L.K. Latham's Blog, page 6

Sneezing into February

At least the dragon isn’t sneezing.

It’s February in Central Texas and the weather is beautiful. Nights are chili, but sunny skies and lovely days abound. Of course, all this means I’m sneezing, sniffing, coughing, and being generally miserable. To add to my list of things to do: Time for first revisions to Midnight Wildes. (Thank you to my first reader – much to fast, but so full of notes.)

February is now a busy month with all the revisions needed. Most revisions are because Arika, one of the protagonist in Midnight Wildes, who insists on seeing a dragon. Luckily, I’m the only one sneezing. A sneezing dragon could be dangerous.

Missed a poetry open mic the other day because of the aforementioned allergies. They better not keep me away from the next one. 

One of my favorite places to sit, sip, and listen to poetry. 

Until next time, peace.

One of my favorite places to sit, sip, and listen to poetry. 

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Plants and Taxes and Books

My Bat Plant lives!

It’s only two weeks since I posted the first pictures of my new Bat Plant, and the flower is just about gone, but the plant looks lovely. It should enter its winter sleep soon. Since temperatures are back to average for Central Texas, I’ll put it into a new pot.

While taking care of my new Bat Plant, I also had to shift the outdoor plants inside. The big one remained on the patio, well wrapped up for our recent freeze – all survived. The Austin area doesn’t get freezes often, so it’s kind of a big deal when it does.

While plants are taking a lot of my time recently, I’ve been hard at work. Made lots of changes to Midnight Wildes, realized it’s now classified in part as Portal Fantasy, and sent it back to Beta readers before the final edits.

Now, it’s time for taxes and the next book. Only looking forward to doing one of these tasks.

I’ll let you know as soon as I decide which book to do next and when Midnight Wildes is ready to go. 

Until next time, walk in peace.

Might look a bit droopy, but the flowers are still cool looking.At last, all the plants are back outside enjoying fresh rain and sunshine. We were all a bit cramped for a while.

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Coolest Flower!

I love growing things. It’s almost as much fun as baking. A few months ago, I ran across a picture of a Bat Plant (Tacca chantrieri) and decided it had one of the coolest looking flowers I’d ever seen. That was it. Filed the info away and didn’t think about it again.

And then… I decide to kill some time at my favorite local nursery, and what do I see? Pot after pot of Bat Plants. To make the day even better, they were all half-price. Apparently, the nursery was down to the last few in their allotment and was making room for new plants before the year’s first freeze. 

Yes, I bought one. As soon as I got home, I found one of the bat flowers budding. So cool to watch it emerge each day!

Now, I need to keep the plant alive. Cross your fingers, and share any words of wisdom you have on keeping plants alive. I don’t want to kill it. It’s inside until spring and the temps are constantly over 50F (10c). I’ve read several webpages (all reputable nursery sites) about growing indoors during the winter, and I think conditions are right.

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And the Survey Says!

You prefer reading novels over serials.

Thank you all. I knew I could depend on fellow readers to tell it to me straight. Midnight Wildes will publish as a novel.

That’s all for today. It’s the holidays, and we’re all busy enjoying the holiday, putting in extra hours at work for the holiday, or maybe just loafing around. Whatever you’re up to, enjoy.

Happy New Year: May it be full and joyous.

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The Smashwords EOY ends 1 January 2024

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EOY Catch-Up and New Year Plans

Everybody ready for 2024? 

I’m not, nor do I don’t know anyone who is. There are tons of things I want to do next year: I just can’t get the details organized in my head (or in my planner), but that’s okay. I’ll figure it out.

This leads to the topic for today’s blog. I need help to make a few key decisions. Many authors (and a few readers I know) are touting serialization, and Midnight Wilds would be perfect for it, but I don’t know. What do you think?

What in the Seven Worlds does a werewolf have to do to get a break?

Only Eugene can save the Werewolves, the Free Witches, the Wilderness, and her friends back home, at least according to Old ‘Sassie, the Troll that rescued her from freezing to death on the side of the mountain. How Eugene is supposed to do any of this, the old Troll won’t say.

All she really wants to do is get home and rip the throat of whoever spelled her here and took away her tattoos.

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Enjoy these shorts, the beginnings of Mary Midnight

Back from Vegas

I enjoy visiting Las Vegas, but I’m always glad to be back home. This year, I went to the 20BooksVegas conference and stayed on a few days with the spouse for a little R&R. 

