Author: Marcia Meara

#This&That&TheOtherThing – #PublicServiceAnnouncement – #Update

/ Marcia Meara / 36 Comments

THIS

THAT

I did NOT understand the difference, and discovered that a whole lot of folks I knew were also confused. As it turns out, the intermittent health problems I’ve been having for several months have NOT been caused by my diabetes (which is completely under control now, with my A1C test well in the normal range) or residual damage from my fall some time back. NOPE. It turns out I apparently have Long Covid! For those who may have been as confused as I’ve been, here’s what my doctor and the CDC have to say about how this annoyingly persistent problem differs from actual Covid. 

Check with CDC for more Info HERE

THE OTHER THING

My Long Covid symptoms have mainly been extreme fatigue, brain fog/inability to focus my thoughts, and frequent dizzy spells, often accompanied by tingling and numbness in my right leg.  Yes, all three of those are among the 19 symptoms listed on the CDC website. Fatigue and brain fog are very annoying, and often prevent me from accomplishing anything while they last. But the scariest to me are the dizzy spells. Having received a serious concussion with my afore-mentioned fall, I’m truly afraid of having another. Believe me, I’m being very, very careful when I’m up and about on days when these symptoms start showing up. 

Also, there is no pattern I can establish as to when the next episode is going to happen, nor how long it will last. Sometimes I feel fine for 2 or 3 weeks in between Long Covid episodes, and sometimes one will return within 2 or 3 days of the last one. And sometimes they last for only a couple of days, while at least one has lasted for TEN days! 

If you have had Covid at some point and have any random symptoms such as described above, you might want to talk to your doctor to see if you are actually experiencing Long Covid. Not everyone has these episodes, but many do. As for myself, I feel infinitely better knowing what the heck is going on, and finding ways to cope with it, with the fervent wish that it will soon disappear forever!

At least it wasn’t Rapid-Speed Senility shoving me over the edge! 😂

Hope this info has been helpful to some of you, but mainly, I hope most of you never have to deal with either Covid OR the Long Covid after-effects. 

Stay Safe and Stay WELL, Everyone!

#CapybaraAppreciationDay – #WhoKnew? – #MikeAllegra That’s Who!

/ Marcia Meara / 32 Comments

“Almost Ready for Your Close Up, Capy!”

Yes, it really is a THING, and July 10 is it! If you don’t believe me, head on over to read Mike Allegra’s wonderful post on this very topic, with some of the cutest pics you’ve ever seen: https://mikeallegra.com/2022/07/07/is-there-a-capybara-appreciation-day.

I confess, I am a longtime capybara fan, but I know many of you may not really be familiar with this wonderful critter, let alone his very special DAY, so I thought I’d share Mike’s post. Do stop by. You’ll love it! (And you can find out more about Mike’s books there, too, especially his upcoming release, Sleepy Happy Capy Cuddles. I can’t wait to get this one for my granddaughter. And me! 😁

Capys heading over to the big
Capybara Appreciation Day Party!

#TenThingsYouMayNotKnow – About #JackieLambert

/ Marcia Meara / 86 Comments

Today, I’d like to introduce author Jackie Lambert, whose #TenThings List just might knock your socks off! I know you’ll enjoy it, so we’ll get started right away! Jackie, you’re on!

Thanks, Marcia!

Ten Things You May Not Know About Me
by JackieLambert

  1. I used to work as a beer taster for Truman’s Brewery on Brick Lane in East London, where Jack the Ripper used to patrol the mean streets. The brewery was founded in 1666, just after the great fire, and was once London’s largest brewery. In fact, Truman’s became one of the largest brewers in the world. These days, the Black Eagle Brewery building is an arts centre.
  1. I have cuddled a tiger and been bitten by a lion.
  1. I did the first ever commercial white water rafting descent of red rock canyon in Colorado, near where Butch and Sundance jumped in the famous film, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.
  1. I once sat on a swing with ‘The Blackburn Bullet’ – Carl Fogarty, World Superbike Champ. He lived across the road from me when we were both about nine years old!
  1. I can fly a light aircraft.
  1. Mark and I got married outside a lighthouse, so our marriage started on the rocks!
  1. I did the two highest bungee jumps in the world (at the time); Victoria Falls Bridge in Zambia (111 m / 364.5 ft) off the, and Le Pont de Ponsonnas (103 m / 337 ft) near Grenoble in France. I am afraid of heights, and loathed both experiences! I did the first jump to show I could master my fear. It was so awful, I wasn’t sure I could do it again, so I had to show myself I could. Now, I don’t feel I have anything further to prove!
  1. I love travel and adventure and have visited six continents and forty-three countries. By the end of 2022, I hope to have added six more; Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Luxembourg. That said, Mark and I are not great at sticking to plans. We once set off for Spain and Portugal, but decided to turn left, and went to Romania!
  1. I have always loved writing. My aunt once said, “Jacqueline can write pages and pages about absolutely nothing!” I took it as a compliment, of course. I wrote my first short memoir/travelogue aged 14. It followed a horseback ride across England’s Lake District with author Bob Orrell. He entered it into a national competition, open to all age groups, and it came second!
  1. During a windsurfing lesson just before London 2012, I almost dropped my sail on Olympic silver medallist Nick Dempsey’s head. Had he not ducked, I would have brained Team GB’s best hope of a medal in the RSX windsurfing!

