Christmas is only ONE WEEK away!!!  I have so much to do to get ready, and I’m working extra at the day job. I am horribly afraid I will have to wrap presents that I am quilting and knitting, and then immediately take them back to I can finish them. And since I am hosting the Christmas Eve dinner and present opening, I really ought to at least run the vacuum in the living room and hall, and  dust the furniture. Oh, and maybe clean the toilet?  Oy! Anyone else getting down to the wire with holiday preparations? Even so, I love Christmas. I’ve tried to squeeze in a couple of Christmas movies and novellas. I watched Dear Santa. It was corny and sweet, and made me happy. And I’m reading The Christmas Bus right now. 

Do you enjoy Christmas books and movies? Any suggestions for me?

Word Weavers is continuing with the writing sprints format for our meetings. Last night I presented them with some questions I had about the ending for Gina’s Wolf. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I wasn’t sure how to make it believable. We batted around some ideas for about 15 minutes, and now I know how to proceed. I don’t know what I’d do without those gals! Tonight’s snip isn’t very long again, and it may or may not actually show up in the book, but i’m posting it anyway. Since Tuesday is Christmas I probably won’t post a snip that day. We’ll see how things go, but I am going to  concentrate on getting that quilt and shawl done so I can actually GIVE them on Christmas and not just lend them long enough to be opened 😉 

I’m actually not sure if this is Part 30 or Part 31. Whichever, here it is. Enjoy!

Gina passed through the opening the other women made for her. Ms. Mary handed her the towel with a wink. Gina’s cheeks were brightly pink, but she was smiling. From the very first moment he’d seen her pouring hot chocolate in that coffee shop downtown, Cole had thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her face didn’t have the perfect lines of Mrs. Madison’s, and her body wasn’t the classic voluptuous hourglass like Aunt Amanda’s, but the color in her cheeks was enchanting, and the hint of a naughty smile on her lips as she came to him made him smile back. She was the loveliest and most precious of women.

Mine, said the wolf fiercely.

“Mine,” agreed the man happily.

Gina’s smile broadened as she handed him the towel. She poked her finger into the center of his breastbone. “Mine,” she said.

He wrapped the towel around his waist. “Yours,” he agreed, already planning what he would do to her upstairs. His mother’s Lupa voice made him reluctantly shelve those plans for the moment.

“Colby, what is happening out there?”

All the women hovering in the doorway between the kitchen and mudroom looked anxious. Aunt Rose shook her head. “Let’s go sit down in the dining room. It’s too cold out here.”

Cole sent Gina a quick glance. He wasn’t cold, but she might be. He followed the women into the dining room. He didn’t have much to report, so this wouldn’t take long. Then he would take his mate upstairs and keep her warm all night. Just a couple of minutes and then they would be alone.

It didn’t take long to tell his mom and the other women that the Kansas-Missourians had withdrawn into their camp across the river and not done anything more than send out occasional patrols. So far no sign of their army had been seen on this side of the river. His dad was directing the Clan and Pack in working with Mayor McGrath and Captain Erickson to keep constant watch on the streets and walls of Omaha. They were making hourly patrols in wolf form outside the wall to be sure the city wouldn’t be surprised by an attack.

“Do you think parading in and out is a good idea?” his mother asked. “Todd and his gang have to be watching. What if they come charging in while the gate is open?”

“There are four small gates hidden. We use those to go out on patrols.”

His mother’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Oh, right. I’m sure your father has those little gates guarded.”

“Every second,” he assured her. “And we only go in and out when it’s dark so the enemy won’t see us. So far, we’ve seen nothing.”

“I wonder what he’s waiting for?” Gina said, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were cold.

Cole tightened his arm around her waist. “I don’t know. But it will be okay. We won’t let him win.”

Gina didn’t quite look convinced. “Yeah, I know you won’t let him win.”

In spite of her words, she didn’t quite sound convinced either. Cole would fix that. He gave her a gentle tug to the stairs that led to their room. “Goodnight, Mom.”

He heard his mother sigh, and Ms. Mary titter. “Newlyweds,” the old lady said happily. “So sweet!”

Thirty minutes later, his mate sprawled, sated, by his side. Her finger drew light circles over his pectoral just below where her cheek lay against him. He was a happy man, relaxed in the dark with the scent of his mate and their loving all around him. “Cole?”

He opened his eyes with a sleepy smile. He didn’t like his name, but it was fine coming from her. “Hmm?”

“I’m learning how to kill a man with a knife.”

He brushed his lips over her forehead. “That’s wonderful, darling.”

She snorted a laugh. “I can’t think of another man who would say that.”

“Every man in the Clan and Pack would say that.”

She chortled again and then sobered. Her hand stopped doodling and pressed flat against him. “How long can we hold out if he never attacks? I mean, how are we for food and water?”

Cole turned her face up and kissed her lips. “We’re fine. McGrath thought of that months ago when Todd sent his first message to Omaha. He’s been saving food and water ever since.”

“That’s good.”

