Back In the Saddle With Vella
High Tide Episode 5: Look Who’s Back is now available at Kindle Vella. The Olympic Cove gang are starting to approach the end game of Thetis and her mysterious companion, but Scott, Orrin, and Rian picked a very bad time to approach Poseidon (do not bother the God of the Seas when he’s trying to welcome a bunch of other deities, some of them not so friendly, to his home).
After I got the episode uploaded I decided to wash the bedding (at least we’ll be sweating into clean sheets), then go out and enjoy the last day of relative cool before Hell returns to the Clavicle of Texas. I picked up some stuff for a quilting project and stopped at the butchers for some proper bangers (mild pork sausages). Being an Englishman, Ramón is more than passing fond of bangers and mash with onion gravy, and since it’s stupidly simply to make (slice an onion very thin, brown it in butter, add it to a pan of brown gravy and let it simmer while you fry the bangers in the original frying pan, make up some mashed potatoes, and you’re done) I figured I’d do it tonight.
Frankly, I could use some comfort food myself at this point. I don’t like going to the doctor at the best of times, and tomorrow is for an actual treatment so, yeah, a little nervous. But better to get it done than ignore it and let things get worse, right?
Business Time
I don’t know if it’s the oncoming weather change that’s bringing back The Heat of Satan’s Taint or allergies or what, but all my joints feel like they’re full of ground glass and I was utterly exhausted by 8 PM.
As a result the head was not in a good place for storytelling so I fell back on book work. I updated my AMS ads, tweaked a couple of blurbs and came up with some new ad graphics for Crystal Shard.
I freely admit I don’t know why this style is so popular right now on social media but I’m seeing it everywhere. And since one needs to keep up with the trends I’ll be working on ads for all of the books in this style, including something similar for the Crystal Blade pre-order.
Now that I think about it, it’s an easy way for a reader to pick out their favorite romance tropes so that might be why it’s so popular. Also it’s fun to look at.
In other news I seem to have “Go All The Way” by the Raspberries on repeat in my head, I have an appointment for my initial gum treatment this Thursday morning (whee), and I have developed this craving for sushi and other Asian dishes. Ramón thinks it means I need more protein. He may have a point. In any case I obtained some California rolls for dinner tonight and I may have to make a stop at my favorite pho place sometime this week (yeah, I know, in this heat? But pho is worth it).
Writing Away
Today has been surprisingly productive—dunno how much of that is due to the significantly lower temps, the portable AC unit, or what, but I shan’t complain.
In fact, I should have a new ep of High Tide available on Vella by Wednesday, I’m hoping to have all of Crystal Blade edited and off to the Typo Team and my editor by the weekend, and I think I have a rough outline for To Love a Wild Swan, which is definitely going to be an enemies to lovers story (think Sam Reid in his most arrogant Lestat mode and Anna Taylor-Joy in Emma. format with added bloodthirstiness and you have my couple). The last book of the year will be Hurricane Warning which will wrap up my Olympic Cove series and bring my number of published novels (as opposed to novellas, novelettes, and short stories) up to a nice round twenty.
Granted, I am hesitant to mention any of this out loud because it seems that when I do that Something Happens™ that derails all of my plans. Guess I just have to keep my fingers crossed.
Oh, Thank God
The portable AC unit arrived today. It’s rated at 14,000 BTUs, which with the 8,000 BTU window unit in the breakfast nook is generating enough cool air to make downstairs bearable. And we’re getting three days of double digit temps this week which should make things even cooler.
And yeah, I know I’m rattling on about my AC unit instead of writing but this is an object lesson that not all romance authors are rolling in dough (I wish). As it is, Ramón has regretfully asked me to go find some contract work once my gum treatment is completed so that we can afford to replace the downstairs system and get some long-needed repairs done around here. Which I agreed to because it’s necessary and I’m a grown-up who will do what is necessary.
That being said, if I can start making enough money with my writing to match what I’d been bringing in as an instructional designer, I won’t need to look for contract work. So if you want to see more work from me on a faster schedule, would you please talk me up to your friends and get them to buy books or read my Vella eps? And I’ll work on getting my Patreon and Storenvy site up in a couple of weeks, which will be another way to keep me writing fiction instead of spending my day coming up with use cases. *twinkle* We thank you for your support.
Still Hot
We just got word that the portable AC unit that was supposed to arrive today will be delayed until tomorrow. As it is about 108°F out there at the moment and the downstairs is muggy as hell I have decided to take the day off, retire to the bedroom, and catch up on Good Omens 2 and a couple of movies that have been in my watch queue.
Yes, I could go into the office and do some work. But frankly, this has been a bitch of a week what with various things going spla and I need a freaking day off. Ramón has headed off to game at a friend’s house and the J Crew are currently splooting on the cool tile floor in the master bath so my time is my own and I want to watch David Tennant and Michael Sheen try to save the world while being completely oblivious to the romantic tension between their characters.
Also, for people who have only really seen Michael Sheen in recent years or maybe the Twilight movies, go check him out as Lucian in Underworld. You can thank me later.
Mishearing Song Lyrics
I’m sure that this has happened to you—you’ve been listening to a popular song and you could swear that you knew what the singer was singing … until you actually read the lyrics and realized you were completely wrong. This happened to me with most of Elton John’s early songs—I don’t know if it was his habit of accenting a word oddly or his accent or what but I badly misunderstood a lot of Sir Reg’s lyrics. Frex, the chorus to “Rocket Man” is:
And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time
‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find
I’m not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I’m a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone
If you had put a gun to my head, I would have sworn that the last sentence was:
Rocket man, goin’ round the world I’m here and gone.
