Mayhem and Magic, For Real

November was not a month of unmixed blessings. In fact, something truly horrible happened during November, so I’ll get to that first.

 No secret I rescue dachshunds. About four years ago I received a bonded pair from a puppy mill in Big Spring, Texas. Bella and Bam-Bam had spent their first couple of years in concrete crates and never learned how to interact with people or, really, be dogs. To this day Bam-Bam is terrified of men, and Bella was uber-shy around strangers. I realized after I’d fostered them for a while that they weren’t suitable candidates for adoption, so I kept them, and we loved each other. They both were fine with me, even though they were still unable to relate to strangers.

Well, on Friday the 13^th, Jazzy and Cookie, who grew up on the streets and have absolutely no self-esteem issues, ganged up on Bella. I rushed her to the vet, where she was stitched up. When I picked her up on Saturday, she seemed to be doing well, but on Sunday evening Bella had a stroke or a seizure, and she died early Monday morning. My heart is still broken. My neighbor and fellow writer, Ann Wilmer-Lasky, wrote a Haiku for Bella, and here’s a picture of Bella taken by her husband Barry:

 

Treasured Friend: A Haiku

Innocence, truly,

Has no protection against

Pack mentality.

Okay, that’s the ugly stuff. My heart will probably never get over aching for Bella. I feel kind of like a murderer, in fact. Gah.

On to nicer things. Several people won copies of the audio edition of HUNGRY SPIRITS, narrated by Denice Stradling (who is now working away on GENTEEL SPIRITS, bless her). I’ll be getting in touch with each of the winners individually.

I also got the cover art for Daisy Gumm Majesty’s next adventure, BRUISED SPIRITS. I love it:

 

Also, Darlene Allen has finished narrating THANKSGIVING ANGELS for audio, so it will be available in December (I think). I’ll be giving away audio copies at the end of the month in my contest. If it’s somehow or other not available in December, I’ll give away copies in January.

 

And December is the month UNSETTLED SPIRITS, Daisy Gumm Majesty’s latest adventure, will be released! I’ll be giving away either e-copies or paper copies of UNSETTLED SPIRITS in my December contest.

Therefore, if you’d like to enter my December contest, for which Bam-Bam (who is coping much better with the loss of Bella than I am) will choose wieners at the end of the month, please send me your name and home address (if you want a paper copy of UNSETTLED SPIRITS) to alice@aliceduncan.net

 

 Kindle link

 Nook link

 

If you’d like to visit my woefully out-of-date web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

 

Good Grief!

Another year’s almost over! How’d that happen? I don’t approve. Which makes as much difference as it ever has. Oh, well.

At the end of November, I’ll be giving away audio copies of HUNGRY SPIRITS, read by the lovely and talented Denice Stradling. Bam-Bam, my winner-picking wiener dog, will select winners at the end of the month. The wieners of October’s contest for audio copies of A PERFECT ROMANCE and SWEET CHARITY are too numerous to list here, so I’ll get in touch with each winner individually.

The narrator of THANKSGIVING ANGELS (Darlene Allen, who's also lovely and talented) says she’ll have the book ready by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Melissa Alvarez (http://bookcoversgalore.com ) couldn’t do this cover for me. After I panicked and asked for suggestions for alternate cover artists, Bonnie Vanak, a dear friend and fellow author, suggested Kim Killion (http://thekilliongroupinc.com/) So I got in touch with Kim, and she created this smashing audiobook cover for THANKSGIVING ANGELS. What’s even better is that this cover goes really well with the other audiobook covers for the Mercy Allcutt series:

 

And, of course, last month was Halloween, and my adorable great-grandchildren got all dressed up for the occasion. Here they are. Andrew is a Special Operations soldier (his daddy’s been an Army Medic for yonks), and Kasumi is a witch-fairy. Are these children darling, or what? And I’m not the least little bit biased, either:

 

Um… That’s about it. I’m madly writing another Daisy book, BRUISED SPIRITS, but I’m nowhere near finished with it. With luck and continued health, I might even be able to write another Mercy Allcutt book this year! Not promising anything because you never know what mayhem life will throw at you, but I hope I can.

If you’d like to enter my November contest, please send me an email. I don’t need your home address for this one, ‘cause I’ll use your email address in order to send audio copies.

