Writing While Under the Influence of Vertigo!

 

I'm still not feeling up to par with this benign positional vertigo . On Monday, I wrote 5k! I was proud of myself. I then went grocery shopping, became dizzy and had to sit down.

Tuesday, I felt okay and wrote only 2K, but as usual, things happen that are unplanned. I decided that it was my king size pillow that's too big for me, making me sleep in an awkward position causing the dizziness. I should try a queen/standard size. (I know, right? Lois Kasznia, MD with her degree from WebMd!)

Wednesday, I ran to Big Lots and then Kroger. I was going to go to Kohls for a pillow and decided against it because I didn't feel good enough to slug a pillow and a new 12 inch skillet through the parking lot of Kohls in the pouring rain.

My friend who is moving to Chicago, was in town and we had an unplanned lunch date. I did run to Kohls before hand and picked up the pillow and skillet. Got home and wrote another 2K!

Thursday, I went on the treadmill (haven't been on in two weeks) and only did a mile for starters. Cleaned the house and felt like a million dollars.

Friday, I voted, came home and wrote another 5K. This is the most I've written in a week and am feeling inspired.

Saturday? I decided to do sit ups and push ups. BIG mistake. I got so dizzy, I could hardly stand up straight. I spent the entire day in the chair. And it was sunny and 74. Who gets sick on a day like that?

Today, I still felt a little woozy but have decided I am calling the ENT because I can't live like this. I am an active person who loves to work out and do things. Something is not right. Took hubby to the grocery store to help me with the groceries. Why is that when I take him, the bill is always one hundred dollars more?

I Survived Three Days Without Internet, Phone & Television...

I hope everyone a good week! It was a trying one for me, that's for sure. I don't know about you, but my mood is tempered by the weather. We've had rain for six days in a row without sunshine. I thought I was going to go stir crazy! Not only rain, but thunderstorms, where the lights flicker and I quickly back up whatever manuscript I worked on.

Not only that, rain and mold make my sinuses run amok, constantly needing a tissue. After a really wet night, I woke up and almost fell out of bed, I was so dizzy. Huh? I've never felt this way (unless I've had too much to drink and that wasn't the case!) I stumbled into the kitchen and turned on the lights. I went to check the weather app on my cell phone and it said there was no signal.

We have Frontier (used to be Verizon Fios but they sold to Frontier about two years ago and it has been a terrible transition). But the battery equipment is in our garage. I opened the door and saw something had tripped the GFC and I went out and pushed the button to correct it. It worked, so I went back in the house and tried again. Nada!

Mr. Jim comes out of the shower into the kitchen and asks why his phone and the television doesn't work? I told him, so I pulled out the Frontier bill and called. The tech advisor was very helpful but had me running from Jim's Man Cave out to the garage to disconnect this and that. (Remember how I told you how dizzy I felt to begin with?) Finally, Mr. Jim comes to help me and those dreaded words are issued by the advisor. "There's a problem with your back up battery and we need to send a tech to fix it. The earliest he can be there is Friday, between noon and five." WHAT????? This is Wednesday? What are we going to do?  We have no phone, no Internet and no television. At least we won't miss the political robo calls! Starbucks, here we come!

Thursday, I felt like a million dollars. I sat and wrote 5k and met an old friend for lunch, went shopping for groceries, no dizziness whatsoever. While I was talking to my friend, my mind flashed back to the three years I worked Help Desk. Dave Rupp, my boss, (rest his soul) would be very upset with me because I didn't think of this sooner. Unplug the back up battery and try again! I waited until Mr. Jim came home and we tried it. It beeped like crazy, so I thought, well? At least I tried. We went back into the house and Mr. Jim is playing this obscure Pink Floyd CD on his PC that he forgot he had. I came into the Man Cave and happened to glance at our router. Lo and Behold, all the lights were flashing! We were back in business! We decided not to cancel our appointment just to see what the tech would say.

Friday, I woke up dizzier than I have ever been; my sinuses were killing me and I had the worst headache ever. My head felt like I was on an airplane where it flies at this altitude that stops up your ears. I broke down and called the doctor and he could see me at 3:15. Had to call Mr. Jim to work from home so he could great the Frontier tech.

Long story short; I have a sinus infection and my ears were blocked. Because of this, I have Benign Vertigo which will last a week to ten days. He flushed out my ears and I can hear a pin drop. But I can't work out and have to be careful.

Mr. Jim said the tech rewired the Frontier boxes in our garage because the old ones were defective. Now we're back in business! We can watch the closing ceremonies of the Olympics and I can write without fear of losing my work.

I swear, life is never dull with me! 

Never too Old to Learn

I have to admit I am really enjoying working on my next set of manuscripts about the billionaire's club. Obviously, I'm not one but the more I research the topic, I can see where I went wrong. But I'm comfortable in my own skin and I feel blessed with my life.

I'm learning a lot about the ever transitioning world of publishing now that I've joined a workshop hosted by a famous author. She is suggesting to brand yourself and be very careful about the 'professionals' you chose to hire for you manuscript. Your editor, your cover artist, your publisher and others may say their professionals but are they the right ones for you. Scary.....

The most recent topic was how to manage your writing schedule. For most of us, we have busy lives with jobs and family. I know for me, there will be days when I don't get a chance to write a thing, even though I'm thinking of my manuscripts. I'm a very vivid dreamer and the dreams stay with me during the day, so I can jot down an outline and work it into my stories. The response from the rest of the group were so interesting and I've learned so much about how people put their stories together.

