Music Monday: Once More, into D&D

It is true, what the memes say, that one of the worst of the big bads in Dungeons and Dragons when you play as an adult is scheduling. Take the schedules of 6-8 grown humans and try to make them fit into a single weekend day where everyone is available and let me know what you come up with, please?

Pure chaos, that's what you will come up with...but somehow, my group (Lorem Ipsum) seems to manage even when it has been several months between sessions. So today's Music Monday is for them...and for Barb, DK, Annet, Sloane, Rei, Widow, and Maera, our characters who were left in a pretty precarious situation yesterday. Huzzah! Chaotic Social Worker Wombat Wranglers Assemble! (It's cooler than it sounds, I promise.)

[Verse 1]Stuck in a dungeon, no gold to my name,

Kobolds in my face, and the cleric’s effing lame.

Spellbook’s heavy, but my heart’s full of spite,

Gonna light this crypt up with some arcane dynamite!

I’m no apprentice, I’m a wizard supreme,

Forget your lame ass healing potions, I’m living the dream.

One somatic gesture, and the whole room’s toast,

Fireball’s my baby, let’s burn down the coast!

[Pre-Chorus]

No more sneaking, rogue, put your daggers away,

This ain’t a stealth mission, it’s a blaze of glory day!

Point and shoot, let the flames run wild,

Fireball’s the spell that makes the DM cry!

[Chorus]

Fireball, let it rip, watch the whole place fry!

8 D 6 damage, kiss those minions goodbye!

Boom, crash, burn, let the chaos ignite,

Fireball, Fireball, we’re exploding tonight!

Scorch the beholder, roast the troll’s ugly mug,

Bard’s on fire, guess he shouldn’t have shrugged!

Raise your staff, let the inferno fly,

Fireball, Fireball, watching everybody die!

[Verse 2]

Party’s screaming, “Aim it somewhere else, you dick!”

But I’m laughing like a lich as the flames start to lick.

Fighter’s got plate mail, but it’s melting to slag,

“Sorry, bro, you’re crispy—blame my spell slot brag!”

Forget your Eldritch Blast, that’s warlock trash,

Ice Knife’s for hipsters, and Thunderwave’s a rash.

Fireball’s the king, it’s the wizard’s true jam,

One bad reflex save, and you’re ash in a can!

[Pre-Chorus]

No counterspell’s touching this, I’m a magical god,

Arcane focus my power, prepare to be awed

From the Underdark to the tavern’s front door,

Fireball’s the reason we keep settling scores!

[Chorus]

Fireball, let it rip, watch the whole place fry!

8 D 6 damage, kiss your minions goodbye!

Boom, crash, burn, let the chaos ignite,

Fireball, Fireball, we’re exploding tonight!

Scorch the beholder, roast the troll’s ugly mug,

Bard’s on fire, guess he shouldn’t have shrugged!

Raise your staff, let the inferno fly,

Fireball, Fireball, watch the hit points die!

[Bridge]

Roll, roll, roll those dice, let the damage stack!

Paladin’s praying, but his god ain’t got his back!

Cast, cast, cast, no regrets, full send!

“Sorry, Druid, your treant’s kindling—make amends!”

You’re not just a caster, you’re a walking apocalypse,

Turning goblins to charcoal with a flick of your wrist!

So crank the volume, let the table go mad,

Fireball’s the spell that makes the whole campaign sad!

[Final Chorus]

Fireball, let it rip, watch the whole place fry!

8 D 6 damage, kiss your minions goodbye!

Boom, crash, burn, let the chaos ignite,

Fireball, Fireball, we’re exploding tonight!

Nuke the mind flayer, torch the lich’s whole vibe,

DM’s screaming, “My plotline won’t survive!”

Raise your staff, let the inferno fly,

Fireball, Fireball, watch the hit points die!

Another Day, Another Scammy Email

Here's a quick non-musical post to follow up on the last one about receiving scammy emails. There are two kinds, in my opinion, and the last post was in the "I've never read the books I'm writing you about." This one is similar. 

The other category is "I can legit do something for you as an author but you have to pay me loads of money that you shouldn't have to pay under normal circumstances." I will get to that one in a minute.

