Cat Adams's Blog, page 13

Saturday Evening Post, BLEECK

Hi Guys. 
It is Saturday, it is Evening, and therefore I post.  But I post quickly because I am not feeling well.  Which sucketh big pond scum covered rocks.

No, it is not serious.  Nothing to worry about.  Just annoying.  VERY annoying.  I have a cold.  I also am having . . . ahem, digestive distress.  Simultaneously.  Which seems mightily unfair to me. 

But in a day or two the cold will be gone.  The distress is already waning.  So I will rest and all will be well. 

EXCEPT that there will be fewer pages produced this weekend than I needed to.

Le sigh.

At least the pages that have been produced thus far are keepers.

Take care.  Be well.  Be happy.

Cie

VISITING DIGNITARY - CATHY L. CLAMP

Yes folks, indeed, in honor of the release of THE ISIS COLLAR we have the other half of the dynamic duo visiting today.  Give a warm welcome to CATHY L. CLAMP!  (WOOOO HOOOO!!!!)


The Making of a Hero

In THE ISIS COLLAR, our heroineCelia Graves continues to struggle with which of her two favorite guys sheprefers. Bruno DeLuca is low-key and thoughtful but funny. He's caring butsometimes thoughtless, while John Creede is flashy but surprisingly private.He's supportive but sometimes condescending. In other words, two very typicalalpha males. They're both heroic in their own ways, and both can often clashwith what Celia needs or wants.
How does an author create ahero? What traits do they need to be BOTH a knight in shining armor while stillrealistic enough to have conflicts with the heroine. Most alpha males havethings in common that make them the modern equivalent of knights. Theyfrequently have a willingness to help others (or at least can be talked into itwith money or power.) They're physically and mentally tough enough to getthrough a crisis. They're driven to excel in what they do and have a highopinion of their talents (usually justified.)
But the flip side of those coinsare what are often exasperating to a likewise driven female warrior. They haveegos. Oh, lord do they have egos! They expect to get their own way (read as:tough and driven), whether or not anyone has other plans. They're often moodywhen they're losing or likely to lose.
So what makes them so darnedendearing? At least for Celia, it's the caring. Her alpha heroes care aboutdoing the right thing. Yes, sometimes they tromp on the flowers on the way tosaving the forest, but by hell or high water, the forest will be saved! They'llgive their last dying breath to be sure they attain their goal. And who doesn'tfind that loveable?
We recently did a poll atCoffeetime Romance to ask whether Celia should wind up with Bruno or Creede. Sofar, Creede is in the lead. But Bruno is the shining star of THE ISIS COLLAR,so will the polls change once everyone has had a chance to read it? Only youcan be the judge! Here's an exclusive excerpt of a kiss from each of the guys.Which one rung Celia's chime more? Let us know and you'll be in a drawing toWIN an autographed copy of THE ISIS COLLAR!
First is Creede (because Icreated Creede so he's my fav to win!)
********************Creede knelt in front of me, hishands still on my shoulders. His gaze locked with mine and the compassion inhis eyes made me believe the words he spoke next. "I don't know. But I'm goingto find out. I promise." His fingers squeezed just a bit. "All right?"
A promise from him could be putin the bank. "Okay. Thanks. What should I do until then?"
The corner of his mouth turnedup a fraction and his hands moved until they were on either side of my face."Quit trying to be superwoman. Ask for help when you're hurt. Remember that if you're hurt, it's serious."It sounded so logical when hesaid it. But . . . "That's not so easy for me."
The quirk of a smile became anamused flash of teeth. "Tell me about it." Without any warning, he leaned forward and eased his lips against mine.I found myself being pulled into the kiss before I realized what was happening.His hand slid around my head, fingers twining in my hair and my eyes closedautomatically. I leaned into him before I realized I was doing it. My breathfroze in my lungs and I couldn't seem to think past the dual sensations ofmagic and gentle pressure as he slowly moved his soft, full lips against mine.Warm breath on my cheek, magic sweet as candy and the caress of his tongue mademy knees weak and my stomach do flip-flops. His hand, lightly stroking my hair,sent electric shocks to my scalp. It was a good thing I was sitting down. Myheart began pounding hard and my fingers buried themselves in the fabric of thearmrests to keep from wrapping around him and pulling him into my lap. I wantedto . . . a lot. The strength of the desire terrified me.
The kiss was probably over inseconds, though it felt like it lasted a week. He drew back slowly and I woundup suspended, eyes closed, enjoying the remaining pull of the magic that tuggedat my stomach. A quick, nearly chaste kiss in the back of a store shouldn'treally be that big a deal.
Right.
**********************
And now it's Bruno's turn (Brunois Cie's favorite, so he always gets equal time!):
**********************
Bruno arrived first and wrappedme in a hug when I opened the door that left me warm but breathless. Then thekiss he bestowed turned what was left of my muscles into jello. "How youdoin'?"
I let out a slow sigh andallowed myself to rest against his muscled chest. "Better. The feds used somemagic on me. Apparently, my vampire healing doesn't work on burns. I couldstill use a little more rest. You?"
He nodded and lowered his mouthto mine once more. I could feel his warm breath on my face as his mouth ate atmine gently. God, those lips. I'd missed them. He smoothed his hands down myback, knowing just where to touch to make me moan. I pulled away after a fewmoments, shaky but pleased. "Mmm. Much better now. Actually, I'm headed back toNew Jersey. Just stopped by on the way to the airport."
*********************
Which of Celia's guys do youlike better, and why? We really want to know!
Oh,and if you're intrigued (and you know you are) go out and buy THE ISIS COLLARby Cat Adams right away! And if you've never heard of Celia Graves' earlieradventures in BLOOD SONG, SIREN SONG and DEMON SONG, they're on sale until therelease of ISIS! It's a really good sale, too: only $2.99 for a Kindledownload. Heck, that's three for the price of one! And if you're a printfanatic, they're also on sale at Amazon on a 4-for-3 special. But lots of otherretailers have them on sale too, so go to our publisher's website (http://us.macmillan.com/theisiscollar/CatAdams), scroll all the way to the bottom and choose your favorite store.

