Mid Life Awakening or Crisis? Reframing our outlook.

Who would have guessed that around 40-42 and I don't know what to do with my life? Midlife crisis? Maybe its the average age that someone realizes what matters in the long term. Time and how we squander, cherish, and maybe even savor every single moment of every day. You may realize that you have worked more than played and it has not gotten you ahead. And others of us have been in helping profession that becomes burnt out or just walked the path as far as necessary and jumps onto another new path that you never saw running up beside the old path. New flowers, plants, and trees to see along the way and the sympathy of the insects are in tune with your heart song.

Is that a midlife crisis or is it a true awakening? Some would say "Woke" and it is a clarity of wants, needs, and desires of the brain and heart. It's hearing each note as the song in a whole is just as memorable. Stopping to feel the light breeze causing you to close your eyes long enough to inhale the wind into your body.

So yeah, I am having a mid-life

crisis, which also lines up with about the age I thought I would die, about 86. That was the number I have visualized since I was a small child.

We see our grandparents aging, a sad group who has already lost a parent or a child, we know that every day is not guaranteed. This moment is all I have right now. I am joyous to spend this moment now, writing this blog. I love creating things from words. I truly love the research and thought processes that go into creating a new villain or plotting on a new book. And I have been blessed with the frame of mind to be able to write and read since decreasing epilepsy meds almost a year ago.

But the real question is where do I go from here? A master's degree? Technology classes? I have taken assessments and career quizzes and they all say I am a thinker or thinking type. I love to learn, I love to discover but how to progress from here? I am continuing to pursue my path, trying to enjoy the journey.

Trying something fun to make money

After months of trying to find a new job. I have decided to try the newest fad in jobs, delivery of goods, aka a personal shopper. Which if we are being honest is my dream job.

I have loved grocery shopping and shopping in general since childhood. But more once I worked at Thriftway in the 90s.

I have done one shop and it was easy step by step directions with a flawless app. Only real downside is getting shifts. Even a week out, many in my desired area was on a wait list. But I made 14$ for about 27min worth of driving and shopping.

Join me below...

https://shoppers.instacart.com/?referral=DMCDANIEL551EC

Momma's tears, a daughter turns eighteen

I took this picture of my baby girl last night. My last photo of her as a child, seventeen years and 364 days old. I have waited for this day through her roller coaster teens, mouthy tweens, and independent soul from birth. There were days when I didn't know if we were gonna come out of this alive.

The day I found out I was expecting, my bestie Meena was the first person I told. She asked how we felt about this, and I started crying and said, happy. We went straight to Babies R Us and bought her the cutest blankie, outfit, and some other trinket. Fast forward nine months and I was due 5/5 and my last day was the Friday before. I scheduled a massage with my Aunt Gini, and the night before Vannah was born I had a full body massage then came home and cleaned out every cabinet we had and finished painting the dining room.

On May 2, 2001, around ten am, my water broke just like on every show you see. I was standing in the kitchen and sploosh. My baby daddy and Meena were still asleep and I figured I would be in labor forever. So I cleaned, took a shower, shaved, and tried to look presentable. My mom looked great when my sister was born a few years earlier, so I tried to accomplish what she did in still looking nice even though you are about to pop out a carbon-based life form through what seemed an impassable portal.

Around noon closer to one, I finally called my mom and woke up the soon to be daddy and soon to be auntie. By two pm, I was ready to head to the hospital. I was shocked when the ER kept acting like I wasn't in real labor, but then after a little check under the hood they realized, I hadn't pissed myself and my water was broken.

They gave me way too much epidural. I couldn't feel a thing. We still joke that my mom, my aunt, and baby daddy pushed harder than I did. I was also blessed that my grandmother asked to be part of the birth since she did not really get to witness her own kids births or any other grandchild. I was so happy to have her in my corner.

By the time she joined us at 933 pm, my nurses were telling me about a horde of people in the hallways waiting to hear our baby was healthy, happy and a girl. She had been onry during the one ultrasound I had, but I knew she was gonna be a girl. We didn't even pick out a baby name. I had dreams about having a girl and met her as she was older in the dream. She had reddish blonde hair in my dream.

