surgery – 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.

Health Update and A New Scam Scaring Authors

After my Jan. 7 blog, the rest of the month passed without any major health incidents. Except for scheduled medical appointments, it’s been a quiet, self-isolating month. My bald head has made the cold feel even colder these days, so I keep a toque on most days now. I always long for sunnier climates at this time of year. Maybe next January we’ll finally get back to Mexico after what will have been eight long years. We’re certainly thinking about it. Meanwhile, my sister was on a walk through the west end of Vancouver last week, and found these daffodils. What!?

Cancer Update

After my chemo/immunotherapy treatment on January 13, my energy again plummeted while the nausea rose, which was to be expected. After some training from the nurse, I learned to inject myself with a drug that boosts my white blood cell count. I’ll be doing this for one week after each of the remaining treatments. It’s cringeworthy, I know, but it’s turned out to be quick and painless. Happily, I have only two treatments left.

I also met with the surgeon and learned that my surgery date is March 24. On another high note, I’ll be able to go home on the same day. Once recovery is underway, physiotherapy will be required to restore arm movement, but that’s not a big deal. The really interesting news came from a meeting with the radiation oncologist. She advised that breast cancer treatment was usually a package deal: chemo, surgery, and radiation. However, new studies have shown that there is no greater risk of returning cancer for many patients after they’ve completed chemo and surgery. In other words, radiation therapy might not be necessary at all. This will depend, however, on the pathology report after surgery. I’ll be meeting again with the radiation oncologist the third week of April to decide if the treatment is necessary. I sure hope it isn’t, but you do what you have to do.

My Writing Life (Helpful Info and a Question For You)

I read about a new disturbing scam that writers, especially new authors, should be aware of. This came from Anne R. Allen’s terrific blog, where she reports that scammers are using Amazon to scare the heck out of authors. They pretend to be Amazon and inform authors that because they have fewer than ten reviews, they will need to hire a ‘Certified Visibility Specialist’ to keep the book from being thrown into obscurity. Anne provides many more details with links to other blogs with further information. You can find Anne’s blog HERE

I follow a number of writers on Substack, including Orna Ross, who is the founder of ALLi, The Alliance of Independent Authors. Orna recently moved her email list to Substack because she felt it would attract more subscribers and allow her to engage with them in different ways. She wrote that she could do many more things that weren’t available on her previous email list provider.

So, I have a question for those of you who use Substack. Does it gain you more subscribers or expand your presence? Would you recommend Substack? I’m not considering leaving WordPress at this point, but the reality is that change is frequent and sometimes sudden. So, it’s not a bad idea to consider other options. You can find Orna’s Substack blog HERE

Promotional stuff

My $.99 sale for Casey Holland mystery #1, The Opposite of Dark, ends on January 31^st. Here’s a quick blurb:

When the cops tell Casey her father was murdered the previous night, Casey doesn’t believe them. After all, she buried her dad three years earlier…or did she? The quest for answers takes her to England, Paris, and Amsterdam, where an increasingly dangerous game endangers the people she loves.—”A fast-moving action-packed thriller with many twists, secrets & lies.”—Nightreader.

Platform links: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play

I’ve also been running a $.99 sale on the 4^th book, The Deep End, which also ends on Jan. 31^st. Here’s the blurb:

Transit officer Casey Holland’s first volunteer shift at a youth detention center turns deadly when its director dies from heart failure. But all is not as it seems. There are rumors that his death was no accident. As more people die, the center is about to implode, but who is an ally and who is an enemy? Casey must find the answers before the killer stops her from learning the truth.

Platform links: Amazon, Kobo, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google Play

Until next time, take care, everyone.

Another Surgery and Some August Fun

Last week, I had my second eye surgery and for the first time in nearly forty years I’m living without glasses. Ridding myself of glasses wasn’t the goal, but eliminating my glaucoma risk was. So, that worry is now gone. Right now, I can see up close, but if I’m in a grocery store, everything looks slightly out of focus. The doctor said it’ll take time for my eyes and brain to adjust. I’m advised to see my optometrist in about four weeks to determine how things are going, but I’m pleased so far.

