My Gods Behaving Badly series has been one of my most successful ventures in writing to date. Part of that is probably due to the passion that I have for the subject matter. I love Greek gods and I wanted to see how they would behave in a modern setting where no one believes in them anymore. Boy did we get to see how they behave! However, Looted, the first short in the series was never supposed to be the beginning of a series. It was originally written to be part of an anthology that didn't end up happening. It was then picked up as a stand alone with Secret Cravings Publishing where it became a hit and I wrote three more books in the series while there. When SCP closed, well I decided to keep my Gods Behaving Badly going on my own. I re-released all the previous books and have added a couple more to the series. I have not had a release in the series in over a year now due to life and other obligations, but I think that it is time to see what the gods are up to once more.
Want to start the Gods Behaving Badly journey from the beginning? Looted is only .99 cents and free on Kindle Unlimited!
US: www.amazon.com/Looted-Gods-Behaving-Badly-Book-ebook/dp/B01C843JQC
UK: www.amazon.co.uk/Looted-Gods-Behaving-Badly-Book-ebook/dp/B01C843JQC/
CA: www.amazon.ca/Looted-Gods-Behaving-Badly-Book-ebook/dp/B01C843JQC
AU: ​www.amazon.com/Looted-Gods-Behaving-Badly-Book-ebook/dp/B01C843JQC

We are already are half way through July and really summer if we are thinking about it. Where is the time going? While I am not the biggest fan of summer, I can't believe that it is flying by so quickly. Well, fast time aside, I thought that I would start giving little writing updates at the middle of each month. I am still struggling to get back into a writing groove and I think putting this out there will help keep me accountable.

So July is slowly getting me on track. I am doing much better writing wise than the past few months that is for sure. First off, I have been able to keep blogging three times each week so far. That is a good thing to get me back in the habit of writing on a regular basis.

I have been brainstorming several ideas and I think there are some real gems in my idea notebook right now. I am even sharing my ideas with my husband and getting feedback, trying to just get the creative ideas flowing and have things to write about. One of those ideas already turned into a completed 750 word flash fiction short story that has been submitted and will hopefully be accepted for publication soon. Fingers crossed. I am also working on a horror story at the moment to be submitted before the end of the month and another story to be turned in mid next month. When all is said and done I should have written over 10,000 words this month. That may not seem like a lot, but after the year I have had it seems like a triumph to me.

I am also working on some outlines for a couple of series that I have come up with and am going to work on ideas for my Gods Behaving Badly series and my Quest series. I am starting to really feel excited about writing again and this is a great thing.

So another gaming post, but hey authors have to have hobbies and get outside of the house every once in awhile! This time I am talking a little about getting into Warhammer 40K. I am pretty new to miniature gaming, my first really being Warmachine and Hordes. Now I am in the middle of building my Necron army for 40K and will soon be buying my army for Age of Sigmar. I must say that so far I am really enjoying myself. Now I have a slight tremor in my hands, so putting the minis together can be a challenge at times, but my hubby helps out a lot there. I do love painting these miniatures though! I know there are several unpainted in the picture, but I am working on it and hey I really wanted to start playing. As for playing, well I played my first two games of 40K this week and had so much fun. I won my first match and lost my second, but both were great learning experiences. I need to work on developing strategies and probably read the rules some more, but I am learning. As an author I love the lore of the Necrons and the whole world that Games Workshop has created. Part of me really would love to write a Necron based novel for them some day, so see this hobby does have a connection to writing. It also helps me socialize a bit more, as I have a tendency to become a hermit at times. So what is this rambling post really about? I guess it is about heading out and trying new things, meeting new people, and incorporating that into your life for that is what I am doing with gaming and my writing.

Some of you who read this blog might know that my husband and I are both pretty big game nerds. If you didn't know that before, well now you do. That means from time to time I like to take time to review new games or games new to me here on my blog. Games are a pretty big part of my life and they are something that I want to share with my readers.

The moment that I saw the box for Barker's Row I knew this was a game I would love. The art work is whimsical and hello I am all about anything circus related. This is a fun game where you only add to the fun by getting in character. What you do it you and the other people playing are Barkers, people trying to get the circus goers to come into your stands and see you freakish displays. It's a blast to shout about "the miraculous, gruesome, horrifying..." creature on your card. The game mechanics are easy, though I found it best to learn the game through a Youtube tutorial as the actual instructions were a little confusing. It's quite simple, you pick cards that allow you to play attractions in your hand. Each attraction you play allows you to add two meeples to your stands. (These are some of the coolest meeples of any game I have ever played.) Some attractions have special abilities that will allow you to fill your stands faster. The first player to fill there stands wins. That's pretty much it. I have only played a two player game thus far, which was rather quick to finish. My husband took a commanding lead at first, but the game seems to have mechanics that even play out and it ended up being pretty close at the end. I really want to try this in a four player situation as I think it will just add to the drama and role playing of the game.

I really enjoyed Barker's Row and think that this is going to make it into a pretty regular rotation of game play at my house. Easy to learn and play. Cool look to the game. 4/5 stars for this one!

If any of my Albuquerque Readers are looking from some paperback copies of some of my books, well you are in luck! I have a selection of titles now available at Title Wave Books, Revised right here in Albuquerque! You will find my books right up front by the check out counter along with other great local authors! Please head in and not only support a local author, but a local business as well! 
Tile Wave Books, Revised is located at: 
2318 Wisconsin St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA

Last week I had a new release, an anthology that I am pretty proud to be in, Doomsday! This is an anthology where different authors give their take on the end of the world in several short stories. Since I live in a desert I bet you can guess where the inspiration for my contribution, "Where the Water is" came from. As I move into other genres beyond romance, look for more short stories in anthologies to come!