Over the weekend while at a book signing event, I received another of the first category of scams. It was pretty obvious from the subject line: Podcast & Radio Opportunities for "My Name Is Resolute: A Novel by the Author of Sarah's Quilt " This Quarter Nancy E. Dunne, Writer

What? I haven't written anything with a title even close to that, and normally I would just delete it (bye bye, AI!) but my curiosity got the better of me. After all, who of us hasn't sent an email to the wrong recipient? No? Just me? Cool, cool.

So I read on as my email program previews the first bits of it and the first paragraph contained this line: "Hello Nancy E. Dunne, Writer

I don’t reach out often like this, butcHers To Keep genuinely "My Name Is Resolute: A Novel by the Author of Sarah's Quilt" 

What?

So I'm sorry, Ava Holmes, Author & Media Outreach Consultant, Podcast & FM Radio Interview Placement, Helping authors connect with engaged listeners beyond social media, but maybe next time use a better AI to type your clearly mass-sent email? Yeesh.

Now, on to the other type that requires a lot of money...usually I can see these coming a mile away, but for the most recent one I was genuinely taken in and it hurt my feelings a little bit, if I'm honest, to realize what was happening with that email.

The subject line looked like something I would have written (which should have been a clue, I guess): Rift — One of the best books I’ve read in a looong time. Now, I'm sure for authors with huge followings these emails come all the time. Not for me. I'm lucky if I have three readers that might react to one of my books like this (and I know which three by name), so I started off thinking this had to be a scam.

Was it written by AI? No idea. The email read like it came from a real person who was able to pass my normal Is This AI tests as though she had read the book. She went on to describe the service she provides--book trailers--and even sent me a mock up sample of a script and an audio of said script. Her signature even included how much she loved my storytelling. Oof.

Listening to that audio left me in tears, I will admit. At a book event last summer I met a young man who has a podcast focused on supporting indie authors by performing an audio selection of their books--I wrote about that here and it can still be found by searching The Wandering Tavern wherever you get your podcasts. It was real. My words, read by someone else. So this hit me right in those feels again.

However, I kept enough of my wits about me to ask a very important question (after I found out the price for such a production, which was out of my budget and clued me in that something was up here): how much AI is used to produce these trailers because I am against using AI voices instead of real human voice actors. She assured me that even though the snippet she'd sent me was an AI voice, that was a choice the author could make. If you preferred a human voice actor instead, that could be arranged.

Finally, I asked if the project could be put on hold because I wasn't able to afford the price she quoted. SURE, she said, but then went on to offer me discounts on doing both Rift and Storm and using voice actors and OHHHHHH but she loved the books so much she was already coming up with ideas for compelling trailers in her head and SOOOO excited to get to work on them.

No. I just didn't answer any of those things and said no, I couldn't do that right now, but thank you for sending the scripts and the audio file and have a good day. No response. Here's where the hurt feelings come in--I wanted it to be real. I wanted her to write back and say she understood or hoped that there would be a third Arcstone book or something. Crickets. Of course, because it wasn't real.

Indie published and self published authors, stay frosty when you open emails. The AI is getting better. The "promoters" are becoming smarter. But at the end of the day, the only people that will promote our work is us...and those three readers of mine. I wish I had a happy ending involving massive real engagement or a movie/TV option, but I don't. The former is a work in progress and the latter would be a scam anyway.

Back to work on the WIP.

Music Monday: Generational Wars

Quick one today...I saw this in a meme on social media and I've internalized it now so...Congrats, Gen Alpha. You poked the GenX bear and here we go. 

(8, 8, I FORGET WHAT 8 WAS FOR is the answer to 6 7.)

Music Monday: What Dreams May...Be Wild

Back to the beginning here...we didn't lose power during the storm, and we've had another one since then--just snow this time--and during all this time with nowhere to go and plenty of time to write...I haven't.

By write, I mean put words on a page. I have, though, had some of the craziest dreams and I've been taking notes and I may have a second book in the steampunk adjacent series in the bare bones stage. It's the wildest dreams phase.

