My Writing Plan: Week of May 30

Posted on by

Current events are a little too horrifying to be able to really focus on writing… there’s so much anger and no place to put it, when I read the reports and see the pictures (I have not been able to watch the video itself… I just can’t bring myself to do that…) and I swear to the gods, I feel like lighting some fires myself. I’m not of course, but that doesn’t make the outrage burn less. Okay, on the brighter side!!!

I’ve gotten the book trailer of SwanSong from Eeva Lancaster, it’s so exciting! I’ve posted it on youtube:

 

This week I received more animated book covers from Morgan Wright, she does such an amazing job!! Now I have the animated covers for everything but Truck Stop, and I sent that off to her this morning. I’ve created a playlist to play through all the animated book covers (which are about 13 seconds length each):

IN OTHER NEWS……

  • Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been in self-imposed #stayhome since March 15th, when I read this article by a journalist in Italy. I’m also tracking the coronavirus in Tucson, where I live. The curve is definitely not flattening at this time, and the mortality *rate* continues to rise.
    • Tucson: 2,167 with 186 deaths (8.58% mortality rate)
    • US = 1,746,407 with 102,977 deaths (5.88%)

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Keep revising A Cat for Troy!
  2. Keep staying home and safe.

 

Tracking the Coronavirus in Tucson & the U.S.

Posted on by

I’ve been following the coronavirus here in  Tucson using the United States Coronavirus Tracker Map. There’s been a sharp upswing in cases in the last two days; we’ve gone from 15-20 new cases a day, to over 40. I’m neither an expert nor a mathemetician, but even I can see that it’s just getting started here! Probably this is from all the people who did not #StayHome (or even take precautions, if they couldn’t stay home) who were infected by people who themselves were still in the incubation period, which can last up to 14 days. And these 40+ people a day have in turn been spreading it to people they came in contact with while they were in the incubation period and thought they were perfectly fine since they had no symptoms.

Dr. Fauci said that the original estimate of the mortality rate was 1% …. which is 10% higher than the seasonal flu which is 0.01%. That was a few weeks ago; the numbers we’re seeing, not just in Tucson but nationally, are consistently well over 3.5%.

I’m not an alarmist… in fact, alarmists tend to make me roll my eyes until my corneas detach… and yet, I”m alarmed, especially when I see all these people out and about with no masks, children running around. I guess I just don’t understand how, at this point, people can not take this seriously!

TUCSON TOTAL + New Cases/Deaths:

Mar 14     2
Mar 15     3       +1 new
Mar 16     4       +1
Mar 17     4       +0
Mar 18     5       +1
Mar 19     7       +2
Mar 20     8       +1
Mar 21     12     +4
Mar 22     17     +5
Mar 23     23     +6 (1st death)
Mar 24     42     +19
Mar 25     49     +7
Mar 26     75     +26
Mar 27     103   +27 / 4 Deaths  +3 new) (Tucson lock-down ordered)
Mar 28     120   +18
Mar 29     153   +33
Mar 30     187   +34
Mar 31     202   +15
Apr 1       217   +15 / 10 +6) (4.61% mortality rate)
Apr 2       237   +20 / 11 +1) (4.64%)
Apr 3       280   +43
Apr 4       326   +46
Apr 5       372   +46 / 12 +1) (3.23%)
Apr 6       415   +43 / 13 +1) (3.13%)
Apr 7       415   +0   / 15 +2) (3.61%)
Apr 8       464   +49 / 16 +1) (3.45%)
Apr 9       512   +48
Apr 10     543   +31
Apr 11     591   +48
Apr 12     622   +30 / 29 +13) (4.66%)
Apr 13     668   +46
Apr 14     685   +13
Apr 15     700   +15
Apr 16     760   +60
Apr 17     819   +59
Apr 18     856   +37  / 56 +27) (6.54%)
Apr 19     913   +57
Apr 20     941   +28 / 58 +2) (6.16%)
Apr 21     963   +22 / 65 +7) (6.75%)
Apr 22     973   +10 / 68 +3) (6.99%)
Apr 23  1,026   +53 / 70 +2) (6.82%)
Apr 24  1,060   +34 / 74 +4) (6.98%)
Apr 25  1,090   +30
Apr 26  1,136   +46
Apr 27  1,164   +28 / 76 +2) (6.53%)
Apr 28  1,188   +24
Apr 29  1,215   +27 / 78 +2) (6.42%)
Apr 30  1,241   +26 / 80 +2)
May 1   1,267   +26
May 2   1,300  +33 / 81 +1) (6.23%)
May 3   1,326  +26 / 89 +8) (6.71%)
May 4   1,346  +20
May 5   1,379  +33
May 6   1,425  +46 / 105 +16) (7.27%)
May 7   1,465  +40 / 116 +11 (7.92%)
May 8   1,520  +55 / 118 +2 (Beauty & barber shops open back up)
May 9   1,554  +34 / 131 +13
May 10 1,585 +31 / 133 +2
May 11 1,602 +17 / 134 +1 (8.36%) (Restaurants & bars open back up for dine-in)
May 12 1,623 +21 / 134
May 13 1,661 +38 / 136 +2
May 14 1,696 +35 / 144 +8 (8.49%)
May 15 1,750 +54 / 152 +8 (8.69%)
May 16 1,781 +31 / 155 +3
May 17 1,814 +35 / 157 +2
May 18 1,825 +11 / 157
May 19 1,888 +63 / 157
May 20 1,903 +15 / 158 +1
May 21 1,944 +41 / 167 +9
May 22 1,974 +30 / 174 +7
May 23 1,974 / 174
May 24 2,027 +53 / 174
May 25 2,046 +19 / 174
May 26 2,046 / 174
May 27 2,075 +29 / 174
May 28 2,1119 +44 / 175 +1
May 29 2,167 +48 / 186 +11
May 30 2,234 +67 / 186

NATIONAL TOTAL + New Cases/Deaths:

Apr 1     216,762 total cases with 5,148 deaths (2.37% mortality rate)
May 1 1,116,018 +33,983 / Deaths 65,782 +1,645 (5.89%)
May 2 1,145,749 +29,731 / 67,238 +1,456
May 3 1,161,139 +15,390 / 68,0243 +786
May 4 1,198,286 +37,147 / 69,405 +1,381
May 5 1,223, 572 +25,287 / 71,372 +1,967
May 6 1,240,037 +16,465 / 72,731 +1,359
May 7 1,279,103 +39,066 / 76,671 +3,940 (5.99%)
May 8 1,306,679 +27,576 / 78,249 +1,578
May 9 1,325,913 +19,234 / 79,399 +1,150
May 10 1,345,667 +19,754 / 80,494 +1,095
May 11 1,367,634 +21,967 / 81,642 +1,148
May 12 1,391,056 +23,422 / 83,172 +1,530
May 13 1,411,587 +20,531 / 84,970 +1,798
May 14 1,437,169 +25,582 / 86,819 +1,849 (6.41% mortality rate)
May 15 1,455,467 +18,298 / 87,973 +1,154
May 16 1,485,088 +29,621 / 89,513 +1,540
May 17 1,504,085 +18,997 / 90,487 +974
May 18 1,514,243 +10,158 / 90,922 +435
May 19 1,543,404 +29,161 / 92,619 +1,697
May 20 1,563,692 +20,288 / 94,091 +1,472
May 21 1,591,806 +28,114 / 95,517 +1,426
May 22 1,615,468 +23,662 / 96,676 +1,159
May 23 1,624,291 +8,823 / 97,227 +551
May 24 1,658,927 +34,636 / 989,581 +1,354
May 25 1,677,546 +18,619 / 99,119 +538
May 26 1,685,408 +7,862 / 99,384 +265
May 27 1,704,207 +18,799 / 100,109 +725
May 28 1,723,449 +19,242 / 101,758 +1,649
May 29 1,746,407 +22,958 / 102,977 +1,219
May 30 1,782,877 +36,470 / 104,682 +1705

What If… this does not end?

