Carrying On Calmly and Otherwise

It's been quite a while, dear readers. Like everyone else in the USA and most of the world, this year has been rough. In addition to the well-reported crises, we've had our share of family sadness and scares. The worst part is that the stressors are ongoing. The constant thrum of background stress is impacting my productivity something fierce. I was getting very little done on my creative works. And I've been abysmally slow line editing Jon's novel. Thus, blogging about my life and work didn't seem prudent for a long while. I always feel guilty when not writing anything creative. I also don't like spreading negativity during this extraordinarily negative time. I prefer readers come to my worlds (even the real one) and enjoy their time without care. This was the state of affairs until several weeks ago. Mind, the stressors were still percolating in the background. But I changed my tact and began doing research for a novel I was trying to outline. But first –

Month of Fun COVID Edition

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In trying to keep Jon from foraging hither and yon searching for provisions, I began to heavily rely on delivery services like Instacart [instacart.com] and Pavilions for day to day heavy groceries. But I was running out of pantry staples that I could only get at Mitsuwa Marketplace. I also wanted to order some prime seafood in small amounts. There aren't many shops I'd trust ordering seafood online. Going in person was not possible at the time. I am a high risk for Covid-19.

One day, I chanced upon a website/app in the barrage of ads Social Media sites throw at me throughout the day. Mercado.com is a delivery service that covers specialty stores that don't carry enough variety for mainstream delivery services. Among the shops Mercado serves are many at Farmer's Market LA. I was delighted. My favorite butcher and fishmonger are there. It's funny. I never hear anyone use the term fishmonger save for on What We Do in the Shadows. But I digress. There would be delicious treats for the MoF 2020. WooHoo!

My first order through Mercado.com included plump, firm sea scallops, and a dozen Pacific Oysters. Over the next week, these tidbits were happily devoured. I seared the scallops and dressed them in brown butter alongside a fruit salad. The oysters were served raw with a mignonette sauce.

The beverages were different this year. A friend from Canada suggested a French Rose wine called Fabre en Provence. Fortunately, the local Bevmo had it in stock and on sale. I hadn't tried Rose wine since my early 20s. It had a snazzy ad, as I recall. It was really cheap and awful. The Fabre was light and delicate and refreshing. Delicious! By sheer coincidence, Jon brought home a Rose Chandon bubbly for the scallops. I really disliked pink champagne in my youth (I had to learn to stop buying wine from TV ads), but considering how good the Fabre was, I thought it was worth a try. Sparkling Rose bubbly is now my favorite. This pairs perfectly with my favorite treat of the entire MoF.

Cousins Main Lobster Truck had the best Facebook ad to ever interrupt my scrolling. That was because it had lobster rolls and would be situated ten minutes from my house at a time when Jon could stop by and pick up an order. The prices were reasonable, and the reviews were stellar. I found out later that the company founders had made quite an impression on Shark Tank. The reviews are well deserved. That sandwich was a feast for the senses. The lobster was tender, the bun was perfectly toasted and buttered. I inhaled that, a bowl of lobster bisque and a bowl of clam chowder. It was disgraceful. I can't wait to do it again!

Finding Traction

I've always been self-motivated as a writer. I'm typically able to juggle two writing projects while outlining a third. And I always wrote quickly once a story is outlined. This has not been the case since November 2019. The weirdness that is 2020 exacerbated the disconnect from my work. Since I'd never experienced anything like this before, I was unsure how to fix it.

Thankfully, I chanced upon a huge slate of videos that caused my mind to conjure some fascinating directions for upcoming titles. I've been watching a lot of Singapore TV True-Crime shows because, of course, I am. Singapore is a close analog to one of the regions in my Ensnared series. I've watched many travel documentaries about the country(Bourdain's was fascinating). That led me to historical and cultural documentaries. Next, I found the 24-hour news channel, CNA, has excellent coverage of Asia in general. I think that was when YouTube's algorithm decided I'd likely enjoy some True-Crime (and I always do). Crimewatch gave me insight into just how illogical humans can be when it comes to our baser natures. Who would risk committing crimes in a country known for its draconian enforcement of order? Apparently, a lot of people – enough to have 34 seasons of Crimewatch. Bourdain mentioned being weirded out by the many signs strongly advising against committing crimes or pushing citizens to report everything they see. Most people in the West have heard about the caning that can be part of a criminal sentence. It makes no sense to risk freedom and/or the skin on one's backside pursuing an illegal diversion when the country has so many legal ones. That gave me the central theme to the next Ensnared.

I've also found some wonderful documentaries on the Regency Era in England. I'm about to subvert the very literary romances of that period. The most helpful series for my research has been Regency House Party. A Very British Romance and Elegance and Decadence – The Age of the Regency with the fabulous Lucy Worsley were essential in helping with my world-building. Viewing these shows was also a great pleasure. I've been inspired to great mischief! I am now busily writing and plan to have some teasers up on my Author page very soon.