Edits going well, closing in on the end./Breakfast Serial

Edits are going well.  I'm closing in on the end.  YAHOO.  Not there yet, but progress is being made.  So is research.  LOL.

Okay, I'm doing a short serial this week so I can get back to my edits. 

**************************

Who in the @#$&* is Boone Carter
(Who is, alas, still in flashback mode.  Were this a book I'd be checking to see if it was too long and needed editing.  Good information, but need to get back to the main plot.)

Even seeing the headlights, knowing it was probably them, the first impact was a hell of a shock.  My mother swore, fighting for control of the truck, Sara roused enough to scream.  They hit us again right before the next curve.  The truck swerved.  Metal screamed as we scraped against the guard rail.  The truck bucked and wove.  Mom might have recovered control if they hadn't chose that precise moment to hit us again.

There was a horrible, sickening moment when the guardrail gave, and we were airborne.

*************

PLEASE COMMENT.

Hanging in there.

Sometimes I just get tired.  Part of it is physical.  Part of it is mental and emotional.

I'm VERY glad it is Friday.  I truly hope to get some rest this weekend.  It doesn't look like I should.  But I think I may do it anyway.

Toodles.

Cie

DOUBLE FEATURE VISITING DIGNITARIES

Okay guys, life occasionally (oh, who am I kidding, FREQUENTLY) gets away from me.  I've been working really hard on scheduling the Visiting Dignitaries.  Lots of e-mails, lots of talks with old friends and new ones.  Pull out the calendar and write down the dates.  Fun, not to hard.

And then (cue danger music)

The dog (who spends most of her time in the office) decided to chase the cat across the desk and corner him.  They were just playing.  The animals are fine.  My calendar -- not so much.  February and March don't exist.  I have a ten month calendar--starting in April. 

Which is how I ended up with two people scheduled for today, Leap Day.  So I'm calling it a Leap Day Bonus.  You are going along with me on this.  Right?  I said RIGHT?

So, for our first guest I am proud and pleased to introduce the lovely, talented (and possibly shizoid--just kidding folks, but she does have work with a number of pen names).  JADE LEE.  (Cue the applause).

Our second lovely guest is a friend from the convention circuit and a wonderful author of short fiction.  She is also the voice of a redhead, from the apocalypse.  Give a HUGE WARM WELCOME folks to RHONDA EUDALY!