Jackie With Nick Dempsey and Peter Hart

I have just published my fifth book; the fourth memoir in my Adventure Caravanning With Dogs series, which follows the story of how hubs and I gave up work, rented out the house, and became perpetual caravan (trailer) nomads with four dogs in tow.

Buy It Never Rains but It Paws HERE

BLURB:
Five years after giving up work to travel full time, Dog-ma Jacqueline (Jackie) and Dogfather Mark race against time to leave the UK before Britain exits the EU. If Brexit happens, their four Cavapoos (Cavalier/Poodle cross) Kai, Rosie, Ruby, and Lani will lose their puppy passports, and the Lambert Family will be unable to travel together. But Brexit isn’t their only obstacle: a few months into their adventure, the pandemic suddenly shatters their plans, and leaves them trapped in the epicentre of Europe’s No. 1 coronavirus hotspot.

The fourth road trip Europe adventure in author Jacqueline Lambert’s “inspirational and hilarious” series of true travel memoirs invites you to join the couple as they discover even more amazing and little-known places, this time in France and Italy. However, this isn’t just a priceless escape travel story filled with humorous mishaps and mountain adventure. The coronavirus pandemic separates the family from their loved ones at home, and leaves Jackie stranded alone during a blizzard in a remote Italian village, with Mark thousands of miles away, back in the UK.

Between terrible weather, political mayhem, and a global pandemic, Jackie and Mark try to take lessons from each hardship. Yet, even with a positive attitude, a sense of adventure, and a caravan full of loved ones, you can’t stop all the obstacles life rolls your way. These “amusing and informative” travel stories are certainly proof that It Never Rains… But It Paws!

Jackie’s Fur Babies

Author Jackie Lambert 

Fans of Jacqueline (Jackie) Lambert’s doggie/travel blog, www.WorldWideWalkies.com said, “You should write a book!” So, she did. In fact, she’s written five…

If you’ve ever considered giving up work to head off into the sunset with surfboards on the roof–or you just like dogs, travel and humour, her Adventure Caravanning With Dogs books are for you.

The first, Fur Babies in France, was described by one reviewer as, “Laugh out funny and a great travel guide”. It tells how she and husband Mark gave up work, accidentally bought their first ever caravan, then decided to rent out the house, sell most of their possessions, and tour Europe full-time with four dogs in tow.

Dog on the Rhine; “An inspirational travelogue” follows this intrepid couple as they get more adventurous, and head into Germany, The Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. But just to prove that Living the Dream is not all sunshine and rainbows, they return home to a huge Fidose of reality…

Dogs ‘n’ Dracula; “Armchair travel delight” gives the full low down on how Jackie and Mark set off for Spain and Portugal, but decided to turn left…

Pups on Piste is a “Fun and interesting book” about the trials and tribulations of their first ski season in Italy, during which a ski instructor tells them, “Don’t miss the turn, or you’ll go over a cliff.”

In her latest memoir, It Never Rains But It Paws, released on 6th May 2022, Jackie and Mark race against time to leave the UK before Britain leaves the EU. Brexit could mean their four precious pups would be unable to travel. Then, a few months into their trip, the pandemic leaves them trapped in the epicentre of Europe’s No. 1 coronavirus hotspot…

She is currently working on her sixth book, To Hel In A Hound Cart – A Road Trip Through Poland In A Pandemic, which will be published later in 2022.

In her first year as a published author, Jacqueline was delighted to receive multiple five-star reviews, a letter from Prince Charles, an invitation to Bucharest to collect an award for Dogs ‘n’ Dracula, and Amazon No. 1 Bestseller status in the German Travel category for Dog on the Rhine. Some of her travel tales BC (Before Canines) have been featured in travel anthologies, alongside other bestselling and award-winning authors.

You can check out all of Jackie’s books on her Amazon Author Page HERE.

Or grab them one at a time here:

Year 1 – Fur Babies in France
Dog on the Rhine
Dogs n Dracula
It Never Rains but It Paws

And you can reach Jackie on social media here:

Blog: WorldWideWalkies.com
Email: jackielambert07@gmail.com
Facebook
Goodreads
BookBub

This & That & The Other Thing – Update – And a Poem by Hunter Painter

/ Marcia Meara / 25 Comments

THIS

Just a quick update to let you folks know I’m still here, though I’ve had a lot on my plate of late. Between endless appointments for this or that and some annoying health issues to deal with,  I’m continuing to run behind, but I do think I see a dim glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Can’t wait for things to return to normal.

