Life is What Happens...
I got my second shot of the Moderna vaccine Tuesday, which was--again--weirdly and embarrassingly moving.
I can't even explain it. But something about looking around that GIGANTIC barn (literally--it was at our local fairground) and seeing my fellow Americans--the reassuring diversity of old/young, male/female, white/people of color... I felt like crying.
A good crying though. A feeling of THANK YOU FOR BEING SANE, I guess.
But here's the thing. Beyond unexpected fatigue, I had no real after-effects following the first vaccine. The second vaccine? Holy moly. At first, nothing. I went home and worked for about six hours. And then...
Chills, fever, nausea, headache, aches in every joint...even my skin hurt.
It lasted roughly two days. So not nearly the length of the flu, and certainly not the length of COVID19. I'm not suggesting it wasn't worth it--because that should be a no-brainer--I'm saying I wasn't expecting it.
So...surprise!
In another week, I'll have 95% immunity, and I can't begin to tell you what a relief that is.
But I've lost a couple of days of work, and between some family things (HELLO, MOTHER'S DAY, WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?) online conferences and doctor appointments, I'm looking at my schedule and thinking I might have to shift some things again. I dread the very idea, after finally getting back on track, but sometimes there's no getting around things. The truth is, I'm still working around a schedule I created last year, when I was definitely in denial about how much I could do within a day/week/month/year.
Anyway...
Scandal at the Salty Dog (Secrets and Scrabble 4) is maybe...probably going to get pushed back to the end of May. We're only talking a couple of weeks difference.
Body at Buccaneer Bay (Secrets and Scrabble 5) will hopefully not see any changes. I don't want to shift anything more than I have to. At the most, we'd be looking at a week or so.
The 12.2-Per-Cent Solution (Holmes and Moriarity 5) will almost certainly be pushed back to mid-July. It's the final book of the series. I don't want to have to rush it. So maybe a month's delay there. I've been saying I might have to do this for a couple of months, so this one shouldn't come as a surprise.
(ugh) Murder is Served (2 Novellas) is kind of iffy right now. It has less than 1K preorders, so the enthusiasm is not enormous. I'm already doing seven novels this year (including Hide and Seek for Patreon) so this project might just be a bridge too far. I haven't made a decision, but this is where my thoughts are headed. It would take some of the pressure off and give me more time to concentrate on The Movie-Town Murders, which is good, given the research involved in the Art of Murder series. Also I'm probably going to need that time to finish Hide and Seek.
I'm not saying I'd completely cancel. I haven't made up my mind what I might do.
So that's kind of what I'm looking at. I didn't want to have to adjust anything, and I'm still hoping I won't, but every day there seems to be something new and urgent added to my calendar. How I wish I could have taken advantage of all that free time last year.
Anyway. Next year, I'll be starting completely fresh. The only thing scheduled is in April. I fully intend to put together a realistic work schedule that reflects how I work now versus a decade ago.
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Thanks for keeping us updated. I had my 2nd shot last week and was told to drink lots of water. I suffered minor side effects. Could be a coincidence or could be the water. I hope you are back to your regular self now. I'll just move my reading schedule to match your dates, no biggie. Happy writing and researching!!🍷💾📚📖
I'm glad you're feeling better, but oh my, two days? My misery lasted for 18 hours, which I'll now stop complaining about after how long it hit you. I couldn't even get out of bed - it was Mother's Day and my mom was upset with me because I chose bed over spending the day with her. Thanks mom. I had zero effects from the shot #1, so my reaction to shot #2 was unexpected to say the least.
If anyone is old enough to remember the Hong Kong flue in 1968, I HAD to get the vaccine for that because I worked with the public. I missed three days of work, flat on my back, garbage can on duty beside the bed and the worst headache I ever remember having. When I reported in to the nurse's office on my return to work her comment was, "think how sick you'd have been if you got the actual flu." And since it put my husband into the hospital for two weeks, I think she was right. The Pfizer shot gave me a sore arm for two days after the second shot and that was it.
I'm havi..."
I believe you! In fact, I was saying to the SO (who had zero ill effect beyond fatigue) if the reaction to the vaccine is this bad, can you imagine what the real thing would feel like?! NO THANK YOU.
Here's hoping your second shot is a piece of cake.