Good food: I’ve never had a bad meal in Las Vegas. It’s always expensive, and always so worth it.

One HUGE disappointment: Gilda’s Italian Cuisine at the Cromwell. They do allow a single woman in their restaurant. Very rude.

Lovely floral display: I enjoy is seeing the season floral arrangements. Most people think of Vegas as glitzy and glittery. It is, but the casinos, shops, and hotels take great care in their floral displays. They are over the top and often breath-taking. 

Good people: Of course, the best part of any conference is seeing people I don’t get to see regularly. 

Let me take a moment here to bow to the all the people working in Las Vegas – from the taxi driver, to the cleaners, to the servers, the security. They’re always smiling and friendly. I look forward to working with them when I visit.

That’s me at my first signing table.

I may not look very excited, but I was. Never had a table anywhere to sign books, so I took the plunge. Learned a bit about myself, too. I wasn’t near as shy about talking to people as I thought I would be. Image here.

Flu: My souvenir. Not one I wanted, but at least mine didn’t hit until I got back. The poor spouse had to fly home with it. Pleased to say our vaccines were up to date and we recovered quickly.

This trip was the most disappointing time I’ve ever had in Vegas. Walking along the Strip was like walking in a dystopian world. I even witnessed two women carry their wheelchaired companion up stairs because they could not get to a working elevator. 

Dystopia!

Thanks, Vegas, for making my trip to miserable. You’ll probably end up in my next book.

Sweet Words and Sweet Lattes

It started out as many Saturday afternoons did with a latte at a lovely, local coffee shop to ponder words with fellow word smiths. However, this was not an unusual day, with the usual word smith and usual lattes.

First treat: A lovely concoction featuring a special syrup of bourbon and pecans. Can you say, “Texas latte”?

Second treat – (See image on top of page) although by far the best and longest lasting, a gift from one of my favorite old curmudgeons: A signed copy of Anyway the Wind Blows. (Maybe the author’s not such a curmudgeon after all. Just don’t tell him I said that.)

To make the afternoon even better, the microphone on the stage opened up to the poets in the house, and my afternoon filled with the flow of words and songs. (Long sigh here.) The best part of the afternoon: Hearing Bill R read a few of his poems. 

It’s been two weeks, and I’m still reading the book. Good poems require time and thought. A sign of a good book of poetry: I read a poem or two each day, contemplate, meditate, and imagine the words. 

For those who enjoy a little quiet time with words that make you think, ponder, and wonder at the world; I recommend Bill Reynolds’ new book of poetry, Any Way the Wind Blows.

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Where to start?

So much going on, I hardly know where to begin. In a nutshell, here are the top 2 items I’m working on right now:

1 November: The re-release of my books: new covers, new blurbs, even one new title. I can’t wait to show them to you. 

16 November: Release of my new book of short stories. These were a lot of fun to write. Each stars one of the “B” characters from the novels. Oh, and did I tell you? You will be able to get a free copy. 

For those of you saying, “That doesn’t sound like a lot of work,” let me confirm – it is.

Artist creates new covers.Reformat all books to include new covers.Rewrite back of book blurbs.Reload all books into book stores…..

Now I sound like I’m complaining. I’m not: It’s been fun, even as I now have a few more gray hairs.

Just can’t wait to show off the new books!

 

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Counting down to Halloween!

Who else is ready to hit the streets for a little tricking-and-treating? Yes, I love doing both.

I’ve started the cauldrons simmering.

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My HOA is pretty strict about holiday decorations.

I remember what happened to a neighbor who forgot to decorate last year. His screaming was so annoying.

And this year I will not stress about decorating. I will stay in shape with my new walking buddy and practice self care with my new meditation coach.

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Ready for Fall!

Tea and chocolate (yes, even white chocolate) is proof that life is worth living. Add a little pumpkin spice to the mix, and WOW!

The temperatures may still be high, but the season says Fall. So, my first project last weekend was making Pumpkin Spice Truffles to enjoy with my tea. 

Of course, I couldn’t stop with just truffles. I love muffins: not very sweet, not too filling. The pumpkin spice muffins I made have just enough sweet in them to enhance the pumpkin spice and make me feel like it’s Fall.

If you’re in Vegas on 10 November, drop in and visit. I’ll be reading and signing this year.    Whether or not you’re attending the RAVE, check out the Facebook group to visit with all the authors and their books.

 

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