Then the pain began as the epidural wore off, a splitting headache like no other feeling I had ever encountered. 36 hours later they realized that the anesthesiologist had gotten an air bubble in my spine and it was cured with a small bit of my blood from my arm. And instantly I felt better.

This is my story of Vannah, the baby formerly known at TK (the kid) and Nova Rion (the name I picked before my mother suggested the name from my favorite childhood movie, Savannah Smiles.

Fast forward to today, I am in Mercy Fairfield for a meeting, 18 years almost to the hour that I got to the hospital in labor with my baby girl. Its a small world that is about to get very big for one little lady.

Chaos and Calm, 3 tips for regaining power from Stress

I have spent the last 13 years working in the public school system, and I can say that the best teachers for the majority of children utilize a clean, organized almost-minimalistic approach to the surroundings in the room. Kids (and adults for that matter)with ADHD have an easier time focusing when things have a place to be and the kids know the boundaries of the room and the rules.

When I have chaos in my life or when stress has built up too much I start my own type of CPR.
1. Walk, move, get the oxygen flowing through your body. There is not always an option say if you are in a meeting or appointment, then I take away the movement and try to get my breathing increased to increase blood flow and oxygen. If I need energy, I will breathe in and out just shy of hyperventilating for a minute. Or if I am amped up, I will slow it down breathing in for three count, hold for three and exhale for three seconds. Repeat until shoulders release from their peaks.

2. Stretches/Yoga time-- For me, there are times when breathing in a stretch position or a yoga pose will feel better and bring me happiness and joy than a gluten-free donut.

3. Water with a citrus fruit squeezed into it. This is my new go to. I particularly love lime in water. It helps with the blah-ness of plain water all the time. I know I need water and most of the time it will suffice but when I am stressed or looking for calm there is nothing better than water, no caffeine or sugars to mess with the body's already heightened state.

BONUS*** Its really the #1 way for me to find calm-- in the woods, nature, the beach, the mountains. Anywhere earth is under toe and fresh air is freely available. This can be hard if you live in the fields of Ohio, especially when the weather is prickly. I have been hiking a few time since Spring began almost a week ago and I thank the Earth for the spring even as my eyes water and I sniffle. To get out of our homes like a thaw has occurred, is like hearing your favorite song on the radio blaring out the windows that share your beats.

Life will never be stressless, but I can stress less.

6 ways online dating and job hunting are similar

After more than a decade of marriage and now almost two years since we separated, the dating scene is unlike anything I have never known. I also now have the need and the desire to find a new path for my career. Both utilize online apps and that is just the first step in the comparison of Job hunting and online dating.

1. Utilization of online apps- Every aspect of life seems to have an app for that. And dating and job searching are no different. I didn't and couldn't afford a pay site for dating so I went with a freebie, Plenty of Fish. The job hunt has more apps than I utilize but the ones I have tried are LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and ZipRecruiter. My preference right now is Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, Glassdoor gives great insights into the company and what it is like to work there from reviews by current and former employees. Ziprecruiter has a great search engine and has some direct companies hiring, I have come across sites that are nothing but filter through another app. Well, why wouldn't I go to the source and skip the middle man.

2. Most profiles or jobs are bullshit- With online dating, my first rule was to avoid the profiles listed as Widows. I found most of them to not be widows but typically they were fake profiles. Any time the person was too hot, I would check the profile and sure enough, he was a widow. I have had the same experience on Facebook. I still get the weekly request from Military men who are widows. Their profiles only have one or two pics and when you look it up online to research the name, it is a fake account. Now in the job hunt, the postings are not typically fake but they are filled with non-sales, sales jobs. For instance, they will advertise the job as one thing, and to read the description it sounds kinda promising until you read the review and see that its commission based only or the money they were offering for the job is a projected average and nothing like the paycheck you will receive.