We celebrated three birthdays on August 9^th. My spouse’s 71^st, Ellie’s 5^th, and Abby’s third. Their mom decided to make them a watermelon cake, an idea she picked up from another kid’s party. The girls loved it and so did I!

On the writing front, I’m just finishing up the 2^nd draft of my second urban fantasy with my critique group. I started writing the third book after vacation and am about 13,000 words in. This autumn will be a little quieter than usual, as I’m reducing commitments. Christmas craft fairs are still planned, but most are closer to home now.

My last craft fair of the summer will be at Township7 Winery in Langley. It’s an outdoor event which I’ve been doing for about a decade. I always enjoy drinking a glass of wine while chatting with customers and other vendors.

I’ve been reading some great books over the summer. First up is A Child Lost by Michelle Cox, this historical mystery is set near Chicago in the mid-1930s. It’s number five in the series, but it wasn’t hard to pick up the continuing threads. Henrietta’s melancholy after her miscarriage has her husband Clive worried. His solution is to involve her in a simple fraud case he’s asked to investigate, since she enjoys solving mysteries. Unbeknownst to Clive, her sister Elsie has become enamoured with a German immigrant who’s trying to find the mother of the child he’s looking after. When Elsie seeks Henrietta’s help in finding the woman, Henrietta’s empathy for the child prompts her to do exactly that. Both cases, however, are proving more difficult and dangerous than anyone anticipated.

The second mystery is The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas. This is a police procedural set in Mumbai, which intrigued me from the get-go. When Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput discovers a connection between the murder of three women and some powerful people, he’s warned off the case. Arnav, however, won’t let this go for personal reasons. The further he investigates, the more perilous his life becomes. What I loved best about this book is the author’s superb and vivid descriptions of Mumbai. The setting portrays the darker side of life for some citizens, while the plot shows the different reasons people cross moral and legal lines. Sure, greed is often a factor, but so is survival. Arnav is a well-drawn character, as are the people he works with.

I also read a terrific historical fiction novel called Under Heaven. Set in the 8^th century in China, former soldier Shen Tai, second son of the deceased General Shen Gao, has been living in seclusion for two years. To honour his father’s memory, he’s been burying the dead at the remote Kuala Nor, the site of a battle where many men died. The voices of the ghosts cry at night, either in anger or sorrow, until their bones are laid to rest. His mourning period’s almost over, though, and he’s shocked when he’s given a gift of 250 Sardian horses for his work. When an assassin tries to kill Tai, he heads to the city of Xinan to find out who wants him dead and why. This quest leads to intricate secret agendas and power plays that place his life in even greater peril

I’ve just finished reading a unique fantasy called The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Essun’s husband has killed their two-year-old son, and now he and her daughter are missing. Essun sets out to find them. Entwined with this is the story of Damaya, a girl with powerful abilities who is trained to develop them under strict rules and guidance. Third is the story of Syen, a young woman whose training has earned her four rings, but she’s rebellious and inclined to do things she shouldn’t. The world-building is amazing in this story and the plot twist took me by surprise.

How about you? How is your summer going? Do you have any great book recommendations? Any genre and nonfiction are welcome. As you can see, I have eclectic tastes.

And here’s the latest from our garden!

My Phrase for the Year

Most people don’t come up with a phrase for the year, but after events since my last blog, this one popped into my head. “It could be worse.”

As mentioned last time, our Mexico vacation was in jeopardy, and after a family discussion we decided to postpone the trip until next year, in order to be here for my sister’s surgery. Honestly, it was the right thing to do. Cancelling airline reservations meant paying a fee, but otherwise the process went smoothly. Meanwhile, I started arranging a family vacation in July, but we’ll be staying in British Columbia. My daughter and SIL understandably don’t want to travel on a plane with a one and three-year-old.

