A Whole Bucket of Crazy

So, it's been a minute since I've posted anything. A really, really long minute. Too long, in fact. But yet, here I am, and I'm going to be posting TWICE this week! (This post, in an attempt to explain my long absence, and the next to offer two downloads: One, a chapter from "The Magic Within Us" that honors a dearly departed friend, and the other, a download of one of the stories from my upcoming book "The Magic Around Us.")

Guess which of these facts is true:

-I was hospitalized after discovering I had walking pneumonia.

-I've been unpacking a dizzying number of boxes.

-I've been packing boxes and prepping a home to sell.

-I've been writing two books at once because all the little stories have to mesh into a whole

story that stretches across all three books in the series.

-My husband and I drove to New York for a vacation, and the car barely made it back.

-I got locked out of ALL my Facebook accounts (personal and author pages).

-I had several family members die, one quite unexpectedly.

-My husband and I drove to Plymouth, MA for a concert, and while we were away, my sister

was in a horrific car accident (she survived; the car didn't)

-I was involved in a several months long 'witch war,' involving family, multiple witches and a

bunch of witchy incels.

-I found out I have dangerously low iron levels, and will need an IV iron infusion.

So....which ones did you guess?

Ha! They're all true. Like I said, "A whole bucket of crazy." I didn't skimp on the crazy, for sure! There's other things, but that's the 'highlight reel.'

I'm REALLY tired of boxes, whether I'm going through them or packing them up, and we still have a house in Maryland to sell. My husband swears that any item that hasn't been packed (or unpacked) should be headed for Goodwill. Having pneumonia sucked, though the folks at York Hospital were awesome. Getting locked out of my Facebook page at all levels sucked, royally. Thankfully, Instagram is also a Meta product, and logging into my Instagram account EVENTUALLY allowed me to get back into my Facebook account. That I did that was purely by accident, not because of great customer service or anything similar. In fact, if I had to rate it, there would have to BE customer service at Facebook, first. That you can't talk to a real, live person is whack.

I'm exceedingly thankful that my sister's still around and kicking, and that her totaled Corolla's last official act was to save her life. Those family that departed this plane of existence, I'm sure I'll see again, and they all know how to find me in the meantime. I look forward to hearing from them. The iron infusion's not really that big a deal; I've had them before due to gastric bypass. (They neglected to tell me that I would occasionally have to walk into a hematologist's office and ask for an iron refill, but, oh well. Still the best thing I've ever done.) The big surprise was that my iron was so stinking low this time!

Regarding the books, I've found I've had to do more research than I thought I would for a couple of the stories that are going into the final two books of the series, and when I had the idea for "a book with lots of little stories that all meshed together into an overarching, larger story," I had NO idea how complex it could get juggling them all. Writing the last two simultaneously was my solution to avoid continuity errors. I'm also in the process of fixing the errors with some names and random typos in The Magic Within Us. ***SIGH*** If I EVER try to do this format again, will someone please kindly remind me what a stupid idea it is? LOL.

And then...the 'witch war.' I'm not sure, truthfully, what's weirder:

a) that it happened at all....?

b) that the entire time it was going on, I was taking notes? When reality's weird enough that it can be a fictional book, don't pass up the opportunity, you know?? The notes are now set aside for a potential book; I merely changed the names to protect everyone involved (even the guilty ones), and added a couple of characters for extra spice. If you involve me in something I don't want to be part of...assume it will either end up AS a book, or IN one. You've been warned. :)

c) that I was taking notes for a book, even as I was messaging and calling folks for ideas and researching defensive spells for the here and now? Also, special thanks to Amy Blackthorn and her book "Protection Magic." It was especially helpful regarding the ethics that go into protecting yourself.

You should never have to wage battle against family members, or be targeted by them...but, well...here we are. Things are calm for the moment. There was no 'happily ever after' and a group hug. It's more like there's still two distinct sides, with a no-man's land in the middle, and a cautious detente that keeps us to our sides. I'm not sure it's really over yet. Time will tell.

Be watching for the next installment of The Magic Abounds series, as The Magic Around Us should be out this summer!!