This song first came to my attention on what I lovingly call the clock app, in a series of videos describing the MMC in a rom com, but even though I don't write those I can use the descriptions from the videos and the general feel of the song. Hang on, Elys and Hack, your story is developing.

Music Monday: If you're seeing this...

I'm writing this early this time. It's Friday, 23 January, and we are staring down a winter storm that will almost certainly bring ice and mean that by this time actually on Monday I won't have power or heat. So I do what anyone else would do...I turn to Dolly Parton, who just celebrated her birthday recently. This special version of one of her songs from 1977 makes my heart happy because of the amazing artists joining her--but let's be honest, she does that all on her own. Enjoy...and if you're looking at this on a phone screen huddled up under a blanket, I see you. I won't share my blanket with you, but I see you. 😃

(lyrics below)

Light of a Clear Blue Morningby Dolly Parton
It's been a long dark nightAnd I've been a waitin' for the morningIt's been a long hard fightBut I see a brand new day a dawningI've been looking for the sunshineYou know I ain't seen it in so longBut everything's gonna work out just fineAnd everything's gonna be all rightThat's been all wrong
'Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of a brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningOh, and everything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay
It's been a long long timeSince I've known the taste of freedomAnd those clinging vinesThat had me bound, well I don't need 'emOh, I've been like a captured eagle, you know an eagle's born to flyNow that I have won my freedom, like an eagle I am eager for the sky
And I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningOh, and everything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay
I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningOoh, everything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay
And I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of a brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningOoh and everything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay
I can see the light of a clear blue morningI can see the light of brand new dayI can see the light of a clear blue morningEverything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightEverything's gonna be all rightIt's gonna be okay

Music Monday: MLK Day, 2026

Here we are in January of 2026. One year after our nation changed--irrevocably? That remains to be seen. Five years after a mob of insurrectionists, white supremacists, and other such angry people stormed our nation's capitol and broke things, stole things, and killed/injured people.

But we have moments of peace in this January, 2026. A group of venerable monks and their dog, Aloka, are currently on a 2,300 journey from Texas to Washington DC to promote peace. Just knowing that they are there makes my heart sing.

It's dark out there, y'all. The country I grew up in is unrecognizable now, and while I kept trusting that things would get better--trusting that the people that other folks sent to congress would do their jobs and put a stop to this (I'm from SC y'all, Lindsey Graham and Nancy Mace territory. When I write to Rep. Timmons he writes me back to mansplain why I am wrong.). They haven't--maybe they can't--but it just gets worse and worse. Dunne Evacuation back to the UK is in the expidited planning stages now.

But during all this awful, we remember that this is the month we celebrate one of our country's most notable fighters for equality who is often mistaken as only seeking peace. We remember the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his convictions and determination during January. For today's Music Monday, I looked for his favorite hymns. His absolute favorite, from what I could find, was the one I've shared today. "Take my hand, Precious Lord." Fill in Precious Lord with whatever deity or philosophy makes you feel seen, precious, and safe. 

Namaste.🤟

Music Monday: ASL FTW

 Veering off into my past, I give you an ASL version of a song that is speaking to me about some characters that I'm not actively working with right now. Because of course. Enjoy.

Music Monday: So Unfair

Oh, welcome to the new year. While I'm trying to make it my mantra in 2026 to not be so negative, to protect my own calm and peace, and to worry about my reaction to things/people/rhetoric rather that those things themselves. During my holiday break from the DayJob in years past I have enjoyed being a full time writer for two weeks, spending my days working on manuscripts, editing, and generally living my dream of doing this full time.

Then January rolls around and it's time to go back to gathering schedules and making sure that my students have their accommodations and keeping up with classes and zoom sessions and the like. I don't dislike my job... but without interpreting in the mix, it isn't the same as it was. When you have something that makes you as happy and fulfilled as writing does for me, it's hard to put it down for anything less than a lateral move.

In that vein, today's Music Monday is speaking to my feelings--that I have firmly crawled up inside, mind you, with a soft blanket and a mug of warm cider--and I hope it will speak to you too, if you have your own blanket to stave off the back to work after the holiday blues. Captions are on the video. Enjoy... if you can.

