Annette Dashofy's Blog, page 13

The Next Cat Thing

I'm convinced that the Universe sends me special-needs kitties because the Greater Power knows I will take care of them. I've had cats with kidney failure, cats with thyroid issues, one blind kitty... Sammie had cancer. Skye had Bartonella's disease.

Kensi? Well, up until now I thought Kensi was my gift for having cared for the others. Finally, a healthy, low-maintenance feline.

This winter has been a rough one for everyone in my family. First Mom's failing health and her death in early January. Since then, I've been sick with one thing or another. Stress related. Diminished immune system stuff. If' I've not been ill, Hubby's had this bug or that.

And Kensi has been sneezing and wheezing through it all. I wasn't panicked because she hasn't acted sick otherwise. She's eating. She's ripping and racing through the house. But she's had this upper respiratory thing that just would not clear up.

Monday, I took her to the vet. Diagnosis?

Feline Herpes.

All things considered, it's not as bad as all the other illnesses I've dealt with. The only symptoms she has is the sneezing, wheezing thing. Everything else is fine.

It's not communicable to humans. It's not curable, but the flare ups are treatable. Doc gave her a shot of a long-lasting antibiotic and sent us on our way.

Today, the upper respiratory stuff is noticeably better. Kensi has no clue anything is wrong. Hopefully we'll only have to deal with some sniffles from time to time.

Don't worry, Universal Protector of Kitty Cats. I've got this.

New Mexico, June 2016

My most recent trip to New Mexico happened last summer. I had already turned No Way Home in to my editor, but it was still a research trip in the sense that I was confirming what I'd already written in case I needed to fix anything during the revision phase.

I grabbed a photo of the airport as soon as I arrived. This is where Zoe and the gang fly in and out of.

There is talk about fishing tournaments. This is the San Juan River just below Navajo Dam, a prime fly fishing area.

Zoe and Rose enlist the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in their search. This is the entrance they used.

Allison teaches Zoe about communication on the Navajo Rez. Because cell service is often non-existent and most families can't afford a landline, this radio station is one of the main sources of information.

There are many places out there where you can see forever with nothing blocking the view. No place to hide.

But there are also awesome rock formations, bluffs, and canyons.

I hope you've enjoyed sharing my research trips. And I hope you enjoy No Way Home, which releases next week on Tuesday, March 14! 

New Mexico, September 2015

My third trip to New Mexico was a solid no-bones-about-it research trip, and my photos reflected that goal. It was all about scouting locations.

The San Juan Sheriff's Office played a HUGE part in No Way Home, and unlike Pete's Vance Township Police Department back in Pennsylvania, this one is absolutely real.

As are most of the other locations in New Mexico. Navajo Dam is mentioned in the story. It's both a real dam and a town. 
The cabin in the story isn't far from Abe's Motel and Fly Shop. Honest. It's real and that's it's name. We stayed there our first trip to Aztec, so I know from personal experience.

Moving on to Hart Canyon, where much of the action takes place. Yes, Hart Canyon is also real.

A location in the canyon that plays an important role is "the cave." This is it. You can even see the wood someone left for a campfire.

You need one of these big high-clearance pickup trucks to get around out there. The "roads" leave much to be desired, as Zoe finds out.

The views are incredible. Wow.



As Zoe travels through the canyon, she spots a mule deer. Can you see him?

That's my tour guide and police procedure expert, Kevin Burns taking in the views.


If you want to get a real sense of how immense the world is and how small we are, go stand on the edge of a cliff out in the middle of nowhere. That's Kevin's wife, my friend Kiesha, way out there.

And photographic evidence that I was there. 
Next week: my most recent trip to New Mexico, last June. 

More Zoe!

It's official!

I have signed with my publisher, Henery Press, for four more Zoe Chambers Mysteries! That's books 7, 8, 9, and 10 and takes the series into 2020.

I'm thrilled and hope you are too!

New Mexico, November 2014

My second visit to New Mexico was in November 2014. By then I knew I was going to write a book set there and decided to use the same time of year in the story, especially when I returned home from the mild southwestern days to a frigid 22 degrees back in Pittsburgh! I took well over 100 photographs that trip, so I can't share them all. Here are a few to give you a better idea of the territory and weather Zoe encounters.

Vast open spaces, amazing blue skies, and a skiff of snow that fell overnight and melted during the day.

Some of the scrub trees that dot the landscape. Nothing like the towering shade trees and dense pines we have here in Pennsylvania!

Awesome views everywhere. Rugged and wide open.


Some mountains...

...and miles and miles of FLAT. Nowhere to hide!

I've photographed Shiprock many times, from different angles. This one shows the immense openness around the rock formation.
 And then there are bluffs and canyons and barely there roads.

Next week: September 2015 when I really nailed down the prime location for No Way Home.

