Dec 19 2023

New Release and Holiday Tea

Hello, Darklings!

Here we are, at the end of all things.

Wait…that’s not right.

The YEAR! The end of the YEAR! (Sorry, my sense of time is off these days. The end of all things isn’t for another—never mind.)

ANYWAY!

Like I was saying, here we are at the end of the year, and I don’t know about you, but it got here a lot faster than I was prepared for. I was going to do kind of a retrospective thing as this will very likely be the last Little Bitty Pretty One newsletter of 2023, but you all don’t need me to rehash what all I did (and didn’t do—shut up) this year. All my eviltry is laid out on my website or my Patreon for anyone with questions I don’t answer here (shout-out to those Darklings new to the Lair—ten cent tour here for those just joining us).

I know you’re all busy with holiday nefariousness or hiding from the family (or the law—I don’t judge) or putting the finishing touches on your own lair in preparation for hibernation, so I’ll make this quick.

Today is release day for The Silverthorn Protocol.

My first foray into sci-fi (with space werewolves and vampires because that’s what I do) which I affectionately bill “Underworld meets Grey’s Anatomy. In Space.” is finally ready for your reading pleasure, just in time for the end-of-year holiday season.

It’s currently available in ebook form at whichever platform you prefer to purchase your reading material. (Amazon might be a little behind, but if that’s your evil empire of choice, you might have to check back a couple times. It’s not my fault it’s having issues with their platform calendar. I blame the holidays, because why not?)

If you like to try before you buy /aren’t sure about a possibly new-to-you genre, there’s a free sample here you can check out.

This project has been a long time coming (roughly two years from NaNo project to polished novel), and though we’ve had some setbacks and behind the scenes chicanery, it’s here. (And believe me when I say that up until yesterday, I really wasn’t sure it was going to happen this year. But that’s not a story you need to hear.)

Though currently only available in e-format, the paperback will be along soon, and possibly a hardcover if things go well.

Early feedback from those who have seen in-progress versions or snippets have been encouraging enough to prompt a second book in the same world, so there are very loose plans (and some notes, and maybe the start of an outline) for Book II, which I guess means it might be a series now?

Baby steps.

Now we come to the “also in the works” portion of this missive. Bear with me if you’re a long-time reader, subscriber, or Patron, as this is likely to be repeated information, but we have some people new at the Lair (again, welcome), and I cross-post a lot of places.

The big December Free Reads promotion over on Bookfunnel is still going on through the end of the year, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, go do that by clicking here. There are nearly FIFTY participating authors, and some of them are offering more than one book for free, so head over there and fill your stocking with all things urban fantasy, sci-fi/fantasy, paranormal, and more. I’m offering All Wounds, which you may or may not already have, so pass the link on to those you think might enjoy some vampires, hellhounds, werewolves, aliens, elves, or witches and cross a few people off your last-minute holiday gift list.

Other things going on at the moment (not so much a project, just something I’m involved in) is a livestreaming D&D game over on Twitch. It’s called Tal’Dorei South (for the moment—we’re still workshopping a group name), and you can find it every other Sunday at Border Kingdoms Adventures.

While I am a Dungeonmaster myself, in this game I’m a player (Tabaxi rogue), and shenanigans are afoot with our all-female game run by AD&D League Dungeonmaster Joe Alfano. Our next game is New Year’s Eve, so if you don’t have other plans and want to ring in the New Year with some very bad dice rolls (mine…they’re always mine), put us on your calendar.

There are archived episodes on his YouTube channel, so if you’d like to start from the beginning (where I taunt an evil baddie and pay the price), you can watch Tal’Dorei South Episode One here.

Also, if D&D is your thing, here’s a reminder that Skyla Dawn Cameron is offering YOU a seat at MY gaming table (you’re so lucky—they’re invitation only), when she meets her goal of 100 Patrons.

From January’s Newsletter: “When Skyla makes it to 100 Patrons, she’s planning on holding a contest where one lucky winner gets to play in a D&D one shot with her (I’m the Dungeonmaster) at our usual Friday game, so if that’s a thing you’d be interested in, there’s another reason to support her there. Shenanigans may include TNR of an owlbear, the murder of red-headed children (don’t ask), seducing a lich (really, don’t ask), or helping a kitten out of a tree. Or maybe overthrowing a local fascist dictator. Who knows?!”