Which brings me to a cute little video I saw on FB a day ago that featured a bevy of beautiful actresses from the sixties through today. It was set to a song by Raspberries, which I always liked when I was a kid, a song that will be familiar to anyone who bought Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix, Vol. 1., but until yesterday I could have sworn that the chorus was, “Please, goooooo away.” I had no idea that the song was actually called “Go All the Way.” Which is why enunciation is an important thing, kids.
The Writing Continues Apace
Despite the situation with the AC and all the running around that entails I’m still working on High Tide. I’m also editing Crystal Blade at the same time so that I can get it off to the editor next week in time to upload it to Amazon on 8/25 for my 8/29 release.
High Tide has not gotten a lot of interest on Vella, however, so I’m musing about jump-starting the Hidden Empire novella Goddess of the Nile and posting that on Vella as well. I could do a M-W-F release schedule for High Tide and a T-Th release for Goddess (and yes, I can write both at the same time. I’ve done it before, and it actually helps with output because if I’m not in the mood to work on one story I can work on the other one).
The reason why I’m eager to get reads on Vella is that I make seriously decent income there. What with gum treatment and household bills right now I need to follow the money. Of course, if any rich patron ever wishes to subsidize my work I ain’t gonna say no.
Well, That’s Somewhat Better
I don’t have a new ep of High Tide up today and will probably not get one up this week due to everything going on here. Sorry about that. Check back next week.
WRT what’s going on around here, after much research Ramón went out and fetched home a Midea 8000 BTU inverter air conditioner, which is one of those U-shaped units that the window sash slides into. It’s also got an Energy Star rating and is super quiet.
Granted, the instructions and illustrations are not the clearest in the world, but a video helped us get it installed in the breakfast nook (all of the other windows in the living room/breakfast nook are too big for the bracing bracket). The breakfast nook is now deliciously cool, and the kitchen and living room are acceptable. We have fans blowing cool air through to the dining room and library, and a darling person is sending us a portable AC unit this weekend which we will stick in the library for the moment. Between the breakfast nook unit, the portable AC, and a larger Midea window unit (ideally one around 12K BTUs) we’ll more than match the two tons of cooling power from the defunct downstairs unit. I don’t know what this is going to do to our electric bill but the Midea units are supposed to sip energy so hopefully we won’t get slapped with something atrocious.
The cats are not that happy about the warming of the atmosphere—Jemma has taken to sprawling behind my chair where a lot of the cool air gets funnelled (unsurprisingly—she’s still pretty chunky and has thick fur), and the others have taken to hiding out in the master bath where they can sploot on the cool tiles or in my office which is maintaining a decent temperature. I can’t say that I blame them, but we’ll all just have to struggle along.
Ramón has also found a different AC company that can replace our system for less, and he wants to root around in our records and find who replaced the compressor when we first bought the house and see if we can possibly get that done again. The current AC company is only interested in selling us a new system, which we understand but cannot afford at the moment. I just want the temps to go back down to double digits.
You Have Got To Be Kidding Me
As it turns out I will need additional treatment for the gum inflammation. C’est la vie.
But because Fate needs a laugh as much as anyone else our downstairs AC unit stopped blowing cold air yesterday. I was able to get our AC company out today to check the equipment and it turns out that our compressor has finally given up the ghost. As it’s about 15 years old, we honestly can’t complain since it’s done yeoman work.
That being said, the company gave us a quote of about $12K with a rebate for the repair work we’ve already had this year. We don’t have $12K, pure and simple. Ramón is currently researching window units to try and bring down the temps downstairs and take strain off the upstairs system, with the idea that if we can limp through to October we should be able to get a better price on a system replacement. Seeing as the downstairs unit was rated for two tons (24,000 BTUs), we’re going to need multiple window units to make up the difference. But he wants to pick them, and as he’s paying for them my attitude is, “Go ahead.”
It’s gonna get warm around here, folks. Fun, fun, fun…
Waiting On a Call
High Tide Episode 4: Conclave of the Seas is now available at Kindle Vella. Go forth, read, and enjoy!
I’m sitting here reeling from yet another night of badly broken sleep and waiting for a call to find out the results of the gum biopsy I had two weeks ago (they weren’t in yet when I had my followup visit last Thursday and I’ve been playing phone tag with the oral surgeon every since). I’m hoping that the results are benign and I just need to confer with my dentist about possible solutions for replacing the cement in my crowns.
But I can’t be sure of that. So I’m sitting here trying to manage my anxiety and get some work done in the process. It doesn’t help that the Loudest Orange Cat in the World has decided that he wishes to glue himself to my side and comment loudly on everything. I tried closing the office door; he parked himself directly outside and started up with a mid-voice chorus of “Meow? Meow? Meow? Meow? Meow?” So he’s currently sprawled on the floor behind me while the Brown Girl has taken over the cat bed next to the bookcase.
As for writing, I’m editing Crystal Blade today because I can do that with relative competence in my current state, then I’ll get ready for my writer’s group Zoom meeting tonight. In the meantime here’s hoping that the oral surgeon calls back soon and lets me know what’s going on.
Nicola Cameron Writes 