As some of you might have heard, BC endured one heck of a cold snap and a major snowfall last week. My daughter was at her office when the snow started to fall around three p.m. She left right away, but it took her over four hours to get home in what should have been a forty-minute trip. My spouse and I rescued the grandkids from daycare, which is a fifteen-minute walk away and got them dinner.

Temperatures reached as low as -13 Celsius in our area, which is unusual for Vancouver. That’s why we found ourselves without hot water in both bathrooms the following day. We called the plumber who advised us to heat up the house as much as we could stand it and keep the taps running. The water returned a day and a half later, and luckily, our pipes didn’t burst, however many others weren’t so lucky.

While all of that was going on, our refrigerator decided to lower its inside temperature permanently. We moved frozen foods to the deep freeze and the refrigerator goods to the freezer side which is still keeping them cool for now. The new fridge should arrive in another week. I’m not sure why, but historically appliances in our house seem to die in January.

This week, we’ve been helping look after the grandkids while my SIL works over time and my poor daughter is sick once again. It’s her second illness this month, and probably the fourth or fifth time since the youngest started daycare and she returned to work in September. As I write this, we got a text saying the kids are sick again today, so my spouse is babysitting while I get some things done here.

Meanwhile, the editing goes on, and I’m making slow but steady progress despite the distractions. And, yes, it could have been worse…so much worse, so I count my blessings.

Here’s a picture of our yard after the snowfall in our front yard last week.

Off and Running in 2024

Babysitting, packing up Christmas, house cleaning, editing, and meetings. This was my first week of January. The first curveball of the year is that my sister requires surgery which has now been set for February 7^th, the day she’s supposed to fly with us to Mexico. We’re not sure what to do yet, but we’ll sort it out at a family gathering this weekend.

Meanwhile, writers’ groups have reconvened after the holidays. Planning for upcoming events this spring are underway and escalating rapidly. Most of the editing is done in the mornings when my brain functions at its best. In the afternoon, I go for walks. The weather’s gotten colder here in the Lower Mainland, but I still get out. The stores are only a fifteen-minute walk away, so even in winter, I see no reason to use the car. Every year, I try to improve my fitness and go a little greener, with mixed results. Like else, it’s about making a consistent effort.

Although I write and edit on a computer screen to not overuse ink cartridges and paper, the final part of the editing process still requires printouts. Typos and superfluous words are easier to spot when I read every page aloud. It’s not the most environmentally friendly approach, but I’m using old manuscript drafts from the days when I printed out everything.

It’s getting exciting to be close to finalizing the manuscript, at least from my end. I think I started this novel six or seven years ago, and the original idea came long before that. But I’ve always worked on multiple writing projects. The time it takes to write a book isn’t something I worry about that much unless I’m working with a publisher’s deadline.

I’m writing the first draft of the second installment of this trilogy and running it by my critique group. I usually don’t share my work until the third or fourth draft, but my critique partners have been through the first book and know the characters, and I trust their judgement. Whether it speeds up the editing process remains to be seen, but I’m enjoying the journey. 2024 has already become an adventure with unexpected twists and turns. My word for this year might just be PIVOT.

Unique Challenges in 2023

It’s natural to think that once we moved into our new home, the challenges would be over, but we’re not quite there yet. Moving into a new home is only phase one of the process. We left behind furniture to either sell or donate at the old house. We also have a lot of stuff to be picked up by the Got Junk folks. One family is keen to buy our Port Moody home and have removed three of four subjects, however, they must sell their home before they can purchase ours. It’s a domino effect and since I have no control over that I try not to fret about it.

We also have smaller things to take care of at the new house. Like buying a new kitchen faucet because the current one barely functions. We also have to figure out where to place the plants we brought with us, including my mom’s rose bush (it was given to me in memory of her passing four years ago). There are also paintings to hang, new furniture deliveries pending, and so forth.

As you’ll see from the photo, I’ve discovered that we have what I think is wisteria (correct me if I’m wrong) growing at the side of our house. Lavender and lilac plants also grow on the property. Since we looked at and purchased the house in November, it’s a nice surprise to see what else will be blooming now that the warm weather has arrived.