Riff This... By Jade Lee

Ever get up and try to be funny? Really clever, cute, and funny? Lots of people do because they're naturally delightful. My brother-in-law for one. He's hysterical which is good because he's in advertising. For me to be clever and funny/delightful, I need (a) coffee and (b) someone to play off of. Another person who can sparkle back at me. And I need rhythm. Dialogue rhythm, setting rhythm, alcohol rhythm.

Which is why–in my split personality–I am funny as Kathy Lyons for my Harlequin Blazes. They're short, sweet, contemporary, and I can set up a situation and just riff. Those are my funny books, written mostly in the afternoon, and with a large sense of the ridiculous. My historicals as Jade Lee are dark, sensuous character stories of people struggling in a difficult time. Jade is SEXY (and yes, I managed to find a way to be sexy first thing in the morning. Well...after my latte). But when my editor asked me to bring my Kathy Lyons humor to the regency for the new series, I thought she was...well, joking. Jade Lee was serious. She wasn't...oh right. She's not really a person. She's ME and I can be funny. Or so I promised my editor. It took me a LONG time to get the right note. A long, struggling time of bad jokes, worse puns, and really nothing at all delightful except for when I hit the delete key. Apparently, I sucked at HISTORICAL funny. And then I remembered something really key. I remembered all those regency romances from when I was a kid. The ones that were sweet and funny and could still manage sexy. It's what brought me to the time period in the first place. So I embarked on a remember-why-you-love-the-regency campaign. I found it. In lots of places. And, I have to admit, in writing a lot of bad words until I found the right ones.
I'm happy to say that I think I succeeded. Publishers Weekly said I had charming verbal fencing, clever retorts, and an entertaining read. WOO HOO! But that's not what really counts. What counts is what YOU think is funny. So click on this link [http://jadeleeauthor.com/books/bridal-favors-series/wedded-in-scandal/wedded-in-scandal-excerpt] and you'll get one of my most favorite scenes in the book. Someone who comments on this excerpt will get a free copy of Wedded in Scandal! And for those of you who feel left out, click on this link [http://jadeleeauthor.com/engaged-in-wickedness-free ] and you'll get a free e-copy of the prequel novella Engaged in Wickedness.
So....you tell me. Did I succeed in being funny? Or do I need to get some more alcohol and try again? PS. You can also tell me what books you run to get your love of the regency back!

AND NOW  --- RHONDA!


I want to thank you for having my as aVisiting Dignitary. Though, seeing some of the other dignitarieshere, I have to admit I don't feel very "Dignified". Iwill do my best to entertain you - or at least sound coherent.
For those who don't know me, I'm RhondaEudaly. I've done a lot of short fiction work both in print andonline. I'm moving into longer work. I'm best known for mycollaborative work, The Four Redheads of the Apocalypse with Yard DogPress. I write the character, Zoe - who is Death. What most peopledon't realize is that I do write more than humor fantasy. I have awide range of stories, including one really dark Science Fictionpiece which was part of a Bram Stoker nominated anthology in 2006 putout by Apex Book Company.
Now that you know a little bit aboutWHO I am, let's talk about more about what and how I do what I do.All writers get the "how do you get your ideas" questions.But I've also been asked "HOW do you become a writer?"almost as much. The really simplistic answer is: apply behind tochair, write a story, finish the story, and submit the story -- eventhough there is so much more to it these days. A writer isn't a JUSTa writer any more.
I've spoken and written about the"American Idol Effect" (or if you're "of a certainage", the "MTV Effect") for writers where NOW it's notenough to write a brilliant story writers are now required to market,promote, have an active online presence and even (sometimesliterally) sing and dance - and that's if you're traditionallypublished. If you choose self-publishing you have all that PLUSediting, proofreading, and actually PUBLISHING added on.
It can be a tedious and daunting taskto figure out the time management aspects of what constitutes awriting career. But we have an outlet. We have CONVENTIONS. This is amarketing/promoting outlet that lets writers get out among theirfellow writers, editors, and readers. Even as we sit on panelstalking about various aspects of writing, we are recharged creativelyby being among people who think we are the universe's MOST SPECIAL OFSNOWFLAKES. And that can be exhilarating (and a bit embarrassing ifYOU are trying to be a fan and have a book signed, and you're pulledout of said line to sign one of YOUR books for someone else - butembarrassing in a cool way).
However, Special Snowflake Syndrome (asfun as it is) has a shelf life of 3-5 days (depending on the lengthof the convention). It's like Cinderella's dress and coach - itexpires when you pull back into the driveway of your home. We allwant to still be that Special Snowflake even after the convention -but it's hard to hold on to that when sorting laundry and puttingunsold books back on a shelf.
And that's the reality of writing.Depending on how many conventions or If you're on major signing tours- a writer like me spends at the most 10% of the year in the SpecialSnowflake Zone. The other 90% of the time is dealing with the"chore" part of this industry - writing, typing, marketresearch, editing, and market research. We are feeding families, housecleaning, and paying bills -- just like everyone else and it's ahard thing (sometimes) to readjust to - because we all want to holdon to the Special Snowflake feeling.
So if you think you're not gettinganywhere in your writing, keep at it. Keep plugging along in that 90%or so range, because for what it's worth? Those times when you're inthe Special Snowflake Zone? It really does help motivate you (well,me) to keep moving forward. To keep producing new material to keepthe buzz going with the loyal fans and to bring in new ones. It makesit all worth it.

