Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Tips for Coping with Social Isolation

Vegetable Garden - Detail by southernfoodswaysalliance


Many of us, all over the world, are under lockdown or shelter in place orders. We may be bored, sick or distressed. Other people, who are working in essential, perhaps risky jobs, would benefit from a chance to relax. 
What are you doing to ease the stress? 
I asked my newsletter subscribers to send their tips for coping during the COVID crisis. 

Here are a Few of Their Tips for Coping

B: I'm easing it with my beloved books and the Internet.

A: Here are some things to do during the shelter in place - Foster a dog to go on short walks; Gardening; DIY project; Puzzles


J: Cooking..playing video games with my daughter...listening to music❤❤

S: Painting furniture on my days off from work. I can't go to the thrift shops to change out furniture, so I have been painting some of it to make it feel like new furniture. Right now my daughter and I are painting her bedroom furniture.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Retaliation? Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa



Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors.
Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work.
I hope you are managing to cope with the crazy world. We are in isolation, yet busier than before with online teaching and virtual meetings. Last weekend, I took a short break as a respite.
I’m posting snippets from the first chapter of my new story, Cosmic Lock, the 6th book in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy. This series stars Grand Masters Violet Hunter and Athanor Griffin. Their powers include teleporting interstellar distances. On returning from a dangerous venture, they have found their son in Master Stimon’s forge, a cave on the side of an erupting volcano.  
Moving on a few sentences, we meet the other people at the forge. Lizanne is Master Stimon’s apprentice and lived with Mother Tingu, Violet’s acerbic old tutor.

     Lizanne asked, “Why did that ship attack our cottage? Avalon’s a peaceful planet with little of value for raiders.”
     Athanor groaned, “Hades. The Nulls might have blasted Avalon in retaliation for our destruction of their city of Bruniston. Their planet, Gorland, is Avalon’s parallel in the alternate universe beyond the Cosmic Rift. A shipload of their technos fled from their space station while we were organizing transport for the slaves we rescued.” 
     Shaking ashes from her shawl, Tingu said tartly, “Except for drawing the Nulls’ wrath upon Avalon, I gather your mission was a success.”
     “By Viche’s grace, we fulfilled Violet’s promise to the Cinerean mothers. Now, we must squash these obnoxious invaders.”

 Lock

Draft Blurb
Grand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon
I hope to release it well before the listed date.

 Cat

My short prequel to this series, Grand Master’s Cat, is free through April. When Grand Master Griffin investigates a wrecked spacecraft, his efforts to rescue the survivors lead to feline disruptions of his plans.

 Super Starrella

Special Price of 99c for Super Starrella
Supergirl with snarky flying horse, two suitors and a comically evil villain
Buy links: Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlay

As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments. 
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.
Join me on Facebook and Twitter 


Monday, April 6, 2020

Tips for Life in the Time of COVID-19




All of us are experiencing stress and changes due to this pandemic. We are sheltering at home or working in risky, but essential jobs. I’m grateful for doctors and nurses who are treating patients, for grocery cashiers who are serving everyone, and for teachers who have switched to on-line classes for students from kindergarten to college. Some people are isolated and alone, others have lost their jobs. But, it is not the end of the world. Many people will have a mild form of the infection or no obvious symptoms. We will survive just as earlier generations, parents, grandparents or great-grandparents, overcame the dangers and shortages of the Second World War. Listen to Queen Elizabeth’s message at https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52176222
  
I’m offering a short list of tips based on my knowledge as a scientist and experience as a university professor.  

Don’t Panic. Remember, everyone is under stress. Take it easy. You may not be able to accomplish as much as you hoped.

Stay Safe. Take precautions to reduce the spread of the virus. Stay at home if possible. Wash your hands frequently. Soap and water will kill the virus. Wear a facemask in public and keep at a safe distance from others. Please leave surgical masks for medical professionals. They are intended for single-use and must be disposed after use. Instead, use a simple homemade mask of washable cotton fabric. Here’s how you can make an easy, no-sew face mask: http://blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie
Cotton fabric is best since the virus lingers longer on many made-man fabrics and plastics. Read a summary of research on how long the virus lasts on different surfaces at https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces  Remember to wash the mask after each use.

Relax and Chat. Social interactions are important for mental health, especially for people stuck at home. Chat with friends and family by phone or virtual media. Remember to exercise your muscles rather than staring at a screen all day. Take a walk or start a garden. Growing vegetables will reduce the need to shop for groceries. Start a new hobby or revive an old one. I’m reading more than before.  

If you enjoy reading, you can try one of my novels. My stories are adventures and romances in other worlds - Sci-Fi and Fantasy. They are meant to entertain and have happy endings.
You can find a list of my books here:

 My Books


Friday, April 3, 2020

SciFI Bridge Giveaway



Sign up for a chance to win 30+ Sci-Fi eBooks! Everyone who enters will receive 5 ebooks completely free as our thanks and to fill the hours in these difficult times.

PRIZES
- 10 Winners will receive 30+ Sci-Fi eBooks.
- 1 Grand Prize Winner will receive the eBooks and a $100 Amazon Gift-card.


Authors in the giveaway:
Nathan Hystad, Rachel Aukes, Rick Partlow, Stan Smith, Andrew Dobell, Justin Sloan, Jonathan Yanez, Terry Mixon, Brandon Ellis, Marilyn Peake, Joshua James, Chris Pourteau, Jasper T. Scott, Scott Bartlett, Drew A Avera, Aurora Springer, Gene Doucette, Mary Pax, Jenny Green, Jonathan Moeller, Daniel Arenson, Dean M. Cole, Robert Jeschonek, Austin Dragon, Matt Herron, Michael Forbes, Phil Adams, Daniel Gibbs, Douglas Phillips, Chris Kennedy, Amy DuBoff, Jay Allan, TR Harris, Carolynn Gockel, Mark H Wandrey


April Book Freebies in #SciFi and #Fantasy


 Starlight

Apr 1-30: Starlight – SciFi and Fantasy Giveaway - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/HiZRgjK



 Witchy

Apr 1-30: Witch-y Reads Sale - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/JLZv8Zq



 Alternatives

Apr 1-30: Alternatives to Reality – https://books.bookfunnel.com/alternatives-reality/8p19o4ecns