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In this edition:
- My Musings
- Mechhaven Missives
- Featured Promotions
- Featured Authors
My Musings
In the last newsletter, I related the exploits of my dogs trying to capture a rat. At the time, my biggest concern was them being overly interested in the rodent, not coming into the house when I called them, thus preventing me from going to bed at a reasonable hour.
It turns out that my benevolent act of saving the rat had some disastrous consequences…
The following week, the rat kept a low profile. I thought our problem had ended. The dogs continued spending a good chunk of every night searching and still took a bit of coaxing to get them in the house at bedtime, but mostly, everything seemed fine.
On Saturday, I got in my truck, which had been functioning perfectly. When I tried starting it, it acted normal for a moment, then a whole bunch of crazy warnings flashed on the dashboard and then it ceased functioning. The power would turn on and the accessories worked, but the truck wouldn’t actually start. I had somewhere to be, so couldn’t troubleshoot it right then, so I’d have to get it towed to the shop, but it had to wait until Monday.
The next day, my dogs went crazy again. I heard a crash in the backyard. When I went outside to investigate, I saw that my Blackstone grill had been moved, and the grease trap had fallen on the ground, making an enormous mess. I’m not sure if it was the rat’s fault or my overeager beagle’s, or a combination of the two (for the sake of this story, I’m blaming the rat!).
If you know anything about beagles, they love smells and food. The goop that fell from the grease trap was left over for quite some time ago, so it smelled awful (to me) and couldn’t have tasted very good (unless you’re a beagle). My beagle dove straight toward it, trying to lick it up. Out of instinct, I lunged and stopped my dog before he got more than a lick. He wasn’t happy, but if he’d gotten into it, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. Luckily, I had a hose nearby and washed the grease away to the dismay of my dog.
I thought that was the end of it, but that night my schnauzer, who sleeps in a crate at the foot of my bed, began barking and whining. This is very uncharacteristic of her. So I roused myself, and let her out of the crate, thinking she either needed to hunt in the middle of the night, or had to go to the bathroom. She rushed around upstairs. Before I could get ready, she dashed to my son’s room and exploded, so to speak, all over his room (that will teach him to keep his clothes and other stuff picked up)!
My theory is someone licked up the grease before me or the beagle got to it. Yuck! Two days later and after so many trips outside, I could tell she still wasn’t feeling well. I ended up taking her to the vet. We got some medicine, and she’s all better. But that wasn’t a cheap visit, though.
As for my truck, they discovered a critter had chewed through several wires and that it would be at least a $500 repair! There were some other maintenance tasks that I was planning on doing anyway, so it ended up costing quite a bit more. While completing the maintenance, they discovered the critter had actually crawled through the dashboard and was chewing through the cabin air filter to make a nest!!! The critter, however, was nowhere to be seen.
After that, I joined their dogs on their nightly hunts. I found a spot my schnauzer had been especially interested in and discovered loads of droppings. I set out some traps and, to date, we’ve captured and disposed of two of the fiends.
Problem solved?
Maybe, maybe not. My dogs have been acting a little frenzied at night again, so I might have to layout some more traps, just to be sure. We also discovered some evidence of nesting in my son’s car, so we’ll have to be extra vigilant!
I guess the moral of the story is don’t be nice to rodents… it’ll cost you!
Mechhaven Missives
- Good news! I've edited around 75,000 words (60-65%) of Book 5 and so far things are going well. I've made fewer changes than I expected and am pleased with the story so far. I really like some of the chapters and think they are some of my best writing and compelling storytelling I've done to date. I hope you'll agree!
- As of today, I have one month until I send the manuscript to my editor, it looks like I should hit that target without too much difficulty. I'm planning to make some changes to the final act, but these shouldn't take too much time.
- My 2025 Show Schedule starts soon. Here are my current scheduled appearances. If you attend, stop by and say hello!
- WonderCon 2025 (Anaheim): March 28-March 30...I'll be at Small Press Booth #12.
- ComicCon Revolution Ontario: May 17-May 18th...I'll be in Artists Alley Table # TBD...
- Pasadena ComicCon: May 24th (postponed from January 13) Table #TBD
- AuthorNation RAVE (Las Vegas): November 7 Table #TBD
Featured Promotions
The authors in these promotions help promote each other's work. Please take a look. Who knows, maybe you'll discover your next favorite author!
AUDIOBOOKS Must listen Sci-Fi and Fantasy for March 2025
KINDLE UNLIMITED Must Read Sci-Fi and Fantasy for March 2025
Featured Authors
This week's featured author is Nicholas Woods-Smith!
Star Rider On The Razor’s Edge
by
Heidi Skarie
He wanted to rule the stars. He shouldn’t have murdered her family…
Toemeka Ganti won’t rest until the universe is rid of the sinister sorcerer-deity who killed her parents. Working undercover to liberate a peaceful people from his ruthless usurper, she attempts to develop a weapon that can break through the tyrant’s shields. But she’s barely begun her work when she’s captured by the despot’s dark agents.
Rescued by a mysterious and handsome warrior-priest, Toemeka and her team join forces with the planetary resistance. But without her device to knock out the enemy defenses, their budding rebellion could swiftly be crushed. And her time to complete it has almost run out…
Can Toemeka free an oppressed planet and light a spark of hope throughout the galaxy?
by
Drew Avera
Revenge is a dish best served with two smoking barrels.
Doing a favor for her mentor Sammy P., Skye Byrn runs in one of the usual suspects on Ter, a small-time Crunkhead named Trudy, another one of Sammy’s works in progress. Then a crime lord’s bomb rocks the station and Skye’s world will never be whole again.
Determined to find the bomber and put an end to their takeover attempt - and their existence, Skye enlists an unlikely ally, Trudy. As the station descends into madness, she finds herself in the fight of her life. If she fails to stop the takeover, she’ll be just another victim in their growing body count.
Skye brings the heat and there’s no price she won’t pay for vengeance.
by
Bradley James
A world beneath the surface. How did it get there?
WELCOME TO THE AFTERMATH...
Elliot Adams, a seasoned astronaut, embarks on a routine mission to survey the site for humanity’s first lunar base. However, a catastrophic collision between an asteroid and Earth, coupled with a violent meteor shower, disrupts the moon’s serenity and upends Elliot’s world.
In the aftermath, Elliot finds himself trapped under the moon’s surface beneath layers of rock, dust, and debris. As he struggles to escape, he stumbles upon a mysterious airlock – a doorway to a world that defies imagination.
Welcome to Lunar, a hidden civilization flourishing beneath the moon’s crust. With Earth seemingly destroyed, Lunar appears to be the answer to Elliot’s prayers, but will it prove too good to be true? And how exactly did Lunar come to exist?
by
Jay Toney
It is opening day for the Nexus Advances Systems Technology, Inc (NASTI) gaming centers. Millions of VR gamers are waiting in queues for their chance to get chipped and play.
Ariel and Jenna are tasked with taking a group of new gamers (Noobs) through a training tutorial. It is a simple game of Capture the Flag, but when does anything go as planned for them? Something isn’t right, and soon they will be fighting for their lives. With these games, die in cyberspace, and you die for real.
Until next time, have fun and read a lot of books!
Greg Sorber
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