3. Wading through the Muck- Now I have not been as lucky in my job search as I have with the online dating. I had a few standards I set for what I wanted from a partner-- must drive, must have a job or career that he is passionate about, we must inspire and motivate each other and if he mentions sex in the first email or just comments on my looks, then I would send a thoughtfully crafted question. Most responded with pleasantries that were insincere. I looked for emails that were original in thought and more that one sentence. Using these tactics, helped clear the muck and made it easy to spot the emerald in the grass. I am still knee high in the job search muck. I would love your comments on how you have navigated this system. I read the job descriptions and now the company reviews as well to make it simpler to identify one a job I want two, a job I am qualified for and finally to see what kind of culture this company has and represents.

4. If you're not careful you will be fucked, figuratively and actually- Most emails I got on Plenty of Fish were asking for sex. Some were more sly and would talk to you for like a day and ask for sexts or actual sex. Also in my job search, I have gotten the most response from what I have begun to call pyramid jobs. You can make money by recruiting or selling something like an entry-level position for people looking to change their career path. Also, these jobs are listed as making $50k plus But when you read the company reviews and job feedback on sites like Glassdoor and ZipRecruiter you learn the opinion of current and former employees. Its too bad plenty of fish does not offer reviews of the profiles on their site. I wish I could have let other online daters about some of the real a-holes on their site.

5. There are gems, maybe just not in the way you expected -- I got hundreds of messages from randos that were looking for something I wasn't, including an offer to dress, bath, feed and change a man who had a baby fetish. And being approached by a few married couples looking for more "friends," but I did find my gem almost ten months ago.

6. Always respond even if it is to politely say no- I knew that most of the people emailing me were not the daters I wanted and recruiters are sometimes just looking for a warm body. I say that 90% (not scientifically proven) of the responses I get for both online dating and job searching is all bullshit. Online recruiting has moved from the real companies doing a direct hire and mostly the postings are from recruiting organizations. I know enough to know that is how these businesses make money is by selling their services as a third-party Human resources department or guaranteed to fill your positions, etc. But that does not help us job searchers in our process. I am not saying I don't apply to these third-party recruiters but I try to steer away from those.

In life, I am just trying to find my #hippiehappy. Whether it is with a mate or in a new line of work. I hope to do a follow up to this piece when I figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

New Website coming soon...

I am tickled pink and tiffany blue about the amazing expansions happening in my world. I just finished the base of my new website, danyelstatzer.com.

Can you change your stars?

My hippie happy life

Can you change your stars?

Do we dare to dream and then take action...

#learningeveryday

Why do we stay in dead-end jobs, marriage or lifestyles? Most likely because we become comfortable. Change is scary. Or that is the bullshit we tell ourselves when faced with choices or situations. My favorite pastime is learning. I truly value the ability to read, comphrend, and utilitize the information to improve some aspect of life.

#bettereveryday

I have always lived by the philosophy that we should improve ourselves some way every day. It could be reading a book, changing a habit as small as closing the cabinets. But I like to think that most days I can say I learned something miniscule every night upon meditation.

Right now I am researching and hoping to learn from a few online learning institutions. My first stop has been Alison.They offer free online learning but if you want the certificate then you pay a relativity small price. But there doesn't seem to be accreditation but if it's really about having the knowledge to do a job or skill does accreditation matter? I guess that will be a future blog. Alison overs thousands of classes ranging from Resume writing to French to Project Management. They have career paths that offer many courses to improve your knowledge of the given subject.

Yesterday, I found an allegedly free MBA through Smartly. There is an application process, which is something I have pending. Their site also includes free learning certificates in business. So far their courses seemed center 100% on business management.

Long time no blog. Baby its cold outside and I wanted to write

I would love to tell you that I have not written in months or longer because I am out there living life, making memories and changing my place in the universe. And I wouldn't be lying. I have met an amazing man who motivates me to be the best version of myself every day. Eight months later and I still am excited to talk to him and even more stoked to see him in person.

But the bigger part of what is going on is a renewal of my reading and learning brain cells. My biggest complaint about epilepsy medications is the loss of higher level functioning that has had me struggling for the last 5 years. But six months ago, I worked with my doc to take away the Topamax, aka dopamax. I really expected to instantly have my insatiable desire to learn and read back. The process of regaining the brain I once knew was slow. But now, I am sucking in the marrow of knowledge.

