Mike Befeler's Blog, page 16

Men of Mystery

One of my favorite mystery conferences, Men of Mystery, is being held Saturday November 5 at the Grand in Long Beach, CA. I’ve been attending this event since 2009. Each author is given a minute to describe his latest mystery novel. Over lunch, we have a chance to speak with readers at our table. We sign books and chat with everyone. The headline speakers are Kwei Quartey, Stephen Mack Jones, Chris Hauty, and Connor Sullivan.

What Is Important in Life?

Over the last year I have had surgery three times on one knee. I’ve had my ups and downs: feeling sorry for myself and wondering why me? On the other hand, I’ve pulled myself out of these funks by realizing so much that I’m grateful for: my family, my health other than the knee, and good friends. I would have preferred to have had two of these surgeries to replace my remaining arthritic hip and knee, but that was not to be. As I’m recovering my ability to walk again, my knee is doing great by my arthritic hip is acting up. I don’t relish the thought of another surgery, so I’ll have to see what the future holds. In the meantime, I have the second and third books of the Omnipodge Trilogy, which will be published in April of 2023 and April of 2024. Onward.

 

Our Grandson

Our grandson is now seven and in second grade. He’s the one who kept us going during the pandemic, and I was his Zoom assistant for kindergarten. My wife and I moved back to Southern California in 2015 when he was about to be born. We’ve been delighted to take care of him since his parents work and child care is so expensive. Our routine now is I pick him up after school and he spends the afternoon at our house until Mom or Dad pick him up at the end of the day. My wife does homework and sticker books with him and I oversee the computer homework which includes Jiji (math), core 5 (English) and Raz Kids (reading). He is into Minecraft, and when he gets together with friends, they invent Minecraft related games to play. My day is made when he comes running out of school with a smile on his face and gives me a big hug. 

In-person Events

I’m starting to get requests to give in-person presentations to service organizations and non-profit organizations. Groups are returning to in-person meetings after many had deferred meetings or held them through zoom. I enjoy giving these talks, meeting new people and selling some books.

Looking Forward to Mystery Conferences

As I gain more mobility after my knee replacement surgery in August, I’m now making plans to attend a number of mystery conferences. In my last post I mention Bouchercon in San Diego next year. Two others I’ve signed up for are Men of Mystery in November in Long Beach and the Left Coast Crime Conference next March in Tucson. These conferences always provide the joy of mystery writers and readers mingling.

Bouchercon

I’ve enjoyed seeing pictures and posts about this year’s Bouchercon Conference. Next year it is in San Diego, which is a short drive for me, so I plan to attend. Look forward to seeing mystery writing and reading friends again.

Knee Surgery Rebound

I’m making progress with my knee surgery rehab. Started Physical therapy. Now it’s the balancing act of managing pain and gaining more range of motion.

Knee Surgery (continued)

I’m living life primarily on the physical level as I recover from knee replacement surgery. Finding the right balance of pain medication, getting some exercise but not too much, and resting often all play into the equation. I have a post-op appointment with the surgeon this week and will find out about physical therapy and next steps.

Knee Surgery (continued)

Successful knee surgery. Now I need to deal with the pain and getting the range of motion back.

Dumb Dad Jokes

I have blogged before about dumb dad jokes. These are the jokes we dads tell our kids and grandkids to make them groan. For two years I have shared these with a select few friends, and I also post them periodically on Facebook. Here’s an example of one of my recent favorites: How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buccaneer.