Happy New Year

I wish all of you a Happy New Year! As all of you, it's been an up and down year but I stay optimistic.

My biggest wish this year is swift justice to the Publishers who are stealing author's royalties. How unfair and what a blow to the industry! You'll get your due in the end!

Happy Holidays!

I added a new page on FaceBook to promote this book! If the relatives or the holidays get to you, take time for yourself and retreat into reading a good book!

Happy Holidays to all of you! Thank you for your friendship and support!

Love you all!

Pre Holiday!

The sequel to When the Runway Went South keeps gaining more material. I swear!  Can I ask a question? Do other people have these problems?

Took my husband's baby in for a state inspection. And they flunked it! Why? The window tint is too dark. I took it to another place and they said the same thing.

Um, this car is a 2009 and has never been flunked before. It's in prime condition! So now I have to take it to a Tint Company and for $85, they will scratch off the tint and prime it to Texas State Law.

Really? We've been driving it for three years....

Trying to Find Time to Write - Always a Challenge!

I need to work on promoting my books. I've gone on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pintrist. I tell everyone I meet and hand them a card of my website. I've asked friends to share on FB as well. Sigh.

So, the sequel to When the Runway Went South is gaining more material. Texas is experiencing winter. We had a hard freeze on Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, I woke up and was freezing and thought I didn't hear the heat turn on for the downstairs. My husband takes the first shower and he was at the thermostat immediately trying to figure out what was wrong. I got the "I'm from Chicago" speech, I can handle this, but you better call our guys.

Guy comes out Tuesday night and told us we had two options....one was to pour $800 into a 14 year old system which might not last too much longer or two, get a new unit. We opted for the new unit. Sales guy came out and it wasn't as expensive as we thought it would be, so we said yes and opted for a Thursday morning install.

Thursday, the salesman calls and said they have a top of the line furnace that's been installed but never was used in a model home. Would we be interested for a couple more hundred. Talked it over and said yes.

They arrive Thursday and said the job would take 6 hours. I told them I had to leave the house for a blood test at noon and they assured me they'd be done. They get it all installed and it doesn't work. They called for backup while I ran and had the blood test. I got home at one and it still didn't work. There is absolutely no heat in the house at all. Finally at 3:30 they got it to work! Yay! Heat!

I started to clean the house and my husband called to say he was leaving work early. He had to prepare for his Friday colonoscopy. Augh! He's hungry and cranky.

Friday, is the day. My nerves are shot. I'm worried about him, I'm worried about my daughter who had a bad day at work.

It won't get better next week. I have to take hubby's car in for rotating the tires and a state inspection which means he'll take my car. Which means I'll borrow my daughter's car and take her to work.

Wednesday he leaves for Nashville and comes home late Thursday.

Hopefully, I'll find writing time....my characters are not happy with me right now!!

Only Me

Just when I think life is boring, things happen to me that don't happen to normal people. I wonder why?

I think I'm a good citizen. I respect my fellow man, follow the rules and try to conduct myself in a Christian manner. Okay, I do suffer road rage but I'm trying to get that under control. I try not to get upset when important people in my life disregard my emails, but it's hard.

I try to advertise by books the best I can even though sales are shrinking....don't know what else to do....I post them on Facebook and Twitter and my friends share them to reach another audience.

I'm upset with my body as I age because I used to have a flat stomach and now when I look at it, I can't believe the mushroom top I have. Where did that come from? I exercise; I walk 4 miles a day, what is it? Grrr. After recovering from a broken ankle last year, I'm almost at my top speed of 4.0 on the treadmill which burns 611 calories when I do four miles. I've got to do more!

I live in a fairly safe town even though I know a lot of bad things are swept under the rug, I get it. But I do feel safe. Safe enough for the last four years to walk/exercise the many sidewalks around the town without being threatened.

So, after my hour on the treadmill, I write. Or try to. Between the damn telemarketers and the divorced biker guy who thinks he's 18 and rips his bike up and down the street at breakneck speed thinking he's cool, it can be hard.

Then, I walk, weather permitting, an additional three miles. I feel great and can go back to writing. The sweat pants I have don't have pockets and it gets cumbersome carrying my phone and a bottle of water. If I have jeans on at least I can slip my phone in my pocket and my hands are free.  I see my phone as identification; no need to carry my license. Well, did I get that wrong yesterday.

I'm minding my own business on my walk. Motorcyce guy really ticked me off. I'm ten minutes into my walk whe a Flower Mound Police SUV stops me. Huh? What did I do? He gets out of the vehicle and says, "Lois? Is that you?" I'm stunned, trying to figure out how he know my name. Did something happen to my husband? My daughter? "I said, yes. What happened?" He said, "Michaels?"

I'm not putting two and two together because my husband's client is the Michael's craft store. Did he think I robbed Michaels which is in the town next to ours? Now I'm flustered. What the hell is he talking about?

"Are you Lois Michaels?" he asked. Whoa! How ironic is this? Lois is a very unusual name and not too many people have it. "I said, no. I'm Lois Kasznia. What is going on?"

"Where do you live?" he asked. Now I'm flustered and I told him so. He's getting cocky.

"I think you have the wrong person. I'm Lois Kasznia and I live in Lakemont Estates right down the street."

"No, you fit the description of a missing woman." He shows me this picture of a woman who could've been my sister.

"I don't know who that is and but that's not me," I replied.

"Where's your license?" he asked and then called for backup and shook his head when I told him I didn't have it.

Now I'm really freaking out and mad. I hand him my cell phone and my hands are shaking. "Here," I said and pulled up my photo on Amazon of my author picture. "This is me. Lois Kasznia." He's not buying my story. Now four other cop cars show up and I'm pissed. The second cop comes over to talk to me and asks the same question. I told him my name and where I lived.

He turns to the first cop and says, "No, this isn't her." First cop isn't giving up.

Third, fourth and fifth cop ask me my name and where I live and I told them again. I heard one of them say, "Why did he stop her? The person we're looking for is Lois Anne Michaels and this isn't her.

Me? "Who is Lois Ann Michaels and why should I know her?"

Second cop says, "She was reported missing and she has dimentia. She left the house wearing a green sweater."

I look down at my ratty Chicago Bears jersey and laugh. "I'm not wearing a green sweater. Did you pull me over because of my Bears jersey in Dallas Cowboy territory?"

Now, the other cops are laughing but not the first cop. I think he's pissed he was wrong and he insists that he's right. Finally, I handed my phone to the second cop and opened up my three FB pages. "This is me. Here's a picture of my husband and me. Hers a picture of my daugher. I'm me. Lois Longo Kasznia!"

Second cop takes it over to the other three cops while cop number one is glaring at me. I'm being cooperative and friendly but inside I'm angry as hell. This was not necessary. Finally, cop number one concedes that I am not Lois Ann Michaels. Doesn't even apologize and gets into his car. The other four cops thank me for my time and drive off.

I was able to snap pictures of the five SUV's and called my husband who couldn't believe it until I sent him the pictures.

Needless to say, now when I go for a walk? I'm taking my license!!!