I know it’s been a while since I posted anything. Like since the middle of November when I was heavily occupied with NaNoWriMo, which I crushed. Then the holidays came along and time skittered away from me like a leaf blowing in these high velocity winds that course through this wind tunnel of a valley between two mountain ranges.

Normally, I roll with whatever the weather might be. Rain, sunshine, snow, wind. It’s a constantly changing thing in this environment. In Reno, Nevada, that would be the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a spectacular spot with gorgeous Lake Tahoe nestled in the middle of them.

After several years of drought, the lake’s level had dropped quite a bit and water conservation became the big issue in both California and Nevada.

Well, January 2017 set out to change all that. In the first one-third of the month, more rain and snow fell on the Sierras, and in both states, than we had seen in many years. In fact, January 2017 is on record for the most moisture in the past 108 years. The area has seen more rainy days than sunny ones since the end of December.  This much wet often gives me reason to rejoice because I like rain.

However, when it begins to flood and I need to get my Himalayan-mix cat to the veterinarian for a tooth cleaning and to check for something hurting him, it turns into a problem. Twice this month, I’ve scheduled Milo’s appointment, only to cancel it because I couldn’t get out to get him to the vet that’s only a few miles up the road.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Here’s the problem. Where I live is off a low-lying road near the base of the Virginia City (Yes, the Bonanza one) foothills where water runs downhill and into shallow ditches. With the heavy flow of water coming down the canyons and running through the inadequate channels, the road flooded. Then when it got colder and snowed, an ice layer formed under the snow and it became difficult to drive.

Now, add to the problem a small pickup truck with only rear-wheel drive and nothing of significance to weigh it down in the bed. Honey, all it takes a thin bar of ice and the truck is stuck. A sheet of ice means I am not going anywhere. Again, not that much of an issue since I don’t often have to venture out. Except I have this darn appointment that requires the cat deposited at the office between seven-thirty and eight in the morning.

Now, I have a third appointment for Monday morning.

Sure enough, the forecast is for at least six inches of snow on the valley floor. Sigh. Gut feeling is I may have to cancel another one. Maybe next month…

Still in all, I prefer this weather to the ice storms and deep snow that so many of you are dealing with this January of 2017. Wouldn’t even want to be in the towns surrounding Tahoe these past few weeks. Too much snow for this desert-raised girl.

In other news, I am currently working on the edits for a YA urban fantasy trilogy and it is coming along.  I have two other novels to edit and have started work on the next Funeral Singer novel. One of the edits is in the O’Ceagan Saga universe, so hope to have that one this year also.

If you haven’t checked it out, I have a free short story at Instafreebie.com called The Wizard’s Gift.  All you have to do to download it is add your email to my mailing list at Instafreebie. I don’t send out spam or frequent emails, so it’s relatively painless. And you might win a free $25 Amazon gift card in my quarterly drawing.

In good-reading terms, my fellow Reno writer, Heather Petty, has a new Lock and Mori book out, Mind Games.  It’s an alt-universe young Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty adventure with a twist. The first book was a fun read, so I’m looking forward to this new one.

The fabulous YA urban fantasy author Annette Marie also has a new book out in her Red Winter Trilogy.  If you haven’t read her books, why not? She is a wonderful storyteller. One of my favorite writers. If you have Kindle Unlimited,, you can read her books for free.  And start with Chase the Dark in her Steel & Stone series. That was the one that hooked me.

You might notice that the link’s at Amazon take you to Amazon Smile, which is currently set up to donate to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Amazon Smile gives a portion of the money you spend at Amazon to the charity you chose. St. Jude’s happens to be mine, but you can select your own.

Happy 2017