EMPTY NEST

I have been burning the midnight oil writing, rewriting, and editing the third volume in my Grave Obsessions series and finally submitted it to my wonderful publisher, Helping Hands Press.  The minute I hit "send" it was as if my child left for college.  I began to instantly suffer from empty-nest syndrome ... My thoughts had been consumed by the story, regardless where I was or what I was doing.  Even when retiring for the night (or at 4 a.m. in my case), my thoughts then and waking up were of the next chapter or a new plot twist - what am I to do now?

This is something I experience at the end of each project.  The emptiness doesn't last long as I have three other projects in the works, but for a few days I find myself a little sad and wondering how my child is doing so far away from home.

Grave Obsessions - Volume III - Shackled Souls is available for pre-order now!  Click here: http://ow.ly/AOyIq

Children of prominent San Diego citizens are disappearing. Detective Dallas Keegan returns to work and is assigned this heart wrenching case with a new partner, hired while she was on leave. Neither are aware the children are victims of a child laundering enterprise headed by a man determined to reap the financial rewards and notoriety as well.

Life Interrupted

Well folks, it's almost here!  Fantasy Football starts in a little over a week.

As a writer, I struggle with stress due to deadlines, rewrites and editing, but the stress involved in Fantasy Football is different ... and excruciating.  The minute I got a reminder from Yahoo that it's time to get my league together, my blood pressure spiked and the competitor came out of hibernation.

This is what my life will be like during the season:

1.  Adding and dropping players in the middle of the night before anyone else gets a chance to grab the "good ones."

2.  Researching weekly statistics and projections daily for upcoming games ... adjusting my roster accordingly.

3.  Laptop, cell phone, television and Ipad tuned into games on Sunday (So many players, so little devices.)

4.  Fighting the temptation to turn on my cell phone and check my player points while singing in the church choir on Sundays.  (Thank goodness we sing on Saturday nights a lot!)

5.  Trying to keep my smack talk "clean".

6.  Checking injury and illness reports daily.

7.  Expecting to explain and prove to the neighbors (or cops at the door) there is no domestic dispute going on...

8.  Making sure I have plenty of comfort food for those bad weeks.

9.  Trying to keep my promise to my dentist that I won't grit my teeth.

10. Most importantly, constantly reminding myself meals won't cook themselves, laundry will not fold itself, the house will not clean itself, and the dogs can't open the door themselves.