On the Mend

I returned to work today, after being out for almost 2 weeks. I was sooooo happy to be back and the kids in both of my classes were happy to see me. I was a little worried, they had so many subs in the rooms while I was out, that my being back would just be one too many transitions for them but they all did beautifully.

Over the weekend, my energy level varied greatly, going up and down in no apparent rhythm, and I had doubts at times about my ability to resume work, and then last night my chest tightened up. Eeep. I tried to find a balance between resting and accomplishing things. Apparently I was successful as I worked a full day and I'm not nearly as tired as I expected to be nor did I have any significant breathing problems. Still, I'll take it easy tonight. After I leave the library, I'll pick up a few things at the grocery store, maybe treat myself to take out pizza, and then rest on the couch with my cat. One good thing about returning to work this week is the shortness of the work week. Because of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, my school will be closed both Thursday and Friday, meaning I'm only working three days. :)

I saw my specialist on Friday and that was interesting. First, he was furious with my primary care doctor's medical practice. In order to see a specialist, I have to get permission, called a referral. My primary's referral review committee had denied my referral, a few weeks before I got sick (I had put in for it because I needed to schedule a check up with my specialist). So, when I got sick, I had to go to my primary care office and the doctor who saw me the first time, was in and out in five minutes, and the treatment didn't meet my unique medical needs. When I crashed and burned on Friday, Nov. 11th, I went to the primary care again, and saw the nurse practitioner. She spent more time with me and made better decisions, including sending me to the ER by ambulance. (I told the kids the story about my ambulance trip, made it sound like a grand adventure, and they loved it. They were disappointed when I said there was no fire truck or police car, just the ambulance.) At the ER, when further treatment failed to produce results, I was admitted.

My specialist is also frustrated because I'm in a holding pattern. My asthma is NOT well controlled (though back in the spring things looked good, that state didn't last). We have tried every currently available treatment, I take 5 different meds in an attempt to control my asthma, I have made changes to my living environment and still, asthma rules my life. A few years ago, it was so bad I nearly had to quit work and go on disability. Things aren't that bad now, but clearly, things are not OK. Until some new treatment becomes available, I'm stuck, just trying to get by one day at a time. 

Despite that, I'm feeling pretty optimistic at the moment. I am feeling better, both physically and emotionally and I can see an end to this flare. Granted, that end will probably not be for another two-three weeks (mind you, that's how long it will be until I'm 100% again), but nevertheless, after today, I am quite hopeful.

Over the weekend, one of my accomplishments was to make headway on my review reading and writing, and revising reviews that I had started before being hospitalized. I also read just for fun. Now that I've made some progress on catching up, I'm feeling less stressed about the blog.

Thank you all for your support the past few weeks. It made a difference. :)

Review of "Theodora" by Stella Duffy

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Release Date: September 27, 2011

Buying Links:  Amazon     Abe Books

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

Roman historian Procopius publicly praised Theodora of Constantinople for her piety-while secretly detailing her salacious stage act and maligning her as ruthless and power hungry. So who was this woman who rose from humble beginnings as a dancer to become the empress of Rome and a saint in the Orthodox Church? Award-winning novelist Stella Duffy vividly recreates the life and times of a woman who left her mark on one of the ancient world's most powerful empires. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore is a sexy, captivating novel that resurrects an extraordinary, little-known figure from the dusty pages of history. 

Teaser:

Well trained, Theodora knew better than to lower her market value. Time after time when she didn't feel like it and she didn't want to - perform or f**k or greet or charm or act or dance or smile - time after time when, no matter how she felt, she rose from her bed and washed and put on her makeup and combed her hair and dressed for the part and stepped out on to the stage that was theatre or bed or family or stranger or - as it had been here in Apollonia - the Governor's mansion. New stage, new Theodora mask, same old strength required. Theodora was nineteen years old, sick to death of carrying on, and she carried on.

