​As is evident from my reading rate being cut to 1/3rd of previous months, I am distracted by COVID-19.  So, for March, two memoirs is the total of completed reading.

Both of these are enjoyable reads, even as they contain a lot of sadness. A couple of things to know:  In the Dream House is written in an experimental form--very short chapters that all start with "Dream House as X". Some readers found this distracting and hated it. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and I found it less distracting than I might have if I were reading it off the page. 

I will say that the book felt like an MFA thesis to me because of the ways the idea of the Dream House is put through the grinder, the way the author is constantly placing the text she wrote in context with other literary and pop culture texts (and I include movies as "text" here). So, if you try this one, be ready to give up expectations for structure and go with it. You will find things here that you recognize from your own past relationships, I suspect. I sure did.

With Maupin's memoir, realize that if you are a fan of Tales of the City that you won't get much of that here. The book is very much about Maupin's pre-fame days. The book is rich with photos of Maupin as he grew up, and he paints a portrait of his earlier life that does shed light on where his characters like Mary Ann Singleton and Michael Tolliver originated.

I was reading a New Adult novel by a writer whose thrillers I love, but it was too simple and nothing seemed to be happening in the plot. It is the start of a series, so I gave it as much chance as I could manage to set things up, but in the end I made it 50% of the way through and skipped to the last chapter. I'm not going to name it, as I am sure in a different time I would blaze through it. As it was it was slow plotted enough that it helped ensure I drifted off to sleep fairly quickly.

I hope everyone is well and can find something to hold your attention other than the news and the terrible unfolding of the pandemic. 

I am still getting in about six reads a month, but I suspect that will slow down a bit because I am starting to work on a manuscript again and have some travel coming up this month.

Because I was still in Kindle Unlimited in February as a reader, I blazed through the most recent Jack Daniels novels. Shot Girl was amazing and Chaser was a bit of a return to the slapstick humor of Harry McGlade and packing a bajillion villains in one novel. Shot Girl is a definite read, though, even if you are feeling a little fatigued by Konrath's series. He has, in both, reinvented Herb, which is a nice touch after so many fat jokes about the guy.

Tig Notaro's book will appeal to those who love the show One Mississippi as it covers much of the same time period--her mother's sudden death, Tig's battle with breast cancer, and her finding the love of her life. I listened to this one.

I also listened to The Underground Railroad. What a great history lesson of a novel (and I mean that in the best way possible). I look forward to The Nickel Boys.

The two non-fiction books here were both review choices--you  will find Depressed to Daring's review up on Reedsy Discovery and my review of A Leader's Guide to Memorable Speeches in the upcoming issue of Physician Family.

I hope everyone is meeting their reading goals!

We are finally moved back into the heart of the house--the kitchen, den, and office. You'll excuse the tiny bit of life debris in the after picture--I have yet to wash breakfast dishes today. But, after months of using a temporary kitchen, I wanted to share some tips for those of you considering a kitchen remodel.

And to take a moment to say how happy I am to have kitchen sinks, a dishwasher, and a real range. And an office. And no one else in the house.

I think we lost the last bit of the kitchen some time in late September or early October. What that meant for me as the head cook was that I had to set up a "dry kitchen" in the dining room and set up a kitchen sink substitute in the bathtub in our master bath.

Dry Kitchen:

The dining room table got covered with a protective layer of tablecloth (one we bought on clearance) and other protective things to ensure the table didn't take damage from splatters, heat, etc. I have two huge baking sheets and a pizza stone that were great for providing a pretty heat and spill-impervious surface. 

My tools:

• The bottom element in our range went out months before the renovations started. So, I already had my little toy countertop oven and was used to using it for all of my baking needs. I set that up in the dining room. 
• A butane burner. This is like a camp stove (or if you have ever had Hot Pot, think of the table-top burners they use for those. Thankfully, Walmart carries fuel for these, so I always had two or three cans of butane ready for cooking.
• An all-in-one device (Instant Pot knock off in my case). This was the real workhorse. You can sear, slow cook, and pressure cook in it, as well as make hard-boiled eggs. 
• An electric griddle: Great for cooking breakfasts and at around $20 saved me a lot of butane. Bonus--you cook right on it, so there's no device + pot to wash.
• A waffle iron: You can waffle a lot of things. I recommend the book Will it Waffle? Before I bought the griddle, I made an omelet or two in ours. But I also love it for things like zucchini fritters, chicken fritters, actual waffles, falafel.  If you're buying new, get one with the plates that pop out for cleaning.
• Countertop oven (see above). 

For my sink, I took my wire dish drainer and a plastic tote and set them in the bathtub. I kept another plastic tote in the dining room to catch dirty dishes and I would haul them to the tub for washing.

After two weeks or so of having real sinks and a dishwasher, my back and shoulders are almost back to normal.

The new kitchen details:

• Vintage blue pendant lights from Bevelo.
• Range is an AGA 36" Legacy dual fuel. Purchased on Facebook Marketplace.
• Countertops are from Midway. Island is Quartzite and kitchen countertop is granite.
• Saltillo tile is from Rustico Tile. 
• Cabinets are from Home Cabinet Shop. 

I love the writer storyline on Fresh off the Boat, and I think we can all relate to Jessica's freak out and desire to leave projects unfinished. The start of something new and shiny is so fun! But, why not set yourself up for success in 2020? Check out these resources! While all of them are great for solo activities, they can also be used in writing groups to help guide workshops.

It's that time of year again--time to consider what I've gotten done in 2019 and to plan on what's next. 

Around September, I tend to start thinking about doing yoga. It's like some magic switch I think will make my getting another year older in November less painful, somehow. Of course, a few years ago, I was doing yoga most days and went to that writing retreat where I slept on a fold out bed after riding a Greyhound bus (and before riding it again) and sat on the floor a good bit, as there weren't seats for everyone, and I was one of the younger participants. After a couple of days of that, I then slept in the old bed in my old room. I got back to Kansas City and put my back out putting my pants on a few days later.

Yoga didn't save me.  Just goes to show you can't control everything.

I've been busy, but I also had some things I was finished with that I couldn't actually talk about. Read further for a June/July roundup.

I've vacillated in the past: Stay in Kindle Unlimited? Or go wide (meaning my books are available in eBook formats and from retailers other than Amazon). A year ago, I made the decision that I would be exclusive with Amazon and KU. I pulled my books in the Olivia Chronicles out from every other seller, and I planned to publish Elegant Freefall exclusively with Amazon. 

Starting March 16, you will find Elegant Freefall at all major retailers of eBooks, as well as being available for libraries to loan through OverDrive when they purchase a library copy. The Olivia Chronicles books will be available April 20.

​So, why am I going wide again? Lots of reasons. And none of them really have anything to do with  money.

Lately, it seems every week brings a new story--or two--about plagiarists, literary frauds, or just simple pretenders. And, while I look forward to watching Can You Ever Forgive Me? this weekend (yay, RedBox), I am incredibly conflicted about the whole thing, especially now that such scams are probably easier than ever to perpetrate.