Music Monday: XMAS

There is a wonderful tradition in the UK that I miss: the Christmas Number 1 song. There was the one year that one of the competitors was a song about setting a chip pan on fire. Rage against the machine might have won it one year with a song that had nothing to do with Christmas.
This year's Christmas Number 1 is by Kylie Minogue, and by just typing her name I can't get her out of my head... Enjoy, for this last week before the new year when we are all full of chocolate and/cheese, wandering our houses aimlessly as we wonder what day it is. (auto-captions are on the video)

A Christmas Tail: Willow-Pickle's Adventure

I was just having a look around.
I promise.

She looks pretty innocent there, doesn't she?

I write a lot about my wolfhounds, dedicating two books to them (The Complete Clobberpaws), with loads of material from our newest, Stanley. However, that little face there has given me enough material for a multi-volume book...I just have been too busy taking notes to actually write anything.

Yeah, that's my reason. Sure.

Anyway. Since her knee replacements have caused her mobility to be difficult (arthritis is awful), she is no longer able to go through the basement to get to the backyard. She goes through the front yard now and, because of said arthritis, doesn't wear a leash because I can catch her before she gets too far if she decides to head for the road. I could, that is, until Christmas Day.

[Let me pause here to say that she is fine and that when I say the road, I mean the barely used spur that connects our driveway to the road that gives us our address. A LONG driveway, if you will. No dogs were injured in this story, but my heart took a gallop and the t-shirt Hubs had on collected some briars.]

I took both dogs out, Willow on her own and Stanley on leash. I put Stanley in the backyard and shut the gate to see Willow wandering toward the top of the front yard. "Find a spot," I called, as that is her reminder to keep focused and find the perfect poo spot.

Well, that morning, she decided that the spot where she pooed was not the perfect spot. I took my eyes off her for a second to retrieve Stanley from the backyard, and when I looked back she was bustling across the aforementioned end of the spur toward the woodland beyond. I called her and she sped up, head swinging back and forth like John Travolta. My girl was stayin' alive all the way toward the overgrown land that belongs to someone else, her bully breed head keeping her forward momentum going.

The next few minutes went something like this:

Me: Willow don't you dare! Come back here right NOW!

Willow: [swings her head faster and busts through some dead wisteria and kudzu vines]

Me: Willow-Pickle! [that was followed by the zaghareet that includes her name yelled at a pitch my high school voice teacher would be proud of]

Willow: [keeps moving, and then sits for a moment on the white tip of her tail, expertly blending into the overgrowth. I can no longer separate her from the brush until she moves to stand up.]

Me: Simon! I need help! It's Willow! She's escaping!

Mind you, he was inside the house and I was outside so he didn't hear me. I grabbed up Stanley, tightening the slip lead until his eyes were nearly bugging out of his head, cartoon style, and ran for the house. You see, he had already tried to back out of said slip lead and follow his sister until a briar snagged on his fur and he jumped straight up in the air, turning around whilst airborne and aimed for the real street.

I dragged him down to the house and met Simon in the kitchen. After filling him in (WILLOW IS RUNNING AWAY THROUGH THE WOODS!), he went out the door with me right behind him, with poor Stanley left to watch through the window in the kitchen door. I followed him as he headed for the rustle in the woods that I was certain was Willow making her way to the highway but was actually our little adventurer stuck in some kudzu vines. She is little but thinks she is mighty.

Simon enters the overgrowth, watching for that little white tail. I am dispatched to get the loppers out of the basement--where Willow couldn't get through the vines on the ground, Simon couldn't get through the vines still trying to connect tree to tree. I returned with the loppers in time to see a very disgruntled Willow closing in on where Simon was standing and calling her--and laughing. She came past him and toward me, thought about making a break for it, and changed her mind when I jumped in front of her.

Eventually he freed himself from the overgrowth and I herded Willow back into the house. She was so proud of herself, strutting down the driveway like she was Willow-Pickle Indiana Jones. 

