Sorry for the long delay in posts everyone.  It hasn’t been on purpose I assure you.  It’s just, this month has been “STRANGE” to say the least.  As I put in the title, my life feels like it’s been suspended and just left hanging on so many fronts that I’ve been almost paralyzed in many respects.  I’ll explain.

At the beginning of the month after just getting over the holidays, I was ordered to be on-call for Jury Duty.  Now this is not a big thing usually.  Here in Santa Cruz, I could walk to the courthouse or drive on a moments notice.  But this wasn’t the case.  Oh no my friends, this Jury Duty summons was for District NOT Municipal Court.  What’s the difference?  I would’ve had to report to a courthouse 45-60 minutes away in San Jose.  You see with District Court, they can choose from a pool of prospective jurors from several nearby counties.  So I was on call for 2 solid weeks wondering and dreading if I was going to be called in.

Now, in addition to waiting and wondering about that, I was also called in for a job interview with the County.  I was excited about this and went in did my best, suit and tie, clean-shaven the works.  I was told I did well and that I would hear something in a few weeks.  Now the training for this position would start on February 6th.  To date I’ve heard….NOTHING!  Now, I am already lined up with college classes that start…you guessed in February 6th!  Some of those classes are in the evening so even if i got this job I could keep a few of them and finally be working.  And so I sit, waiting to find out which path I’m supposed to be following.  I’ve been unemployed for 3 frickin’ years for those who didn’t know and have been living off Pell Grant money along with my wife.  We are also getting support from her folks, God Bless Them!  But it would be nice to stand on our own 2 feet again to an extent.  So this has had me pretty bummed out as well.

On the writing front, I’m still waiting to hear back on my manuscript in New York.  On this front, I’m willing to be more patient and continue waiting because the agent is involved in several new endeavors regarding books and to get on with her would be so bloody worth it.  I have faith in her and will continue to wait, because I’ve seen what she’s got coming and I would love to be a part of it.

On another front, I’ve been trying to get several hundred dollars back from my old health insurers that is owed to me and my wife.  I’ve been calling them since August and every bloody time I call I get the same answer.  “Oh, well it hasn’t been approved, but it was as of today so it should be sent to you in 7-10 business days…”  Can you read a calendar?  I thought you could.  SO CAN I!  Finally, the check supposedly went out last week and we’re still (drum roll) ….waiting for it to arrive.

As a direct result of all this stress and waiting, my writing has suffered a fair amount.  I’ve been doing it, so have no fear.  It just hasn’t been in the volume I originally wanted.  I was hoping to get 2000 words done a day and it’s been more like 500-700.  I’m focusing on book #2 in my mystery/sci-fi/horror works.  It is tentatively titled “THE SHIP” or “THE DEATHSHIP”, I haven’t fully decided between those yet.

Also my health took a bit of hit.  I suffer from several conditions Type 2 Diabetes, Asthma and Fibromyalgia.  The first 2 are under control so no fears on those fronts.  But the Fibro has been rearing its ugly head with a vengeance which has also slowed me down and time in a way.  For those not familiar with it Fibromyalgia is a Neuro-Muscular condition which causes severe pain and aches throughout the body or in specific areas.  There is no surefire cure so a lot of us just have to deal and cope as best we can.  Please don’t send me a bunch of suggestions like diet, exercise, this-that-or the other thing.  I’ve been down those roads and mine doesn’t respond to them.  Everyone is different when it comes to Fibro so please understand why I’m telling you not to send me suggestions.  I have a routine that works for me that usually keeps the pain levels under control and barely noticeable.  HOWEVER… there are times when the condition just goes wild.  These are called FLARE-UPS and can last anywhere from a few days to a number of months.  So far this one seems to be lasting a week or so.  I’m hoping it will calm down soon and not be one of the long-term ones.  Wish me luck.   Anyway, the pain limits some of what I can do which adds to the feeling of having my life held in suspended animation or something.

Now I have been writing and work is progressing, albeit slowly.  I will try to post more often here and soon.  I just thought you should all know what’s been going on and needed to vent a little.  Thanks for your patience and for being good listeners, it’s really appreciated.  In time, when I have the money to spare I might get a small digital camera that also shoots videos and do a little VLOGGING.    If I do that, I will post it on YouTube with a link here.  I’ll be taking you all on tours of where some of the action will be taking place in my novels and what inspired me to use them.  I’ll also be sharing more of my experiences and pitfalls for those who are trying to be writers so hopefully you can avoid making the same mistakes.

Well, that’s all I have for now.  Thanks again and I hope to post more from one of my novels here very soon.  Stay tuned and take care.