THAT

I know I’ve promised I’d be writing on my Blog Break days, but so far, that isn’t working out as well as I’d hoped. (See above for reasons why.) However, I’m not giving up on my Cole, Cole, & Dupree novella. I’m determined to finish that, and very hopeful to make more progress in the next week or two. Don’t count me out, yet. My brain is jam-packed with ideas for this one, and somehow, I WILL get them down on paper. (Well, down in a Word document, anyway! 😀 )

THE OTHER THING

Was going through some clutter today, trying in vain to get my desk area organized and useful again, and I found this little poem I came up with while working on Finding Hunter. Hunter Painter is a writer. One who marches to a different drummer, as many writers do, but also one who has been in love with Willow Greene since high school, though he never had the nerve to explore his feelings. (Except in his dreams, of course, or scribbled on scraps of paper here and there.)

This is a poem he wrote while in 11th grade, though he never showed it to a soul. I debated including it in my book, but ended up not doing so. It does, however, appear on the cover, if you look closely enough at the page shown there. When I saw it this morning, I decided to post it for you today. This is the first time I’ve ever shared it, and I hope you enjoy taking a look.

Emeralds and Silver

No emerald pulled from
  darkest earth holds
    light so warm, so
      full of life, as the
          green in those eyes.

No precious metal
  curled or curved in
    filigrees of man’s design
      offers half the sheen of that
        spun-silver hair.

Who would trade her
  incandescent glow for
    emeralds and silver
      lonely and cold,
        joyless, both, next to her
          bright sparkle.

~~~

And on that note,
I’ll get back to work.
Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone!

#ThorsDaySmile – #Humor – #AmLaughing

/ Marcia Meara / 36 Comments

Are you ready for a few smiles this morning? Thor thinks you are, so let’s get right to it! Here is a bit of a mixed bag for you, and I hope you find a couple of things you enjoy!

 DREAM BIG!!!

That’s it for today, folks. Hope you found a couple to make you smile.
(Smiling is a good thing, you know.)

#TheEmissaryTrilogy – #SummerSale – One Week Only, Don’t Miss Out!

/ Marcia Meara / 23 Comments

Now that it’s officially summer–as  opposed to the 97 to 99 degree temps we’ve been having for several weeks–I decided it was time to have some summer sales! I’m starting with my Emissary trilogy, and hope that those of you who haven’t yet read this series of stories will take advantage of these rock-bottom prices. As of today, each of the three novellas will be priced at a mere $.99 each. You can’t beat that, so now’s your chance to check them out, and here’s a wee bit about each of them.

The Emissary 

BLURB:
An angel’s work is never done—that’s part of the gig. But angels hadn’t been created to deal with such a vastly over-populated planet, rife with misery, suffering, and general chaos. Helping souls in peril has become a nearly impossible job, and even angelic tempers are frayed.

The archangel Azrael has had enough. He believes he’s found a way to ease their burden while saving jeopardized humans, too—hired help.

When Jake Daughtry lost his life rescuing a total stranger from certain death, he was on the fast track to Heaven. But that was before Azrael pulled him right out of line at the Pearly Gates. Now, as an Emissary to the Angels, Jake is taking to the highway in a quest to help souls in trouble. But the innate stubbornness of human beings bent on self-destruction is a challenge unlike any he’s ever faced.

It’s up to Jake and Azrael to bridge the gap between humans and angels. Will they ever convince the Council of Angels this endeavor is worthwhile? Can Jake figure out how to play by Azrael’s complicated rules? Will Azrael ever master the use of contractions in general conversation?

To find out the answers, hop on board Jake’s big red-and-white semi and travel the roads from the Florida Keys to north Georgia on an adventure that will make you laugh hard and cry even harder.

Download The Emissary HERE

The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody

BLURB:
They’re back!

Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again.

They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is usually all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It?

One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?

Download The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody HERE

The Emissary 3: Love Hurts

BLURB:
Azrael’s emissary program was growing daily, but it still met with stubborn opposition from many on the Council of Angels. Dodger’s request to be allowed to experience what falling in love was all about didn’t help matters, but Azrael thought the boy was onto something. He agreed emissaries who’d shared a loving relationship during their mortal lives would have a deeper understanding of human emotions and motivations, thus enhancing the skills needed to do their jobs.

With that in mind, Azrael gave Dodger one chance to search for true love. He then laid down a daunting set of stringent rules and guidelines that could not be broken under any circumstances lest dire happenings occur. But while the angel sincerely hoped Dodger would find a way to make this endeavor work, he feared an avalanche of unintended consequences could be in store for his youngest emissary.

Sometimes even angels hate to be right.

Will Azrael ever tire of popping up behind Jake just to see his first emissary fall out of his chair in shock? Will sharp-eyed motel owners ever notice a big red-and-white semi mysteriously appearing and disappearing from their parking lots overnight? And will Dodger be able to track down the mystery girl who caught his eye two weeks earlier to see if she’s really The One?

To find the answers to these and other angelic or emissarial questions, come along on one last adventure with Jake, Dodger, and that ginormous, glowy-eyed archangel, Azrael. They’re waiting for you!

Download The Emissary 3: Love Hurts HERE

If you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about this series and the characters within, I hope you’ll stop by Amazon today to download your copies! Price guaranteed for one week only, so grab yours while you can! 

HAPPY READING!

And Have a Great Summer!