inch by inch

I am happy to report that my hemoglobin remains stable at 15.  I've had to back off on the new medication a little because it started to cause a few unwelcome side-effects, but overall everything is going well.  I have a noticeable increase in my energy level most days, and I continue to ever-so-slowly shed weight.

Now that I no longer have impending demise hanging over my head, the little day-to-day annoyances are creeping back.  While out with friends, we stepped into an overcrowded, cramped eatery for beverages and I had that gut-wrenching sense of fight-or-flight adrenaline rush.  Rapid exit ensued, and after several calming moments I was able to regain my composure enough to continue wandering through the flea market.

It's not all angst, though.  I made it though two levels of vetting for a potential job - working as a library tech in a correctional institution - and now am waiting to hear if I am the one selected from the three finalists.  Meanwhile, I continue to fill out applications and tutor my remaining students as the need arises. 

I've been struggling with my publisher lately.  It seems some of their timeframes for distribution are not exactly accurate.  Although both Solerna and The Schubark Chronicles: Tales of Wagging Tails, In Their Own Words are available through the publisher's site and barnesandnoble.com, they have yet to post in the iBookstore.  I pushed their listing through on amazon.com myself, so they are at least available for the two most popular e-readers: Kindle and NOOK.  It would be nice to have them available for Apple devices sooner rather than later, but at this point it looks like I'll just have to be patient.

Meanwhile, the paperback version of Solerna is receiving rave reviews - and even has a fanfic following.  I am happy with the reception of my work, but need some new ideas for promotion.

My Relay for Life fundraising seems to have hit a wall as well.  I can completely understand people being unable to donate considering the difficult economy, and am thrilled that I've been able to raise what little I have thus far. 

My website is now live!  tiny.cc/annas will get you there.  It is fairly basic for now, but does have links to most of my current projects.

Speaking of projects, the writing never stops!  I am currently working toward the deadline for The Schubark Friends, my second volume of children's stories told from the point of view of companion animals.  This time, I solicited suggestions for companion animals from friends and relatives, and I've ended up with a nicely diverse list.  In addition to one Chihuahua, I have a rabbit, a rat, a snake, a cat, and five other assorted breed dogs.  It will be interesting to find out what these guys have to say.

I have the sequel to Solerna in the works as well.  It is in the rough outline stage, but I continue to fill in details and story arcs nearly every day.

Another exciting project is the current Call for Papers for Pagan Ethical Dilemmas, a non-fiction essay anthology that I will be editing.  Response has been slower than expected, but the deadline for submissions is over a month away.  I've noticed that locating collegiate Pagan Student Associations is rather difficult, and compiling email addresses for those PSA groups is akin to herding cats - and just about as effective.  I think more emails have bounced than have gone through. 

I am excited to see my gardening efforts begin to unfold.  After a week of watering and countless wheelbarrow loads of thistle remnants carted away, some of the seeds have begun to germinate!  In fact, the only things that have yet to poke above the ground is the lettuce and the spinach.  We have baby radishes, carrots, cucumbers, pumpkins, several types of beans, beats and kohlrabi.  Oh, and sunflowers and cabbages!  And I think the cilantro may have sprouted as well, but the leaves are tiny at this point so it's difficult to tell the plant from any weeds that may have rooted in that pot.  Inch by inch, row by row - goes the gardening song that seems to be my theme song of late - I'm happy to gather those inches and rows, those hours and days, and weave them into my tapestry of life.