Posted on by

I don’t see this really being discussed anywhere, but I can’t be the only one wondering about the what-if’s:

  • What if the COVID-19 is really here to stay.
  • What if the curve does not flatten?
  • What if, instead of getting better, things continue to get worse? Like, massively worse?
  • What if this really is our new “normal?”

 

I’m not a medical professional, or medical anything. I’m an average person with average intelligence and a good healthy dose of common sense, and the above scenario continues to tug at my mind.

Consider, please, the (few) facts as we know them so far:

  • There is no cure. “Treatment” consists of treating the symptoms.
  • There is no vaccine yet, and it may be months and months before one is available… if one ever is.
  • Becoming infected and surviving, does not make you immune to getting it again.
  • Someone can be infected and contagious for up to 2 weeks before symptoms show up (if they do! some people appear to remain asymptomatic).
  • There seem to be newly emerging symptoms so someone may appear to have something else but in fact, have COVID.
  • COVID is highly contagious. It is airborne, and lingers not only in the air but on surfaces for up to hours.

 

How can the curve flatten, when there is nothing that stops coronavirus? No matter how many people are locked down safely, there are always tons of people who cannot isolate because their jobs are too crucial… for whatever reason… and thus these people are at risk no matter how cautious they are; not to mention the tons of people who refuse to isolate. What’s more, new (and worse!) medical information about the virus is emerging constantly.

So what WILL make the curve flatten, what will make this virus suddenly stop spreading? So far the answer appears to be “nothing” … and that being so… how can anyone even begin to consider there is an end in sight? Unless they are talking about the far-distant possibility of vaccine?

I’ve been thinking this for awhile, and just ran across this article in the New Yorker, What We Don’t Know About the Coronavirus, that seemed to validate my unspoken concern, and nudged me into writing this post.

My Writing Plan: Week of May 10

Posted on by

I got totally caught up on the first 10 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles, so suddenly, gosh, I have LOTS more spare time! Go figure? LOL. I actually have several more shows that I have several seasons of that I’d missed, but I think I binge-watched myself out for now. So when I’m not in roleplay in my #SecondLife sim, I’m actually… ack… working on my WIP??? amaaaaaaaazing! I’m still working on A Cat for Troy, pouring over the feedback from my beta readers.

IN OTHER NEWS……

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Keep revising A Cat for Troy!
  2. Keep staying home and safe.

 

My Writing Plan: Week of May 2

Posted on by

This week wasn’t too bad. I got some work done on A Cat for Troy, watched some more NCIS: Los Angeles episodes, bought a tower fan for my living room to help keep the strain off the a/c as the temps are topping 100, and traded in my old Kindle for a new one.

IN OTHER NEWS……

  • I’m in mourning, because I’ve had to get rid of all my beautiful Pfaltzgraf Tea Rose stoneware dishes, and my Pyrex mixing bowl set, and replace them with Corelleware dinnerware and stainless steel mixing bowls. About 2 months ago, I woke up one morning with my left hand and wrist hurting really badly. I thought I’d sprained it, but after an xray it turns out I have osteoarthritis in it. Which means it is not going away. I can hardly use the hand at all, except for typing. I definitely can’t hold anything heavy in my left hand, and I can’t turn/twist at the wrist without excruciating pain; for instance, I can’t hold my cell phone in my left hand and turn it face-up to type on the surface. I can’t hold a glass in my left hand to pour from a pitcher with the write. I can’t hold a plate with the left to serve food on it with my right hand because 1) the plate’s too heavy to hold even without food on it, and 2) I can’t twist the wrist to hold the plate flat; and I can’t hold a plate in my right hand and serve with the left because, again, I can’t twist the wrist. Needless to say, I’m not a happy camper. But, at least I can still type. And the doc gave me a big heavy wrist brace with metal plates in it to keep me from hurting my hand more by turning/twisting it (especially at night).
  • Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been in self-imposed #stayhome since March 15th, when I read this article by a journalist in Italy. I’m also tracking the coronavirus in Tucson, where I live. The curve still isn’t flattening at this time.
    • Tucson: 1,267 with 80 deaths (6.45% mortality rate)
    • US = 1,116,018 with 65,782 deaths (5.89% mortality rate)

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Keep revising A Cat for Troy!
  2. Keep staying home and safe.

