Update: What I've Been Up To Lately

One of the rough things about being a full-time writer is how easily I can end up working almost every waking hour at my computer.  Answering emails, writing guest blog posts, working on revisions, preparing THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING for publication, reading up on the publishing world, corresponding with my agent, editor, or the producers who optioned my work, talking to bloggers and other writers, etc can eat up a big chunk of my waking hours before I even realize it.  Add in actually writing for my own blog and my novels and sometimes I don't even step outside the house.

The positive results of all of this is that four of my novels are now going to be made into audio books.  THE LIVING DEAD BOY AND THE ZOMBIE HUNTERS, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES, THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING, and now THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE are all going to be released sometime during the summer on Audible.com, amazon.com and itunes.com.  I'm very excited about all four of these books being available in a new format.

Also, THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING is almost ready for publication. The galley copies of the novel are in the mail and we should have them soon. The book has been edited by my editor Felicia Sullivan and is presently being copyedited. My husband and I are going to do one final read-through before the June 12th publication date. We're on schedule, so the book should be available on June 12th in paperback for $15.00 and $3.99 in all ebook formats. You can pre-order autographed copies here.

The blog tour for THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING begins on June 11 and there will be plenty of opportunities to win an ebook of the book and a bigger giveaway hosted by The Bookish Brunette.

I'm also moving along very nicely on PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS.  I had to go back to the beginning of the book and weave in some new plot lines, but that often happens when I have no idea what is going to be happening in a book when I start writing.  I've not been too sure on the how the remaining story splits between this book and the last, but now I know.

Unfortunately, all the writing I've been doing has resulted in my carpal tunnel syndrome flaring up really badly. I've taken to wearing my wrist braces when sleeping and I'm pondering a new desk setup or chair.  I don't suffer all the time, but have severe flareups every once and a while. Usually because I inadvertently strain my wrists. Even having my desk chair off by an inch or two in height can result in a lot of pain. It's slowing me down a bit on my new book, but hopefully this flare up will pass soon.

Now that my appearances are over until later this year, I hope to get my writing projects done while  getting healthier.  I had a medical crisis in 2010 that severely impacted my health. I had gained weight before then and wanted to lose it, but my recovery was slow.  Now I feel able in body and mind to take on the task of getting healthier.  I'm watching what I eat by keeping a food diary (I screw up my metabolism by eating too little, then too much) and getting on the treadmill. I'm also pre-diabetic so I need to watch what sort of foods I eat.  The food diary definitively helps make sure I'm eating low-glycemic index stuff.

I've been watching Dr. Who while walking on the treadmill, which has made it much more enjoyable than just staring out the window.  I've never watched the reboot, so I'm really enjoying the series. I'm on season three now. I will probably watch Torchwood after I finish with Dr. Who and then move onto another series. It's been fun exercising while watching a show. It keeps me entertained while doing something good for my body.

I want to be stronger and regain my old stamina. Weight loss is secondary to just being more fit.

Cause you know...