So, if you’re not already one of her Patrons, remedy that now for as little as $1. If you’re already her Patron, give a signal boost and get people signed up so YOU have a chance at winning that seat.

Speaking of Patreon, I have stuff over there you might be interested in.

If you’re a Darkling of the CHECK FOR TRAPS tier or higher, you get to read excerpts of my works-in-progress when they come out. Otherwise you’ll get to read them a few months later when I make them available to all subscribers. (All snippets posted in 2023 are now available to Patrons of all tiers. Merry Sithmas!)

That goes for all the works-in-progress. I post random snippets every so often (I aim for once a month) of things I’m working on, so if you’re interested in those things and don’t already support me there, that might be something to think about.

If you want more than the occasional public post or missive like this, such as an Infrequent Newsletter that talks about stuff like my studio renovation and kitten fostering escapades, toss me some pennies and all the shiny things can be yours!

Now, it wouldn’t be Sithmas if I didn’t have a gift for my Darklings. I wrote a little something earlier this year that until now has only been available for my Patrons, but now through midnight on Christmas Day (Sunday, December 25), it’s free for everyone. It’s a short story called Prom Fright, and all you have to do is head over to Payhip, put it in your cart, and enter coupon code TEAFORME at checkout. I’m going to do my best to include a clicky button for it below, but technical things and I don’t play well together, so it’s linked above in the title as well.

That’s all for now, Darklings. I hope your holiday season is as stress free as possible, and that your New Year is all you’d like it to be.

Until next time,

Dina

Dec 03 2022

Holiday Wrap-Up 2022

Here we are, at the end of the year, and boy has it been absolute chaos here in the James Household.

Earlier this year we started work on converting our detached garage/workshop into a studio space, not only to give me a dedicated place to both write and craft (I have become a quilter as well as a knitter, and craft supplies take up a lot of space, no matter how much of it you store in twelve gallon totes). While the exterior (new roof, siding, and windows) went smoothly, once we got to the interior (electrical was already installed, but there was no plumbing whatsoever) things started to spiral. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say what should have been finished in October has now stretched into December, and will very, very likely go into the New Year. I keep telling myself that it will be beautiful and amazing once it’s finished (it will double as a guest house for any visitors needing a place to stay while vacationing out here on the Oregon Coast once the pandemic is in the rear view mirror), but given all the delays and obstacles, it doesn’t help much. I am homicidal on my best days, and those are far, far behind us now, so you can guess where I’m at when it comes to enthusiasm for the project.

September brought us a foster cat who ended up staying with us far longer than planned as our local shelter has been full to bursting all year. I was calling every other day to see if they had space in the adoption room for them, but had no luck. One of our friends saw the cat’s picture on our social media and made arrangements to bring him home, but logistics were fouled when Mr. James was involved in a car accident in November (he’s okay — the other driver ran a stop sign) resulting in a total loss of the vehicle that was supposed to transport our foster to his forever home. Other arrangements were made, but the accident and everything it entails has taken a toll on both our mental and physical health.

October brought us another foster in the form of a single abandoned ten-day-old kitten. Longtime followers may know that a few years ago, the James Household specialized in fostering neonatal/orphaned bottle-baby kittens, and though we had ceased operations due to COVID restrictions and protocols, the shelter (being chock full and every foster family unavailable) pulled our name out of mothballs and asked if we “still did that.” As it was a single orphaned kitten and not an entire litter, I said yes, despite everything that was falling down around us. After three days, we knew Her Majesty Queen Penelope wasn’t going back to the shelter, and once she was of adoptable age, we filed the paperwork and made her an official member of the household. She’s now ten weeks old and driving her older brothers and sisters insane with her bouncing. (I swear, she has one speed, and it is 175MPH.)

Given all the above, the idea of putting up a giant cat toy in the form of our customary Sithmas tree for the kitten to destroy throughout the month just didn’t appeal to either myself or Mr. James, so we tacked up a holiday fabric panel from my quilting stash and called it good. (It needs ironing, but that will happen later.)

