Janice's Home (my main blog)

Thursday, June 30, 2016

New Home

On June 28, 2015, last year, my husband and I signed the papers for our house.

I was so nervous.

The weekend before, the old farm house where we lived for the past 25 years, needed the well worked on and something was wrong with the septic system. We literally had no running water for days.

We were without water in 100+ heat.

My husband went to get water from my parents' house and we used the buckets to flush the toilet. We ate microwaved food off paper plates to save on dishes.

The morning of the 28th, when we were to sign the final paperwork to buy our house, my husband and I washed in an ice cold bucket of water.

I smoothed back my dirty hair into a tight bun and hoped no body noticed.

I thought to myself, I can do this. My daughter is about to have a baby, and I can sign thirty years of my life away to have a steady supply of running water, a toilet that will flush without a bucket of water to pour into it, and a bigger house.

Sunday, November 29, 2015

I Won The Nanowrimo

I just won the National Novel Writers Moth contest. The Nanowrimo. For the tenth year in a row.

And now for the first time anywhere, an (unedited) excerpt of Matrix Crystal Deceiver:

Steen strolled down the red packed dirt road. It felt good to be outside again and taking in the fresh air. His blond hair lay heavy on his shoulders braded in multi braids that the natives favored. The homespun clothes scratched his tender skin. He crossed the road and stopped to speak to a lovely red head in the front yard of a house.

“Good morning,” he said pleasantly in zeeman, letting himself in the gate. “Are you one of the Namaste daughters?”

She looked up from the rug she was beating and smiled. “Good morning to you too. Yes I am. I’m called Rain. If you’re looking for dad, he just left with my brother to deliver some packages.”

The young woman was very pretty with flawless golden skin, big green eyes and lovely thick strawberry blond hair. “I’m looking for Maya Namaste.”

“Mom is working with my sister-in-law in the building in the backyard.” She jerked her head toward the back.

He glanced to the rear of the house to a small building where a grinding noise was heard, and leaned a little closer to her. “What are they doing?”

“Making jewelry to sell. That’s their new enterprise, since they’re both have experience with jewelry and recently came back from a dig.”

He itched to find out what stones they found. It wouldn’t be matrix crystals, but maybe something semiprecious like amethyst, garnets or…

The rug she was beating, turned with a grunt. With a chill flowing down his back, he found himself looking at a strange creature. It had next to no fur expect for a mane that went all the way down its spine. Its eyes were close together and tusks poked out of its mouth. It snuffled at him and very slowly got up with a cross between a growl and a snort.

“Be still, Piggy Boy.” She looked up at him. “By the way, I never asked your name.”