 

My Writing Plan: Week of April 25

Posted on by

Building on my SecondLife roleplay sim took up quite a bit more time this week, as several ideas came to me to get done, i.e., expanding the treasure vault in the palace, adding to the secret passageway, and making a secure hidden passageway between the Knights HQ in the city and the palace.  The passageways involve working beneath and around several tiers of city that are already in place, so it’s a bit challenging.

Also, I have to admit it. I bought the first 8 seasons of NCIS: Los Angeles, which I didn’t discover until it was in its 11th season, and I’ve been binge-watching and, I might add, laughing my ASS off! These guys are hilarious! Also, I’m totally fan-girling (at my age, too!) over the ex-KGB  Russian, Arkady, OMG he’s just totally drool-worthy, not to mention hilarious. His repertoire of facial expressions and body language are priceless!

Oh, right… writing! I’m on chapter 10, and revisions, albeit coming along slowly, are coming along great! 🙂

IN OTHER NEWS……

  • Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been in self-imposed #stayhome since March 15th, when I read this article by a journalist in Italy. I’m also tracking the coronavirus in Tucson, where I live. So far the mortality rate is far more than the original estimate of 1% (which is 10x more than the mortality of the seasonal flu which is 0.1%). In Tucson, we’re running about 6.5% mortality as of this afternoon, and we’re gaining on average 32 new cases a day hits last week.  The curve doesn’t appear to be flattening at this time.

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Keep revising A Cat for Troy!

 

My Writing Plan: Week of April 18

Posted on by

I had finished through chapter 7 on revisions of A Cat for Troy back in December, so my plan this week was to get back to the revisions starting with chapter 8.  These are the revisions based on feedback from my beta readers, which I’ve been taking a chapter at a time. However, it’s been so long since I worked on this, when I sat down to start work on chapter 8, I was almost through to the end of the chapter before I remembered, duhhh! supposed to be revising this! LOL. So I went back to the start of the chapter, but I wanted to read the feed-in from chapter 7 first, and then I needed to read all of chapter 7, and then… .well, long story short, I wound up reading through the first 7 chapters, and only just finished revisions on chapter 8 today LOL. But! I did get it done! So that’s a win! 8 down, 16 to go!

IN OTHER NEWS……

  • Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been in self-imposed #stayhome since March 15th, when I read this article by a journalist in Italy. I’m also tracking the coronavirus in Tucson, where I live. So far the mortality rate is far more than the original estimate of 1% (which is 10x more than the mortality of the seasonal flu which is 0.1%). In Tucson, we’re running up to 6.4% mortality as of this afternoon, and we’ve had 60 new cases per day the last 2 days (up from 40-something).  The curve doesn’t appear to be flattening at this time.

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Work on revisions to A Cat for Troy

 

My Writing Plan: Week of April 11

Posted on by

So… I haven’t been really writing much lately. I bombed in the middle of NaNo, mostly because of issues related to moving to a new apartment (note to self: never plan to move after September 1st). I’ve been off playing in SecondLife the last few months, but I’ve now gotten that more or less under control (I’ve been building a roleplay sim… more on that later!) so I’ll be back to work on my writing.

IN OTHER NEWS……

  • Coronavirus, of course. I’ve been in self-imposed #stayhome since March 15th, when I read this article by a journalist in Italy. I’m also tracking the coronavirus in Tucson, where I live. So far the mortality rate is far more than the original estimate of 1% (which is 10x more than the mortality of the seasonal flu which is 0.1%). In Tucson, we’re running between 3% and 4%, and the curve of both cases and deaths has risen steeply this last week alone.

