Deborah J. Martin's Blog

Last Week Sucked!

First, let me say this is an informational post only to let folks know why I’m quiet. I’m not looking to have a pity party.

One of my BFFs has had major health issues and been in and out of the hospital for several years. He went into the hospital again the first of July. This time, however, the results weren’t as good. I was in the ICU with his husband (my other BFF) on Monday when they took my friend off life support. He didn’t pass immediately so they transferred him to a hospice facility nea...

Mountain Weather

Howdy! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Life has thrown me for multiple loops and blogging has, obviously, fallen by the wayside as I cope. I can’t promise I’ll be more regular, but thought I’d share an interesting tidbit today:

The Old Farmer’s Almanac regularly posts approximate first and last frost dates for various cities on their website. I just rolled my eyes looking at it – they have nothing even close to me. In addition, mountains have micro-climates. What happens at my house isn’t what hap...

Ch-Ch-Changes…Again!

As I get older (smacks gums), I find the need to simplify my life. I’ve been doing a lot of communing with spirit the last few weeks and have come to at least one conclusion: it’s time to stop selling my books directly.

To that end, I’ve reduced the price on every book in stock to a point I hope they’ll sell quickly. Some I’ll make a penny or two; some I’ll lose a penny or two. That said, I’m not offering free shipping. I don’t want to lose that much money! But even paying shipping, they’re sti...

ReMarkable: A Review

I am an inveterate list-maker and note-taker. There are scratch pads and pens all over the house so I don’t have to go hunting for something to write a thought on. For my writing, I’ve used spiral-bound notebooks – one for each fiction series. (The nonfiction have their own 3-ring binders for all the research!) The only problem with notebooks, despite highlighted edges and a lot of paperclips, is nothing is truly organized, much less searchable. The other problem with a notebook is it’s generall...

On AI Narration

Since my eyes got bad a little over a year ago, I’ve had to listen to books rather than read. (It’s frustrating.) Having listened to a couple of hundred audiobooks over that span, I have a pretty decent idea of what constitutes good narration.

As an aside, something around six months ago, I got an email from Google Play, inviting me to be one of their beta testers for AI (Artificial Intelligence) book narration. I’d just paid about $3,500 (!) to convert Reinventing Herself into an audiobook and...

Deep Freeze!

If you follow me on social media, you know it got cold here last weekend: down to 1°F Saturday morning – very unusual for Georgia! Thankfully, our house is nicely insulated so we stayed warm, despite the furnace not quite being able to keep up between the cold air and frigid wind (we have a lot of cubic footage to heat with a cathedral ceiling in the living room). But the stories out of Atlanta about frozen/burst pipes and electricity going out so no heat are horrifying. People will be dealing ...

Dangerous Advice

I am going to have one helluva eyestrain headache by the time I’m done but I can’t stay quiet.

In the last week, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the most egregious decision I can remember, I’ve seen no fewer than five Facebook pages post about abortifacient herbs and giving “instructions for use.” Nowhere could I find the posters’ qualifications. Indeed, they probably have none because…

Those of us who actually went to an accredited school to become herbalists and those who wen...

Twas the Night Before Christmas

 

‘Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house

The creatures were stirring

Holy shit, it’s a mouse!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

The cats searched for treats

They are no longer there.

The children weren’t nestled all snug in their beds

Visions of video games danced in their heads.

My wife in her nightgown and I in my shorts

Tried to make love with the kids up and had to abort.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter

The windows all vibrated – I thought ...

Release Day Giveaway! (Late)

I wanted to celebrate the release of Reinventing Herself last week (it came out on Tuesday) but…shipping delays and all that. So, let’s do it this week!

In the book, Ellen’s dog, Cooper, is a Newfoundland/Retriever mix. (I adore Newfies.) Of course, I couldn’t get a plushie with his exact face but this one will do nicely. His name, strangely enough, is Cooper. He’s so adorable, I’d keep him myself but because we have cats who don’t like dogs, he needs a new home. One lucky person will be his new...

Mountain Living Part Four

Entrance to Ocoee River from Brent Moore on Flickr

 

Ellen once again…for the last time. Today, I’ll talk about things to do in Fannin County that I have no interest in pursuing: outdoor activities. As much as I like being outdoors in my garden, I’m not much of an adventuress. I know others are, though, so I’ll tell you what I’ve found in my research.

First and foremost, hiking! The famed Appalachian Trail starts at Springer Mountain in the southern part of the county. Even if you’re not that ad...