The Joys (and Pains) of Pets

You don't really need to see that screen in front of you.

Having a pet is a wonderful thing. They don't care if you've put on extra weight or complain that the dishes aren't done or bitch at you for getting the wrong type of cereal. As long as you feed them and take care of their poop, they'll love you unconditionally.

I prefer my pets cuddly. We tried fish once but that was a disaster (other than providing inspiration for my first book). Give me a dog or cat any day. I love it when the cat curls up on my lap or the dog jumps up on me the second I get home.

Pets become a member of your family. We recently lost our cat because the poor thing's heart got too big and a blood clot went to his brain. It wasn't an easy time because it was sudden and because we loved him. Mourning for a pet can be almost as bad as for a person.

But we are a family that needs pets, and so when a cousin told me her cat had had kittens, it was inevitable that we'd bring one home. Our new kitten is adorable and I love her but man is she a pain in the ass!

As I write this, I have to stop every few words to remove her from my head or my chest because she's climbing all over me. For a while this morning the dog had her cornered between a chair and the entertainment centre and it was a nice break. I actually got some work done.

The kitten also finds the laptop fascinating.

First, she wanted to chase my fingers while I typed. Then she insisted on walking all over it. Finally, she just plunked herself down on it and went to sleep.

Sigh.

At the moment, I am having a brief reprieve because I realized her food dish was empty. That's tough because we have to put the dish up when the dog is out or she'll eat the cat food (the old cat got revenge by eating the dog food while staring defiantly at the dog in the crate) but then we forget to put it down again. Silly humans.

In spite of the problems she's causing me, I still find it adorable when she sits on my shoulder and purrs in my ear. And her little kitty eyes melt my heart every time.

Do your pets have any particularly annoying habits? What adorable features keep you from dropping them off in the country? I'd love to hear about it!

Meanwhile, In the Wilds of Ontario...

This blog post is brought to you from the wilds of northern Ontario. No, not really. Thank God for scheduling blog posts!

As this post goes live, I will be with hubby and the family visiting friends at their cottage. There is no internet, wi-fi, or even electricity. I'll let you know if I survive.

Ever tried to unplug for a while? I hate not having a device in my hands, even if I'm only playing a game or reading. I don't have to be online, but the thought of no power is freaky. It's been a long time since I've been camping and the site is remote enough that there aren't any towns nearby. What the heck did people do with their time back in the old days?

I suspect there will be hiking and swimming and campfires galore. I pray to successfully avoid poison ivy or any other sort of plant that will make me itch though I'm pretty sure I will be a smorgasbord for the mosquitoes.

But maybe I'll be able to find some quiet time to just reflect and be inspired. I don't need electricity to write in a notebook. And it will be nice to have some time with the family where we're not all glued to a screen of some kind.

If I'm completely honest though? The thing I'm most looking foward to is coming home! Catch you next week!

Just Keep Writing

I had to hang my head in shame when I realized it's been more than six months since I updated my blog. Yikes!

I'm happy to say that while I didn't have a great start to the year, I've been writing more consistently since April. My alter ego had a story accepted to an anthology which was exciting since it's been a long time since I had a release.

I decided to really examine my goals and see if I can take my career in a different direction. As a result, I've been querying editors and agents. I've had a couple of rejections, but I'm going to keep plugging away. The alter ego is preparing a story for submission though it isn't complete yet. But the most important thing I realized is that I have to just keep writing.

Life has been challenging and I've been too hard on myself, making it harder to keep moving forward. But I am moving forward and that's a lot to celebrate. So if you're willing to hang in there with me, it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for the support!

Evernight's Holiday Hangover Hop

Happy New Year from Evernight!

Now that the Christmas cookies are gone, gifts unwrapped, and your holiday visitors have left, you’ve earned some well-deserved TLC. Evernight authors not only have the cure for your holiday hangover, they have fantastic new books for your 2015 reading list, too!

Be sure to visit every stop on the hop and answer each question. The more blogs you hop, the more chances to win the GRAND PRIZE of an iPad Mini sponsored by Evernight Publishing (one entry per blog). Plus, hop each blog for a host of other fabulous prizes.

So sink into your favorite chair and enjoy your holiday hangover!

Michelle here. It's that time again - saying good-bye to another year and looking forward to the one ahead. There's so much I'd like to accomplish this year, but I've learned that sometimes you have to take it one day at a time.

I didn't get much writing done in 2014. It was a rough year. My dad has been battling cancer and it's taken a toll on me and my family. In all honesty, we didn't think he'd make it to 2015, but he has and for that I'm grateful. But I realized how important writing has become to me because the less of it I do, the worse I feel. I've got all these stories and characters cluttering up my brain (and let's be honest, there's not a lot of space up there in the first place).

For 2015, I'd like to finish my Losing It series for Evernight. I got the first two books done and released, and partway through writing the third the EDJ got really hard, plus Dad got sick again and it faded into the background. I only need another 2k or so to finish #3 so I'd like to get that done by the end of January. I have two more planned beyond that.

I started writing a story for Evernight's Uniform Anthology, but I didn't make the deadline, especially because I realized that the story I was trying to tell was too big. So I'd like to expand it and submit it sometime this year. Hopefully I'll be able to participate in some of the anthologies in 2015. It was a lot of fun to see my story in the Executive Assistant Anthology released in 2014.

Of course, some of my favourite authors have great new releases coming up this year that I'm going to have to find time to read! I bet a lot of you are facing the same dilemma.

I'd love to hear about what you're looking forward to reading this year. Leave me a comment to tell me about it. I'll choose one commenter to receive a $10 Evernight gift certificate and their choice of one of my Evernight books.

Don't forget to visit my fellow authors who are doing their own giveaways, and you can enter to win the grand prize of an iPad mini! Happy Hopping!

My Evernight Books (Click the cover for deets!)