Saturday Evening Post AND Sunday Morning Breakfast Serial

That's right folks, "Two great tastes that taste great together."  No, wait, that's a Reeses.  But still.

Yesterday I was working on edits.  Hard.  When I got stuck I would do housework or attack the weeds in the back yard with the scythe.  Nothing like a little physical labor to clear the head.

I made excellent progress, but I was at it until bedtime so, no post.

Now it is Sunday morning and since I skipped the serial last week, I really feel like I should do it too.  I mean, I left my poor guy in the middle of a flashback/escape with the girl of his dreams.  How sad is that.  SO, since it's been two weeks I'm going to post the last couple of sentences of the last post to remind you where you left off and go from there. 

Oh, and YES I am behind on sending prizes AGAIN.  I just get caught up and then you guys go and win things.  JEEZ.  (LOL)  But I will get it done.  Probably next weekend. 

Now, without further ado, I give you. . . . (drum roll)

Who in the @#$@# is Boone Carter?


"Bitch." Abraham's wife had a bright red handprint on one side of her face and blood at the corner of her mouth. "You'll pay for that." She stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Even from where I stood I could hear the bolt shoot home.

My mother wasted no time. She scrambled over to the window, unlocked it and pulled it open. "Come, quickly. We don't have much time."

I climbed in seconds before she went out.  "Wrap her up in the blankets and bring her out through the window.  I'll get a car."

That wasn't going to be as easy as it sounded.  This was a 'closed compound.'  Abe didn't want any of the followers just wandering off.  But I didn't question her.  There was no time.  Another contraction had hit Sara.  She was screaming, and there was more blood. 

I ran to the bed.  It took a minute or so for the contraction to pass, when it did, and she opened her eyes she saw me there.

"Sam."  She whispered, giving me a weak smile that tore at my heart.

"I'm here.  I'm here."  I pulled the sheets and blankets off of the edge of the bed, wrapping them all around her.  "Hang on.  We're getting you to the hospital."

"I'm glad you're here." 

I bent to pick her up.  She wasn't heavy, more awkward than anything else.  She tried to help, reaching up to put her arms around my neck, but she there was no strength in them.  She was so weak.

Getting through the window with  her was difficult, but I managed.  Just in time too.  My mom came peeling up in a battered old truck that had belonged to my dad before he died and she joined up.  She flung open the door and I dashed up as lights came on and shouts were heard.

"COME ON!"  My mom ordered.  I didn't argue.  I set Sara on the seat as gently and quickly as I could and climbed in.  We were moving before I could even shut the door, sending the guards scrambling and diving for cover when it was clear we weren't stopping for anything. 

We blasted through the gate, and were down the drive and onto the highway.  Looking over my shoulder I saw men running for the garage and the other vehicles.

Mom drove as fast as she dared.  We needed to get a lead on our pursuers, and get to the hospital soonest, but the narrow, twisting roads, with their sharp drops guarded only my thin metal rails required care and moderation.  I held Sara close, her moans of pain tearing at my heart and prayed that we'd make it as I looked over my shoulder again and again.

We were less than halfway down when I saw what I'd been dreading.

Headlights.