While Her Majesty Queen Penelope is an absolute joy in these chaotic times, I have been running on fumes the last couple months, so work on Death Knell (Stranger Things #3) has come to a standstill. It was supposed to be polished and released the 20th of this month, but given everything going on around here combined with my chronic illness (Multiple Sclerosis – please consider a donation to your local MS society for the holidays thank you), I just haven’t had time or energy or the coherence to put in the work it needs before publication. I’ve pushed the pre-orders back 30 days on Amazon (that’s what they allow without penalty), but even that might not be enough. We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted.

So that’s where we stand for the end of the year. Once the dust settles around the car accident thing, we’ll have to set about getting a new one, and car shopping is one of my least favorite things to do. Both Mr. James and I are severely demoralized over the loss of his vehicle. We’d had it just over a year and it was much loved by both of us. There will never be another one like it, but I have a call into the salesman that found it for us and told him to find us as close a match as he can. Maybe we’ll get lucky and Mr. James will get a new car he loves for Sithmas.

A new studio for me would be nice, too. They were hoping to have it done by my birthday (yesterday), but yet again things got in the way.

I realize this post is full of doom and despair, but the sign on the door reading LAIR OF DOOM isn’t there for funsies. The James Household is also fairly demoralized at this point, and I have to admit missing the release date for Death Knell doesn’t do much to improve my mood.

Here’s hoping your holiday season, whatever you celebrate, is all you wish it to be, and that the coming New Year is kind to you and yours.

Best,
Dina

P.S. There’s a snippet of my first sci-fi novel, THE SILVERTHORN PROTOCOL up for PERCEPTION CHECK (and above)-level tiers over at Patreon. If you’re not a Patron, maybe think about becoming one for the holidays so you can access shiny things like that and more depending on how generous you’re feeling.

Dec 06 2020

So This Is Sithmas

Wait, no. I won’t do that to you. Still, whatever holiday you celebrate (or don’t…that’s totally fine too), it’s that time of year. Pretty lights, trees, red, green, holly jolly, and so on. Also, presents.

And, like I did this spring when the nightmare that is coronavirus locked us all in our houses, I have something shiny for you.

If you’ve already gotten it, yay for you. But, if you know someone who might appreciate a little holiday happy, give them this link and tell them there’s a nice present waiting for them under the Sithmas tree. All they have to do is enter the code HOME4HOL at checkout and everything is free.

What’s with the code? Oh yeah. We’re still dealing with A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, and you can do your part to keep me and my family (including the cats, because pets also get COVID, in case you didn’t know that) safe from this lethal infection. We’re all immune-compromised and depend on you to keep us safe. (If some of this post sounds familiar, it’s because I shamelessly copied and pasted from a previous one. What? I have cards to finish!)

I am literally quarantined inside my house (yes! still!) along with Mr. James, and have been since March 5th. I’ve only gone out for absolute necessities, and the rest of the time we are practicing social distancing and self-isolating. It’s driving the extrovert in Mr. James mad, but me? I’m loving it. This is pretty much how I live my life as it is (hi, writer and kitten rescuer*), so nothing’s really changed for me, except how often I go out to eat/visit restaurants. (Thank God take-out is still a thing! For now, anyway!)

I know this is hard on a lot of people. We’re all demoralized (I’ve even written multiple threads on Twitter about morale boosts and their importance in these nightmarish times). and the idea of staying home for the holidays when you’re used to sharing them with family and friends is difficult for a lot of you. (I mean…not me…this is my jam. I don’t need a reason to stay home and ignore my relatives.)

As I’ve said before, my darklings, I adore it when people cope with their issues. I am here to provide you some tools to cope with your own quarantine/self-isolation. You ARE doing that, right? Wearing a mask when around others, washing your hands, disinfecting surfaces, social/physical distancing? Good. Keep it up. This is almost over. You got this.

So, the present!

This spring I uploaded my previously published/out-of-print books in ebook format to Payhip. I offered them free for a few weeks to get you through the isolation/lockdown period then. I’m doing the same thing now to get you through the holiday season.

They are free to download with the coupon code “HOME4HOL”. Just put that in at checkout, and everything is free.

No, seriously. Everything. The Destrati Series, the Stranger Things books (1 & 2 – there is no 3, despite rumors). Go.

Click this link to get your FREE QUARANTINE READS!

If you’ve wanted the out-of-print Stranger Things series, now’s your chance.

I don’t have to tell you all how uncomfortable I am offering those books for sale. I have my reasons.

