Finished Reading “After Death” and the Joy is Back

The other night I barely got three hours of sleep. Why? Because my book wouldn’t shut up! Or rather, my characters! They wanted to let me know what direction they were headed. Yeah, I needed to hear them, but man, I really wanted to sleep, too. But…

The. Joy. Is. Back!

I never thought I would enjoy crafting another novel again. Heck, I wasn’t sure I’d craft another novel! But I am and the story is flowing. Yay!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 12

Dates read: April 4-14, 2024
Title: After Death
Year of publication: 2023
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 369
Paper or plastic: Hard cover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: Michael Mace, head of security at a top-secret research facility, opens his eyes in a makeshift morgue twenty-four hours following an event in which everyone perished—including him and his best friend, Shelby Shrewsberry.
    Having awakened with an extraordinary ability unlike anything he—or anyone else—has ever imagined, Michael is capable of being as elusive as a ghost. He sets out to honor his late friend by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby greatly admired. Although what Michael does for Nina is life changing, his actions also evoke the wrath of John’s father, a member of one of the most violent street gangs in Los Angeles.
    But an even greater threat is descending: the Internal Security Agency’s most vicious assassin, Durand Calaphas. Calaphas will stop at nothing to get his man. If Michael dies twice, he will not live a third time.
    From the tarnished glamour of Beverly Hills to the streets of South Central to a walled estate in Rancho Santa Fe, only Michael can protect Nina and John—and ensure that light survives in a rapidly darkening world.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: Interesting story. Not as horror-ish as some of his other novels, but is quite violent. Not that that has ever stopped me from enjoying a book.

I’ve pretty much finished reading Dean Koontz for awhile. I’m all caught up! Well, except for his latest which I haven’t purchased yet. It can wait. J.R. Ward’s newest should arrive in my mailbox tomorrow. I’m all ready to dive into that one.

I love her books!

Besides writing daily (yes, daily!!), I have started up step aerobics again. Boy, am I out of shape! But Hubby and I are taking a trip in May to visit several National Parks in California and I realized I need to up my stamina a little. It’s slow going, but I’m aiming for 30 minutes, 5 times a week. I did 4 times last week and it about did me in.

Frankly, I hope the weather warms up so I can start walking again. Although, I think step aerobics has a little more cardio involved. I should probably do both, huh?

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “The House at the End of the World” and MRI is GOOD!

Yep. My chest CT scan and brain MRI scan are both clear. No sign of disease! Don’t know if that means I’m in remission, but it does mean that my immunotherapy treatment doesn’t change. Yay!

Sometimes it seems strange that I could be considered SICK, yet I don’t feel sick. Have never felt sick. It’s scary to think how oblivious I was to it all. Three years ago I posted on Facebook that I had a surgery date to fix my leaky heart valve. That surgery never happened because the chest scan showed a whole bunch of other stuff going on without my knowledge. That’s how NOT SICK I was feeling.

I’m so thankful for that scan, though. Thankful to have removed all the cancer that could be removed and thankful my treatments have destroyed what remained. I’m still here today, enjoying life. Can’t get any better than that, now can you?

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 11

Dates read: March 23-April 3, 2024
Title: The House at the End of the World
Year of publication: 2023
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 406
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: In retreat from a devastating loss and crushing injustice, Katie lives alone in a fortresslike stone house on Jacob’s Ladder island. Once a rising star in the art world, she finds refuge in her painting.
    The neighboring island of Ringrock houses a secret: a government research facility. And now two agents have arrived on Jacob’s Ladder in search of someone—or something—they refuse to identify. Although an air of menace hangs over these men, an infinitely greater threat has arrived, one so strange even the island animals are in a state of high alarm.
    Katie soon finds herself in an epic and terrifying battle with a mysterious enemy. But Katie’s not alone after all: a brave young girl appears out of the violent squall. As Katie and her companion struggle across a dark and eerie landscape, against them is an omnipresent terror that could bring about the end of the world.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: Lots of twists and turns in this one. Some back and forth in time, too—which only added to the suspense because it would occur when I wanted to know what was going to happen next! Very good horror read.

