Swing Set

That’s why we invested in a swing set for our huge back yard at our new rental home.  We plan on living here for a long time, so it was worth it.  Also, I didn’t have to put it together so… bonus.  Yesterday, Chipmunk figured out how to use the boogie board attachment and I had one of those seriously about to cry over something silly moments.  With Chipmunk, who can’t pump a swing yet and only recently figured out how to put a shirt on (he’s 6) these “ah ha” moments are a huge deal.  I’m super psyched about the dual swings (even if the kids have already figured out how to battle on them) and the slide.  Neither is up for monkey bars yet, but we’ll get there.

Parks and Bikes and Swimming

The local splash park is my go-to for hot summer mornings.  We don’t even attempt it in the afternoons.  But I’m hoping to broaden our park horizons more this summer, generally in the early mornings and evenings because it seriously gets murder-hot in Florida during the day starting in about… two days.  Since both boys now ride bikes, more or less, this will be our first summer where we can haul the bikes out to parks with trails and areas to ride.  I’m thinking of picking up a bike for myself for cheapo on Craigslist.  I guess I’d need to get a helmet too.  It’s been so long since I rode a bike I don’t even know.

My parents have a pool and I’m looking to enlist Moose in swim lessons so he can catch up to Chipmunk and they can start playing superheroes in the pool.  By which I mean they can continue attempting to drown each other.  Like swinging and bouncing, swimming is an amazing form of “free therapy” for kids with SPD and really any kid who gets wound up and needs to get all the sillies out.  I mean, all the health benefits aside, it’s like the best way ever to ensure your kids will go to sleep.

What are your summer goals for the kids?  Like, remembering how to read aside.

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This year, after a promise to myself to focus more on my fiction, I dusted it off and spent many, many hours re-writing, editing and cleaning it up.  I’m excited to share this story today on its release date as an eBook from Prizm Books, a line of gay and lesbian Young Adult fiction.  The process of working with a press and editor and getting something published has been galvanizing.  I’m happy to say that I’m balls deep in another manuscript right now and feel ridiculously happy to be writing.  (Which is why you see less of me around these parts.)

On to the goods!

Sunblood is a sci-fi/paranormal novella about psychic powers, friendships, screwed up worlds, love and cookies.

Caleb, sub-citizen 45201, is a psychic slave in the massive biodome known as the City—the only civilized community left on his wasted planet. He can’t remember his life before he was taken to the City and experimented on by scientists trying to control his unusual gift.

Despite having no rights, Caleb’s life isn’t all that bad. His Keeper, Daniel, secretly allows him to play in the minds of the City’s inhabitants. Caleb likes Daniel—probably more than he should—and once in a while the cafeteria has some delicious cookies.

Caleb’s small freedoms don’t seem like all that much until even those are threatened. When Caleb is targeted by those who fear his powers, he discovers exactly how much he has to lose.

You can pick it up from Omnilit or for your Kindle at Amazon.com.

You may be asking yourself why I wrote a novella for teens about gay characters.  I don’t have a clear answer for you there, other than to tell you that this is a genre I enjoy as a reader, and that these were characters that spoke to me.  I think other writers out there will understand that when your characters speak, you better listen.

If you’re on GoodReads, I’d love to connect with you, and if you pick up Sunblood and want to share it with others, please leave a review or rating.  It makes a huge difference.

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If you are reading this anywhere else, some douchenozzle has scraped my feed.

1. Get rid of a quarter of your clothes. Go through your closets and drawers. Go through your spouse’s stuff. Go through your kids stuff. Pretend like you ABSOLUTELY MUST GET RID OF THINGS. No more sentimental bullshit. If you must, imagine those insensitive jerks from that fashion makeover show destroying your self esteem and wardrobe. Do what you have to do, but seriously fill up some trash bags for your favorite charity. Once you load that stuff to your car and unload it to someone who needs it you’re going to feel so much better. And your closet will look awesome.
2. Clean your filing cabinets and paperwork. What the hell are you still holding into that product warranty from 2007 for? It expired. Three years ago. Get out your electronic label maker (no shame) and re-label your filing cabinet folders. Trash the things you don’t need. Scan things you don’t want to lose or you’re not sure you need or not. Get the most important documents over to a safe deposit box or at least toss copies of them into one. It will probably take you an entire day, but that day will result in years of finally being rid of a bunch of junk paper that was just collecting dust. Also, you’ll feel better knowing you didn’t misplace your marriage license, passports and birth certificates. Phew.
3. Reorder your bookshelves. Be a hipster like me and arrange your bookshelves by color. Or be efficient and reorder them alphabetically or by genre or the Dewy Decimal System. Give away books you don’t touch anymore. This goes for your kids’ books too. If you have ten-year-olds and you’re hanging onto Goodnight Moon, it’s time to find a doctor’s office or preschool that will love that more than your big kids will. This is the part where you dust, too. Don’t worry, the dust bunnies won’t bite you. Much.
4. Make some tiny decorative changes. Keep an eye on sales sites or clearance racks at your local Target for a few little items that seriously will change the look of your room. A throw rug, new lamp shade or accent item can go a long way, and you don’t have to spend big bucks. Let the sales come to you. It’s like fishing… for style. Or something. Change out curtains if you find a good deal. While you’re at it, rearrange some furniture. Put your headboard on another wall or move the couch. Voila! Your room looks totally different.
5. Have a garage sale. You know that poker chip set you’ve had in storage for three years? Sell it. The same goes for the other stuff that’s been gathering dust in your garage and closets. Post a notice on Craigslist and pick up some signs and be prepared to get your stuff into the driveway by like 7 am. Bring a radio or paperback book out with you and sell some stuff for approximately 97% less than what you think it’s worth. Even if you sell a few things for a dollar each, you’re basically letting someone pay you to clear out your storage spaces. It’s a win. Good luck!

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