So, it’s November, which means NaNoWriMo, even in 2020. I’m NaNo’ing this year, combining it with my work on Nick’s story (officially NICODEMUS.) This story has turned out to begin differently than I’d originally planned. My first thought was to hit the moment Nick’s four warriors disappeared, finish off the battle, and send Nick on his way after the warriors. And that’s what I wrote. But then I realized…we need to hear Nick and Antonia’s love story. We need to know who Antonia is! And I loved writing it. This is a less cynical Nick, younger in many ways, a powerful sorcerer who’s never really faced any problem his power couldn’t solve, much less any real tragedy. But now it’s back to the battle and the day he lost everything. He’ll be heading for our world, during the Bourbon Restoration in France. I’d like to give you a snippet…but maybe next time.
Since this IS 2020, I’m in my house most of the time, with (mostly) daily walks out into the fresh air. I did manage a weekend to attend my niece’s softball tournament, and was once again impressed by the physicality and discipline of the players. Great “heads-up” playing. But mostly I’m home, so when I need a break from writing, or just something to watch while I eat dinner, I’m searching Netflix and Amazon, along with everyone else. In the interest of saving others the search time, I have recommendations. “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix is excellent. Whether or not you’ve read the book, you’re going to love this. “The Impossible” also on Netflix, is the story of one family in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, and a very young Tom Holland lead an excellent cast. And finally, on a much lighter note, Dash & Lily is a sincere but lighthearted look at two 17-18ish kids who don’t quite fit in, and the unique way they find each other. Oh, and if you want something with more episodes, but requiring less attention to watch, there’s always Emily in Paris.
Just so you know, this is whom I’m spending Covid with…my sweet (sometimes) Eddie, who’s got her eyes on the squirrels outside my bedroom window. She was a tiny kitten, weighing about a pound, when she first came to live with me, but she’s officially mine now. The adoption went through and I’ve registered her chip. Sharing lockdown with another living creature makes a difference, especially since it seems we’re about to lock everything down again.
For anyone—or their friends—who haven’t read it yet, the e-book of the second volume of Vampire Vignettes is currently on sale on all the usual e-retailers.
And now back to writing. Nick’s about to take his great leap into the future.
Stay safe, wear a mask!
xoxo
DBR
So, yeah, here’s something I’ve always known, but that lockdown drove into my head. You can’t work all the time, even when you can barely leave your house. I’ve been working at home ever since I’ve been writing, and counted myself lucky to do it. I love writing, and frankly, I’m an introvert and so mostly love staying home. Of course, I loved it a lot more when I had a choice about it, which is something we’re all feeling right now. I took one road trip, which helped, but then I adopted a brand new kitten. She was adopted from a shelter, barely 3 weeks old and a day off the bottle when she came to live with me. She’s too young to road trip just yet, and though I know she’d be in good hands with family, I don’t want her to feel abandoned again. She’s very attached, since it’s only the two of us mostly 24 hours day.
XAVIER (Vampires in Europe, VIA #14) is done! Revised and edited and ready for a cover. I searched through literally thousands of images of half-naked men. You might think that would be a fun thing, except some of those half-naked men really shouldn’t be. (Bless their hearts.) I picked out some of my favorites and sent them off to my my very talented publisher and her art staff. I can hardly wait to see what they design, because my XAVIER is fantastic. This is the longest book of the series so far, because when I was writing, the story just kept getting bigger. I love this book, though. Xavier is the Lord of Spain, the love of his life is Layla, who just might be tougher than Cyn, and the bad guy is Sakal who has a most interesting back story.
So, once XAVIER was all finished I took a few days to rest the brain and exercise the body. I’m taking long walks into the beautiful Santa Monica mountains, and binge-watching all the streaming channels, and now I’m crocheting a quilt. I also took a drive up the beautiful California coast, climbed some rocks, got soaking wet and sandy. And in the evening took in the incredible art installation called Sensorio (in Paso Robles.) The evening we were there, we had a beautiful conflagration of the full moon, Saturn, and Jupiter in the night sky, over the incredible Sensorio. Everyone was wearing masks and being very cautious and polite about social distancing. We all want to stay safe and healthy.
While I was still working on XAVIER, I completed a virtual 5K to raise money for World Wildlife Federation. Participants could walk, run, hike, swim…whatever they could. I hiked 9K actually, because I’m kilometer-to-mile challenged. Somehow I thought it was farther. But I definitely did the 5K and, as promised, I matched the donations from so many wonderful readers and friends, so we ended up donating $220 to WWF.
My stuck-at-home giveaway has been going on through all of this, but now that XAVIER’s finished, and we can venture out of the house as long as we’re careful of everyone’s health, I’m going to call an end to it with one LAST giveaway. Next Sunday (08/30/2020) I’ll be drawing two final winners at random, with random values for the last two Amazon e-gift cards. So if you’re not already registered, do it now.
And now I’m off to spend some time with Nick. By the way, there’s a teaser for his book at the end of XAVIER. There’s also a teaser for the next Vampires in Europe book, too. We’re in Portugal this time.
Did you miss me? I went a little deeper into the cave than usual to finish XAVIER. Since I’m still on lockdown—which is something of a cave existence itself—I disappeared deep into the story ’til the end. XAVIER did go to my editor. And now he’s back and I’m in revision mode, though I actually don’t mind revisions too much. 
But now it’s back to work for me. No more getting sucked into TV/Movie series of any kind until XAVIER is once more in the hands of my editor.
Heart of the Wolf, an e-novella available in