Additionally, and this is the personal thing I mentioned in last week’s blog, I had surgery on Thursday to remove a small mass in my chest, near my heart. The surgery went well and the pathologist’s report will be available in about three weeks. The surgeon doesn’t think the growth is cancerous, based on previous CT and PET scans and the MRI in February, but we’ll see. I was allowed to remove the bandages last night and finally take a shower, (this was laparoscopic surgery) but I can’t lift anything over 20 pounds for 6-8 weeks, which means I won’t be a helpful grandma over the coming weeks. Since I had a chest tube inserted after surgery, I had to stay overnight, but received good care at the hospital. I’m taking it easy now and planning to catch up on reading between the mandatory short walks and inevitable naps.

Unfortunately, my sister needs another surgery, as the surgeon apparently wasn’t able to remove all of the cancerous tissue during the April 13th surgery, so she goes back later this month. The good news is that the cancer didn’t spread to her lymph nodes, so chemotherapy won’t be necessary, just radiation. Later this year, my son-in-law is having shoulder surgery, so it seems this is a year for fixing things 😊

I had hoped to get back to work on more mystery writing this spring, but given everything that’s going on, it seems smarter to stick to one thing, which is fantasy writing and research these days. It’s my hope that life will be calmer once summer arrives and I can be more productive, but until then, we do what we can and what we must to be our best selves.

And belated Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! My daughter was sick yesterday, so we’ve postponed our celebration till next weekend.

The Only Constant in Life…

bigstock-Change-Green-Road-Sign-Over-Cl-8148542[1] I’m sure you know the ending to this blog’s title, and you probably also know how true it is. Change is coming for me and my family. My 83-year-old mother had cataract surgery last week and is staying with us until the eye drops are finished. Given that she also has dementia, the very notion of expecting her to put three sets of drops in her eyes in the morning and at bedtime, and two more drops at lunch and supper, would for never have happened. Thus, her visit.

After nearly four stressful years of watching her slowly deteriorate and six months on a waiting list, she will be moving into assisted living next month. The problem is, we haven’t told her. The surgery was a bit traumatic for her, since she didn’t think she needed it in the first place, and the Ativan given at the hospital knocked her off her feet, literally. Having lived on her own for 40+ years, the idea of sharing meals in a communal dining room bothers my mother immensely, even though she’ll have her own little kitchen.

Still, the move needs to happen for her own safety and for the family’s peace of mind (and no, she doesn’t want strangers coming into her home to assist her). We found a wonderful place that offers full memory support, closer to where I live. This should be a win-win, but have you ever heard of an aging parent who says, “Oh, boy! Assisted living? Sign me up!” For many of us, quite the opposite is true.

Once she’s there, my sister and I will go through the arduous task of sorting through what she won’t be taking with her, recycling and reselling what we can before selling her condo.

I’m therefore leaving my day job (a part-time secretarial position), whether permanently or temporarily is unknown. Either way, it looks like I’m heading toward semi-retirement, which is actually fine with me, as it could mean more writing time. I’ll also continue my job as a facilitator for the writing program through Port Moody Parks & Recreation, which I really enjoy.

I’m not looking forward to the talk with my boss at the end of this week, or the inevitable talk that I and my sister must soon have with our mother. Although I don’t like letting people down, the coming changes don’t frighten me. In fact, I welcome them. The amount of work, physical and emotional, is daunting, but I’ve been preparing myself for a while.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep blogging, and reading, and writing, because I love doing those things. I haven’t spent as much time as I‘d like writing or editing lately, but I do a little bit every day. I’m blessed to have something I can feel passionate about, and it keeps me from becoming too morbid about real life.

It’s likely there will be a new routine to adjust to in the fall, and that a lot of good will come from the upheaval this summer. Old chapters are about to close, but honestly, I look forward to starting new ones. In life, as in writing, I always want to know what will happen next.