I am learning new job skills in particular. I am exploring the fields of Human Resources, Marketing Research, Retail Technology, Tarot and Project Management. I truly get pleasure from learning and reading.

I am trying to learn how to take things I am passionate about into all parts of my life. But I am also aware that growth is necessary to keep from stagnating. Once that hazardous materials are dumped in your lake it is hard to clarify the waters.

Starting over is scary but not as scary as drowning in the lake.

Sorry for the ramble.

Do you speak the same language as your loved ones?

In my path to hippie happiness, I am trying to de-stress. In doing that, I have to realize I cannot make everyone happy. But what if you found out that the way you were trying to make someone smile was making no impact or worse maybe even irritating that person. Wouldn't you stop and try to change?

You see your friend, child, spouse, lover, etc and you tell them how great they look and have much you love their new haircut. To you, you love when someone realizes that you got a new hairstyle because you see that as them paying attention to you and that attention to detail is not about vanity but taking the time to give you some of their moments because they care. BUT in the head of the person you just complimented, they are thinking, "Uh, is it all about how I look. Anyone can say words. I wish she would just sit down with me and teach me to play Rummy so we could spend time together." Because to that person, Quality time like doing a shared hobby is more important than any words you could pull together.

You are speaking Mandarin Chinese to a person who can only understand French.

This is the theory of Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages. The 5 main love languages we speak are QUALITY TIME, WORDS OF AFFIRMATION, ACTS OF SERVICES, RECEIVING GIFTS, and PHYSICAL TOUCH.


This theory is not just for romantic love, it can be applied to all relationships. My interest was peaked by his application of this with children. My kids are all twelve and up and I constantly feel as though I am never saying the right thing. My teen daughter will come back at me with-- Oh, didn't I look good yesterday? when I tell her she looks nice on a particular day. I have learned that she is Receiving Gifts type. And before this book and assessment, I think I thought it meant she was materialistic. But for her (and I have to admit it was in my top 3), a gift can mean that the person was thinking of her and spent TIME and money on something for her. Now for my son, he wants nothing more than your undivided attention (with your mouth shut and let him just talk, most of the time...LOL).Now I have not had them complete the assessments for kids that can be found on Chapman's website. But these are guesses based on years of being their momma and seeing what I think makes them happiest. But I will give them the quiz because I want to be the best momma to them.

After my research for this, I think back over different relationships in my life and realize how else this has played out. My father was never one to say niceties or even I love you. But he would pick up some small trinket or gift when he was out of town. Each gift was always thoughtful and very specific to the person he bought it for. He may have never used words to express his love, but he was thinking of us and did try to express his love through giving gifts.

Chapman's ideas are that if we can find out what our loved one's language is, that we can adapt to speak what they need to hear. And vice versa.

My top three were Quality Time, Words of Affirmation and Receiving Gifts. I think the other part to remember is genuineness and quality. No one wants someone to force any of these language types. I don't want someone to make up WORDS OF AFFIRMATION just to pacify me. But a heartfelt thank you, you look nice today melts this writer's heart. Also not looking for extravagant gifts. In high school, I had boyfriends that would leave me notes on my car at work under the windshield wiper and these little gifts would keep me on cloud 9.


I started researching this topic because I felt someone's view of me was skewed. We only experience this world through the filters our brain allows us to. We need feedback from others to see their point of view and to communicate in the way that they can understand and give them love in the way they want to be loved.

Just breathe

Inspiration hit, you type out this amazing blurb. You thank your muse. And go back to read it and it is gone. Not saved... That was the first paragraph of this blog. I am in research mode and not for anything in particular but synchronicity will peak my interest in a topic then due to Youtube and algorithms that I would rather no nothing about. I start seeing certain topics in my life more and more so I must consume all I can on that topic until I have a general idea on the said topic. Particularly Nikola Tesla, dreams, alternate universes, and philosophy.

I will try to create some of the thoughts and ideas in the lost paragraph, but it will never be the same.

