Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. After our historic record-breaking summer here in the desert, we're loving the cool weather. Unfortunately, our little fur baby was diagnosed with Valley Fever last month, a common fungal disease from our desert soil. She's on meds for it but we don't know how long, since we have get her blood tested every few months to see how she's progressing. And hubby is doing well and just hit his 6 months post cardiac surgery mark. We're so relieved for that!

I'm taking off work until after New Years and plan to read, watch holiday movies, make fudge, do jigsaw puzzles, play video games, and take lots of walks and hikes with hubby. 

Until then, stay safe and warm and have a wonderful New Years!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is our favorite holiday and this year is extra special because hubby finished his last cardiac rehab session this week. Woohoo! We're so thankful for this milestone. I still can't believe I almost lost him. And because of a genetic problem that we never knew about. Right now, we're all about embracing the normal things in life. Like walks, meals together, work, and the holidays.

On a sad note, the Bewitched facade that was used in the TV show got torn down last week, along with all the other iconic TV homes on that street. I saw a video of the destruction and it really crushed me. I loved that show and wanted to be Tabitha when I was little. Yes, I have all the DVDs to keep me company but I never thought they would destroy the facade in my lifetime. Hubby got me on a private tour of the "house" several years ago, and I'm so grateful I got to see it in person before it was gone.

As for my writing progress, I'm working more on my latest fantasy novel right now because that character has been harassing my thoughts lately. Yes, we writers really do talk to our characters. Hey, we're never truly alone that way. And it feels good to have that normalcy back in my life again after such a chaotic year.

I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween. May the holiday be bewitching!

Happy fall!

Fall is finally here! It's been a trying year for our household but things are starting to get better. Hubby is more than halfway through his cardiac rehab and all his weight restrictions have been lifted, which means he can do more stuff around the house. He's very happy about that. Well, we both are.

Now that my caregiving duties for him are over, I'm finally starting to get back to a more stable writing schedule. I won't be finished with the next novel by the end of the year, though, not with everything we've been through, so late 2024 is the new goal. And there are two more in queue after this one.

I also whittled down my social media and blog accounts from 13 to 7. Trying to keep up with that many was creating more stress than productivity in my work life, especially since we also have marketing campaigns to keep track of. Hubby did marketing in his career so he helps with that. Now that he's better, he's taking on the bulk of it, which leaves more writing time for me. It's been a learning curve going from a traditional publisher to indie but I love the freedom.

Our disabled senior dog needs a lot of care but she's doing well and we have a great vet who works with us. She's been with us just over 10 months now and has settled in nicely. This year was hard on her too, with us going back and forth to the hospital then appointments and PT, but she's a trouper! 

After a historic heat record-breaking summer, the weather is starting to cool and we are getting outside more. It feels good to be getting back to a more normal life again.

I wish everyone a wonderful fall season and lots of good reading!

Yet another emergency

Well, 2 weeks ago we found ourselves back in the emergency room and found out that hubby needed his gallbladder removed. That was only 8 weeks into his recovery from open heart surgery, so not ideal but it had to be done. His gallbladder surgery was last Friday and he's once again on lifting restrictions but at least he's feeling much better. We hope this is the last bad luck thing we have for a very long time. 

We're looking forward to our favorite holiday - Halloween! We've been in a terrible heat wave this summer here in the desert and October always brings cooler temps. October is also when hubby will be completely healed and well into his cardiac rehab, which had to be postponed with this latest surgery, so we'll be able to do more fun things.

With all we've been through, this year has been pretty much been a wash as far as my work, so I'll be doing a lot of catching up over the next year or so to get my writing back on schedule. I currently have 3 novels in the works, as well as 2 series that are hounding me for attention.

I hope all of you are having a much better year. And if you're in one of the heat wave areas, stay cool and hang in there!

What doesn't kill you...

Hubby is recovering nicely from his bypass surgery and made it past the crucial 4 week period, which is a huge relief. He starts cardiac rehab soon and in another week or so, he'll be cleared to get back to his normal life. This year has hit us with crisis after crisis and I truly hope we're at the end of that.

My writing was put on the back burner while I was caregiving and I plan to get back to it starting next week. I have 4 novels and a couple of series that are waiting for my attention so I'll be busy for several years.

We're from Los Angeles but live in Arizona and the heat has been unrelenting with no monsoon rain to cool us down. We lived here 14 years in the past and spent a lot of time in Palm Springs and Vegas, so we're used to heat, but we're breaking records all over the place nowadays. With hubby's condition, he can't be out in the heat, so we're using the room we converted to a dance studio during the pandemic a lot more now.

