Yesterday was a big family day in that I had to go to New Jersey for a birthday party and then it was back to New York for more family time.  Needless to say, I’m exhausted, which seems to work since this was the last big family event for a while.  April and May are peppered with birthdays, so getting a new project done is rarely possible.  I didn’t even try, which isn’t entirely true.  I was going to start Book 14 in May and that never happened because of the Tribe of the Snow Tiger stuff.  Should be finishing the final edits this weekend and then just need the cover art.

Life is going to be getting even odder around here.  Both parents have retired, which means they’re going to be home all day.  Unless they do a spontaneous trip and I have to scramble for a dinner idea.  Might stock up on ‘dinner for 2’ stuff in case of emergencies like they head out and I get lazy.  Good to hear that they are going to be remaining active though.  Always a worry for the retiree and those around them in that regards.  Need to stay physically and mentally engaged to stay healthy.

That brings us to my health and I’ve only got one doctor left to go.  That cardiologist visit keeps running into roadblocks.  I should have it done by this week along with a haircut.  Not at the same time unless that’s a service I stumble into.  The heart is okay aside from a tiny thing, but better safe than sorry.  Another organ is going to need some TLC, but no diabetes, obscene cholesterol levels, or growths.  Exercise and making the diet healthier are already underway.  I sense that I’ve opened myself to suggestions.  Excuse me while I grab a wiffle bat in preparation.  Waffle bat, autocorrect?

One of the things I have to do is start looking for a new Legends of Windemere cover artist to see if I can still release Book 11 in late August/early September.  The cardiologist thing might alter my timing on that because that takes precedence and my Tuesday has already been consumed.  Aiming to do a phone call or email on Wednesday to the first suggestion.  To say I’m nervous is an understatement.  I think it’s more that I know people are going to pounce when the change happens.  Something that gets forgotten is that it isn’t easy changing a cover.  That takes time and means the release is delayed, especially if the person helping has a main job and the art is a side one.  So the nerves are a little twitchy on this one.  I’d like for the new ones not to be compared to the old, but that might be unavoidable.  Big thing is for me to happy with it though.  Fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.

I’m really hoping to start a simple project instead of a novel while the family transitions into the new norm.  Probably means Book 14 is pushed back to June.  That or I’ll tackle the next Bedlam book around that time.  Depends on my mood because Legends of Windemere has gotten heavy as it nears the end, but Bedlam will always have a level of humor that makes me smile.  Like Lloyd asking a bald guy if the carpet matches the drapes or Cassidy developing her own sense of humor to counter Lloyd.  She’s going to be more of a reactionary quipster than a crazy joke/reference flinger.

Anyway, I think I’ll use my current dark mood to my advantage.  Dawn Addison will be returning in a new story come October.  I know it’s odd to put a 31 part book on a blog, but I’m simply not confident enough in the genre to charge money.  Maybe far down the road, I’ll take the Raven books off the blog and sell them as a bundle.  Think the most I can do with this series is 4, but it will always feel like an experiment to me.  Not the best endorsement from the author, but I have so many high pressure projects that making Dawn and Ichabod more laid back might be better for my health.  Both could end up getting compilations in a few years, but that’s a bridge I haven’t built yet.  Right now, Dawn can claim October and Ichabod can show up whenever I have a story for him.

So, what’s the plan for the week?

1. Finish editing Family of the Tri-Rune.
2. Cook dinners.
3. Get haircut.
4. Start writing Raven’s Game.
5. Finishing outlining Chasing Bedlam.
6. Contact new cover artist with fingers crossed.
7. Exercising and eating better.
8. Poke at sale report to see if it does anything.
9. Keep listening an anime station on Pandora.