This 'n' That

Things have been busy around here since I last posted, which is why I'm late posting this week. Here's a brief rundown of the excitement (and yes, some of it is pretty exciting!).

The most exciting piece of news is that I received a release date for Riley's Mission! My very first romantic suspense will be available from The Wild Rose Press April 7. Yes, that's a little less than a month from now, but it seems like such a long wait for my "baby" to make its debut in the world. Ah, well, I have plenty to keep me busy in the meantime, including working on more writing projects.

Which brings me to another exciting thing. I submitted a query for a sequel to Riley's Mission to my editor. Now I'm in the nail-biting, "Will she like it?" waiting period. Of course, if she likes the sound of the story, then I have to submit the manuscript and do a little more nail biting. I don't mind too much, however, since every submission brings the story one step closer to publication.

More writing-related news. I started a new job writing articles. While it can be difficult to write some of the topics, I'm enjoying the job and it works well with the odd hours I sometimes keep. What other job would allow me to work at noon or two in the morning (or both) depending on the kind of day I'm having? The people who say self-employment/freelance work is great for autistics are so right. Without the flexibility I have with this job, I wouldn't do nearly as well.

Speaking of autism, I'm still looking for guest bloggers for the month of April. If you're interested in writing a post with a positive spin on autism, you can find the details of my blogging plan for Autism Awareness Month here.

And now for the totally off-the-wall bit of news. I successfully crocheted a coat for my shih tzu. Yes, I'm now one of those people who puts clothes on her small dog. He's so adorable in his black and tan coat with a big red button on the side! I needed some way to secure the strap that goes behind his front legs, and with his penchant for getting into things when outside, the button will work better than Velcro. Why did I make a coat for him, you ask? So I can get his fur trimmed in cold weather without having to worry about him freezing when he goes outside. He's a shaggy little fella right now, and I'd like to get his usual warm-weather haircut so he looks a little more sophisticated, which if you knew my dog would make you laugh. He's like the little human boy who can get his dress clothes muddy without ever leaving his chair.

I also learned something sad in the last couple of days. I live in an affordable cotton yarn wasteland...or maybe that should be a yarn wasteland. There are precisely two yarn shops listed in my current phone book, and one of them went out of business a year or so ago. The other one is open two afternoons a week. I know there are a ton of knitters and crocheters in my area; I've met several of them and heard about many more. Where do they get their yarn? My best guess is that they either buy whatever yarn is available at the local craft stores (there are at least three that I know for sure are still in business), but I have to wonder if they order their yarn online, which is what I'm going to have to do. Out of the single yarn shop and three or so craft stores in my area, not one of them carries either of the two affordable brands of cotton yarn I'm looking for. I found a website that carries both of them, so I'm stuck paying shipping. The sad thing is, even with the shipping costs, it will still be more affordable than the only worsted weight cotton yarn I could buy locally.

All that's left to say is, Happy Friday! I hope you all have a great weekend and be sure to celebrate what's left of E-book Week with a good read. Shameless promotion alert! I happen to have two ebooks available at affordable prices. If you're looking for a quick read in the mystery genre, why not check out Light in the Darkness? Or if inspirational romance is more your style, try Dreams Do Come True.

Enjoy your weekend!