A Different Kind of Trail Ride

Mid February, sunny, and 68 degrees. If I still had a horse, I'd have been out on the trails for sure. So when Hubby suggested we go for a ride on his new/used ATV (I'd not been on it before), I jumped at the offer. 
We headed out into what used to be MY territory. My old route. My old trails. Yes, it would have been more fun on four legs than four wheels, but...it's mid February, sunny, and 68 degrees. Beggars can't be choosers, as they say.
This is a shot looking at the rear of my house (the little log one) from the rear of what used to be our pasture.
Heading through the gate toward the old road I used to ride.

This really is an old road from colonial days. Rumor has it General George Washington once traveled it. I have no evidence, only the stories I grew up on. I remember it as the tractor road to our upper hay field. My grandfather was born in a log cabin off to the side of the road. I remember finding the stone foundation when I was a kid. Lots of memories.

All the wind we had the other night brought down a bunch of trees. The winch and Hubby's ax helped clear the path.

The view of the same trail, looking back down the hill.

The upper hay field. When I was a kid (and even as a young adult) I dreamed of someday building a house and a barn up here. That old road would have been our driveway. Not at all practical, which is why our log cabin now sits where it does. I remember racing our horses across this field. It was like flying. We cranked up the quad across it. Not the same.

At the far end, another trail leads to the next farm. We started down it, but came to this. Hubby's little ax and the winch weren't going to put a dent in this downfall.

So we turned and headed back. Hubby let me drive the ATV around the upper hay field. It was fun.

But I'd have rather been riding a horse.

New Mexico, June 2013

I know I promised to start this series of posts last week, but I was so sick I couldn't get my brain to work well enough to put words on the page. At least not coherent ones. But I'm much better now and looking forward to the release of No Way Home in ONE MONTH.

As I've said, No Way Home is partly set in New Mexico because of my love for the area. My first trip out there took place in June 2013,

This is a picture of Hog's Back. Not mentioned in the book, but Zoe passes it during her travels.
[image error]
Below is a shot from the Aztec Ruins which is mentioned in the book.



Shiprock is also mentioned in the book:


These photos should give you an idea of the landscape Zoe encounters in her attempt to solve the case this time. Not at all what she's used to.

The Countdown to Launch Day Begins

Next Tuesday will be FOUR weeks until the release of No Way Home . I'm really excited about this one and hope everyone enjoys it. The genesis of the story began four years ago (notice the theme of FOUR there?) when I took my dream trip out west. It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. I had no idea I'd go back again. And again.


I didn't realize then that my fifth Zoe Chambers mystery would be partly set there. Heck, I didn't even have a contract for the FIRST Zoe Chambers mystery at the time.

However when I went back for my second trip to New Mexico, I did have a contract. And an inkling of a story idea. By my third trip, I was in solid Research Mode. Trip #4 was all about verifying my facts for an already written manuscript, and grabbing some photos of the locations.

Beginning next week, I'm going to share some of those memories and photos. New Mexico is now my second home. I'm looking forward to returning for a fifth time this summer to promote No Way Home.

Winter

I have the winter blahs.

This is nothing new. I could be the poster child for SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder). But to complain about our current Pennsylvania winter seems petty. We've had 60+ degree days as recently as this past weekend.

Honestly? I think I'd rather have snow. It's January after all. And while we've had an extremely warm winter, the one typical part of the season that creates the whole SAD thing...the gray, dreary skies...is definitely in play here.

I NEED SUNSHINE.

Where Have You Been?

It’s been a week since my mom passed quietly from this earth. The last few months have been awful. Those last few weeks had been agonizing. Those last three days, nothing short of torture. For me, at least. Mom was surrounded by some of the most compassionate caregivers I could have wished for. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the staff of Evergreen Personal Care Home and Bethany Hospice. I watched you treat my mom with dignity and respect, love and honor in her final days.
And you held me together too.
My mom was tough.
She was also chronically late.
In the last few weeks and days, we wondered how she managed to hang on. There couldn’t be much keeping her alive. A couple of times, she seemed to be looking at something/someone over in the corner of the room. My dad, I’m sure. Once while I was sitting alone with her, I had a little talk with Dad, pleading with him to take her and end her suffering here.
Then I remembered something. I flashed back to the many times Dad would be ready to go somewhere, shoes and coat on, tapping an impatient foot and looking at his watch. Mom would be taking her own sweet time getting ready. Mom was never one to be rushed. Dad was convinced—even then—that Helen Riggle would be late to her own funeral.
The memory made me laugh. And cry.
Dad also used to be impatient when Mom and I went somewhere without him and didn’t get home when he expected us. “Where have you been?” he would demand when we walked through the door.

Last Wednesday morning, I sat at Mom’s side and watched her take her last breath. I watched the flicker of her carotid pulse slow and fade. And I sobbed.

But I’m convinced, somewhere, Dad was watching Mom come through the door and demanding to know, “Where have you been?”