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Work on revisions to A Cat for Troy

 

Coronavirus: Trevor Noah interviews Dr. Fauci

Posted on by

Today I watched Trevor Noah’s interview with Dr. Fauci, an infectious diseases expert and long-time advisor to the White House. Keep in mind… this is no alarmist. This is well-known expert, giving us as many facts as are available. I’ve posted the video below, and I strongly urge you to watch it yourself! However, these are my main take-aways:

  • What makes it so much more dangerous than the flu, ebola, etc:
    • It’s airborne and aerosol
    • It’s respiratory
    • It is highly contagious, easily spread
    • It has a high mortality rate
      • The seasonal flu has a 0.01% mortality rate; so far the coronavirus appears to have a mortality rate of at least 10 times that, at least 1%
        • In Tucson, Arizona, where I live, we have 187 cases and 4 deaths; that’s 2.13%, so over 20 times the mortality of the seasonal flu.
    • There is no known cure, treatment or vaccine yet (clinical trials are in place but take time)
  • Airborne droplets are aeresol; rather than falling, they stay hanging in the air for some time after the contagious individual may have departed
  • The virus can cling to hard objects for at least several hours: steel, hard plastic, doorknobs, etc.
    • That means if an infectious person coughs or sneezes against their hand, then uses that hand to shake hands or turn a doorknob….. well, you get the picture
    • Surfaces such as packages for mailing, etc., should be fine
  • People are contagious before they become symptomatic
  • Chances of reinfection are not known; however, based on his knowledge of how viruses work, Dr. Fauci states he is very sure that an individual who has become infected with coronavirus and survives, will prove to be immune to re-infection.

 

Personal decisions re coronavirus

Posted on by

So… I’ve been driving for Uber these past few months, and surprisingly (as not only an introvert but a recluse) I’ve been actually having a terrific time. No stress, and when my Inner Introvert has had enough, I turn off the app and go home. I get out, get fresh air, meet people but without the social obligations that are so intimidating, I get to be a good hostess while they’re in my car, and then I drop them off, plus I’ve done something helpful, getting people to the place they want or need to be. Plus it pays for the gas, dinner out, and gives me some extra income. Win/win.

Now, the coronavirus and everyone in a panic. Honestly, I’m not inclined to panic. I mean we have 2 cases in our city. Two. The chances of getting someone with coronavirus in my car is really almost impossible, and due to my reclusive nature, that’s pretty literally almost the only contact I have with actual people face-to-face (as opposed to online). Because I am disabled and can’t get around very well, I already have groceries and supplies delivered, I send my laundry out, and Amazon loves me, LOL. And since going out to dinner alone with my Kindle has gotten old after all these years, I tend to send out for a meal (not fast food or pizza) rather than go to a restaurant.

Still… I’ve been following the news carefully, reading up on the coronavirus, and seriously struggling with whether I should keep driving or not. It seems silly and paranoid to stop driving when there are all of 2 cases in the entire city. But at the same time…. am I missing something that should be obvious to me, why I should *not* go out and drive, at least, until things escalate here? It’s been a struggle, the see-saw of what to do, and I’ve really been inclined to keep driving while keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Then last night I ran across this Boston Glove article by a reporter in Italy.  You can go read the article, but two things he said, struck me with intensity (emphasis mine):

So here’s my warning for the United States: It didn’t have to come to this.

We of course couldn’t stop the emergence of a previously unknown and deadly virus. But we could have mitigated the situation we are now in, in which people who could have been saved are dying. I, and too many others, could have taken a simple yet morally loaded action: We could have stayed home.

Wow… and then, in the next paragraph, that’s where he got me… me, personally. About the choice *I* make.

What has happened in Italy shows that less-than-urgent appeals to the public by the government to slightly change habits regarding social interactions aren’t enough when the terrible outcomes they are designed to prevent are not yet apparent; when they become evident, it’s generally too late to act. I and many other Italians just didn’t see the need to change our routines for a threat we could not see.

Me. That is me… exactly what I was doing! I was considering not making a change, because I couldn’t see the  threat. And then and there, my decision was made. For the time being, I will not be out driving for Uber. And at least I have the option to make that choice. Millions of people cannot choose, because they have jobs, families to take care of, responsibilities that require them to be out and about. I’m on Disability anyway, and I don’t need, never needed, the extra income from driving; it’s been nice to have some extra, and save up for vacations (that I’ll never be able to take anyway, since I left RWA and won’t be going to the annual conference anymore).