If the old adage, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, is true, we should be wearing superhero capes by the end of the year. Cheers to everyone going through something intense right now. Hang in there and get lost in some good books. 

Life always has its own plans

Well, I'm pretty much healed from my February car accident. Just some bruised bones left that take a while. Unfortunately, hubby was admitted to the hospital last week and had quadruple bypass surgery last Saturday. I've been running on adrenaline and little sleep since then but he's doing well and should be home in a day or two. I'll be caring for him and doing his portion of the chores for 2-3 months, until he's healed enough to do things on his own again. He takes care of himself and is not even 60 years old yet so we were in no way expecting something like this. But heart problems run in his paternal side so I guess it was inevitable. 

Needless to say, this has put me behind on writing, yet again, but I'm determined to catch up this summer. At least as much as I can. No matter how careful we are about planning things, life always gets its own way.  2023 has not been kind to my little family and we're looking forward to just getting through to the end of this year and moving on toward a brighter future.

Keep reading!

Serious car accident

I've been MIA for a couple of months because I've been recovering from a serious car accident that put me in the trauma center with life-threatening injuries back in February. I'm still healing but am back to some of my regular activities, though not in full capacity yet. It was the other driver's fault and luckily for me, I survived and they had insurance. Sadly, my 18-year-old pristine car was totaled so I've been using hubby's car to get around until we can afford another one for me. Driving has been stressful because I'm nervous someone else will t-bone me again at any moment. It will take a lot longer for the mental healing than the physical stuff. I'm just grateful no one was riding with me at the time. I sure do miss my car. They don't make them anymore so I'm really sad about that.

Also, our little senior rescue dog was diagnosed with heart disease and cataracts in March, in addition to her IVDD that we've been dealing with since we adopted her in November. She's in early stages for both so we should have a lot more time with her. We simply have to make adjustments as she gets further along in her illnesses and give her the best life we can until the end. She's come very far since November and wags her tail a lot and comes to us for pets and comfort now. I built her a window seat out of a patio storage box, plastic garden fencing (to keep her from jumping on and off), and a foam cushion. We bought a ramp for her to get up and down and she seems to really enjoy looking out the window and sunning herself.

I'm currently working on 3 novels, with another one percolating in the background of my crazy mind. Seems the accident shook up the need to get a lot more stories out before I'm dead. My characters seem to agree, because they've been hounding me in shifts.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring. Everything is in bloom where I live and I'm enjoying the warm breezes and birdsong while I work. Here's to the rest of our lives with no car accidents for me and mine. Fingers crossed and knock on everything wood!

In the meantime, you can find all of my previously published novels at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dana-Davis/author/B0033HDLVC

Happy Spring!

February flew in fast!

January was somewhat of a blur and February flew in fast. We knew our senior rescue we adopted in November 2022 had pain issues - We were told it was arthritis and that she would cry out when picked up or when getting up and down from her bed and didn't like to snuggle. Why she wasn't on any pain meds is beyond me so we took her to see our vet immediately. Turns out she has IVDD (disk disease). The poor baby! It's been 3 months of adjusting our home to a dog with disabilities, as well as adjusting meds with our vet to find the right dosages that work for her. Thankfully, she's mobile so she can walk around the house by herself and do her business without assistance, but there are several things she's not allowed to do with her disease so we have to stay on top of that. We also have to manage her pain and inflammation during flare-ups and our vet is great at helping us with that. Luckily, we kept the stroller we used with our previous senior dogs and she loves stroller rides. 

Now that the 3 month adjustment period is over, she has settled in, gives us lots of tail wags, and trusts us a lot more. We're more in tune with her condition and what she can and can't do, or more like should and shouldn't do. Trying to slow a dog down when she's finally feeling good after a long time in pain is like trying to harness a tornado. Once we got her pain under management, she turned out to be a lovable, silly, singing dog who loves pets and attention. We're working hard to keep here there. 

Not much new on the writing front as I've been focused on the new fur baby. In December, I decided to take a work break and stop pressuring myself to get everything done at once. The perfectionist in me is still having a fit about it but I'm learning to ignore that part of me when I need to. The break has helped my stress levels, as have nature walks, workout classes and craft projects. Hubs is a mellow fellow, unlike me, but he has his stress outlets too, so we're both hanging in there. Here's to 2023 being a much better year this side of the pandemic.