If you’d like to visit my woefully out-of-date web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

 

Okey-Dokey

I don’t know how many of you have seen the TV series “Deadwood,” but in it a guy gets sick, and the baddies who run the town of Deadwood carry him out of town to prevent the panic of an epidemic. When Calamity Jane finds him out in the woods, he’s delirious and keeps saying, “I apologize. I apologize. I apologize,” over and over. That’s how I feel about this entire year. I’ve been sick with one thing or another all year long. In September I finally got bronchitis, gave up, spent about four days in bed, took antibiotics, Prednisone and cough suppressants, and now I feel better than I have in months! So I apologize about flaking off with my blogs several times this year. Guess I should have come down with bronchitis earlier.

However, now that I’m almost human again, I actually have something to write about! The nicest thing that happened in September was that my older daughter, Anni, and her long-time Significant Other, Razmik Avanesian, got married! Here’s a picture of the wedding party. I was unable to attend the wedding (because of the aforementioned various illnesses), but I did get to see the pictures. Here’s one with both of my daughters, both of my sons-in-law, and my younger grandson, Riki, who’s grinning up a storm in the back row toward the right.

 

And then I began a new Daisy book, which is (so far) called BRUISED SPIRITS. Don’t know when I’ll finish it, but I don’t think it’ll take me a whole year to write this one as it did for me to write UNSETTLED SPIRITS. That’s a Very Good Thing, except that the premise is based on reality, which isn’t good at all (it features an extremely battered woman).

Also, the narrators of two of my early historical romances (A PERFECT ROMANCE and SWEET CHARITY) finished reading the books in September, and they’re now available on Audible.com. Here are the covers and the links:

Buy it!

 

Buy it!

Audible claims A PERFECT ROMANCE was written by Anne Robins, but that’s only because it was. Anne Robins (a combination of my daughters’ names) was one of my several thousand pseudonyms.

Because I didn’t tell anyone who won copies of SPIRITS ONSTAGE at the end of August, I shall do so now: Kathleen Lauri-Lewis, Wendy Lee, and Susan Moody. I’ll send the books ASAP. Promise.

 At the end of October, I’ll be giving away copies of my two newest audiobooks. They’re both historical romances, so don’t enter if you don’t want to listen to an historical romance. I must say, however, that they’re kind of more funny than they are romantic. If you DO want to enter the contest, just send me your name and email address at: alice@aliceduncan.net

If you’d like to visit my web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

 

Ow

About covers August from my perspective and September started with bronchitis; however, all is not totally awful. I actually finished UNSETTLED SPIRITS! I’ve only been working on it for … well, the entire year, I guess.

Here’s the cover! I think, although I’m not certain, that it will be available in December (it’s so late, I don’t honestly know. Sigh).

 

Winners of August’s contest (SPIRITS ONSTAGE) are: Kathleen Lauri-Lewis, Wendy Lee, and Susan Moody. I’ll send your books ASAP, ladies. I have no idea what book/s I’ll give away at the end of September, but I’ll figure it out before then. If you’d like to enter this month’s contest, send me an email at alice@aliceduncan.net . Be sure to include your home address, so I’ll know where to send the book.

I’ll do a better blog for October. Promise. Unless my body decides to do something else ghastly to me. I’m beginning to wonder what it has against me, dang it.

If you’d like to visit my web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

 

Cautiously Optimistic

 

Very cautiously. Seems as though I’ve been sick with one thing or another all year long, and the various things have taken a toll on this elderly body. Probably the gastric bleeds did it. I expect there’s not much blood left in me so I’m anemic and, therefore, tired all the time. Whine.

And that’s enough of that disgusting subject. Blech. July was nominally better than June, although it wasn’t great. But the narrators of two audio renditions of my books finished their jobs, and the following two books will be available soon (I hope):

 

 

 

Not sure when they’ll be ready to purchase at Audible.com, but I’ll let everyone know.

Also in July, a box set of the first three Daisy Gumm Majesty books (STRONG SPIRITS, FINE SPIRITS, and HIGH SPIRITS) was produced. For a while it was only $0.99, but it’s up to $2.99 now–but for three Kindle or Nook books, that’s still a darned good price!

