Long absences

It's amazing how much one person's death can affect your daily life. Even when that person wasn't someone you saw often.

My dad passed on June 8th from a one year and ten day battle with esophageal cancer. It has taken me over two months to get myself back to a place where I feel relatively human. I'm getting back into creative endeavors again. I have ideas for a couple of books. I've been keeping notes.

I've accepted a position with the D20 Girls as the assistant state manager for Ohio. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, to be honest. I was trying to quit and ended up accepting the position. I've stepped back from conventions lately because many expect me to work at least 20 hours to keep my badge. Considering I will not be taking time off work to do these events, I can't make the required time commitment. I would still like to work in the gaming departments, but that may be something I cannot do on a part time schedule.

I have been working on crochet projects. Making prizes for the D20 Girls. And I'm learning Pathfinder. Not to mention I picked up a Wednesday evening Vampire game with a friend. It's been forever since I've played.

I'm alive. I'm mostly well. And I'm getting better. I don't know that it's ever going to stop hurting... but it gets a little easier to ignore every week.

Start up a conversation with me. I'll reply. I've been quiet on all social media except Line and Game of War. My Line username is Lockefox. My Game of War server is Demon. Come play with me.

Book Review: Scarlet Stilettos

Scarlet Stilettos by Ash Penn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Laine Lawson and Tony Barton are best mates, their friendship forged from a one night stand. Laine has declared herself celibate. Tony has met a man who meets all of his needs. But Will isn't all he seems, especially when he discovers Laine isn't all she seems, either. When Laine takes an abrupt holiday and Will moves in with Tony, all hell breaks loose for the pair of them. Tony learns more about Will than he really wanted to know. Laine makes a mess of her family and has a heart to heart with Adam, her ex who literally tossed her out into the street like garbage. All this while hiding her feelings for her best friend. Tony gets in over his head in Laine's absence. Can she come back and save the day?

This book needs trigger warnings for domestic violence. I wasn't expecting it and at points I had to put the book down.

Minus: My personal feeling is there is nothing sexy about the word saliva. Every time I read it in a sexy scene, it pulled me out of the book with a shudder. I think this book could have been two books on their own, one about Laine and one about Tony, instead of being one book together. There was a LOT going on.

Plus/Minus: I could have kicked Tony's ass for fucking in Laine's bed. I was so mad about it, I tweeted about it while I was reading. I don't CARE if he went back and changed the sheets. I can know intellectually WHY he did it because I've lived there, but I still wanted to smack him for it. NO. Just NO. It did lend itself to more tension later in the book, however.

Plus: I fell in love with Laine the moment I first read her. She's fun and strong without losing her feminine side and the vulnerability that makes her human. I loved that Tony, the ex fighter and all around badass, winds up getting himself in a heap of trouble and I actually like the mental stress it puts on him. I love the chemistry between Tony and Laine and I love Oliver for being the smooth motherfucker he is, despite being another bad guy.

All in all, excellent read.

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