I am a social worker and many times I am dealing with children, parents and even coworkers that are upset and what seems inconsolable. I have been learning about meditation and yoga lightly for years but I know I am an amateur so I do not speak up about it very often. But a few times this year in my job I saw places that just some deep breathing could possibly solve an issue if not give the person a moment of calm to get a fresh perspective. One was a child crying and agitated. I asked the child to do a three-step breathing exercise that I do with my son, where we stretch our arms to the sky greeting the sun inhaling through the nose, holding the breath as we bring the hands to our center solar plexus for a second to hold the breath and then releasing the breath and we reach to the ground to touch our toes. And repeat. I did this with a screaming crying child and within a minute he was fine. The sobs stopped and he finished a round of 10.



Another time a co-worker was agitated with parents and just a few weeks ago. He knew about the three-step breathing I had done with the upset child. It was the first thing out of his mouth-- he refused, thinking he would look silly. So I asked him to just breathe in through his nose holds it then exhale the negative thoughts out through his mouth. Repeating it a few times. Which he was willing to do. He only did about three but his shoulders relaxed and a smile came to his lips. Even he was a little surprised that just a few breaths brought him back to a calm he thought was gone for the day.

Our bodies do so much automatically without our knowledge, the brain, all our organs, and systems are working day and night to keep us alive. But when we can override the computer and take back some control, we can learn to be in control of our bodies even in the most stressful and what may seem overwhelming. And the easiest and healthiest way seems to be with the breath. Our lungs will breathe without our help. But when we control the air as it comes through the nostrils and hold it for a count of x. Then exhale for a count of four, the I that isn't our mind or our body is in control. Because we are not our bodies and we are not our brains. But through the overriding of these systems, we are taking back control but also letting go of that freedom of thought that many times accompanies the breathing focus.

Then feelings and emotions are no longer in control, we are. And that is the real power, the real goal of this life. Learning to control our inside leads to not allowing the outside (People and situations) to control us.

Do people want to be happy?

I have witnessed numerous people in the past week that actually made the statement, paraphrasing of course, that they like the misery in their lives alluding that to be happy would be boring. And this really has made me evaluate what we value in life has created these paradigms in our brains, souls and very beings that we would ever equate unhappiness with a state of being that would be preferable to happiness.


One area I see this on a regular basis in children and even adults who choose negative attention and feedback rather than positive. But who gets the most attention in a classroom? The best student or the child acting out? What makes the top of the news feed the charitable monk or the rambling idiot on twitter? The adage bad attention or PR is better than no attention never made sense to my brain, who is rather introverted in most ways and that may why I suck at publicising my books. And I only write a blog because I don't believe people read it except my Aunt Gini (still loving the duster!).

I digress...

So do people want to be happy?

I heard a bartender talk about being with someone who clearly made her unhappy in a million ways but the way her eyes lit up when she talked about him. It didn't take a psychologist to tell ya she will be back with that dude at least twice in the biblical sense and once more in the let's try to see if we can really make a go of this. Neither will end smoothly.

So what motivates us if not happiness? I believe that depends on what you value. I value my children's' future happiness (believe me they would agree that I don't care about their current happiness as I give them chores daily) and my own happiness. I cannot help anyone one if I am not first happy.

Happiness comes from self-happiness.

That was the a-ha for so many of us and for others they never understand and can read my words and say that I am just spewing hippie bullshit. Truly happy people are complete all on their own. Then when they meet people, friends, lovers, children, they can be wholly there for. I think where many people fail in any relationships (not just romantic) is without analyzing what it was in past interchanges that I can grow from, change, keep, toss and then glow.

A therapist told a man who had been divorced five times that the common thread in all his divorces was him. Not the women, him. That's hard to hear. We don't ever want to think maybe there is something we need to evaluate about ourselves. But that is where we become free.

We are not to replay the past over and over like its entertainment to be watched. Learn from it and let it go.


I want my happiness to be that glow that others see and feel without me having to say, I AM HAPPY. We all know truly happy people. And as I have said in this blog all along. My goal is hippie happiness. A happiness that radiates my soul without me saying a word.

Halloween Special on Life,Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ginnie--- still time to be a CHARACTER in BOOK 3 of Mythic:Psion

Amazon is hosting a discount on Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ginnie today and tomorrow in honor of Halloween. Find the link here


And we still have the contest to have a character named after you going on. Just comment below with your favorite costume ever!