Links:
US: https://amzn.to/2y83yKW 
UK: https://amzn.to/2JCz9pu
CA: http://a.co/09uDUEP
AU: https://goo.gl/ZLPBj5  
Doomsday...the end of the world is here, but how will the apocalypse happen? Will it be viral, an explosion, or simply human nature that destroys us? Read on, you might be surprised...

Home, Sweet Post-Apocalyptic Home by Alex Winck 
Antidote by Samie Sands 
From Strange to Indifferent by Katie Jaarsveld
Interim by Stefan Vucak
A Forever Kind of Love by Andrew Darlington
Talking Bodies by M. Earl Smith
Where the Water Is by Sheri Velarde
But a Whimper by Rick Eddy
The Countess Consuela by Michael Peirce
On Trial by Samie Sands
Thoughts of Memory by Andrew J Lucas and Natalie A. Lucas
Praying To Die by Fernanda Oz
Nightmare Rising by McKenzie Richardson
The Last of the Regulars by Andy Lockwood

I just want to write a quick blog to wish people who celebrate a Happy 4th of July and to ask all of you to be safe this holiday. Not only make sure to have a designated driver if you plan on drinking, but be safe when it comes to fireworks. I live in the desert, so fireworks can be extremely dangerous. I also have a dog who is severely scared of fireworks and friends who suffer from PTSD with loud noises. That is why I ask that everyone be careful and considerate as you celebrate!

I can't believe that it's already July! Where has this year gone? I must admit that the first half of 2018 has been a rough six months on the writing front for me, with the past two months being the worst. Not only have I been suffering from some physical health issues, but I have been suffering from depression as well. The depression has been pretty severe since May when I lost my sweet little dog and I have really be struggling to get anything done. I manage to make it to the day job. I cook dinner and keep the apartment in some sort of order. I get groceries and manage to do laundry. Basically I do enough to barely keep it all together, but nothing more. I struggle to write, to even blog. I haven't been promoting my work much. I haven't been working out, or socializing, or actually living a life. I've been existing.

But a lot can change in six months and I am hoping to start making some changes starting now. Last week I socialized more than I have in quite some time. I am working on blogs for the month and trying to get that back on schedule. Yesterday I finally put my Fitbit back on and am trying to get back to walking and doing yoga. The going is slow but it is going. My husband and I are talking about starting a healthy eating plan together. I am making some forward progress. So now what I really need to work on is writing.

I have been thinking about writing a lot even though I haven't been doing any actual writing. Even was I was writing earlier in the year I wasn't really happy or feeling what I was writing. I wrote a m/m romance that I feel I just went through the motions with. It's definitely not my best work and I am not sure that I even want to work on it for release. So what I have been thinking is that I need a change of pace when it comes to writing. I'm going to back off straight romance for awhile. I think that I am going to explore with different genres. I have an idea for a four part hard fantasy series. I also have an idea for a New Orleans voodoo series. I want to finish my romantic fantasy sequel to Quest for Redemption. When it comes to romance again I want to finish my Gods Behaving Badly series. I really think that I need to work on writing just for me again, not writing for what publishers and markets want. I need to find my passion for writing again, to make writing fun again, or I just need to give up and find a full time day job. I am going to work on making that decision over the next six months.

Hi all. I am back to trying to blog on a regular basis and am in the midst of catching up on my reading and reviewing (and beta reading). So that means more reviews will be coming.

I have not read as much poetry as I have fiction and history books, but I do like poetry and thought that I would try to write a review of Dream Poem by KD Rose. This is a collection of moving poems that cover the gamut of what I am going to call the human condition. The poet touches on everything from Black Lives Matter to aging parents to mental illness. Each poem captures real emotion and makes you take time and think about your life and your condition. I found that this collection really made me stop and think about how fleeting time is and how we should make the most of what we have. Of course poem are very personal, so each reader will probably come away with something different and that's the beauty of art that makes you think. So I am giving this collection a 5/5 stars.

Link: http://a.co/iInjk6H

In sickness and in health, those are pretty common words that many people recite in their wedding vows. As someone who has health issues, you soon learn that these words can affect your entire life. Yes, my husband is great and he loves me in sickness and in health, heck he doesn't even blink an eye if I go all 'Exorcist' or am confined to bed for days. But relationships are not the only thing that you have to consider about sickness and health.

When you have ongoing and chronic serious illness, you have to do many things when sick. I still have to work, even when I feel like death I slap on enough makeup to look okay and fake smile through the day or night. When people ask how I'm doing I say okay or good. Lies, but necessary ones if one needs a job while sick. I've had managers tell me that I should go on disability because people didn't want to be around sick people. First, it is illegal for a manager to say that to an employee. Period. Second, disability is not something that is just handed out when you ask. Third, sometimes having a job and acting normal can be a great help for some people, so why not keep your prejudices to yourself?

​Sickness also affects my other job, writing. Sometimes I have a really hard time focusing and getting words on the page. I hate to admit it, but I am in a bad writing slump at the moment. Ever since the horrific attack that took my small dog's life I am having a hard time getting the creative juices flowing. Add to that health issues and yeah, my writing life is not going anywhere near how I would like it to go. I am having a hard time even motivating myself to be here on my blog, or to share my books to get sales. That is sad as that is the life blood of an author, getting your book in front of readers. I need to work on this. Yes my health sucks at the moment and things always seem to get worse in summer for me, but I am an author, a writer, and that means I have to find a way to get back to writing.

Sorry about this rambling post, it's a way for me to get some of my thoughts out and to let you my dear readers know why I have been so sporadic with my writing and posting of late. I'm working on getting back into some sort of groove with my life and my writing.