Temporarily Home Again

It has been a while since I posted, as usual, but I finally have something to write about that may be of interest to anyone. In early July, my publisher and I drove to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the release of my new book, Tunnel Vision. It was an eighteen hour drive, but the time passes quickly when you talk all the way. We stayed at our friends, Ruta and Joane's house and had a very nice, although short visit. On Saturday, I did a signing and even manged to give a short reading from an upcoming book at Ruta's bookstore, TrueColors Books. I was excited when fellow authors Ellen Hart, Linda Morganstein, and Catherine Lundoff were able to attend.

About a week after I returned home, I flew off to Disney World for the annual Golden Crown Literary Society convention in Orlando. For me this is always a treat because I can meet many friends and fellow authors, as well as readers at least once a year. Two books released by my publisher, Regal Crest Enterprises, won awards this year. They were Blue Collar Lesbian Erotica by Pat Cronin and Verda Foster, and Land of Entrapment by Andi Marquette. Two of my friends from Blue Feather Books also won and I was almost as excited as they were. Mavis Applewater won for Whispering Pines, a wonderful mystery about a haunted house and a century old murder. Karen Badger won for Yesterday Once More, another great book that starts in the future and goes back in time to prevent a murder. Both were truly deserving and everyone was happy for them.

The afternoon of the first official day of the convention I felt light-headed and was 90% certain I was having a minor stroke. I should have contacted the hotel nurse and gone to the hospital, but I didn't. Truthfully, I didn't want to be stuck alone in a strange city, far away from my home and partner. So I dealt with the weakness on the left side of my body until I could get home. My partner took me to the emergency room early the next morning and I spent a lovely night in the hospital and had a gazillion tests performed. I was sent home the next day. It was indeed another minor stroke, but not as debilitating as my last one about three years ago. So now we are beginning new and exciting diets that don't leave many of our favorites available and beginning a stop smoking program. We both needed that anyway. Overall, with an adjustment in my current medication, I am feeling pretty well until my body can adjust to whatever damage was caused by the stroke and compensate for it. The good news is that typing is excellent therapy to strengthen my left hand and improve my hand-eye coordination. The bad news is that I have a partial blockage of my right carotid artery and will have surgery probably in August to have it cleaned out.

This coming Saturday evening I will be signing copies of Tunnel Vision at BookWoman in Austin from 7 to 9. Then Cheryl and I are leaving bright and early the next morning for a trek to Kansas to do some research for another book. Sitting in a library all day is fairly relaxing and non-stressful and I think this trip won't be as hurried or hectic as the others and be a good thing overall. I will return to work around the middle of August and will almost be glad to do that. Work is calmer than the summers usually. Now I plan to spend quite a bit of time writing and restin whenever possible. Honestly, the lingering effects of this small stroke scared me and I may have seriously damaged my butch card in the process. But I plan to be around for a while longer.