In May we plan on being in California to see my mom and to visit some National Parks. For 24 days. So what do I get in the mail? A jury summons for…May! Really? They could have picked almost any other month and I wouldn’t have had an issue. So I sent them a letter, along with a copy of the flight receipt (made back in July), asking to be excused (and moved to another month). Now I just wait and hope for the best.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “The Big Dark Sky” and No Change in Treatment!

So… my CT scan came back clean. No presence of disease. Yay! I told my oncologist that I was willing to take the chemo pill, but he said that he was willing to hold off on it. I told him he won. Which means my treatments will remain the same. Well, except I got a Prolia shot for my osteopenia (precursor to osteoporosis). I only get the shot once every 6 months, so not too bad. So far.

Of course, that could all change if my brain MRI shows differently. I’m still waiting on the results. Fingers crossed that it comes back clean, too!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 10

Dates read: March 14-22, 2024
Title: The Big Dark Sky
Year of publication: 2022
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 381
Paper or plastic: Hardcover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: As a girl, Joanna Chase thrived on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life. Now thirty-four and living in Santa Fe with only misty memories of the past, she begins to receive pleas-by phone, through her TV, in her dreams: I am in a dark place, JoJo, Please come and help me. Heeding the disturbing appeals, Joanna is compelled to return to Montana, and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten.
    She isn’t the only one drawn to the Montana farmstead. People from all walks of life have converged at the remote ranch. They are haunted, on the run obsessed, and seeking answers to the same omniscient danger Joanna came to confront. All the while, on the outskirts of Rustling Willows, a madman lurks with a vision to save the future. Mass murder is the only way to see his frightening manifesto come to pass.
    Through a bizarre twist of seemingly coincidental circumstances, a band of strangers now find themselves under Montana’s big dark sky. Their lives entwined, they face an encroaching horror. Unless they can defeat this threat, it will spell the end for humanity.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: Kind of reminded me of Strangers (one of my favorite stories). Unfortunately, my medicated brain had trouble remembering the people in this book as they skipped from chapter to chapter (especially when I put the book down for any length of time). Still enjoyed the story, even if I couldn’t keep it straight in my head at the beginning!!

Well, spring is here. According to the calendar. Not so much in the air…yet. At least it hasn’t snowed, so that’s one positive thing. Now watch it snow. Ugh!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “Elsewhere” and I’m Writing!

I sent Alien Desires to my editor and decided to write the next book in that series. But what to write? I know who the male main character is, but who would be his love interest? Did the story take place on this Earth or his planet (also called Earth)?

I don’t usually brainstorm with myself when it comes to stories, and I certainly don’t plot (tried that once—not fun), but I wanted to start writing. I just didn’t know what to write about. So I wrote down questions. Basically, “what if” questions.

I don’t have a lot of answers to those questions, but at least I came up with a title: The Alien’s Change of Heart. This Saturday my writing group is having a huge brainstorming event. I got my questions ready and hopefully someone will trigger something in me that says: THAT’S IT! It’s happened in the past (with Ghostly Interlude), so I am confident it will happen this time, too.

But I loved that a great “what if” question came to me and it was from a tiny scene in Alien Desires. I basically had it all set up in that book and didn’t realize it. Don’t you love it when that happens?

In the meantime, I have started writing something. Whether or not I keep any of it doesn’t matter. I’M WRITING!!!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 9

Dates read: March 7-13, 2024
Title: Elsewhere
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 353
Paper or plastic: Trade paperback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: Since his wife, Michelle, left seven years ago, Jeffy Coltrane has worked to maintain a normal life for himself and his eleven-year-old daughter, Amity, in Suavidad Beach. It’s a quiet life, until a local eccentric known as Spooky Ed shows up on their doorstep.
    Ed entrusts Jeffy with hiding a strange and dangerous object—something he calls “the key to everything”—and tells Jeffy that he must never use the device. But after a visit from a group of ominous men, Jeffy and Amity find themselves accidentally activating the key and discovering an extraordinary truth. The device allows them to jump between parallel planes at once familiar and bizarre, wondrous and terrifying. And Jeffy and Amity can’t help but wonder, could Michelle be just a click away?
    Jeffy and Amity aren’t the only ones interested in the device. A man with a dark purpose is in pursuit, determined to use its grand potential for profound evil. Unless Amity and Jeffy can outwit him, the place they call home may never be safe again.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: This book made me so tense at parts that I had to stop reading. A truly horrifying story. Yeah, I loved it.