There was relief in her voice, so he didn’t tell her that Todd’s threats hadn’t come until February, when a lot of the winter stores had already been used up. No longer relaxed, he held his sleeping mate and stared up into the dark and tried to figure out just how long Omaha’s food and water would hold out.

Hello! It’s snowing out there tonight and I’m drinking tea from Paris called Noel a Pekin. It’s a black tea from China  with jasmine green tea, mango, passion fruit and pineapple. I’m not sure how that comes to be considered a Christmas in Peking tea, but there you go. It’s a good night to drink it and knit.

I do have a new snip for you tonight. It is shorter than I’d wanted it to be, but at least I have new words. Here is my Confession Is Good For The Soul statement. It’s true I’ve been very busy. Working full time and a little overtime at the day job 7am-4:00pm. And after work looks like this: Monday=Word Weavers, Tuesday=visit Mom, Wednesday=church, Thursday=SCA meetings, Friday=clean, laundry, etc., Saturday=sleeping late, visit mom, PLAY!!!, Sunday=church and knitting and reading. So actually I DO have some time available to write. Not a lot, but if I was more disciplined I could find an hour a day.  I will try harder to get myself back into the habit of writing. Thank you for being so patient with me.

My local critique group (we call ourselves the Word Weavers) has started a new format for our meetings. We will do critiques for only the first 30-40 minutes. Then we will do a timed writing sprint for 30 minutes. we’ll finish up with 15-20  minutes of talking about what we did during the sprint. I am loving it. Although last night my laptop battery died only 5 minutes in. I got my notebook and pen out and wrote long hand for about 2 minutes when my pen died. I couldn’t believe it!! I sat fuming with my knitting for the remaining 20 minutes. Gosh, it makes me laugh now but last night I was mad. 

So here is the little bit I managed to write the past week. I’m not sure it will make it to the book. But it can be re-written or moved around, or even just deleted if it doesn’t work. The important thing is I’m writing. You gotta start somewhere. Stephen King said that you can’t edit a blank page. So, here you go!

Cole cast one last look around the moonlit river bank before turning and trotting back toward Omaha. He’d seen no men hiding, heard not a hint of trucks or other traffic, and hadn’t caught any unfamiliar scent carried on the night air. His patrol was over. With his paws heavy with mud, and his legs coated with drying goop, all he wanted was to be clean so he could bask in his mate’s warmth.

He wished Todd would just turn his army around and go home. That wasn’t likely. The next best thing would be for him to just attack so this stupid little war could be ended. The initial attack this morning was only a feint, probably to test Omaha’s readiness. Well, they were ready. Ready to send Todd packing with his tail between his legs. Cole wanted to bring his sweet mate home to the den so they could start their life together and he couldn’t do that until Todd was dealt with.

Cole approached the wall of Omaha, careful of where he placed his paws so as to not leave paw prints leading to the small back gate in Omaha’s wall. He quietly woofed to let his cousin xxxxx (haven’t decided who yet) know he was ready to come back in, and the door opened just wide enough to let his furred body slip in.

Paint was there with XXXXX. “Anything?”he asked. When Cole shook his wolf’s head, Pain nodded. “Go report to your dad and get home.”

XXXXX shot him a sly grin. “You stink. Better wash before you wrap yourself around your mate.”

Cole wrinkled his nose in a snarl and ran down the street to the house designated as the eastern headquarters. He shifted to human at the steps of the building. It was one of those buildings from the Times Before that housed two families. One side was set up as the headquarters; the other was crammed with beds for the City Guard to sleep in when they weren’t on duty. Cole felt a tiny moment of regret for them. They would be away from the families for days at a time but he got to return to the Limit where his mate awaited him.

Naked,he went into the HQ side and followed his ears to the room which must have been a dining room at one time. His dad was there with Captain Dean Erickson,leaning over a map spread out on the table. Two pimply teenagers were there too, both using so many words to give their report that Cole could barely make out what they were trying to say. The boys stopped, mouths hanging open, when they saw Cole come in. They appeared to be either horrified or fascinated by his nakedness.

“Wolf,” one mouthed to the other.

Cole resisted the urge to show them his teeth. He gave his report to Captain Erickson, describing where he had gone and what he’d seen in brief, concise statements. His dad nodded approvingly.

“You have eight hours down,” he told Cole. “Then get back here.” He cracked a shadow of a smile. “And try to spend some of those hours in sleep.”

Cole bounded up the back steps of The Limit and paused just outside the mudroom to shake his fur out before shifting back to man. He was cold and muddy, so the shower he’d dreamed of would be welcome, but as he padded inside, he caught the faintest hint of his mate’s scent woven through faint aroma of soap. She had been here a few hours ago, maybe mopping the floor he was dirtying with his muddy feet.

Footsteps sounded from the kitchen and a hand flicked the mudroom light on. The young woman screamed when she saw him and fled back to the kitchen. He glanced down at himself. Why would she scream? He wasn’t that dirty. Oh. Maybe it wasn’t the drying mud caking his legs that scared her. Where were the jeans he’d left here before he followed his father out?

