrastructure. Some experts say we’re about 300 years overdue for the big one.

As a writer, I have a lifetime of work to protect should my house collapse or my laptop be destroyed. I’ve taken measures to back up everything that matters, including family photos. I feel extremely lucky that I’m within walking distance of a hospital, fire department, police department, and community centres. But hope I’ll never need them under any disastrous circumstance.

The world is filled with perils. It always has been. We go about our days doing what needs to be done or what we want to do without really thinking about it. Nor should we. Living in fear all the time isn’t the answer. But we can prepare for whatever disaster we’re prone to, be it hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. Please take some time to prepare for whatever vulnerability your area has. Start with a list of what’s important to you. Think about where you would go if your home becomes uninhabitable, and the people you would contact. Check to see what emergency service info is available in your area. If the worst happens, you’ll hear about it on the news, at least until everything shuts down. Let’s all do what we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones, okay?

Why I Love Mondays

Unlike many people, I love Mondays. Always have. Even as a kid, this was the day I felt most awake and productive, and optimistic about what the week would bring. I still do. To this day, however, my energy wanes a little over the rest of the week. When I was working full-time, Fridays were my least productive days. I was worn out, low on energy, and spent my Saturdays recovering while doing errands and chores. By Sunday, I would relax and rest sufficiently to get it together and start the cycle again. As a retiree, the routine’s changed, of course, yet I’ve found that Mondays are still my most productive day of the week.

Weekends were never filled with tons of back-to-back activities. Introverts aren’t big partiers (my disco days at the clubs notwithstanding), so weekends were used for reading and writing. They were also often family time when my mom cooked Sunday dinners for everyone. I’ve carried on that tradition and host regular dinners, which can be exhausting, depending on what I’m cooking.

Astrologically speaking, I was born under the sign of Cancer and Mondays are associated with that sign, so maybe that’s why I always feel a little more pumped up. It might also be why I’m drawn to moonstones, silver, and water, as you can see from the photo. I bought this necklace, on a whim, from a woman who makes awesome jewellery. She sells her work at a ferry terminal on Vancouver Island. The piece spoke to me right away. 😊

I have no idea if people born under this sign are morning folks, but mornings are my most productive time of day. I wrote the first draft of this blog on a bright and sunny Monday morning. My usual morning routine is to write and/or edit for 60-90 minutes before stopping for a short low-impact workout and then getting back to work before lunch. After lunch, there’s another 30-60 minutes of editing before stopping for a 45-minute walk. After that, editing becomes more challenging, particularly by Wednesday. I then switch to promotion and marketing tasks in the afternoons, among other things. Evenings are mostly for catching up on newsletters and blogs, but again, by Thursday or Friday night, that’s less likely to happen. Sure, there are exceptions to everything, but this is what works for me.

How about you? What works for you when it comes to your writing routine? Do you have certain days of the week that are more productive than others? Have you set specific patterns or is every week a little different?