Today is expected to get up to 70. It’s nice and sunny out, too. I think I’m gonna go for a walk. It’s been awhile and the nerve pain in my chest has been fading. I wish it was gone, but I’ll settle for fading…for now.

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Finished Reading “Devoted” and my Dental Nightmare

Do you trust your dentist? I had a great dentist for over 30 years. Then he retired in 2022 (didn’t have anyone to take over his practice). While I mourned that, I went to the place he recommended. While they liked to charge me for stuff my other dentist did for free (like a cancer screening test, where they feel around your mouth), I wasn’t having too many issues until this past November. That’s when I was introduced to the third dentist there (I later discovered this practice is owned by a corporation, not a person).

This dentist proceeded to tell me that I have a cavity, all my fillings are failing, and that I’ll need crowns on all my molars! Now, this news did not go over well, since I was told by my oncologist that I needed to make sure my teeth were okay so he could start me on Prolia (a drug for osteoporosis, or in my case osteopenia). My insurance is lucky to cover one crown. Not 7! But Hubby said if we had to pay, we had to pay. My health was more important. Only one tooth was really bothering me, so I went along with getting the root canal on that one (and the subsequent crown), until I could calm down and think about it. However…

The day I went in to get the permanent crown, I met the fourth doctor at this practice. Apparently #3 was away on emergency leave. She did the work, then asked if there was more work that needed to be done. I explained that I needed to go ahead and make appointments for all the work I was told needed to be done because my oncologist wanted to start me on Prolia in June. She looked at my teeth and told me everything looked fine.

What???

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. I was also ready to quit this practice once and for all. I told my oncologist what was going on. I didn’t know who to believe! My oncologist asked if I wanted to be seen by the dentist on base. I didn’t think I was entitled (they only see active duty personnel), but because of my cancer (lucky me!), he could get me in. I got an appointment for March 4.

Well, I got good news from the dentist on base. My fillings are fine. I don’t need any more work done on them (especially since I’m not having any issues in my mouth). Plus, I don’t have any cavities. I am going to go fire my other dentist, once I get a refund (they overcharged me on the crown work according to my insurance statement—figures!). I do have another dentist in the works, who I will visit for the first time in July (for a cleaning). Keeping my fingers crossed that he works out. I hate deceitful dentists!

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book 8

Dates read: February 27-March 6, 2024
Title: Devoted
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Horror
Series: N/A
# of Pages: 369
Paper or plastic: Hardcover
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book: Woody Bookman hasn’t spoken a word in his eleven years of life. Not when his father died in a freak accident. Not when his mother, Megan, tells him she loves him. For Megan, keeping her boy safe and happy is what matters. But Woody believes a monstrous evil was behind his father’s death and now threatens him and his mother. And he’s not alone in his thoughts. An ally unknown to him is listening.
    A uniquely gifted dog with a heart as golden as his breed, Kipp is devoted beyond reason to people. When he hears the boy who communicates like he does, without speaking, Kipp knows he needs to find him before it’s too late.
    Woody’s fearful suspicions are taking shape. A man driven by a malicious evil has set a depraved plan into motion. And he’s coming after Woody and his mother. The reasons are primal. His powers are growing. And he’s not alone. Only a force greater than evil can stop what’s coming next.
Recommend: Yes
My thoughts: I love his dog stories. Reminded me a little of Watchers, but then it became a different story altogether. Which is probably a good thing. Nice little horror story. I enjoyed it very much.

So… How well do you like your dentist? I really hope I found one I can trust. It’s such a crap shoot out there.

Happy Reading!

Stacy