about managing stress.

Mom is in rehab after a week in the hospital. We will see. I don't know if she will recover or we will start hospice. Adulting is hard.

My NDA project is now public! I am writing in a shared universe called Delta Underground Operatives or DUO (https://www.facebook.com/dualcasters). Come find me and see the other great authors I'm working with. My two characters are called Nyc & Stel and they aren't your usual pairing.

I'm trying to finish up the story and the cover request. I have to get better at hard plotting too. Definitely for the epic fantasy I'm going to write next year. But for now I'm going to try and finish out November working on this book, then back to writing in both worlds. But this does mean new stories for you.

I so am not winning NaNo this year, too much drama and time spent at hospitals, but my office is slowly coming together. Hopefully the handyman will be here tomorrow to tear up what I need tearing up, then I can finish organizing and maybe get it painted. I can't wait.

Until then I'm trying to not be overly stupid. We'll see if I manage. Enjoy these while you wait for me to get my life in order.

Knight Nurses, Crusades, Abandoned Child, Immortals - are people reading my secret trope loves? Check out The Road to Damascus for free!

Just the title of this book makes me smile - Bodacious Creed and the San Francisco Syndicate. How can you not snicker at that? This is a series set in the eighteen hundreds, a bit of steampunk, adventure, and humor. If you want a taste of something different try this.

I entered the NYC Midnight short fiction contest this year, and the wrote two stories for the assignment. The first one didn't work, so I wrote another. Here is the first one. Since it was word prompts, no picture this week.

Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Action: Getting Lost

Word: Sound

Happiest Place on Earth

I hid among the pipes in the tunnels. He'd followed me to the "happiest place on earth". If he caught me I was dead. I'd fled into the maze under the park. I tried to find a way out, but nothing made sense.

The employee entrance I'd slipped down had been near Frontierland. I needed Main Street, but in my terror I'd turned wrong, now they all looked the same.

"Deep breaths, Mary, you got this." I whispered the mantra to myself. He wouldn't find me here.

I tried again to figure out where I was. I should have asked for help, I was stupid.

The sound of golf cart elated me, an employee. They'd revoke my admittance and I could escape. The lights blinded me as it came near and I waved my hands, my stress bleeding off. I should've gone to an employee in the first place, but he always caused me to act irrationally. Memories could do that.

The vehicle stopped and a person stepped out, a looming shadow in the headlights.

"I'm so glad you're here. Can you help me out of the park?" My words were friendly, my relief genuine.

"Oh, I'll help you Mary. I promise you'll never have to worry about getting lost again." Gerald's words hit me like a hammer blow as he blocked the light. Mickey ears sat cockeyed on his head and were splattered with blood.

I screamed until I couldn't scream any more, then I prayed to die.

I'm still not sure about it, oh well. If you haven't read Shattered, don't forget to grab it.

Mel

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