A glimpse into my process & A CHANCE TO BE A CHARACTER IN BOOK 3 of MYTHIC:PSION

I love easter eggs in tv shows and in books. Hidden little secrets that may be for a special person or for a group to get an inside joke or giving a nod to someone special. So when I write I don't intentionally set out to put things in a specific place but when an opportunity presents itself I shove the plastic egg in that hidden nook ever so gently.

One of my favorite parts of writing but also one of my well thought out is name selection. I have read books where authors use old phone books or name generators. But I like to use not so random selection for some of my characters as a way to give some love to people throughout my life that may never get a book dedicated to them but they are in my thoughts or in my facebook feed enough that they are in thoughts even as I write. Each for different reasons too. *I should add none of the names are exactly this people's names they are fantastical versions of themselves. They will know it's them but the public would never. It is all in my love and positive vibes for them all I do this*

I have a Chef Kitsune in the Mythic: Psion book 2 Life, Liberty And the Pursuit of Ginnie named for a guy I went to Antioch College with whom I haven't seen since we graduated but his anime drawings and amazing food porn on facebook lights up my days.

I have named the four demon victims for a random reason, One for a friend from Antioch that became a lawyer and I am so proud that she went all the way and is using her powers for good. Then there are the redhead twins I went to college with whom I love watching their families grow and they are still the most amazing sister team I have ever encountered. I gave Mackelmore a shout out because his first mainstream album really was motivational and got me pumped on days when I barely wanted to get out of bed.

There is a werewolf named for a cousin of mine who loves books and devours them like I used to.

There are other personal nods to people I love and have others I have lost. Some need no acknowledgment here, they know who they are.

Other names like Virginia, has two amazing ladies. One is a second cousin but I call her my aunt and another is a long distance bestie's middle name.

Would you like your name or a name of your choosing in the final book of this series? The one I am penning right now? Then comment below and we will pick a random number for the winner from the names below.

The other part of my muse beside names of friends and family is music. I love having a soundtrack to what I am writing. Sex, Drugs, And... Vampires? found me mused by the song "All Right Now" I listened to the song whenever I needed to get myself back to that time and place of the story. It was my time portal and it also pumped me up with my muse dancing in my head like a ninja at a drag ball.

Well enough reveals into my psyche for now...

Please Remember to leave a comment of your favorite Halloween costume ever to enter my contest to be a character in book 3.

And a bonus for new readers...SDV is free until the 17th...https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074F378XF

Living my Dream...one book at a time

At 12:22am I finished submitting for publication, my second book in the Mythic: Psion Series. Also my second book published period. It feels so good to have it done. Although, I could have edited it for the rest of eternity. It has been put to rest in the bosom of Amazon. I started writing books seven years ago. Many of them have been sitting idly by on a flash drive or on a cloud for five to seven years. Sex, Drugs, and Vampires? was the first thing I wrote. Now I just completed and will have published book two in that series and it made me cry.

I love writing books, I have loved seeing the character come alive on the page and even through hundreds and hundreds of hours of editing. I love my characters like they are part of my family or more to the point part of my soul. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ginnie started out being just a prequel to Sex, Drugs, and... Vampires? but it has ended up being therapy, motivation, and inspiration at a time when life has been anything but certain.

I have dedicated my first book to my best friend and the second to the women who helped mold me. But I have named my publishing company because I am a self-publisher, is nova&brody publishing co. It is my dedication to my kids. I want them to know that through the muck of life, they can persevere and reach their goals. I want them to see that what they love to do can be pursued. I did not publish my first book till I was forty and that will not stop me from writing more books and publishing the rest I have stashed away.

This was my dream years ago and I let it die for the wrong reasons. I will succeed because I believe in me and because I love to write and that is who I am writing for. Me.


If you would like to buy my books here is the links:

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Ginnie


Sex, Drugs, and... Vampires?

Cover Release and Launch date for Book 2 of Mythic:Psion Series

I am so psyched to show you all the cover to release for the prequel to Sex, Drugs, and... Vampires?

