Music Monday...maybe?

Y'all ignore me. I'm exhausted, but in a good way. I spent this weekend at the Upstate Renaissance Faire with my book babies, finding new homes for quite a few of them and enjoying time with folks I only see once a year. Big shout out here to Michelle from Livy & Co. for being a great neighbor and for always supporting The Hounds of East Fairhaven at URF!

So, on to the music...there was a lot of it this weekend as we were between two stages but this one is stuck in my head now...imagine a quartet with guitar and fiddle and a female voice with the lyrics and you've got my weekend in your head too! I need a nap... Huzzah! 

Music Monday: More magic than tragic

This weekend was a welcome return to normal...whatever that means. I spent the weekend at the Upstate Renaissance Festival in Greer, SC, signing/selling books and talking writing with loads of people. I was apprehensive because my booth mate, the marvelous Misty Massey, had car trouble on Thursday and couldn't join me. I wasn't sure that I could do it - but when I got there, my years as a Rennie and my years of selling books kicked in and it was a breeze. The organizers and staff are amazing, and I'm planning to put in my application for next year as soon as they open!

The intrepid author melts into her seat...

My cozy little tent, Friday evening.

In fact, on Saturday, it was a swift breeze that made my canopy jumpy, but there was no lift off like last year. But I digress...

Hey look, I've got the same garb as...fifty-eleven others.

The view from the chair...

So the moral of this story is that cancer treatment has changed a lot over the years, and I must just be too stubborn to let it beat me. First round is finished as of this morning and I still feel pretty good. Bring it!

For Music Monday I've chosen a song by the late Jimmy Buffett to remind all of us how to get through tough days...Breathe in, breathe out, move on. Thanks, Sailor, for showing us how to live.

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move Onby Jimmy Buffett
I bought a cheap watch from a crazy manFloating down canalIt doesn't use numbers or moving handsIt always just says now
Now you may be thinking that I was hadBut this watch is never wrongAnd if I have trouble, the warranty saidBreathe in, breathe out, move on
And it rained, it was nothing really newAnd it blew, we've seen all that beforeAnd it poured, the Earth began to strainPontchartrain leaking through the door, tides at war
If a hurricane doesn't leave you deadIt will make you strongDon't try to explain it, just nod your headBreathe in, breathe out, move on
And it rained, nothing really newAnd it blew, seen all that beforeAnd it poured, the Earth began to strainPontchartrain buried the ninth ward to the second floor
According to my watch, the time is nowPast is dead and goneDon't try to shake it, just nod your headBreathe in, breathe out, move on
Don't try to explain it, just bow your headBreathe in, breathe out, move on

Time to be Brave...like the Lettuce...and Leap.

Right Outta Nowhere by Christine Kane. Lyrics in CC.

 Hey there, all you dozen or so Lettuce Readers. Today's post is going to differ somewhat from my normal musical musings and appearance agendas. Today, I want to tell you something that hasn't been made public yet, but I think it's time to come clean.

Leap, and the net will appear, right?

So, back in June, I got a doctor's appointment with a new doc - hooray for insurance companies that switch up preferred providers, right? Anyway, starting on June 7th, I was seen, poked, prodded, bombarded with several types/levels of radiation, and at the end of it all was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.

Still leaping, still hoping for that net.

I started chemo on July 31st, and as of this writing am about to finish the first round. It hasn't been too bad, other than my scalp yeeting most of my hair and some days where I just felt not quite right. But I am thankful beyond measure that most of the side effects they warned me about either didn't happen or were so slight that I could manage them. I was also having a week in between each infusion, so that helped with getting me back to normal...ish. 

On the 25th of this month, I will start a new round with a new drug, but this time it will be every week, so here's hoping my luck holds out longer than I fear my eyebrows and eyelashes will. My oncologist says that he sees I am responding well, so I guess that means that the tumor (whom I have named Eugene) is reacting unfavorably to the chemotherapy. Good. I hope it hurts, Eugene. I hope it hurts.

So why am I telling you this? Well, I'm staring down an author appearance at the Upstate Renaissance Faire in Greer, SC this weekend and for the first time I will be out in public, all day, in garb. I've mostly been staying home since diagnosis, and even cancelled my trip to Baltimore for my DayJob™ professional conference before any of this wacky rollercoaster ride started. No one outside of my families of origin and choice have seen me in person, especially since my hair fell out. I needed to be okay with this, I guess, before it became public knowledge.

Am I okay with it now? Of course not, but that keeps me fighting. I'm not a warrior, by any means, but I will be a survivor.

