Friday Five for January 8, 2016

1. First off, I want to let everyone know that I have not forgotten about you. I've been really sick since the first of the month. I was sleeping 18-19 hours a day. Whatever virus had me in its clutches, had a vicious hold on me. I'm feeling a little better now, but I have a ton of blogs to visit and catching up to do. I hope your new year started off better than mine.

2. 2015 didn't end off very well either. Three days before Christmas, a woman back into our car, smashing the driver's side door and shattering the window. Thankfully my son and I were on the sidewalk feeding the meter when it happened. Yet we were without a vehicle for two weeks over the holidays. The next day, one of the cats we adopted, showed her true colors. She viciously attacked my son several times, and she even attacked me when I picked up my son once. She had scratched him a few occasions before, but we called a behaviorist and we tried to work with the cat. Unfortunately, she didn't like children. We still have Thunder and he's the perfect cat for our family. Gentle, playful, and loving. Our power went out with a wind storm for a day, my husband was sick, my son fell and smacked his head on a concrete floor, the lid of my drink at the movie theater slipped off and spilled all over me... You can see 2015 had a pfffft end for me. 

3. One good thing did happen, though. I had my short story, "George and the Dragon" accepted by Randi Lee for her anthology, The Thing That Turned Me. What makes me more excited is all the other fantastic writers who has stories in it. Getting a story accepted is great. Getting a story accepted in an anthology with writer friends is pure awesomeness! Randi Lee has already made a trailer for the book. Check it out!

4. I haven't done any writing or editing. I feel so far behind, but I know it's just a week into the new year. I have been reading, though, and watching television that inspired me for a new series. I know, I know. Too many ideas, not enough time!

5. We didn't get to do much over the holiday break, but we did do one thing I had planned. We visited the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. I've been before a few times, but I love going back. It was my little guy's first time there. You get to be a few feet away from the biggest felines in the world. It's amazing. This is not a zoo experience, and I think it shocked my son how big these critters really are!

(Belle Fille. She kept us company while we waited for our tour guide.)

(A Canadian lynx. Which is super cool since I have a lynx shifter in my newest series of books. Research!)

(A flurry of furry fury. Feeding time! She's tearing off the fur from her deer leg.)

(A lazy lion. He looks adorable, but that head is bigger than my nearly six-year-old!)

Friday Five for December 11, 2015

1. It's been another great writing week. I finished one novella and started on another. Yes, it might seem like I'm writing super fast, but these stories are already finished in my head. They're not that long. If I can get 2000 words in a day, I can finish this last one before the end of next week.

2. All my regular TV shows are on hiatus. Now I can finally finish watching Daredevil on Netflix and all those films I've wanted to see on DVD. Any recommendations of a new movie I should watch?

3. My son built a gingerbread house this week. Every year for the past five years, we've done this, and every year more icing goes into his mouth than on the house!

4. I've been doing some cleaning on my Twitter account lately. If you have an account, how often do you update the profile and unfollow tweeps who are inactive, spamming, or aren't following you?

5. The cats have settled in and learned my schedule. Since sitting on the keyboard or my lap isn't an option while I'm writing, one shelf on my desk has become the cat corner. I had to empty most of the stuff out of there except the secret candy stash box (which is empty) and the sonic screwdriver (even kitties dream of meeting the Doctor). We're all cozy and happy. We'll see what the cats think when we get a Christmas tree! Have a wonderful weekend.

Friday Five for December 4, 2015

1. I've had a good writing week. I finished a novella just before Thanksgiving and now I've started on another. I hope to have it done before Christmas.

2. Thank you to everyone who gave Lovelorn Spirits a shout-out last week. I didn't call on anyone to do so since it was going to be a crazy week for me and I wouldn't be online, but you guys amaze me. Cookies for everyone!

3. I met my Goodreads reading challenge goal! Yay! 100 books. My Kindle is heavy with several new ones that I've won lately too. I hope to get at least five or six more books read and reviewed before the year is out.

4. This evening we're going to Santa's Workshop at my son's school. We'll have dinner with other children and Santa. Then we'll make crafts and decorate cookies. To double our fun, the Krampus parade is on Saturday evening and the weather promises to be awesome. (Click on the link to see how cool it looks. My son isn't afraid of them at all!)

5. The big news in the Rains household this week is we adopted two cats from the local animal shelter. Thunder and Kelsey bonded while at the shelter, and they didn't want to separate them. Who can resist this adorable two-for-one deal? Thunder is only a year old and has the energy of a kitten. He's so good with my son. Kelsey is a one-eyed beauty and a sweetie. She's not a lap cat, but she loves her belly rubs.

(My son with Thunder on his leg and Kelsey coming to get a flicking tail!)

IWSG for March 2015

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

Today for the Geeky Dice & Debauchery Tour I'm being hosted by the wonderful Julie Flanders. I've taken my insecurities over there to share with you.

And here, I bring you cuteness and laughter! Nothing makes a person smile like an lolcat.