So many of you wrote me privately and/or commented on my post about helping to move my sister-in-law into an assisted living center. I knew Sharleen was conflicted about the move–not wanting to leave her home of 40+ years, but I was happy to find her engaged with other residents every time I visited–whether whupping unsuspecting victims at Scrabble or amassing hoards of dimes from competitive Bingo and Skip-Bo (whatever that is).
She truly seemed to be doing well…until she wasn’t.
Sharleen passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home on Wednesday morning, surrounded by family. She began having trouble breathing the evening before and went into the ER. The doctors tried a number of things, but nothing seemed to help so they told the family it was time to call in hospice. My sweet niece took her mother home and Sharleen was gone the next morning. At peace. With my brother.
I’m sad, but very glad she didn’t suffer. I’m sad because I’ll miss her presence in my life and because I know her passing signifies the end of Easters-at-the-Ranch.
But I’m happy she’s no longer sad. I’m happy picturing her spirit rejoined with my brother’s. I ran across a couple of great photos I’d like to share with you. They make me smile. I hope they do you, too.
Is that a Shirley Temple smile or what?Bob and Sharleen Robson headed off on their honeymoon. So very much in love.Sharleen always said her forties were her favorite years.
I’m off to learn lots from other Indie authors at SF UnCon.
Happy Book Birthday, BLACK HILLS BILLIONAIRE–Black Hills Rendezvous, Book 2!
I can’t believe it’s been three years since the second book in my Black Hills Rendezvous series came out. Shane and Jenna were two of the most complicated protagonists I’d ever written at that point. Their histories were difficult and entwined in a way that made predicting a happy ending nearly impossible to envision. They came soooo close to meeting, falling in love and living a fabulous life until something unthinkable happened, until a dark force ruined everything.
But when Shane’s best friend sets the game in motion in BLACK HILLS BABY (Book 1), they’re given a second chance–if Shane can get past the guilt he carries from a deathbed promise he made.
Here’s one of my favorite snippets to feature: their First Kiss.
Q: So, when is a first kiss not a kiss? A: When you’re in the Mystery Spot.
“As you can see, this was the bedroom. We’ve removed the furniture to avoid injury, but just imagine what a nightmare it must have been to sleep in a room that seems to be constantly shifting from side to side. We call this the dizzy room for a reason, so don’t be surprised if a stranger is suddenly holding on to you for balance.”
She took a deep breath and walked straight to the middle of the room. Almost instantly, her equilibrium went haywire. She stepped on what looked like a level surface and felt her foot drop a quarter of an inch. Just enough to throw her balance off. She staggered, which prompted Shane to dash into the room.
“Watch out,” she warned.
He weaved to the left like a drunk after a long night at a bar. “Holy crap,” he muttered. “What the he–?”
She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to the wall. He looked slightly dazed. “Wow. What is it?”
“You’d have to ask my dad. Unfortunately, I think the secret went to the grave with him. All I know is it’s very effective. I’ve seen people bob and weave all the way back to their car. I’ve done this tour so often I barely feel it unless I’m in the middle of the room.”
He put a hand to his forehead. “I’ve got the spinners. Like those nights in college when you drank too much then lay down in bed and the ceiling was going around in circles.”
College.
He looked at her so intently she realized she must have said the word aloud.
“Sorry. Wrong thing to say.”
She shook her head. “It was a long time ago. Shall we finish the tour? There’s an exit through the back, but since I have to lock up, I think we should go out the way we came in.”
His usual serious look was back on his face. He nodded and pushed off from the wall to lead the way. He only made it a few steps before listing sideways, like the Titanic after meeting the iceberg. She tried to keep him upright, but his momentum was too great. They both staggered a few steps then crashed into the wall. The wall with the drawing of a four-poster with a patchwork quilt on it, and they landed smack dab in the middle of the one-dimensional mattress.
“This was your plan all along, right?” Shane asked, wrapping his arms around her to keep steady. “To get me in bed?”
She laughed to keep her panic at bay, but to her surprise she didn’t feel the usual fear that came when someone got too close, too fast. In fact, she liked the feeling of being in his arms. Warm. Secure. Protected.
“I’ve seen the same thing happen to other people. Perfect strangers. Dad used to say it was all about a person’s polarity-–positive and negative.”
His eyes were such a deep, yummy brown. Like chocolate syrup. “Does that mean one of us is a magnet and the other iron filings?”
She knew which she’d be. “Maybe we’re both iron filings being drawn to the giant magnet in the wall.”
He arched his neck to look over his shoulder, his skepticism clearly back in place. Laughing, she put her hands flat against his chest and pushed back. She waited for her balance to return, the way it usually did, but if anything, she was even loopier. Her hands wouldn’t leave his shirt. Her breath was shallow and shaky. Because she knew he was going to kiss her.
Kiss. His mouth touching her mouth. No. She didn’t kiss. Or touch. Or… But no words of protest made it out before his lips touched hers.
Holy thunder and lightning, Bookgirls, that was a storm!
My back yard after the last powerful storm passed through.
I usually write my blogs ahead of time, but I just got my WiFi back after two days of no connection. Since I live in the country, I signed up for a satellite service to provide access to the world at large. Well, that’s a slight overstatement since the “service” is so lousy, but regardless of the lack of speed, most days I do have access. But for the past two days, the modem’s power light came on but no one was home, if you know what I mean. The so-called brains of the outfit wouldn’t wake up. And when I tried to go online, I’d get dire warnings about not having a secure server.
I checked my roof to see if the dish was still attached. Yup. Was it still facing in the right direction? I couldn’t say, but since another couple of waves of storms were predicted, I decided to leave the unit unplugged and focus on writing.
And…um…wow. I wrote three complete chapters and I learned a whole bunch of interesting stuff about my characters. I guess what they say about connectivity decreasing productivity is right. (I’m trying to look surprised here, but it’s no shock. I’m as big a sucker for a cute puppy meme as anyone, and heart-tugging videos tug me right down the rabbit hole.)
So, here’s my dilemma: all the lights on my modem are twinkling brightly. Obviously, I’ve decided to start my day online–I’m writing this in WordPress, but what now?
Decisions, decisions.
How do you avoid the temptation of checking email and social media when you have other more important things to do?
