And suddenly, dog

For the first month of the year, everything was moving right on schedule. My last book, The Spymaster’s Prize, was finished right on time. It got published, I made plans for the next book, I made good headway on some of my doll hobby projects, was getting good news back from the doctor about my long-running health issues, and was looking forward to attending the ceremony for a literary award, where my book Spectrum Blade ultimately placed as a finalist. Whew… that’s quite a list.

I am not sure why or how, but somehow, my family reached the conclusion that this moment where everything was finally working well was the perfect time to introduce a new four-legged friend to our family.

This, I fear, has proven disastrous.

My husband likes dogs. My daughter likes dogs. I… am a cat person, but I know having a dog is important to the rest of my family, and I don’t mind having one around. We found a husky and decided she’d b e a good fit, because we have been husky people and missed our old girl, who passed last summer. The problem is there are huskies like Xochitl, and then there is this one.

To say Tozi has been difficult may be an understatement. This dog has single-handedly—er, pawedly?—upended our entire schedule so effectively that nothing is happening but dog, and it’s put a damper on everyone’s creativity. I’ve gotten essentially no writing done since she made her arrival, and haven’t made progress on any of my hobby projects, either.

What has happened?

Dog.

And so, this is getting posted on a Wednesday instead of my usual Tuesday, because for the past several weeks, I haven’t had time to eat lunch, never mind writing blog posts. Or anything else, for that matter.

I’m reworking my schedule to deal with new setbacks, so a revised schedule will be coming soon. Things will go back to normal eventually (I hope) but for now, the next few books may be delayed…