Ironically… I only started driving for Uber, to make everyone else happy! My doctors, therapists, family, friends, who are always pushing me to get out of the house, be social, meet people, etc. I was always perfectly happy to stay in my girl-cave and read, write my novels, and play on SecondLife, with the occasional binge-watching of CSI and NCIS episodes. So now I get to go back to doing exactly what makes me happy, without having to defend myself for my choices, and those very same people will be applauding me for my smart decision to take myself out of the equation by staying home and not taking the risk of contracting (and then spreading) the virus.

It’s a strange old world.

I do have to say, I came to love driving and meeting folks for the brief period of time I was in their lives. I’ll miss it… but… I can go back to driving later when hopefully this is under control.

P. S. And as an Uber driver just pointed out who *has* to drive to make a living, my staying home is also one less driver to compete for the fares… of which there are fewer also.

 

My Writing Plan: Week of Oct. 19

Posted on by

There’s not really much change from last week. I’m working on revisions on A Cat for Troy, while preparing for NaNoWriMo and the launch of a new WIP, which so far I haven’t come up with a name for…. I’m working on that, too!

IN OTHER NEWS……

NEWEST RELEASES!

  • Castles in the Sand was released as a Kindle book on August 6th and just became available in paperback! You can also read it for free on Kindle Unlimited 🙂

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    2. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle
  4. Planned Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. UNNAMED, Wishes & Dreams #6

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Work on revisions to A Cat for Troy
  2. Brainstorm the new (as yet unnamed) WIP and work out plot and character details connecting it to the previous books, particularly ShadowCat

 

My Writing Plan: Week of Oct 12

Posted on by

I’m BACK! This summer has been wild. While I won’t bore you with a blow-by-blow account, these last months including packing up my home and putting everything in storage, going to California to spend a great month with my daughter and son-in-law to be there for their baby shower, then coming back and living in limbo in my pretty  much empty home until finally, the beginning of this month, moving into a nice little apartment that has tremendous potential to make a nice girl cave 🙂 Now the move is finally over, and with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) looming on the horizon, I’m now focusing on getting settled into a routine and concentrating on writing. I do have a brand new project to start on November 1st, so while for the next 2 weeks I’ll be working on revisions on A Cat for Troy, I’ll also be doing brainstorming for the new book, which will be the 5th of the Wishes & Dreams series (Cat is the 3rd book, and the 4th book was last year’s NaNo project and still unfinished).

IN OTHER NEWS……

NEWEST RELEASES!

  • Castles in the Sand was released as a Kindle book on August 6th and just became available in paperback! You can also read it for free on Kindle Unlimited 🙂

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)
  5. Castles in the Sand (Sons of the Desert #2)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    4. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Work on revisions to A Cat for Troy
  2. Brainstorm the new (as yet unnamed) WIP and work out plot and character details connecting it to the previous books, particularly ShadowCat

 

A new review for A Gift of Jacinth!

Posted on by

A great review of A Gift of Jacinth from Jenn Bradshaw!!

Allie McCormack has another winner with book 2 in her Wishes and Dreams series, A Gift of Jacinth. Humor, romance, and touching drama mingle in this semi-sweet Djinn romance.

Jacinth is still a young Djinn, at a mere 900 years old. And she is not, repeat NOT going to fall in love with a human. Ever. That ended badly for her mother, after all. So when her new sahib (master) wishes for only one thing – the two children his ex-wife abducted, she does her level best to NOT fall in love with them, or the handsome veterinarian who bought her teapot.

Douglas? Once he’s willing to let go of his skepticism, he has only one wish, and that’s to get his kids back. When Jacinth grants his wish, he’s grateful and panicked. He doesn’t have anything lined up for the two youngsters he flies cross-country to retrieve. Jacinth steps in to help him get the children settled, and while everyone gets along, he tries to move on, knowing she’ll leave after his third wish.

