Hi friends,

Thank you so much for all your well wishes as I recovered from covid! They were very encouraging and made me smile. You're the best!

I'm pretty much recovered from everything but a bit of lingering tiredness that is getting better every day. I heard from some of you about "long-covid" symptoms, and they sounds horrible. I hope those of you suffering from it are able to find some relief.

My husband's work encouraged him to stay home from work while I was sick. He figured it was a great chance to catch up on all the yard work that had been accumulating.

Long story short: we have a bit of a poison ivy infestation among the row of trees at the back of the yard, which he decided to clear out along with the small 'sucker' trees that have sprung up everywhere we don't mow.

Here are his arms a week later:

Now, before you ask, he did wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. But obviously, the oils were able to make into the gap there and over a few days, the rash worsened and began appearing further and further down his forearms where we theorize his sweat carried the oils.

A few fun facts to help you avoid this itchy mess yourselves:

1. Identify! Learn to recognize poison ivy in all it's forms so you can avoid it. (I'll get some pics to help with that and put them in another NL)
2. Wash, wash and wash! If you even suspect you may have come in contact with poison ivy (or oak or sumac): Simple soap and water or an alcohol based wipe are enough to clean off the dangerous oil from the plant. Once the rash has shown up, it's too late.
3. Be careful of surfaces that don't get cleaned regularly. Remember, it's the poison ivy oil that causes the reaction. As an oil, it will just sit on surfaces for a long time. This means shoes, work gloves, tool handles, a soccer ball that was kicked into the bushes, etc. Pour a bit of alcohol on a paper towel and wipe them down if you can't run the items through the washing machine.
4. Poison Ivy doesn't spread even if it seems like it: The area with the biggest exposure to the oil will react first, followed by other areas with less exposure. So the rash can get worse over the course of a few days, seeming to spread. Another possibility is re-exposure. For example, putting on the same work gloves every weekend, which might result in a never-ending "spreading" rash.

I'll report back in another newsletter with the list of the treatments we're been trying and how they are working. Feel free to send me suggestions! We have plenty of rash to experiment on! Poor guy! :(

May your week be poison ivy free!

— Misty :)

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Excellent books to choose from today!

My buddy, Tara, has already released book 2 in her new post-apoc series. Sweet!

The Collapse by Tara Ellis & Mike Kraus

On Amazon! Free in KU!

When a new nationwide city-planning program goes online, the results are more than disastrous. They’re apocalyptic.

The struggles of the outside world - both natural and manmade - have reached Redemption's doorstep as survivors fight for safety in Book 2 of After the Crash.

How is the world ending today?!?

Runners by Kayla Krantz & William Webb

On Amazon! Free in KU!

Hunted for surviving, now they’re surviving by hunting!

Molly, Ella, and their friends were hunted because of their biology. They became lethal because of their need.

All YA SFF! Grab a new Adventure!!

Remnants of Electria by Tim Elkins

99c On Amazon! FREE on KU!

Relics of the past could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams…

After the Shattering, the world was never the same again. Electricity is a thing of the past, but some of the old technology still exists.

All FREE SFF eBooks! Pick up a few!

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Misty's Writing Update:

I'm writing again this week! Yay! Not every day and not my usual 2k a day, but I'm making progress.

The tiredness left by covid also gave me a headache after a couple of hours of writing, so I've been taking it easy when that happens.

I also got the third version of my new cover back and it looks so amazing! Other than one little font brightening I asked for, it should be done.

That means I need to go back through my to-do list for book 1 and make sure I don't have any plot or magic system stuff left to tweak. And then I'll be chopping the book up into 80+ chapters and working out a release schedule for the Royal Road web serial site.

I've also been working on getting my Patreon page set-up and learning how to use it to release early chapters ahead of time for my patrons. It's a whole new way of publishing for me, but I'm excited to try it. Wish me luck!

Enjoy your books this week!

— Misty :)

p.s. For a web version of this newsletter and previous newsletters: https://sendfox.com/mistyzaugg/campaigns