Wishin and Hopin and Thinkin and...

  I don't pray, so I'll leave that one off there. I have been making some good progress over the past few weeks, and it's been keeping me plenty busy--I didn't even realize I hadn't posted here in three weeks until I published my comments about the Boston Marathon attacks.
    Both of my book giveaways have concluded, though Amazon and UPS are really trying my patience on the delivery front. (I'm STILL waiting on my order from two weeks ago--never had to wait this long.) I'm looking forward to the reviews and the feedback, but I really hope they're positive. Building an author platform is hard work, but it's even harder without getting feedback from the people who are actually reading the books and interested in them. My beta readers can only tell me so much.
    I'm into the full-marketing mode now, and I've already had a few stops booked for my blog tour next month! I'm really excited for it, and I really hope it goes well. It seems like most of the stops so far are decent websites that are well-maintained in terms of content and they seem to have a decent number of visitors and readership. I'm hoping that means word will get out and people will start looking into the book and my writing more, even if they don't immediately buy the book. (I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic without counting my chickens--how am I doing?)
    I also relaunched the other website that I've been doing the social media for. It looks beautiful! The hard part for me will be posting regularly, as usual, and getting the advertising publisher stuff worked out. I've been having problems with Cafe Press--those a-holes will not email me back and their ad publisher set-up is a little pathetic in terms of compatibility and technical issues.
    The weather out here has been a little ridiculous. I got a blizzard warning last week and was expecting to be able to call in to work, and then there was hardly any snow. The roads weren't even that bad. (Not even close to the last blizzard I drove home in.) Then this week, not calling for a blizzard, not even a winter storm warning until a couple hours before it hit, and there was probably at least a foot of snow total between Monday and Wednesday.  Tuesday's drive wasn't too treacherous, but the cold and wind Tuesday and Wednesday were a pain to deal with. And they're calling for more rain/snow (could be another big storm, or nothing at all, who knows?) on Monday.
    What the hell happened to spring? I know it's Colorado, but seriously, we don't get snow on the plains this late in the month that often, and we definitely don't get it in these quantities that often at this time of the year. Blarg. I keep waiting to wear my flip-flops and then I look outside and wish I knew where my damn snow boots were. Ridiculous.
    With regard to the blog post title, I'm wishin for some good reviews, hopin my stupid book order gets here soon (like today, when it's scheduled, would be nice), thinkin about Boston and sending out good thoughts.

    Here's to a better spring/summer ahead!

Waiting for Number Three

    When it rains, it pours. When it comes to little superstitions, I'm pretty much a sucker, despite my philosophical and extremely logical background. I won't pick up a penny that's upside down. I occasionally play the numbers from my fortune cookie in the Powerball drawing. And I do think that bad things seem to happen in threes. If not fours, fives, sixes, etc.
    Japan happened Friday morning (US time, anyway). I woke up to destruction and obliteration, essentially, on the Weather Channel, seeing cars and buildings completely destroyed and swept away by the tsunami. It really did look like the beginning of the end. While I really hope that it isn't, not yet, it certainly looked that way in the morning news, and indeed, all day.
    I spent a couple hours this evening with CNN, and got even more in-depth coverage of the horror and devastation that continues as the aftermath ensues. The nuclear plant situation was the most terrifying thing. And this is the carnage that I see on the American news--thousands of miles away; I can't even fathom the kind of images and bad news being reported to so many people who are going through and trying to recover from this disaster. (Visit the Red Cross to learn how you can help.)

Bad Thing Number One: Japan's earthquake and subsequent tsunamis.

Bad Thing Number Two: deathbeds. 

    While I won't get into the details of number two, as it's especially personal and painful to discuss, I'll just say that when the inevitable and imminent conclusion of this event obtains, for me, it will certainly rank as bad thing number two in my book, even if it only affects my little microcosm.
    As to bad thing number three, I can't say. It hasn't been revealed yet, as far as I can tell. But I have no doubt it will come to pass eventually. Sooner rather than later.
    So, if I didn't bring you down too much today and you're still reading this far, I'll give you a joke. And while it is a somewhat dirty joke, hopefully it won't seem disrespectful as a follow-up to the above content. Just trying to lighten things up, just a tiny bit.

A beautiful, long-legged blond woman walks into a bar. 

She sits down at the bar, and asks the bartender for a Double Entendre. 

So he gives it her. 

And that's it for me! You've been great! I'm outta here!