McCormack brings hilarity and hijinks to the table in her second paranormal romance. She leaves the bedroom door closed while keeping the sexual tension steamy. An easy four-stars.

by Jenn Bradshaw on Goodreads

 

Castles in the Sand is here!!!

Posted on by

The 2nd book in my Sons of the Desert multicultural romance series, Castles in the Sand was released at midnight!  I’m sooo excited! I’m also exhausted from being up all night having wayyyy to much fun with the new release <laughs> so I’m not going to say much more here, except, go check it out!!! It’s on Kindle, and free to read with Kindle Unlimited. I should have the paperback available by this evening, hopefully, approval on those takes a little longer.

http://alliem.fun/Castles

 

 

5 Stars for SwanSong!

Posted on by

Today I got this short but lovely 5-star review for SwanSong!!

Loved This One!

Hands down, loved this hero’s patient pursuit of his woman. Insta-lust to love is a favorite of mine, especially when the male lead just dives head first. Khalid is a great contrast of sexy dominant and refined academic. It’s a slow burn to get to the steamy stuff, but worth the wait.
by Angela Lee on Amazon and Goodreads 🙂

Ready for Tuesday’s release of Castles in the Sand!

Posted on by

I got the formatted Kindle file of Castles in the Sand this morning, and my paperback file should be coming along in the morning. I’ve already uploaded the Kindle file to Amazon/KDP. Less than a week to the release, this is getting exciting!!!! I’ve also put a teaser in the back, the first chapter of the next book. I’ve only got about 5 chapters of that one written, that’ll be one of my first projects for early next year; the rest of this year will be finishing up A Cat for Troy and getting that published, and working on When Darkness Falls.

By the way, there’s still time to pre-order Castles in the Sand for the pre-order price of $0.99, before it goes live on August 6th!

 

 

The new Twitter feed…. I am SERIOUSLY unhappy!

Posted on by

So the new Twitter has just generated a crap ton of work for me, of which I am less than appreciative. I’ve got dozens of SQUARE images, which I’ve carefully cropped, edited and added text, to fit both Twitter and Instagram. One post, two social medias. Well, 3 really with FB, but I don’t post so much here, but it takes square or rectangular, anyway. Instagram takes ONLY square images, which is why I went with square, and all my purchased banners for my books are all square, with that in mind. Like the one for Wishes in a  Bottle on the left.

But now Twitter has to change and go with ONLY rectangular images. Which makes multi-SM posting with Hootsuite or SmartQueue pretty much impossible. Now I have to create a separate post for each social media. Yes, sure Twitter will show *some* of a square image, but only the top half; and people rarely click on an image to open it up in a new window to see the whole thing.

So now all my purchased banners can only be used for Instagram (not my major platform). I have to completely re-make my graphics for Twitter, which IS my major platform. In some cases, have to purchase them all over again in the rectangular format. Neither makes me happy at all.

Another 5-star review for A Gift of Jacinth!

Posted on by

This was posted a couple of weeks ago by Jenny Schwartz on Goodreads, I was in the middle of moving and didn’t see it until today, which instantly brightened my whole day!

“A Gift of Jacinth” by Allie McCormack stars a genie – Jacinth – and a single dad. The troubles and drama of modern life – family can be both joy and heartwrenching agony (his children’s mom is bad news) – are beautifully explored in this gentle love story. The touch of magic adds to the romance, but it’s Jacinth’s compassion that I enjoyed most. This novel is magical in the best way – a celebration of love.

Jenny is a paranormal romance writer herself (I’m a fan!) and so it means a lot to me that she liked this!!!

Another Review for SwanSong

Posted on by

This 5-star review for SwanSong, just in!

Spicy Romance!