My heart finally stopped pounding about ten minutes later and I think Stanley had forgiven me for having to miss all that action. I mean, it isn't my fault that the blinds were up in the sitting room [good view of the action] but he chose to remain in the kitchen [no view of the action].

She is lucky I love her. Happy Holidays, y'all.

Music Monday: Solstice Music 2025

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, and since my 2023-2025 have been consumed with things I can't do because...I decided to start 2026 as I mean to go on (since, in some traditions, the solstice is the new year celebration). I cranked up my playlist called "Music Therapy" and deep cleaned the kitchen. In the end, that cleaning meant scrubbing the counter tops, cleaning the stove on top and oven door, tidying the windowsill in the kitchen, and vacuuming up the bits that were flung to the floor in the process. By last night I was bone tired and moving slowly--but it was due to the cleaning and not sitting in the recliner all day watching telly and doom scrolling. SCORE! Anyway, today's song is on all my playlists because I love love love Punjabi music/dance and I love Ed Sheeran. Enjoy--this one works well with any sort of cleaning or just moving. Bonus points for the Punjabi lyrics being included here.

Merry Happy Holidays Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa, y'all! 

Music Monday: Here Comes My Sun

All I'm going to say about this is that yesterday my favorite person on earth, my Simon, had a birthday and I'm just so lucky that he was born. He is a lifelong Beatles fan and while I'm not sure this one is a favorite of his, it made me think of him as soon as I heard it. Happy Birthday, sweetie. I demand at least 50 more. 🤟

Music Monday: All Up In My Feelings...

Yeah, this week's song is just representative of where I am at the moment. I'm trying to channel this into writing and so far, Scarlet is tending the shrines in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. I'm hoping she will continue to talk to me through these edits (which may be responsible for my mood, because edits are NEVER FUN) and help me tell her story the way it is supposed to be told...

Music Monday: Flashback or Flash...Dance?

I have a playlist in my music service called "Music Therapy." It began because I was watching some videos online by several GenX content creators who do nothing in those videos but dance to music that I remember--music from "my time period," the 1980's and early 90's. Sometimes...a lot of the time, lately, if I'm honest, I find myself unable to do anything but put on those tunes and dance around my cluttered house, stepping over my dogs and pretending that everything is going to be okay by the time the song ends. Anyone else? One that struck me (and got me dancing) recently was this tune: "A Little Respect" by Erasure. Y'all, let's dance.

Music Monday: Glisson 100

Well, what else would be stuck in my head? Seriously. We had a great day at Camp yesterday, and while I'm still convinced that it isn't camp without the people that made my time there so amazing...it was still good to be back home. 
This is the song we sand every Friday at Celebration when the kids went home. But it meant more...it was our promise to each other on staff too. Love y'all, through campouts and creek hikes, from water balloons flying from boys row and TPing my own cabin the summer we didn't win clean cabin. So much love. 

My Friend(unknown author)
My friend I think of you daily,Because I care and it’s true,That though we’ve shared a lot together,It’s very rare that I see you.
And I want you to know that God loves you,And that I love you, too.And that even if we’re hardly ever near,I’m talking to him about you
And I’ll be praying for you every morning,As I start off the day with the Lord.And I’ll be praying that you’re walking with Jesus,And abiding in his word.
For you see this Jesus of Nazareth,He means everything to me.For he has taken my life,And he has freed my soul,And he has calmed an angry sea.
And I want you to know that God loves you,And that I love you, too.And that even if we’re hardly ever near,I’m talking to him about you
And I’ll be praying for you every morning,As I start off the day with the Lord.And I’ll be praying that you’re walking with Jesus,And abiding in his word.
Well, I don’t know when I’ll see you again,A month, a year, or maybe more.But if your heart belongs to the savior,I’ll see you in the sky if not before.
And I want you to know that God loves you,And that I love you, too.And that even if we’re hardly ever near,I’m talking to him about you
And I’ll be praying for you every morning,As I start off the day with the Lord.And I’ll be praying that you’re walking with Jesus,And abiding in his word.
And I’ll be praying for you every morning,As I start off the day with the Lord.And I’ll be praying that you’re walking with Jesus,And abiding in his word.
In his word.