So, You Wonder, "Where Has He Been?"

Okay, it's been a while since I've done an update on my blog, so let's do it!

What have I been writing lately?

Nothing!

I know that sounds bad, but there is a reason. Let's go back in time a bit.

September 2019, Scarefest.  It was a great show. I met many great people and I sold a lot of books. But, about a week after, I came down with what is commonly called the, "Scarefest Crud of 2019." It took most of two months to get over a major cold/flu type virus that seemed to originate at Scarefest.  Needless to say, there wasn't much writing take place.

I managed to do a show for a couple of nights in West Virginia at the Haunted Majestic. This had the best promoters around ... business-oriented, caring, and did exactly what they said they would and more. Again, I sold a lot of books and met a lot of great people. The only bad thing was being exposed to the cold of the evening as our booths were outside. After just coming off of the "Scarefest Crud", this put me right back down on my back in bed.

During December, all the junk I'd caught turned into pneumonia. Some called it "Double Pneumonia" as pneumonia is generally only when one lung is affected, but both of mine filled up with junk. I've since found out that this has hit many people and some are saying it was Covid-19. I'm not saying it was or wasn't, but I did have to go to the hospital for outpatient treatment several times a week.

During these preceding months, I was able to write a few short stories that have been published, but any major writing was put on hold.

Just as I started to get better, one afternoon I decided to chance a trip to the mailbox. I got to the porch and became extremely light-headed and very dizzy. I fell, shooting out my left arm to break my fall. There was immediate pain upon impact. The diagnosis was a cracked shoulder blade. Treatment was scheduled, but then delayed as hospitals closed their doors to all except Covid-19 patients.

So, for almost seven months, I've dealt with unrelenting pain from the middle of my back, down through my arm, and ending in my fingers (which become very numb after typing for five or ten minutes). I have to sleep for a few hours at a time in a recliner as it limits my movement. Sleeping in my bed was fruitless, as any time I'd start to roll over the pain would wake me up mercilessly. So, numbness, pain, and lack of sleep have been my constand companions.

Needless to say, all of this ruins the flow of storytelling as I have to stop typing the rest of the day, or until the pain subsides and I get feeling in them back. I called several times for appointments, but was put off due to Covid-19 and told they'd contact me when they were accepting them again. They didn't.

Finally, after another one of my calls, they said they were accepting appointments, but since it had been so long since mine had been scheduled, they needed the doctor to request it again. She did, and I had one set for June 9th, one day before my 66th birthday. What a birthday present!  I couldn't wait. But, a few days before it, I was called and told it had been rescheduled for July 8th. A few weeks later, they rescheduled it for the afternoon of July 9th. Since then, they've changed it to the morning.

As this writing is of July 6th, no further changes have taken place. I'm hopefully a "Go" for Thursday.

So, that's why you haven't been receiving writing updates. I'm not complaining, nor making excuses. As things happen, they happen. You just have to deal with it and handle it the best you can.

I'm hoping things get better so I can complete a sequel to "Train of Blood" and part two of "Garbriela: Tales From a Demon Cat" in time for this year's shows. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

So, until later,

Ciao!