In other news, I finally got fed up with my laptop's sluggishness and upgraded its RAM. Now, I'm efficiently finishing the artwork I need for a marketing push of my erotica titles. I'm even learning to animate! Flash animation, not Miyazaki. I'm not going to give a timeline for when the marketing will see the light of day. Let's just say that it's coming along nicely.

I am far from stress-free. However, I am writing and drawing again. The great Holiday Bake is coming, and I'm making plans. I'm getting through this. I hope you all are as well.

Stay tuned.

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Year of Fun, Rats, and Holiday Truths

I've always loved the holiday season – even when I worked in retail. I love the food prep and the gift giving. No matter the mayhem in my life, we celebrate Christmases and the New Year. I just saw a lovely documentary from Lucy Worsely that affirmed my belief in celebrating the full 12 Days of Christmas. Happy 12^th Night, y'all (I began this blog on January 6th)!

Despite that great love for the season, it is linked now and forever to my cancer diagnosis and the first surgery. Ten years ago, this past December, I nearly departed this world. But there were many holiday miracles that December. My primary care doctor was one of a handful of docs that could recognize my symptoms, There was a cracking surgeon on call when I presented at the ER. Somehow, Temple University ended up in a bowl game (I was really convinced that news was the morphine talking, but it was true). I couldn't eat Thanksgiving dinner, and Christmas dinner tasted like metal from the hellacious antibiotic. I was okay about the food tasting that way, but I was offended that the champagne tasted like metal. I drank it anyway.

Since my diagnosis was in December, my yearly probing, blood draws and chest-smashing are scheduled during that same time. While I'm having fun with the usual rituals and the new recipes or ingredients, I find that I have to drop everything and sit in waiting rooms. As I head into a New Year, I'm waiting for test results. It's quite a dichotomy. Most years, I'm baking and enjoying Alastair Sim (the only Scrooge on film who matters) and imbibing calorie rich libations while worrying about test results. This year, I was doing all those things while worrying about how I'd be financially able to be treated if something comes back or something new comes up. I was also hit with a major downer over the yearly survey of my overall health and state of mind. The former is worse than it was ten years ago in many ways due to the profound side effects of the cancer treatment, and the latter has been in a spiraling depression because of all that I can't do or do as easily as before Chemo.

I scared my Doc with the answers to that survey. I had not intended to do that. The questions didn't have answers that reflect my gratitude for being alive. I had to assure her that my answers did not indicate despondency. I was still cooking, and baking, and following rituals. Most importantly, I'm still writing naughty holiday stories (albeit way, way too slowly). Everything I like doing seems to take a lot more time than the year before. That fact really bugs me, but I keep plugging.

Enough of that. There is another thing about 2020 that I am very excited about. I had hoped to be excited about silver jumpsuits and jet packs, but this is a lot of fun as well. This year, I reach a venerable milestone on my birthday. Thus, it's another Year of Fun (#YoF2020)! Also, the Lunar New Year heralds The Year of the Rat, which is my birth year. That means, I am doubly obligated to celebrate. Thus, there will be hijinx and shananigans. I plan to have dishes I've never tried and a fancy cocktail now and then along with my wine (much more champagne than usual). And there will be travel. There will be!

Speaking of new foods, I have some recipes on my immediate to-do list. One is a Nigerian dish called MoiMoi or Moin Moin. It's made with black-eyed peas, bell peppers, onions, and hot peppers blended and steamed into a pudding-like consistency. Jon used it in his new novel, so I have to try it out. Yes, I will be testing recipes from my fiction. I've also been experimenting with British baking ingredients like Muscovado dark brown sugar (a richer brown sugar that tastes like molasses) and Mixed Spice (a much zestier pumpkin pie spice). They've made a marked difference in my baked goodies this year. Nigella Lawson is responsible for this. Her Christmas yummies looked so amazing that I had to try to replicate them as closely as possible. This isn't British, but I'm also excited about getting a hold of Ruby Cocoa and Ruby Chocolatebaking morsels. They taste like chocolate and berries at the same time. The fudge is amazing. Praise Amazon Prime for making the world an accessible pantry.

I don't make resolutions anymore. However, I aim to treat myself better during the YoF2020 and beyond. I've been working on a consistent skincare routine to add to my natural hair care regimen. You wouldn't believe how many YouTube tutorials it took to get a handle on the skin and the hair. On the plus side, I now know way more than I ever expected to about beauty influencers. It may seem like a waste of time, but the reviews and recs save viewers a lot of time and money. It's especially nice to have advice from women who are my exact shade or hair texture. And bless the professional artists online who know how to makeup women of a 'certain age.' In short, I'm doing the self-care thing.

Writing Updates – I will finish the current story. I've got a couple of new novels in the concept stage while I am continuing with my popular titles. My plate is full, but that's fine. It's full of my favorite kind of characters. I'm also learning a lot about illustrating my work. This New Year/New Decade is very exciting. I am eager to take it on.

Stay tuned!