VISITING DIGNITARY - Keith R. A. DeCandido

GUYS I WANT A REALLY WARM WELCOME for a very interesting author.  He's clever, he's charming, he's eminently readable.  (Well, his work is.  You get the point.  I'm not sure if he is actually.  Keith, do you have any tattoos?  MANY tattoos?  Inquiring minds want to know.  Of course, if not, we could just go for palm reading.)  ANYWAY, without further digression or ado, I present:

KEITH R.A. DeCANDIDO

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS FROM THE GALLERY)

OH and guys.  Prizes to random commenters.  Be sure to leave your e-mails.  :)

FANTASTICAL COPS
by Keith R.A. DeCandido
I've always been a huge fan of policeprocedurals. I think it can be blamed on watching Hill StreetBlues at an impressionable young age (I was 12 when the showdebuted). Probably my favorite nonfiction book of all time is DavidSimon's Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the book thatserved as the direct basis of the NBC series Homicide: Life on theStreets, and the indirect inspiration for Simon's HBO TV seriesThe Wire.
What fascinates me are the elements youoften don't see on most cop shows (though you did see them onHSB, Homicide, and The Wire, as well as suchshows as DaVinci's Inquest and The Shield), to wit, thepolitics, the difficulties, the frustrations. What I like are storiesabout cops who aren't (necessarily) noble paragons of order andjustice who view the job as a calling (the Dragnet model), nordo I like stories where the crimefighting tools are all available,reliable, and instant (the CSI model). I prefer it when thegood guys don't always win, when the cases are messy and difficult,and when the lab results aren't always fast or accurate ordefinitive. And I prefer it when the cops have to deal with theday-to-day realities of budgetary and political expediency instead ofmagically having everything they need.
Plus, of course, you have theinterrogations. There are few things more fun to read thaninterrogations, a cop and a suspect doing a verbal fencing match asthe former tries to get the latter to talk through deceit andmanipulation and cleverness. Simon put it best in his Homicidebook: the interrogating detective is "a salesman, a huckster asthieving and silver-tongued as any man who ever moved used cars oraluminum siding—more so, in fact, when you consider that he'sselling long prison terms to customers who have no genuine need forthe product."
I've always wanted to writeprocedurals, which fall under the mystery rubric, but I'm at heart ascience fiction/fantasy writer. Luckily, the two genres mix quitewell—SF/F is a genre of setting, where mystery is a genre of plot.