However the world is forever changed, and we must change with it.

Because that’s how you survive.

Go. Get your free reads. Everything of mine is there for free. If you enjoy, leave me a review somewhere. If you don’t, well, I didn’t force you to read it. Keep that opinion to yourself.

Stay safe, stay vigilant, stay healthy.

Above all, STAY HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

— Dina

P.S. I’m plotting some theoretical eviltry that I may release after the New Year. It’s in the planning stages still, so there’s still a (fair/good) chance it may come to nothing (translation: I may get involved with something else and let it sit – again), but stay tuned. I’ll let you all know if it makes it out of the Lair.

*We have decided to suspend our kitten rescue until this pandemic is over. Not only are newborn kittens already immune compromised, shelters are limited on their space, and many veterinarians in our area are limiting the amount of spay/neuter surgeries in their clinics. It was in the best interest for everyone involved to suspend our efforts until it’s safe, especially for the kittens.

Dec 18 2014

I’ll Have A Beige Sithmas

No, really. I will. It’s…it’s beige, Jim. See?

Beige-Sithmas-Full

Of COURSE I have the One Ring on my tree as a Sithmas ornament! What did you expect?

It’s okay. Just. I’ll be all right. I think. I hope. I mean…it’s still my Sithmas tree, only now the walls behind it are beige instead of red because of the De-Gothening. Hopefully by this time next year, we will have a new house in which the walls will NOT be beige. But it is not this day.

Still. I can manage. I can cope. OHMYGODIT’SBEIGEIT’SFUCKINGBEIGEICAN’T-

*ahem* I’m fine. Really. I have bigger problems to deal with than a beige Sithmas. I mean, my cat put me in the ER. I’m not kidding! Look!

It was this guy, right here: tman

I mean, his name is literally “Trouble,” so I shouldn’t be surprised in the least. How did this happen? Well, I’ll tell you.

I don’t know.

I was asleep then I heard a crash and he landed on my head and tore out of the room like demons were on his ass. I sat up and switched on the lamp, both instantly awake and aware of my ear hurting. He Who Enables My Crazy was instantly awake at the noise as well.

Him: What was that?! *looks around for broken things*
Me: Trouble, I think…fell or jumped off the headboard onto my head! I think he got my ear. *turns head to the side to show hubby*
Him: Oh, God. He sure did.
Me: *feels something wet dripping down my nose and turns to face hubby* Did he-
Hubby: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! *grabs tissue and presses it to my forehead* Into the bathroom, now!

Seconds later we determined that an ER trip was necessary. Facial lacerations bleed like hell, but this was a deep one more than an inch long, and those need medical treatment. We managed to get the bleeding stopped rather quickly, but the wounds needed to be cleaned with more than we had on hand and possibly glued. Stitches and faces don’t really go well together, but there were other things that could be done to repair the damage. Plus my ear was torn all to hell as well, plus this was done by an animal. Cats – even indoor-only housecats whose shots are kept current like mine – harbor nasty bacteria in their claws and teeth, and we all know Dr. Dina believes in tetanus shots. Mine was technically all right as it was updated within the last 10 years, but the medical community likes it to be done every five years, so it was time to get that done as well.

So, off to the ER we went.

They took me back and cleaned my wounds with a strong antiseptic solution. They gave me a tetanus/diptheria/pertussis booster (TDaP) and set about cleaning the wounds. The ear was the most painful because it’s cartilage and there’s not a whole lot they can do for it besides clean it really, really well. Cleaning the wound meant removing the scab that had formed when we got the bleeding stopped, and that meant it bled more, which meant it had to be stopped again, and direct pressure is the best way to get bleeding to stop for most lacerations.

