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Showing posts from 2015

What's happening?

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Over the past week, I've been trying to watch less news. It seems there are more and more horrible things that are happening each day, that is very discouraging to see each time I turn on the television. But my problem is, I'm addicted to watching the weather (thank the Serpeneteens for that). I love seeing what's going on around the country as winter settles in. So, I'm trying to work in both: being able to see what's going on with the weather, while at the same time, not losing too much hope for humanity. This didn't work out too well yesterday when, once again, there was another mass shooting! It's so sad. What the fuck is going on with the world? Is humanity that far gone? Is there any hope that the world will get better, or have we passed the point of no return? Hopefully, there are enough good people around to tip the scales back to where they belong. 

Back again (I think)

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It seems, even when I have every intention of posting more on this blog, things happen and I'm not able. I'm not even sure, at the end of this post, that I'll be able to upload it, but we'll see. Anyway, things have not been going the way you might think, in the life of a retired person. I've been working. Yes, I got a job. It's only a part-time job, but it's working in a restaurant, and it's hard. But I'm doing it to assist with the down payment for our forever home. We will close on February 1st! But other than working, I haven't been doing much. I haven't the energy most days. All writing and wood burning projects are on hold until life settles down again. I'm sure the world will survive. We had our first blizzard the other day. It was interesting. Unfortunately, Steve had to drive down to the Springs for work in the middle of it. I'm off today, and Steve, Buster, and I are going to drive up to our new home ( it's 1,200 feet hi

Blog hasn't worked

I've been trying to rectify my blog problems. Google and my new internet service have not played well together. 

It begins again

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I'm starting a new piece today. Steve and I are trying to get the downpayment for a house A.S.A.P.  so I gotta crank them out. This is the sanding process. Kind of fun. 

Finished!

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Pol's Life-The New Chapter: Bear day

Pol's Life-The New Chapter: Bear day : I thought, once I'd moved to Colorado, I would be writing all day, every day! But I didn't take into consideration days like today...

Bear day

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I thought, once I'd moved to Colorado, I would be writing all day, every day! But I didn't take into consideration days like today. I haven't done shit all day because I've been outside watching a bear sit in a tree. As weird as that may sound, it's been one of the coolest days I've had in a long time. This poor guy's been sitting in the tree at our apartments all day. The wildlife wardens have been here watching him. They wouldn't allow him to come down until it got dark and there were less people around. He tried to get as comfortable as possible, but it was still a tree. I've thanked God several times today for allowing us to live in a place so amazing, bears are your day's enjoyment.
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                Reverie:   1)Daydream                                              2)The condition of being lost in thought

Already mid June

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It's already the middle of June. I can't believe it. The temperatures are warming more each day. And due to the warmer temps, more and more aspens are blooming, which makes driving around difficult because Steve and I are constantly, "Oooh, look how pretty." But it is incredible. The mountainsides have filled in so much they look almost fluffy. We've still been getting a lot of rain, which is good because it keeps the fire danger down. But we've been told July is the rainy month. We get too much rain here in the mountains, things start falling over and rolling down hills. But I love it. It's just all a part of living in such a spectacular place.

Storm coming

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Just sitting here watching the clouds of an afternoon storm take over the sky. The hint of thunder can be heard in distance as of bounces of the mountains. It's been a peaceful day. There have been a lot of those as of late.  Keep 'em coming!

Great hike!

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Yesterday, Steve, Buster, and I went on another hike. It was a place about fifteen minutes from where we live called Catamount Reservoir. We walked through the woods and up the mountain for about an hour until we got to the reservoir. We were having a great time, but the trail went into the water (at one of the more narrow spots at the end) and out the other side. Over the last few weeks Colorado has had a lot of rain, and there was supposed to be a bridge to cross right there, but it was under water. I don't know what has come over me since we've moved to the mountain eight weeks ago. I think some primitive mountain man has surfaced. When we had those April snowstorms, Steve couldn't keep me inside. I was just out in the snow, sometimes not doing more than walking around like an idiot. So, when we came across a flooded path, what did I say? "Let's just take off our shoes and walk across."   "You're gonna walk across there?"   &qu

Something new

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As some of you may have picked up on, I don't stick to one particular genre where my writing is concerned. I don't see how I could when there are so many stories that need to be told. Some of those stories are filled with horror and suspense. Some are filled with mythological characters and adventure. Some are filled with magic. But now, I'm trying something new: Romance. I've started a new series titled A Woman's Weakness . It's a story that follows Chelsea Collins, a woman struggling to get through life day by day, two years after her husband has been killed on a tour of duty. In that time, Chelsea has not been intimate with anyone else, and she can't bring herself to cross that bridge. But her mind has different plans and begins to rebel against her solitary existence. Blackouts start, pulling her into sexual fantasies that come without warning. The first book is called Reverie .

Settling in

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  Well, we're getting settled in, slowly but surely. Today I finally got some of my computer problems fixed, after seven weeks. I still can't believe we live here. Wonder how long it'll take to sink in.