My very first novel, Spider-Man:Venom's Wrath in 1998 (written with José R. Nieto), hadSpider-Man working with NYPD detectives on a case—and I wroteanother Spidey novel (solo this time) in 2005, Down These MeanStreets, that also showed the hero collaborating with New York'sFinest. I did other tie-ins that brought cops into the storyline(Supernatural: Nevermore, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Blackout),and I always tried to follow the example provided by Hill Streetand by Simon's amazing book.
(I also wrote a CSI: NY book,Four Walls, which proved an interesting challenge, as thatfranchise exists in a world where DNA tests happen instantaneouslyand lab techs carry guns and solve cases. I did, however, have fungiving one murder scene the trace evidence of a blackcotton/polyester blend fiber. As anyone who lives in New York knows,that does nothing to narrow the suspect pool, since everyone'round here wears black...)
It was so much fun to insert cops intoMarvel's New York, or amidst the Winchester Brothers'monster-hunting, or the demon-infested world of Vampire Slayers, thatI needed to do it some more.
Hence, my two original series.
Dragon Precinct (2004, reissuedin 2011) and its sequels, Unicorn Precinct (2011) and thespring 2012 release Goblin Precinct, puts cops in a verytraditional fantasy setting, one that wouldn't be out of place inTolkien or your average Dungeons & Dragons game. The port city ofCliff's End is a crossroads of humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, andhalflings, and the Castle Guard is tasked with maintaining law andorder—including a squad of detectives who solve the bigger crimesin the city-state. There's an M.E. who inspects the crime scene—amagical examiner on loan from the Brotherhood of Wizards—andinterference from politicians who are more concerned with expediencythan crime-solving.
The crimes themselves are, of course,fantastical variants on what we come to expect from our mysteries: aserial rapist who uses a store-bought spell to turn himselfinvisible; a succubus whose disguise as a human interferes with theM.E.'s "peel-back" spell; a magickal drug that causespeople to overdose; bank robbers who use glamours to disguisethemselves; and so on.
The other series is called SCPD—thefirst book, The Case of the Claw, is now out digitally, withthe trade paperback edition due shortly, and the second, AvengingAmethyst, is in the works. It's about the adventures of the SuperCity Police Department. Like Metropolis or Gotham City, Super City isa fictional environment that is full to bursting with superheroes:the Superior Six, the Terrific Trio, the Bruiser, the Cowboy,Spectacular Man, and more.
But this isn't their story. It'sthe story of how the cops deal with the property damage, theinsufficient evidence, the nightmare of solving the "murder"of the Clone Master who has multiple versions of himself, and, ofcourse, heroes who don't testify in court, lest they risk theirsecret identities. The Cowboy stops a purse snatcher and ties him toa lamppost, but by the time the cops arrive the Cowboy and the victimare long gone, and the suspect must be kicked for lack of evidence.The Bolt is arrested on a DUI with no ID; when he sobers up, he blowsa hole in the holding-cell wall. When the Superior Six battle theBrute Squad, one of the latter misplaces a ray-gun that is found byan abused woman who uses it on her husband when next he beats her.
The best part of all of these? Writingthe interrogations. Whether it's Lieutenants Danthres Tresyllione andTorin ban Wyvald getting Bogg the Barbarian to admit to who he andhis friends were after in Dragon Precinct, or Detectives PeterMacAvoy and Kristin Milewski talking to a bunch of high school kidswho may or may not have witnessed a murder in The Case of theClaw, the give-and-take of the interview process is some of themost compelling stuff to write—and, I hope, to read.
(To purchase SCPD: The Case of theClaw, Dragon Precinct, or Unicorn Precinct, go towww.DeCandido.net, where there are purchasing links for Amazon, B&N,Smashwords, and directly from the publisher—Crossroad Press forSCPD, Dark Quest Books for the Precinct books.)
Keith R.A. DeCandido is the author of 45 novels, as well as a mess of short stories, comicbooks, novellas, and more. In 2009, the International Association ofMedia Tie-in Writers granted him a Lifetime Achievement Award for hisbody of licensed work in multiple media universes. His other recentwork besides the procedurals mentioned above include Dungeons &Dragons: Dark Sun: Under the Crimson Sun, Guilt in Innocence: A Taleof the Scattered Earth, the post-"Peacekeeper Wars"Farscape graphic novels, -30- (with Steven Savile), andstories in the anthologies VWars (edited by Jonathan Maberry),Dragon's Lure, Tales from the House Band, Liar Liar, andBad-Ass Faeries 4: It's Elemental. Friend him on Facebook(facebook.com/kradec), follow him on Twitter (@KRADeC), read his blog(kradical.livejournal.com), and listen to his twice-monthly podcastDead Kitchen Radio (deadkitchenradio.mevio.com).

Working Hard on Edits

Working hard.  Think it's going well.  :)

But it means I'm not going to be doing much online for a bit.  I'll try to post the serial tomorrow.  But if not, forgive me.

EDITS HAVE ARRIVED

Okay folks, edits have arrived.  This will probably mess a bit with the schedule as I put my nose to the grindstone and WORK.  I'm excited though.  Good things are about to happen writing-wise.  I just know it!

Be good while I'm gone.

Cie

A Meandering post . . .

Today typing in the address I put ciesBOG.  It kind of suits.  I'm feeling very bogged down lately.  I'm trying to get my head together, gather some momentum, really kick ass, but it's kind of hard to kick at all when you're knee deep in mud.  I have too many things going on in my mind, and too many of them are negative.  I need to look on the bright side.  Which I'm going to do here.

For example, HEY, I WRITE BOOKS.  THEY GET PUBLISHED.  HOW COOL IS THAT?

My teeth don't hurt any more.  I can't tell you how WONDERFUL that is.  Really.  The pain was hideous, and now it isn't.  That SOOOOOOOO rocks my world.

My health is basically pretty good.  Oh, there's the ongoing chronic stuff, but it's pretty minor really.  Considering how bad I was a decade ago, I never EVER would have imagined that I'd be able to do what I do easily today.

I'm employed.  My son is employed.  He's healthy and basically happy.

I have people and pets who love me and who I love.

I never have to go hungry.  (I probably SHOULD considering my weight, but we're looking for positives here, LOL).

And speaking of employed, it's time for the day job.  Gotta run.  Be well, be happy.

Cie