Category Archives: Uncategorized

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What I’ve learned from loved ones with terminal illness and friends with alcoholism/substance abuse

It’s hard. It’s painful. Your soul aches and you can at times feel both physically, emotionally and mentally ill and drained. For me, terminal illness, alcoholism and substance abuse struggles are eerily similar. While my father had his ten year battle with Alzheimer/dementia/asphesia, several friends were battling alcoholism and substance abuse. It was a constant dismaying feeling of grieving the slow decline of the people I love most in the world while they were still alive.

It’s hard because ultimately you come to terms with the fact that there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix them. In the case of terminal illness, you can only be present. In the case of alcoholism or substance abuse, you can lecture, preach, threaten but none of it matters… it is completely up to the person and their self control… but it’s also an illness. The painful reality that they often can’t control it.

In my case, I tried to be there as much as possible. One was in so much pain they chose to take their own life. I was so angry for the choice they made. I couldn’t understand. Honestly, I still don’t understand. I don’t even want to accept it even though it’s been years but I don’t have a choice. I can only live on.

I have learned there is absolutely no real advice or solution with regards to being merely a loved one. The only thing you can do is be there for them. But sometimes for your own sanity you have to walk away. But be there as much as you can and cherish those good moments while they last.

I do know that if love were enough, they would all still be here.

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Cozy Mystery Summer Reading

My mom had an extremely active imagination. She was also nosy. She would be that neighbor who would look up and down her street to see what was happening on her block. She would often sit by her kitchen or dining room window and eavesdrop on conversations that were close by. She also loved murder mysteries and detective shows: Murder She Wrote, Hill Street Blues, Cagney and Lacey… you name it… she most likely watched. She’d drag my dad and cousin into her theories of what happened or was going to happen (in real life or television.)

Memories of her nosiness inspired me to create Beach City Cozy Mysteries. I have thrown my parents and a cousin’s first names and personalities into the fictional world where they are amatuer sleuths. I admit writing this particular series is therapeutic for me. I feel close to the people I have lost and find myself laughing when they are in the mix of something silly.

The sixth book in the series, A Nutty Holiday Drama, is available for free this week on Kindle. Yes, I am hoping to rope readers in to wanting to check out the other books. 😁

Here’s the description:

Patricia Garret’s daughters are in town for the holidays. While the family attends a town Christmas play, the star is murdered. So not only does Patricia’s detective son, Byron, have to keep tabs on her, Shirley, and Abi, but now he has his meddling sisters to worry about.

Here’s the link to order your free kindle copy on Amazon:

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Summer sci-fi fantasy

Malique Laveaux is a fifteen-year-old misfit with multi-toned skin. He’s an orphan and often spends time alone until one day he runs into a flower shop. There, he meets the owner, Sokie Roberts, and her ten-year-old niece, Lani. He feels connected to them somehow. As time progresses, Lani informs Malique she has dreams about him. One of the dreams includes him aboard a ship being manhandled by two burly men demanding he take his shirt off so they can see the map on his back. Then strange things start to happen. One of the most beautiful girls from school, Clarissa Jones, suddenly takes notice of Malique. Even a Professor of History turns up on his doorstep, claiming to be an old friend of his biological mother. The professor also insists that his sister is still alive.

Is his sister truly alive? Could the pattern on Malique’s skin actually be a map?

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It’s complicated…

I wrote Truth or Dare several years ago. It’s about former best friends who reconnect after years apart and rediscover how much they truly love each other. Several readers had asked me to write a book about a couple of the secondary characters from the book.

Twelve Years of Christmas was brewing in my head for quite some time. I finally typed it out and published it awhile ago. This week it is available for free on kindle.

Description:

Maggie and Reggie have known each other since they were five. They have been getting on each other’s nerves ever since Reggie poured sand into Maggie’s chocolate milk. They are doomed to hang around each other because each of their best friends insist they all hang out as a group. Just before graduating high school, sparks begin to fly. It begins a tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship. Will they ever get on the same track headed in the same direction? Will they ever have a Merry Christmas together?

Link:

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Come into my world… fairy garden in progress

Ever since I was a little kid, I have had a fascination with fairies and gnomes. As an adult, the fascination grew when my husband and I took a trip to Morro Bay over ten years ago. When we were walking along the storefront there was a shop that had fairies hanging in their window. We went inside and I felt as if I were transported into a magical world. There were fairies hanging from the ceiling. There were candles and crystals on every shelf. It was amazing. My husband couldn’t wait to get out of the shop.

But, last year we took a trip to Solvang. We were walking along one of the storefronts and there was a shop that had fairies hanging in the windows. My husband groaned as I grabbed his hand and tugged him into the shop. But, this time he was fascinated by all the displays. He said, “Oh no! You’ve sucked me into your world.”

We both laughed and I said, “Hey, it’s a beautiful place.”

He surprised me by picking up a few fairy pieces and bought them. It became a thing we worked on together. We bought little pieces when we could over a few months. We even bought succulents so we could add it to create a fairy garden. The succulents didn’t last long. Most likely because they were in the shade instead of direct sunlight.

Recently I came up with the brilliant idea to use bonsai instead. I ordered a tree from Amazon. Correction, I thought I had ordered a tree but what was delivered were three branches with directions to soak the branches in water for 1-2 weeks until roots grew then plant them. This made me happy. I love growing stuff, caring for it then watching it thrive. So I followed the instructions and have recently planted the branches into the fairy garden.

I now invite you into my world. The garden is in a barrel.

Two weeks after planting bonsai branches.

You’ll see the three bonsai’s along with three mermaids chillin’ and gossiping around a pond with ducks. There are fairies near the mermaids listening to the gossip. You’ll also see a wooden rope ladder that leads up to a campground with an outhouse.

Then finally a little further down you’ll see the gnomes partying at a bar.

Just sharing the little things that make me smile.