Wildlife

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We were driving around the other day looking to nab some pictures of elk, but we failed to find any. We did see our first bald eagle, though!

Worth it?

I thought I had convinced myself that I would no longer allow the feelings of discouragement and failure to rule. But it's harder than I had thought. I know a writer shouldn't talk about how bad sales are, but I don't see how it could make things worse.    I do so much to market my books. I have over 9,100 Twitter followers, I'm on more than 84 book clubs on Facebook (a combination of more than 30,000 members), and I spend about an hour posting every single morning. But with all of this, I still get quarterly royalty checks that won't buy me much at Starbucks! That's what happened yesterday, and all the time and effort I put into writing and marketing more than twelve books seems like such a waste of time. Yes, writing a book is rewarding on some levels, but those familiar feelings of doubt are stronger than I am. I'm retired now from my day job, and I was so excited about being a full-time writer at last, but I'm not sure what the future holds for me. I

Spring snow

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We got our first spring snow yesterday, and Steve, Buster, and I have been loving it!  There have been so many times when we imagined days when we would be snowed in and could just enjoy it, now reality did not disappoint. We are loving Colorado!  As far as writing, I am working on the initial notes for the final Serpenteens installment, Battle of the Gods, and I'm so excited to get the actual writing!

Loving it

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This is what mountain living is about. 

From the mountain

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Well, after five years of dreaming and a lot of planning, we have finally made it to our dream spot in the mountains of Colorado. It has only been a few days I know, but I can't shake the feeling that we're on some type of vacation-scheduled timeline. It hasn't truly sank in that we didn't have to leave this beautiful place. This is home. This is where we'll live for the rest of our lives.  Not a bad view to have while walking Buster.  Not a bad place to start a brand new chapter in our lives. 

Thanks Austin!

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As many of you know, I have been yearning to leave Austin for quite some time. I had grown weary of the traffic and the heat and the ever-growing population. But as much as I look forward to finally leaving Texas and start a new life in Colorado, I can't ignore all the things Austin has provided me over the past 32 years. My final high school years spent here we're much better than my younger school days. I met so many wonderful people, some of which I'm still in contact with today and still call friends. I got a great job with the City of Austin, which turned out to be a blessing I wouldn't fully appreciate until later when I was able to retire early at the age of 49. I have written and published more than ten books, something I wouldn't have been able to do without the support and help of several extremely dear friends. But, of course, the main thing I am thankful to Austin for is that it was here where I met the man of my dreams. Steve and I met in 1991, and have

Game changer

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As many of you know, if you've read this blog for any amount of time, I go through ups and downs as far as my writing is concerned. I get discouraged by slow sales and the lack of reviews. I begin to feel that it's all for not. That it would make no difference if I continued writing, and most likely only make my life easier by eliminating all the hard work. Well, ironically, even though I have retired from my day job and am now able to be a full-time writer, I was beginning to slide down that slope of self-doubt, and throw in the towel. But then I received this letter. It's from a teacher at Manor Elementary School. They have the Serpenteens series in their library and she is a big fan. The fact that she took the time to write me a letter, and the things she said in that letter, touched me deeply. It's something that will be forever in my mind and heart, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Check out the Serpenteens series here!

Progress

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Well, the house got sold! Now we're sitting around waiting for closing, which will be on April 3rd. As soon as that's done, we leave! It's been five years since we discovered Woodland Park in Colorado, and at times it seemed so far away, but the time is finally arriving and our new life adventure will begin!

Getting used to it . . .

Well, it's been a week since my last day of work, but for the most part I've felt as if I'm simply on vacation, not that I'm retired. But as the days go by, I can tell that I'm starting to get used to the fact that I don't ever have to go back to work. That familiar feeling of dread I would have at night about the work day to come is not as strong as it was. What's hard for me is convincing myself to slow down. I'm naturally the kind of person who is doing something constantly. But now I am trying to reteach myself to take it easy a bit more because I no longer have a "time clock" to go by. But if I'm being honest, it may take a while to fully set in. 

New beginning . . .

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Well, it's begun. We've put the house on the market, and it went live yesterday. It's very much bittersweet. We are excited about beginning our new adventure, but there are things that go with it that will be sad, like leaving our house and wonderful neighbors.  After today, I will only have the more days left of work, then I will be retired and finally a full-time writer.  I will have more time to do so many things, and keeping up with this blog will be one of them. I will post more frequently, and take you on our journey as we leave Austin and start our new life in beautiful Colorado! So keep checking back to see what we're up to!

Only three more!

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This Monday marks the beginning of the three-week mark for my retirement!  I can't believe it's so close.  As many of you know, I've been waiting for this time for quite a while. While I'm so excited, I'm also getting a bit nervous, there are so many changes ahead, and I'm not one for change. But I told myself that I would embrace the coming changes, and not allow them to stress me out.  Fingers crossed!

Bring them in!

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It breaks my heart to think of how many dogs are left outside in the winter.  People think because they're dogs it okay. No, it's not. 

Yahoo!

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We've been waiting for 2015 for five years! It's the year we finally move to Colorado!