It will be available for pre order on Amazon soon.
Release date is 9/8/17

Thanks to nova&brody publishing co. and
Fiverr for the cover by Haley_graphics2

Paperback Writer...

The last few days have been so happy, humbling and proud if all of those things can happen at the same time. I have cried with joy with both my kids in a group hug as they saw my book go online for the first time. That in itself was worth all the years of editing and writing. To have my babies see me accomplish what I said I would. Later Bub sat and asked me about the plot and about the prequel to this book. He was young when I started writing and to him what he remembers or knows, is Mom with a laptop. It is not like I let my kids read my paranormal romance books.

Now the paperback is available as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521985766/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T1_mMZGzbHM7QK4P

And now the real hard part. How to promote while working on prepping the prequel to this and getting ready to return to the real world of work.
Another shameless plug, if you did read my book. Please review it. That is almost more important than buying it in the book world.

Sex, Drugs, and...Vampires? release day!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074F378XF/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1501524851&sr=1-1&keywords=sex%2C+drugs+and+vampires%3F

My first book is online in ebook form available only from Amazon today for the low low price of 99 cents. You can find that much change in your couch!
 Paperback and other forms to be available by the end of the day if I can get my elation down.

Plus...there is a prequel to be published soon...

Cover Reveal for my first book...

The Precipice has my stomach in knots

My goal for publication was the end of July. And if you look at your calendar that is a mere few days away. So I grabbed my balls and took some big steps today. I have been taking bids for cover art for the novella Sex, Drugs, and... Vampires? and I finally picked one and am actively working with one through the sitehttps://www.fiverr.com/s2/2485082a6e. If you haven't seen all the services people offer on there. Check it out or you can make some money yourself. Awesome concept.

I am so excited to see what they come up with and I wrote the back cover copy and my bio. Which is an odd thing to write? Seems like you are being THE ROCK. Talking in the third person about yourself. Danyel is a blah, blah. I guess that's a dated reference, he may still talk in the third person since he may enter politics.

Then I started my Kindle publishing account and downloaded an app that edits and formats your work for Amazon's publishing. Which I have my book uploaded and I am formatting as I write this blog. All the blogs before this were leading up to this. I blogged so that I didn't lose writing skills during my epilepsy meds adjustment. 

All of this seems like silly babbling. But this is me, standing at the edge of the diving board. When I have never even when up even one step of the ladder before. I just had my bathing suit on. 

Something old is new again... go out and see your State Parks

When I was a child, my mom and her bestie brought us kids to Hueston Woods, State Park beach pretty regularly. In our part of Ohio, there are not beaches or even much suitable rivers to swim in but in the 70s and 80s Acton Lake was the place to be.  The drive through the woods seems to take forever. The speed limit in the park is 25 mph and I used to beg to take off my seat belt so I could get a better view into the woods. Hoping to get a glimpse of an animal. My impatience then as a child would boil over until that beautiful site of the water would come over the horizon. We would unpack the car, and set up our perfect spot and have a whole day of swimming, picnic eating, sand in not so comfortable places and inevitable sunburns even though mom covered us from head to toe. But none of that mattered because my brother, his best friend, his little sister and I had a fun day in the sun and didn't have a care in the world except what just touched our legs under the water and what caused the warm spots in the water-- pee? The mystery still remains.

Thirty years later I have found myself drawn to these woods constantly this summer. I have been hiking the woods and not swimming at the beach. I still drive the 25mph roads and I still remember my antsy feelings as a child. But now I love the slow pace, I love the quiet empty space. It is like coming home every time I pull into the Woods.

I have learned the trails and have started to meditate and walk those trails so often that when there was a storm the other day I was saddened and excited to see how the trail had changed. You see downed trees all the time hiking but how often do you get to see trees within hours of the carnage.

That day I was the treehugger. I paid my respects and thanked each down tree for their years of shade and life. I am reminded that none of us know when our last day is. Trees or human.

Links:

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/huestonwoods

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/Portals/parks/PDFs/parks/Maps/Hueston_Woods/huestonwoodstrailmap.pdf