FLAT TIRES, GOOD OR BAD?

After about half a block I realized my front bike tire held about half the air it should. When I dismounted at my halfway point, I could see the back one was no better. This was at the halfway point for a pretty short ride. I figured I was getting at least twice the exercise pushing my gearless bike across asphalt with such a handicap.

I don't know if I burned twice the calories for having half the air or not. I am pump challenged, and my husband seems to be too (at least with the cheap pump I bought), so I'll have to wait for my son to come over and get me back on the road.

But I AM trying to exercise more. Body equals temple and all that, but even more, it's the only body I have and I use it for a lot of things. I love to write more than most anything (okay, there are a few things that are better), and I need my body for that. I know, it's a sedentary endeavor, but I still need my eyes and my fingers, and they tend to quit working well if I don't get them out and about once in a while. It makes sense to keep myself in as good a shape as I can, especially if I can do it and still eat good stuff occasionally. If I exercise (more regularly than I have been doing), that will happen. I hope!




Sitting at the computer and losing focus because my eyes have stared at blinking pixels too long, my fingers aching because I've written too many pages and forgotten to set my timer again, seems like pedaling through hot asphalt with flat tires. Bad idea.

A DETOUR ON MY TRIP

My journey is supposed to end in publication of at least one mystery novel. To that end, I've sought publication for my mystery stories. A few have popped up in my head that are not mysteries, however. One was SHIPWRECK. It's been accepted by an epub called Dark Valentine Magazine, a place, they say, where dark fiction rules. http://darkvalentine.net/

The first issue is out today! Several of my friends have stories in this issue, but mine will be in issue #2 in September. This volume is 121 pages packed with 19 dark stories. Try it out! Click on the ISSUES tab (the cover will not get you there) and enter a nightmare realm.

Hey, have fun!

Guppies I met last month

It's about time I reported on the rest of my May travels. In addition to all the Gups that attending Malice (33 I think), I got to lunch with a couple others. I was able to meet Elaine Douts for lunch in the DC area. My daughter Jessica came, too. She's an avid reader and a sometime writer (although she doesn't want to publish--can you imagine that?)


Elaine and I chatted about our WIPs and this and that and probably bored poor Jessica, but we had fun! Pictured are Elaine, me, and Jessica.

I was home for two whole days, then I jetted off to Tucson to see our son's family. And to keep the one-and-a-half-year-old Jack and the three-and-a-half-year-old Lily, hubby and me, all by ourselves, for four whole days! Jack and Lily are our adorable, intelligent, but energetic, non-napping grandchildren. Did I mention that they do not nap? The best we could manage were drowsing in the car and quiet moments in front of the television. But mostly, we went. It was great fun.

During the Tucson stay, I met up with another Guppy, Elise Stone, and we lunched at the Tohono Chul tearoom, in the garden. It's as elegant as it sounds, but slightly hotter. We also talked about our writing. Imagine that!


I borrowed this photo of "Dining al fresco in the Hummingbird Garden at the Tea Room" (photo by Evan Davis) from the website

I forgot to bring my camera to lunch that day, so no picture of me and Elise.

The park incorporates the name of a local native tribe, Tohono O'odham Nation. They extend, today, from Arizona into Mexico. I was unable to find out what Chul means. I assume it means "park" but can't find a reference to that anywhere.

My journeys for June will take me back into my head to work on my projects, and out into cyberspace with my queries in my quest for an agent and/or publisher. I hope I have some news of progress to report one of these days!