My Thoughts:

I don't currently read a lot of historical fiction, though I have gone through phases where I do. This one was interesting, an actress who went on to become an empress? One I'd never heard of? It seemed worth trying. I'm glad I did. It sat in my TBR pile for a few months and I wish I'd picked it up sooner. It's a well researched novel but I never felt as if I was reading a treatise or an info dump. Duffy does an excellent job of writing a fictional version, based on what seems to be solid research, and really making us see and feel what  Theodora saw and felt. She was not always a likable person, but the fictional Theodora, at least, recognized and admitted her faults.


"Theodora" is at times a dense read, with all of the background and the different time period to familiarize yourself but I was hooked from the beginning and cared about Theodora and what happened to her. The book ends as she is crowned empress, leaving me going, "But...but...what happened next? What kind of empress was she? Was she happy?" So, I must, it seems, hunt out books, probably non-fiction, to get my answers. Theodora had a remarkable life, very full, and it's a pity that she is not better known. I strongly recommend this book.


I received an eARC from the publisher.

Featured Books: Forever's TURNING UP THE HEAT Tour

Forever Romance has two hot new romances out, "Sinfully Delicious", a wicked, erotic contemporary romance by Lilli Feisty, and a historical romance, "Too Wicked to Wed" by Cara Elliott. As part of our feature on these books Forever Romance has offered a giveaway of two sets of both books to two commenters. Entry is at the end of the post.

Some reviews of the books: The Book Girl     Smexy Books     Drey's Library

New Kelley Armstrong Cover!

Kelley just shared on facebook and twitter the new cover for the next Women of the Otherworld book, titled "Thirteen". Isn't it gorgeous? I LOVE the colors and I'm delighted that the pentacle necklace is on the cover. I can hardly wait for this book even as I don't want the series to end.

Review of Charmed Knits by Alison Hansel

Publisher: Wiley 
Release Date: May 7, 2007
Buying Links: Amazon  Barnes and Noble




Blurb: 
Sit and Knit a Spell

Off to the Quidditch match

You'll soon be knitting enchanting things you didn't know were within your powers. Charmed Knits offers dozens of patterns for items that evoke the mystique of Harry Potter - a Wizard Robe, an Invisibility Shawl, a Quidditch Sweater, Ron's Ragg Raglan, a Clock Blanket, Harry Christmas Ornaments, and more. Easy-to-follow patterns, color photos of the finished projects, and illustrations of special stitch patterns and design elements make it easy for all knitters - from beginners to those at Mrs. Weasley's level - to work knitting magic. Charmed Knits whisks you away on a wonderful journey. Along the way, you can pick patterns inspired by the Weasleys, stock up at Diagon Alley, show your house colors, conjure up gifts, or create pieces to help you feel at home in the magical world of Harry Potter.

My Thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed flipping through all the patterns, even the ones that I don't want to try. But could not resist putting a homemade touch on my kids' Halloween costumes. Last year my daughter only had the scarf, but I managed to get the set completed for this year's festivities. The patterns are very easy to read and follow.  And the author gave the brands and color names for everything she used. (It's so hard to make sure you're getting the right colors when ordering online.) 

Not everything is exactly like the movie...the Invisibility Shawl is a pretty lace thing. And I don't recall the Wand Cozies at all - but I still think I'll make a go of them before next Halloween. But all in all, I'm very glad I picked up this book, both as a Potter fan and a knitter. I usually won't pick up a book of patterns unless there are at least two that I would want to do...in this book, I think there are maybe 3 that I wouldn't want to do. Out of 28 patterns, that's a deal. 

Home!

The doctor sent me home today. My white blood cell count was back to normal, there's no more wheezing in my lungs, etc. etc.

As I expected, I'm on bedrest, but, in in unexpected, and happy, news it's only partial. :) The doctor who was taking care of me was a hospital staff doctor; tomorrow I see my primary care doctor and I still have to see my Asthma specialist.

I've heard back from some of the publicists I emailed over the weekend and they've been wonderfully understanding. Jax, although she's starting a new job, is going to pick up some of the slack while I recover, and we have a guest review from Liz, who did a guest review for us a while ago.

I did get some good news yesterday - I was one of the winners of an eARC of Demon Bait by the writing team of Moira Rogers.

