If We Were Having Coffee (2)

Well, *you* can have coffee--I want tea. :D But that's beside the point, no? Hello, people! :)

It's been a long while, but I'm back. And since it's been a while, it seems like it would make the most sense to start by filling you guys in on some of what I've been up to in the last couple months. I'm going to talk EVERYTHING here, since it's not like you know what I've been reading, writing, etc. anyway. Here we go!

1. Why Did I Decide To Take A Break?

It did totally start out with the issue with my left hand / wrist. But it was long past due, if I'm being really honest. I needed some time away from my blog to sort out my priorities and figure out where I was going and where I wanted to be. Fortunately, that is definitely "here". But regardless of that, I think it was the right thing taking some time and recharging my batteries.

2. What Am I Going To Do Now That I'm Back?

I'm still going to talk about books and writing, but I'm also going to take about other things I love: music, gaming, movies / tv shows... They won't become the focus, but I'm not going to let myself feel so boxed in anymore. Sometimes I'm reading, sometimes I'm not. It may sound weird to say that since I'm a writer, but writing can actually juggle my mood on reading for some reason.

3. What Have I Been Reading?

Expect to see reviews for more of Larissa Ione's Riders of the Apocalypse quartet--and likely some for her actual Demonica novels once I get to them; also expect to see more reviews for J.R. Ward's Dark Brotherhood series. On the YA front, I should have reviews for Pushing The Limits (I know, I am so far behind here!), Stolen Songbird (one of my most anticipated new releases this year, which I just bought for my Kindle last night), Played (very excited to be reading the sequel to Hooked) and After The Storm (which I can already tell you I loved--I just couldn't review because my hands had started acting up.) Last, but not least, let's talk NA. Most importantly, let's talk Until We Fly by Courtney Cole... Well, let's talk about that *soon*, anyway. ;)

4. When Tragedy Strikes, It Strikes Hard...

Six days shy of his tenth birthday, my beloved Schnoodle, D'Argo, went missing. He slipped off the collar attached to his leash while he was in the backyard, and must have bolted since a storm had started. We have tried everything to find him--posters, ads in the paper, online pet search networks--to no avail. We have not given up hope, but being without my little buddy is hard. (And it effects my Mother even worse than me; she was his favorite and they were extremely close.)

5. TV and Games...

I've been doing a full watch of Buffy The Vampire Slayer since the start of July. I've never seen the full series, and my Aunt purchased the entire set so we are cycling through them. I am nearly at the end of Season 2. I will be doing seasonal reviews for Buffy and other shows I watch from now on since I'm kind of a DVD addict.

As for gaming, I got a Wii U in May and have been playing loads of Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World since my hands stopped flaring near the end of the month. I also got Tomodachi Life for 3DS, and Final Fantasy X / X2 Remastered, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, and Dragon Age: Awakening for my PS3. I should be writing about some or all of these this summer, as well as sharing my thoughts on PS4 when I get it in August or September. (Can't decide whether I want the normal black one, or the glacier white one that comes with the Destiny bundle.)

6. Writing and Revisions...

Sealer's Promise is STILL not ready. Part of this is because of the flare-up. Part of it was taking a pause the same as with my blog (I used that to game, spend time with family and just try to untangle basically) and part of that was sorting out a major decision to do with the story--which I finally know the answer to and totally love.

I'm also working on a prequel novella, To Grant A Dark Gift, which should be coming out a month before the book. I wanted people to be able to get a more fleshed out version of Sarena's past and her initial meeting with Kyden, Kesyl, Avish and Cait. It's going quite well and since it's a smaller piece than Sealer's Promise, it's a bit more manageable.

I'm going to be giving weekly updates on how my writing is going to try and get things accomplished. We'll see how that goes!

7. Jay Came To Visit...

We got to spend time together from the 17--25 of June. Highlights included dinner with my mother and brother at the Loaf & Ale (right), defeating Bowser in Super Mario 3D World, three trips to Kingston, and beating Beyond Two Souls (which is totally amazing--gamer or not, you want to play that for the story!)

Now that he is home, I am actually working on designing a Photobook of our visit. I'll be doing a video about that and sharing my thoughts on Shutterfly's service sometime in the next few weeks.

So, what have you been up to? Read anything amazing lately? Let's talk!