Swan Song is a wonderfully creative, contemporary romance by Allie McCormack. It is book one in McCormack’s Sons of the Desert series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I can honestly say I have never read anything like it before. It had twists and turns that I didn’t expect. I fell in love with both the hero and the heroine. Arab Sheik Khalid Al Mansour is entranced by a belly dancer at a local Greek cafe. American Sarah Pendleton dances to forget her worries and her past. Khalid is the consummate gentleman. He is extremely likable and relatable. “Her earlier impression of black eyes and deeply tanned skin was right on target. He was an Arab, perhaps in his early thirties, although it was hard to tell. He had thick wavy black hair neatly trimmed, and heavy black brows over deep, darkest-of-dark-brown eyes flanked by high cheekbones, giving him the profile of an eagle, fierce and free.. His lips were full and sensual, though his mouth closed firmly, decisively. All in all it was a rugged, arrogant face; not young, but having a strange magnetism that was ageless.”

Ah yes, an ageless magnetism. That says it all about Khalid. Sarah has her deep seated fears and an identity that she is hiding. Can they ever get past their different cultures and Sarah’s fears? There are quite a few very steamy sex scenes. All in all it’s a great book ,and I will be sure to read more from McCormack. I was gifted a copy of this book.

by Suzannah on Amazon, Goodreads and BookBub 

My Writing Plan: Week of June 15

Posted on by

I’m back to working on Castles in the Sand, and it’s going TERRIFIC! I hope to have it completely done very shortly! I got my June newsletter ready, I’ll be sending it out on Monday.

IN OTHER NEWS……

NEWEST RELEASES!

 

The Books

  1. Truck Stop
  2. Wishes in a Bottle (Wishes & Dreams #1)
  3. A Gift of Jacinth (Wishes & Dreams #2)
  4. SwanSong (Sons of the Desert #1)

 

The Manuscripts

  1. Finished Manuscripts, major revisions in progress prior to 2nd wave of beta reading:
    1. WHEN DARKNESS FALLS (201,775 words, as follows:)
      1. Book 1: The Palace (61,150)
      2. Book 2: The Dark Lord (90,500)
      3. Book 3: The Prophecy (39,400)
    2. A CAT FOR TROY, Wishes & Dreams #3
    3. CASTLES IN THE SAND, Sons of the Desert #2
  2. In-Progress Manuscripts:
    1. MICHAEL’S QUEST, Sons of the Desert #3
    2. SHADOW CAT, Wishes & Dreams #4
  3. To Be Written Partial Manuscripts:
    1. HATED MATE, Wishes & Dreams #5
    2. BEHIND THE CLOUDS, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    3. INTO THE STORM, spin-off of Sons of the Desert
    4. Short Story: Amanda & Julian, spin-off of Wishes in a Bottle

 

THIS WEEK’S WRITING PLAN

(Not in any particular order except as indicated)

  1. Finish up revisions on Castles in the Sand (Priority!)
  2. Get Castles in the Sand to Proofreader

 

Just In: 5-Star Review of Wishes in a Bottle!

Posted on by

This review hit Amazon this morning!!!! WOOT!

Allie McCormack has hit her stride wish Wishes in a Bottle and has a promising future.

Having read “Truck Stop” several years ago, I was delighted to discover that Allie is back on the writing scene. “Wishes & Dreams” shows that she has grown as a writer and has produced a non-stop read. Her characters seem real and true-to-life, and her story line incorporates several life issues that hold the reader’s attention. Allie shows that she has grown immensely during her sabbatical from writing and deserves to join the upper echelon of published and followed romance/paranormal authors. Laughing, crying or cringing at events, this story is an attention getter and you won’t be able to put it down. I certainly couldn’t. . . .

by Carolina Phillie on Amazon

 

First Amazon Review for SwanSong!

Posted on by

My very first Amazon review came in for SwanSong! I’d gotten one last month on Goodreads, but reviews have been slow to come in on SwanSong, although it’s matching the other books in sales and KU page reads. Weird. Anyway, I was thrilled to wake up to find this 5-star review on Amazon!!!!!

LOVE THIS BOOK!!

This Book!! I love Sarah and Khalid! Their chemistry is off the charts! Sarah is so sweet and sincere and Khalid is such a beautiful alpha male! The story is well developed, the supporting characters add so much to the story too! I can’t say enough about this book and this author! Her work is great!! I definitely recommend the book and this author! You will not be disappointed by this book!

by LucousReads on Amazon