Summer of Fun, Sleeping with Shatner and Book Updates

The Month of Fun was not as fun as I'd planned due to some interference from the Feds. It wasn't bad as last year, but the stress over fears that it would be caused a bout of insomnia. That threw me off schedule with my writing deadlines which as causes depression. It's a cascade of no fun. Thus, I am declaring the next three months the Summer of Fun. The plan is the same. The time span is longer in case there are further hiccups. During the SoF, I want to ride the new extension to the LA Metro Expo Line to Santa Monica and make my semi-annual pilgrimage to Penzeys Spices. I am out of French Thyme, and I'm really low on many other dried herbs and spices including peppercorns. I'm also very keen on snagging my good buddy Craig for lunch in the beautiful town of Pacific Palisades where the chin waves to Ray Liotta continue. The lack of fun isn't the only reason the blog disappeared again. I haven't written any blogs recently, because of being behind schedule on the story. I felt like I couldn't write anything that wasn't fiction. I have so many things pulling me in different directions on any given week, I had to pick something to delay for a bit.

It's not all doom and gloom. Some of the Month of Fun was quite delightful indeed. I made some souffle. One was chocolate. One was the make ahead and freeze goat cheese that I love. They are a little bit of work, but the results are absolutely heavenly. I'll have delightful lunches and elegant desserts for some time to come. Also, my workouts and making those blasted salads have begun to pay off. I've lost 15 pounds. I'm not sure of the amount of time it took. It was a while. I hate weighing myself, so I didn't even check until I noticed a substantial change in how my clothes fit. That was a real mood elevator. I was feeling a bit down about failing to work out three times a week no matter how hard I try. But the two days a week and the 10,000 step walks during the Friday errands is working.

I've taken to making my own salad dressings. I'm making a vinaigrette style that has sesame oil along with some vegetable oil, soil sauce, garlic, and ginger. And the creamy dressing involves ground sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce and a little bit of mayo. I use only enough of either one to lightly coat my salad greens. The calories are minimal while the sesame oil and seeds pack a nutritional punch. The dressings are also very, very tasty! Oh, to get around the arduous salad making process, I make a big salad and save half for another day. I really hate making salads. I plan on doing some involved cooking in the next few days and making videos of the processes. I have a few friends who really must be careful about what they eat for various reasons. That means that processed foods are something to be avoided due to salt and fat content. I'll be posting those on Youtube and sharing them in an upcoming blog.

Sleep Study

I have insomnia, so my primary care doc ordered a sleep study. She seemed to think I had Sleep Century City, a vast office complex on land that was once the backlot of 20 Century Fox. You may have seen the most famous of these office buildings on such TV shows as Remington Steel or Starsky and Hutch. The clinic wasn't in one of those. It has very close by. The room was set up like a higher end hotel room. Among the famous people who had slept there was William Shatner. I don't think it was the same bed as it seemed that the mattress was new, but I think it was the same room. I wonder what TV show he may have watched while waiting to nod off. Would he have watched Star Trek if it was on? I watched what I usually watch in hotel rooms, HLN. Long ago, it was Headline News. That night, it was a true crime show called Forensic Files. Falling asleep was a challenge mainly because of all the electrodes in my hair, on my face and legs Somehow, I slept. I won't know how much or how deeply until my doctor's appointment. They can tell all of that from brain waves and eye blink rates. I still have insomnia, but it was an interesting experience.

Apnea. I'm not sure what that has to do with not being able to fall asleep at all – sometimes for days, but she's the doc. The clinic is in an office tower in

Writing Update – Warning There Be Erotica Ahead!

The next installment of the Ensnared Saga is huge. It's over 50,000 words and is 84 standard typed pages. I didn't feel I could break until something major occurred. The first installment was as long as it was because it's setting up all of the huge events coming in parts two and three. I've had a lot of questions about what will happen. Without spoiling anything, I can tell readers that they will learn exactly what is in the desert in the second installment. By the end of the book, readers will visit the Cosi Compound and meet the Keepers. They will also meet the female Cosi and find out the role they play in the hierarchy. I can also tell you that Andreas and Darius' story will not end with this volume. There is the Winter Festival story that I couldn't finish last year. And there will be some short works published online with illustrations after this volume is finished. I plan to have some snippet stories turn up at the end of chapters of the webcomic, too. I love those characters, so I know I'll never really let them go. There will probably be a fourth volume sooner than later.

I can also tell readers that there aren't many more stories left for Vampire Rent Boy. I'll probably wrap it up before the end of the year. I will have a Christmas story for Tristan as well. And I do expect to do the occasional snippet that I'll post online. What will I fill my time with? The Soldiers books are due for a new volume. I have a Het Fantasy Romance to finish and a BDSM opus to pen. I also have ideas for other one shot, yaoi stories. I'll be busy writing fiction along with doing the webcomic, no worries.

Stay tuned!