So, I'm home, resting, trying not to overdo it. I very much appreciate everyone's support, both here and on Twitter. It's made the experience more tolerable. Thank you. :)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Android Phone

Iron Fey Blog Tour Interview with Julie Kagawa

We'd like to thank Julie for stopping by to answer a few questions on her blog tour!

Julie Kagawa was born in Sacramento, California.But nothing exciting really happened to her there. So, when she was nine she and her family moved to Hawaii, which she soon discovered was inhabited by large carnivorous insects, colonies of house geckos and frequent hurricanes. She spent much of her time in the ocean, when she wasn’t getting chased out of it by reef sharks, jellyfish and the odd eel.

When not swimming for her life, Julie immersed herself in books, often to the chagrin of her schoolteachers, who would find she hid novels behind her math textbooks during class. Her love of reading led her to pen some very dark and gruesome stories, complete with colored illustrations, to shock her hapless teachers. The gory tales faded with time, but the passion for writing remained, long after she graduated and was supposed to get a real job.

To pay the rent, Julie worked in different bookstores over the years, but discovered the managers frowned upon her reading the books she was supposed to be shelving. So she turned to her other passion: training animals. She worked as a professional dogtrainer for several years, dodging Chihuahua bites and overly enthusiastic Labradors, until her first book sold and she stopped training to write full-time.

Julie now lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where the frequency of shark attacks is at an all- time low. She lives with her husband, two obnoxious cats, one Australian Shepherd who is too smart for his own good, and the latest addition, a hyperactive Papillon.

You can find Julie at her blog,  website, twitter, or facebook, Plus more information about the Iron Fey series here.

What is your favorite part of being an author?

I don’t know if I have a favorite part; I just love it all so much.  This was what I always wanted to do, and now that I’m here, it’s a dream come true for me.  =)

If you could pick one of the characters from The Iron Fey series to have dinner with, who would it be and why?

I’m going to have to go with Ash, because I know he’d at least be polite.  Unlike a certain faery prankster, who might put something in my food or turn the waiter into a hedgehog.  Meghan would also be a good choice, we could catch a movie afterwards.  Grim…not so much; he’d order the most expensive thing on the menu and then turn up his nose at it. 

When you first started this series, with The Iron King, did you know then that there would be multiple books? And did you know you’d want to write them with a changing point of view?

When I first began The Iron King, I knew I wanted to write at least a trilogy, but I left an open ending on the first book in case the publisher didn’t want to buy the whole series.  Fortunately, they did, though I did intend the series just to be a trilogy.  I didn’t think I would write a fourth book from Ash’s POV, but it made the most sense to continue the series with him.

The Iron Knight is the fourth book in the Iron Fey series. Will there be more? What can we look forward to?

Meghan and Ash’s journey has come to a close, but it’s not the end of The Iron Fey series.  In 2012 there will be a new series starring Ethan Chase, Meghan’s little brother, when he is older.

In The Hospital

I"m attempting this post as an email from my cellphone, I hope it works. Yesterday, I tried accessing my Blog from my phone and doing a New Post but it didn't work. I then emailed Jax, asking for help but she was unavailable to help.

Anyway, as the title says, I'm in the hospital. I've been having trouble with my asthma for the past two weeks. I went back to the doctor on Friday November 11th, she sent me to the ER and ultimately, they admitted me. I don't, at this point, know how long I'll be in. Once I'm home I'll be on bedrest for a week or two. I hope That will let me catch up on the reading I've been too sick to do. I am behind on my review reading. Once I'm home, I'll have time to read and write but as my regular readers know, I don't have internet at home. So, I won't be able to do posting, except for pieces like this, until I can drive and go to the library or McDonald's for free wifi.

My apologies to all of you, authors, readers, Publishers, publicists and everyone else. I will do my best to catch up. Once I have access to my regular Google calendar and not my cellphone's limited version, I will start rearranging things. Please don't hesitate to email but bear in mind I can't answer any calendar related questions just yet.

Sorry for any typos I missed.

Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.

Bea

Sent from my Verizon Wireless Android Phone