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XJ5T2DE/?tag=entbrgnbkpst-20

The winners of June/July’s ARC contest are Peggy Matsuya, Prentiss Garner, Tim Younger, and B.J. Simon. I also owe two winners of May’s contest copies of THANKSGIVING ANGELS, which I promise I’ll mail soon. I’m not kidding when I say I’ve been under the weather (is anyone ever over the weather?) Well, never mind.

If you’re interested in entering August’s contest, during which I’ll be giving away three copies of SPIRITS ONSTAGE, send me your name and home address to alice@aliceduncan.net, and I’ll toss your name into Bam-Bam’s special contest doggie dish.

If you’d like to visit my web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!

 

I’m Sorry!

 

This is going to be a very short blog. Not only was I sick during the entire month of June (the specifics are disgusting, so I won’t go in to them here), but my computer got sick, too, and in order to get better had to have its operating system re-installed. Therefore, while I got all my documents backed up, I lost all my emails. All of them. Including the names of those who entered June’s contest.

Therefore, since I don’t know who you are, Bam-Bam, my winner-picking wiener dog, can’t pick a wiener for June. So I’m holding the same contest for July, only you’ll have to re-enter because . . . well, see above. If you’re interested in entering July’s contest, during which I’ll be giving away copies of old advanced reading copies of my various novels, send me your name and home address to alice@aliceduncan.net, and I’ll toss your name into Bam-Bam’s special contest doggie dish.

If you’d like to visit my web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

 Thanks!

Time Flies Too Blasted Fast!

　

I can’t believe it’s already June. I swear, my dogs and I were lounging in bed and watching the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade the day before yesterday. Oh, well.

The only mayhem going on in my life at present is the replacement of the other half of my fence. Nobody ran into this part of the old fence in order to force me to replace it, but Jessie, the guy up the street who put up the west side of my fence after a drunk in a blue Hyundai crashed into it, is replacing the east side now, so they’ll match.

In truth, that’s not the only reason. The real reason for the new fence is that Cookie, Jazzy’s companion animal (how many dogs do you know who have their own companion animals? Well, Jazzy does) can get out of the yard on the side with the old fence. With the new fence, she won’t be able to escape, so she can exist without her Kong! I think that will make her happy. Me, too. Here’s Cookie in her Kong, lounging with Jazzy at the neighbors’ house. They go there occasionally for play dates. On this particular day, the weather was warm, so they just sat around drinking Mai Tais:

 

The only other thing that happened in May, and this was a good thing, was that Stephen Campbell interviewed me for Crime Fiction FM. During the interview, we chatted about THANKSGIVING ANGELS and a few other things. It was fun, and the interview wasn’t too frightening. Here’s the link if you want to listen: http://crimefiction.fm/alice-duncan/

My daughter and her hubby will be visiting soon, and I’m looking forward to that. Robin and Gilbert have two pound-puppies and Gilbert’s blind, longhaired, double-dappled wiener dog, Melody. Melody is a beautiful dog, but Gilbert saved her and her sister, Harmony (now, alas, deceased), from certain death as puppies by adopting them. Double-dappling (mating a dappled dachshund with another dappled dachshund) is a recipe for genetic catastrophe. Harmony was born w/o eyes and deaf. Melody is blind, but she can hear. Actually, my own darling Jazzy, who was found running along the highway to Ruidoso, is a blue-and-tan dachshund, and her coloring also carries with it genetic problems. For instance, she’s losing fur due to alopecia that came to her through injudicious breeding. She’s sure a beauty, though! She and Cookie, and Robin’s George and Gracie, will have a jolly time visiting with each other during Robin and Gilbert’s visit. Actually, Gracie will probably lie in wait in her mommy’s arms and only race out to bite Jazzy or Cookie on the butt as they tear past her. She’s not the most friendly pup in the universe. George, however, loves to play. Should be interesting.

If you’re interested in entering this month’s contest, during which I’ll be giving away copies of old advanced reading copies of my various novels, send me your name and home address to alice@aliceduncan.net, and I’ll toss your name into Bam-Bam (my winner-picking wiener dog’s) special contest doggie dish.

If you’d like to visit my web site, the URL is http://aliceduncan.net/ and if you’re interested in being Facebook friends, please visit https://www.facebook.com/alice.duncan.925

Thanks!