Another in Sally’s terrific “Buy a Book for Christmas” series, today featuring N. A. Granger, John W. Howell, and Don Massenzio. Some great books here! Stop by Smorgasbord Blog Magazine for your Christmas book shopping, and don’t forget to share the link! Thanks, and thanks to Sally for these great posts! Ho, ho, ho! 🙂 ❤

Sally’s Smorgasbord Magazine is running a series on books for Christmas, and my latest novella, The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody, is included in today’s selection–alongside Charles Yallowitz and Sue Vincent & Stuart France. Hope you’ll check it out, and pass it along. Three in one today! 🙂 And thanks, Sally! Have I told you lately that you ROCK? 🙂 ❤

How lovely to find this super review of The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody from Cathy at Between the Lines. Hope you’ll check it out and consider passing it along. Thanks, and thank you, Cathy, for your kind words. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 ❤

Here’s a little trick I learned years ago from a very good friend:

When facing something bad or frightening, ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen?” If you can live with the answer to that, anything less will be a cinch.

In case you’re wondering where I’ve been lately, and even if you hadn’t noticed my somewhat spotty postings, I figured it was time for an update. Seems like ever since Irma smashed our garage and cars about 14 months ago, life around here has been full of what I’ll call “annoying interruptions.” I’ve seen what disaster looks like, thanks to events like Hurricane Michael’s rampage through the Florida panhandle and the truly horrific wildfires in California, so I’m smart enough to know we haven’t had anything close to a disaster here. But we have had a lot of interruptions, causing delays in everything from replanting our crushed garden to publishing my last novella, and a few of the interruptions have been health related.

Some of you know I have had a LONG history of skin cancer issues–and I have the scars to prove it, even on my face, where I’ve had four. This started when I was in my late 30’s, so I’m pretty familiar with the dangers, the treatments, and the surgeries. Most of mine have been basal cell carcinomas, the least likely to spread and the easiest to remove IF you catch them in time. (They can become very large & potentially disfiguring if you don’t.) Three months ago, I had my first (more dangerous) squamous cell cancer on my arm, which was removed successfully. At the same time, a melanoma (the most dangerous form) was found on my back, and that was successfully removed, as well.)

My most recent issue involved a sore on my ear that didn’t look at all like any other skin cancer I’d ever seen, and which I thought was an insect bite at first. After a few weeks, I realized it wasn’t healing, and had my dermatologist take a look. Turned out to be another basal cell. If it had been on my arm, it would have been an easy-peasy bit of trimming, and done. But it was located on my outer ear, in an area where there is very little skin or tissue to work with, without the risk of disfigurement. Continue reading →