More footsteps came, and he looked up to see his mother, sister and Aunt Rose come in. The elderly woman who ran the house was with them. Her silver eyebrows rose as she stared at him.

“Oh, my goodness,” she said mildly, and disappeared.

“Colby,” his mom said anxiously. “Is everything okay?”

He was about to reply with when Ms. Mary came back, holding a towel.

“It’s a shame, really,” she said in her quavering old voice, “but I suppose you should cover up. I don’t know how I’ll ever fall asleep now, with my heart pounding like a teenager’s.” She turned her head to speak to someone behind her. “Such a handsome young man you have, dear Georgina.”

Gina passed through the opening the other women made for her. Ms. Mary handed her the towel with a wink. Gina’s cheeks were brightly pink, but she was smiling.From the very first moment he’d seen her pouring hot chocolate in that coffee shop downtown, Cole had thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her face didn’t have the perfect lines of Mrs. Madison’s, and her body wasn’t the classic voluptuous hourglass like Aunt Amanda’s, but the color in her cheeks was enchanting, and the hint of a naughty smile on her lips as she came to him made him smile back.

Mine, said the wolf fiercely.

“Mine,” agreed the man happily.

It’s been quite a while since I posted. I’m sorry about that. I’m still getting settled in my new apartment. I’m pleased to say it’s been a great place for me. The only noise I hear is people in the hall or going up and down the stairs. No loud music or rowdy kids. Color me happy!

My little office is about done. I will post pictures next time so you can see how cozy it is. The sewing room is back to being a disaster right now, and one of my brothers asked me to sew/quilt him a table runner. His house in Minneapolis was built in 1929 (I think) and he wants to keep the original Arts and Crafts feel to it. So I’ve ordered some 1930s feedsack reproduction fabric and I need to get the sewing room squared away so I can get to the sewing machine.

My local critique group, the Word Weavers of Fargo Moorhead, is starting something new. We’ll meet every Monday evening and spend an hour doing critiques, and then 30 minutes of writing sprints. No talking. Only typing. That means I hope next Tuesday I’ll have an actual teaser for you. I really have to get back to writing. We’re on overtime again at work, and I’m trying to get everything over here from Mom’s, and I’m spending time with mom, and church, and knitting, and SCA… Something has to give!!

I am planning to do my Annual Christmas Stocking giveaway in a couple of weeks. The stocking will be stuffed with books, gift cards, swag, and candy. I’ll be sending out a newsletter for people to enter to win in about ten days. If you are interested but don’t get the newsletter, there is a sign up at the right.

Pictures next time, and hopefully a little teaser.  🙂

Well, I’ve been in my new place for a little over 2 weeks and I am about 75% unpacked. I really like the place. It’s been amazingly quiet. It’s close to work, and close to the interstate so I can drive to mom’s. I have had very little time to sit and relax. Or do anything, really. Between work, going to mom’s, going to various evening meetings, church, knitting, writer’s group, etc. I haven’t gotten any writing done. This is it, the grand total of what I’ve written in the past three weeks:

Cole cast one last look around the river bank before turning and trotting back toward Omaha. He’d seen no men hiding, heard not a hint of trucks or other traffic, and hadn’t caught any unfamiliar scent carried on the night air. His patrol was over. With his paws heavy with mud, and his legs coated with drying goop, all he wanted was to be clean so he could bask in his mate’s warmth.

I was hoping to have at least a few hundred words for you tonight, but I am out of time. And energy. I volunteered to bring the dessert for the dinner at church tomorrow, and for some brilliant reason I thought I would bake something. (Somebody shoot me.) I managed to get the bakeware unpacked and washed, so I’m off now to mix up some cookies. Peanut butter blossoms since I have the ingredients for those.

I WILL get unpacked and be able to settle down to write soon. I just need to remember to breathe.  🙂

I am having more trouble than usual with my asthma and breathing. I have had nasal polyps, asthma, and allergic reaction to aspirin for about 3 decades now. It’s called Samters Triad or AERD. I’ve had five sinus surgeries. Nothing cures it. If I had toenail fungus or erectile dysfunction I would have a dozen treatments to choose from. But breathing? Nah, that’s not important.

Three years ago, I underwent Aspirin Desensitization at the Mayo Clinic. I think it has been very helpful. Even now with my nose so plugged up I can still breath through my nose almost always. After years with breathing through my mouth, sleeping with my mouth closed is amazing. The sense of smell isn’t what I’d like it to be, but I do still get occasional whiffs of coffee or cinnamon pine cones. And I’ve had only three sinus infections in the past three years. A record!

Tonight I heard there may be a new and possibly effective treatment available in the next year. It is called Dupilumab. It is currently approved for dermatitis and eczema, but it works for polyps too. A two year long study was completed this summer. I’m so hopeful it hurts.

https://www.mdmag.com/conference-coverage/aaaai-wao-2018/claus-bachert-md-phd-dupilumab-for-nasal-polyps