And by “direct pressure” I mean that the gorgeous male nurse wasn’t enough to distract me from the OH MY GOD THIS FUCKING HURTS death-grip pinch he had my ear in. Don’t worry – numbness sets in after a few minutes and so you don’t feel anything until they move or release it to check the bleeding has stopped and OH MY GOD HE’S DOING IT AGAIN FUCK FUCK OW–

Eventually the ear was sorted out and he moved onto the forehead. Compared to the ear, this was nothing. Much wetter, but I had a towel to catch the drips. I couldn’t appreciate the male nurse while he cleaned my forehead, because the solution and my eyes (which we discovered when I closed them that the left one had the tiniest nick right along the lash line – he cleaned that too). When he had everything good and clean, the doctor came in to see about how to treat it, and agreed with Pretty Male Nurse’s treatment plan of using Steri-strips to hold the edges of the forehead lac in place. You really don’t want to sew the face if you can possibly avoid it, because scarring, and cat scratches have a terrible tendency to get infected. If that happens, you have to take the stitches back out to deal with the infection, la la la…it was just easier to leave it to heal on its own, with the adhesive strips to give it a little more stability while it did that. My wound had cleaned up really well and the edges had good approximation, and less is really more when it comes to wound care. First do no harm and all that. The less you can do to disturb the wound, the better it will heal. Even cleaning too often or with the wrong solution can slow healing down. I know, it sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true.

So a little more cleaning, a little more tidying, some adhesive glue and a few strips later, and I was good to go. They gave me a prescription for some extra-strength antibiotics and sent me on my way to heal on my own. Pretty Male Nurse said to leave the strips on for five days, and this happened on Tuesday, so I’ll be staying in the house until Monday next week. I really don’t want to go out looking like this:

War-Wounds-Healed-1
War-Wounds-Healed-2

Oh, and the best part is…I’m going to scar! That’s right! Yours truly is going to have a Mark of Badassery right between her eyes (and on my ear, but that one shouldn’t be all that visible). I scar very, very easily (hi, extremely pale skin), so it will be interesting to see what this one will end up looking like.

You know, I’m all for permanent literary marks on the skin. My tattoos are proof of that. However, while I am a fan of Harry Potter, I really didn’t need a scar on my forehead to attest to that.

Guess I’ll be knitting that Slytherin House Scarf sooner than I planned.

Pretty Male Nurse advised me to stay out of the sun, as it will make the scar show up more clearly.

Me: Yeah, not really a sun person. I’ve got no problem staying out of the light.

Out of the light! Brilliant!

*turns off lights in the living room*

Ahh! There we go! Sithmas proper!

Beige-Sithmas-1

Wow. The beige reflects the red lights really well.

And of course, the Darth Vader topper for the Sithmas tree:
Beige-Sithmas-Topper

There. Much better. And I have official advisement to keep out of the sun. Thank you, Pretty Male Nurse! You’re so going in a book someday!

And now it’s time to take my antibiotic.

Dec 17 2013

Sithmastime Is Here!

Well, almost.

Close enough, anyway!

I thought I’d share a something with you before next week comes and bashes us over the head with a roll of wrapping paper. (‘Cause that’s gonna happen…it’s comin’ right for us!)

Here. Have my mother’s fudge recipe! I posted it a few years ago (2009? Seriously? Wow…), but I thought you might like it again, seeing as how I just made a couple batches over the weekend. Mostly I just wanted to taunt you with holiday cookery. And what do you know? There’s still time for you to make a batch or two yourself before Sithmas arrives!

This recipe was given to my mother sometime before I was born, and if I’m not mistaken, it comes from Good Housekeeping magazine circa 1970-something. No matter when or where it came from, it’s been altered by this family member and that, and passed down to me. I make it yearly, and I’m warning you now – a little dab’ll do ya!

Without further ado, I give you:

Mom’s Fudge

You will need:

1 buttered cake pan (I like the 9″x13″ size)
1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever – butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips)
7 ½ oz marshmallow crème (1 small jar or ½ large jar)
1 can (12 oz) EVAPORATED milk (*NOT* condensed!!)
1 stick of butter or margarine (I like butter best.)
4 ½ cups sugar
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup nuts if desired (walnuts are best)

Instructions:

Combine sugar, milk, & butter in large pot. While stirring constantly, bring to a FULL, BUBBLING boil.

BOIL for 8 minutes, stirring constantly,. (This is important, or your candy won’t set.)

(Are you getting the STIR CONSTANTLY part? Good.)

Remove from heat after 8 minutes.

Stir in chips, marshmallow crème, & vanilla (nuts as well if you’re using them).

Stir well, then pour into buttered pan.

Cool and cut into SMALL squares (believe me, it will be plenty!).

Makes 5 lbs.

There you go! Mom’s Fudge recipe. Pass it on!

That’s all I have for you today. Enjoy!