Thanks to my editor, Chel, for signing me up for this group! I really appreciate it! You're never too old to learn.

Changing World of the Author

With all of this cold weather, I want to go to Bora Bora. Enough is enough! I know this shall pass, but I've been spoiled living in Texas with the mild winter weather. Guess what? It hasn't been mild. We even had a freezing ice storm this morning and let me tell you, I'm still hearing sirens!

Back to writing. Being an author has evolved since I started. Now, you have so many hats to wear it's like you have to hunt and seek to find time to write. I'm following a blog on FB from a successful author and it's an eye opening experience. Everything she posts is true. It's a dangerous world out there and you have to negotiate what's real and what's not.

To me, the hardest part is promoting my books. I have FB pages, this blog, my website and a Twitter account, Instagram and my big mouth. I don't know if that's enough. People depend on reveiws but they too can be skewed and bad things can be said about your books.

But back to my manuscripts, my characters are becoming active and vocal and I have found that I've written more this week than I have in a while. I get so intense, that time flies and my shoulders cramp because I've been sitting and typing too long. But when I read what I've written, I'm pleased.

Like any other profession, I need to hang in there and be consistent and patient.

Working Hard!

Six more weeks of winter? NOOOOO! Okay, I shouldn't be complaining. Here in the Dallas area we are having mild temps with plenty of sunshine. We might get some 'winter temps' next weekend but that's okay. It makes me want to write.

On my billionaire series, I'm making progress. I wrote twenty thousand words this week which is good for me and my hectic schedule. I'm also re-editing my NHRA manuscript. I learned so much from my editor with Cruise into My Heart, I'm trying to correct my bad habits.

My other publisher, Blushing Books, released Intercepted on Kindle Unlimited, free from 2/2 - 2/4, if you haven't checked it out and least it's free.

I'm hoping to get more writing done this week since now I'm on a roll. Keep your fingers crossed that no unforseen incidents crop up for me!

Super Bowl Sunday is a bust. If the game gets really lopsided, I'm switching to the Animal Planet to watch the Puppy Bowl.

Everyone have a wonderful week! Even my friends who are experiencing the snow and cold. Stay warm!

Grudges and other stuff...

It amazes me how someone can carry a grudge for over thirty some odd years! Really? I've lost a friend because of it and it hurts. Maybe she wasn't the friend I thought she was. Good story for a book.

Busy writing away.....

Heard from Blushing Books on Saturday. Intercepted is being taken off of Barnes & Noble website because it will be on Kindle Unlimited. If you haven't read it and would like to, please check there!

Another funny story about this house. The original owner installed blinds, but only a few drapes. They are lined which is nice because it helps when the weather gets cold. Since our bedroom faces the street and the neighbors have two teenage children who have tons of friends over all the time. The drapes help block out the headlights and their outside lights they leave on all night long.

This morning, while opening the drapes, the rod fell out and konked me on the head. Turns out when the drapes were installed, they never used a molly to hold the nail in the wall. Hmmm. Then I checked the drapes in our family room. Instead of installing a hold back, they stapled the drapes to the wall. Really? A trip to WalMart and all is good. Jeesh!

Lois' Daily Life....

This was a better week for writing. I'm into my Billionaire series manuscript since my characters are keeping me on my toes!

As always, life throws challenges at me. I feel like I'm at bat, with life being the pitcher! Why you ask?

First it was the bitter cold. Homes in Texas are not built for cold weather. You can feel the cold through the windows and doors no matter what you do. We had windows replaced due to a bad hail storm in March and they are not foolproof. I can't sleep at night because I worry.

Then, you have to worry about your pipes. Let me tell you, when I open the kitchen cabinets to keep the sink pipes warm, the blast of cold air chills me to the bone. I also have to cover our outside spigots because they freeze as well. Thank goodness Lowes has a styrofoam cup to place over the spigots to keep out the cold.

And that's only Wednesday. Finally, on Thursday we got a break from the cold. Whew. Never ask what's next!

My daughter is trying to lose the holiday weight and installed a free app on her phone to count her steps called Pacer. Her daily goal is 10,000 steps. She keeps the phone in her back jean pocket when she's not at work. Guess what she did on Thursday? Yup! Dropped it in water. Zap! Deader than a door nail. I tell you, putting the phone in rice is a joke. Didn't sleep at all thinking about what to do because I hate for her not to have a cell phone in case her car breaks down.

And it didn't help that the battery in the smoke alarm began to beep at 1:05 Friday morning. Out of a sound sleep, my husband and I wrestle with our 8 foot step ladder in the garage into the bedroom. My husband, who is way taller than me, was able to get it off the ceiling, place a new battery into the unit. While he steps back on the ladder, he twists his back and can't move. Now what?

Friday, I came up with the idea for my daughter to purchase a prepaid phone while Apple takes a look at hers. Our carrier, Verizon, said that we are eligible to upgrade to a new phone in March. And if Apple can't save the phone, she can use the prepaid until then.

I hate to do it, but I played the helpless female card with the fire department and the hunkiest six men ever, came to my house, used my ladder and installed it within minutes. And they even put the ladder back into the garage for me! They made my day!