Trusting the net will appear.

So, here goes. I'm taking a first brave step out into a wider world, like my MC Gin did when she was yanked out of the Great Forest in Wanderer. (Y'all didn't think I'd completely stop pushing my books, did you? 😂) I just hope that I can handle what comes with the same grace that she did...and does. I hope to see you at the faire this weekend, at Multiverse in Atlanta in October, and the Geekery Market in Concord in November. I'm usually up for hugs, but I may need masks in place first. 

Leap and the net will appear.

Upcoming Appearances, 2023

At 742 North, Rock Hill, Fall 2022

So I sat down the other day and looked at my travel calendar for this year. Whew! There is a lot coming up, and I can't wait to get started.

(I have submitted applications to DragonCon and will submit to Multiverse, both in Atlanta, and if I'm successful this time, y'all will be the first to hear about it!)

First is the Atlanta Steampunk Expo, where I will be signing copies of Strid (and my other books, too), February 10-12 at the Atlanta Marriott Northeast/Emory Area. My table will be in the Decatur Exchange - come see me!

After that, I will be running up the road to hang out with one of my favorite groups of authors at 742 North's Springtime Blooms event from 10-6 on March 4th. I will have all of my books there and would love to see you if you happen to be in the Rock Hill, SC, area. 

April and May are the Georgia Renaissance Festival, and I'm hoping to get together a signing event one weekend there now that I don't really have a dog that can work with the Hounds. I'm sure that I will be traveling down there with my vaudeville partner, Anne, even if I am without hound...you can take the girl out of the rennies, but you can't take the Rennie out of the...no, that sounded better in my head. Never mind. Moving on.

April is also Camp Nanowrimo, and while that isn't an appearance, it's something that I love dearly. The second round will be in July, so if you don't hear from me during those two months, I'm likely writing.

The second book in the World of Arcstone series, Storm, is set to launch on the 15th of May, just in time to take it to the next event on the list (if I get space in Author's Alley).

The first weekend in June is ConCarolinas at the Hilton Charlotte University Place. I really consider this my home faire, and I've been an author guest there since 2020. I will definitely be an author guest and on panels, and I'm hoping for space in the juried Author's Alley to sell/sign copies of my books. The Kaylee cosplay will be returning, and I'm thinking maybe something Stargate or Star Trek related? We'll see.

July sees me heading up the road to Winston-Salem, NC, for Congregate 9. I had to bow out of Congregate 8 last year, and I'm feeling so lucky and thankful that they are having me back this year. I will be in Author Alley there at the Downtown Marriott.

August will be Back to the DayJob™️ for the most part. September 8-9, I will be setting up at the Upstate Renaissance Faire in Greer, SC, and hoping that we do NOT have weather like last year. I'm excited to decorate my tent and figure out which piece of my Rennie garb will work best for sitting in a chair and signing books. That faire is fantastic, complete with a dragon. Come visit if you're nearby!

September is also my professional development month - and I will return to the Broadleaf Writer's Association annual conference in Decatur, GA. This event always recharges my batteries and prepares me to tackle my next WIP.

November is a busy month, as I'm tentatively planning the launch of the next book in the Guardians of Orana series, Hero. It will also bring another chance to participate in the Time Traveling Authors event at the Carolina Renaissance Festival. More on that event later in the year, and next year I've already been invited to the Dahlonega Literary Festival, which I believe is in March of 2024.

I hope to see you at one or more of these events, so I can ask, "what kind of books do you like to read?" 

Book Signing News! The Upstate Renaissance Faire In Greer, SC

Author Event, 742 in Rock Hill, 8/6/2022

So, I'm taking this crazy show on the road again, but not that far up the road this time. I will have my own booth (provided I can get that sucker set up and it isn't too windy that day) at the Upstate Renaissance Faire in Greer, SC this coming Saturday (Sept 10th). 

Y'all... I'm nervous. The good thing is that if I need something I have loads of people nearby that can come help - instead of at least two hours away like at the Carolina Ren Fest or the Atlanta Steampunk Expo. My trusty Sherpa, Anne, will be at the same faire but is working with the Hounds of East Fairhaven, and while hubs has the day off we don't want to leave the dogs alone that long.

You know what will make it better, though? If you come out to see me! You don't even have to buy a book (though that would be amazing, I really don't want to have to take all this stuff back home with me). Just come say hi and hang out in what I hope is a properly decorated booth run by a mostly properly decorated author.

Question...can I actually sign books while wearing my usual rennie garb? Only one way to find out...for more info, check out the link above or go to my website.