Lessons Learned & Progress

This past week I learned a valuable lesson...when fighting with furniture toes lose.  When I went to the hospital, at my oldest daughter's insistence, they asked me what brought me to the emergency room.  I looked the nurse squarely in the eyes and answered stupidity! She asked me what my pain level was.  It was a two out of ten so long as I didn't stand, and then it jumped to a seven.  I also told her if she touched  anywhere near the toes, I'd smack her. I had experienced the ten out of ten pain level when my daughter pushed her flip-flop into them. (I don't own flip-flops)  I know, I know.  A very unChristian like attitude to express. Ten Our Fathers and fifty Hail Marys for me...and I'm not Catholic.

I learned I was the sixth person that day to have the fight of toes versus furniture so I didn't feel lonely.  The lady in the queue before me had not only fractured her toe, but dislocated it as well.  The doctor came in and told me the results of the x-ray which I already knew.  My last two toes on my left foot were the size of my big toe with bruising up to my ankle.  An oblique fracture of my last two toes.

The doctor said I was lucky the ends had not broken through the skin, but this type of fracture took a long time to heal (12 weeks!) because of the surface area that needed mending. So what is the treatment of fractures of this type?  Tape the toes to an unbroken toe and a shoe.  I was in tears. I have an appointment with my podiatrist tomorrow.  I figured it was easier than trying to break in a new doctor, no pun intended. Then came my drug allergies...what do you prescribe for a patient who is allergic to so many medicines and the only pain med which didn't cause an allergic reaction was pulled from the market?  They gave me Ativan.  While the Ativan helped mellow me out, it did nothing for the pain.  So I grin and bear it.

The good news is I've finished the second draft of "Zombie Apocalypse: Redemption."  I've sent it off to a few Beta readers to catch any stumbling points and nitpicks my bleary eyes missed. A couple of the readers are not horror buffs so I get a view of what regular readers think of the story.  So far the response is great.  I have heard things like, "I don't read horror, but I couldn't put it down,"  "I couldn't stop reading until I finished it," and my favorite so far was, "Oh no! You didn't! You ripped my heart out."

I am busy working on the book trailer for this novel and looking at a late August release date.  While orginally I thought to upload this novel as a Smashwords exclusive, I am now having second thoughts.  I've heard from too many readers who do not like reading on a screen or own a reader. 

Two of my readers asked if I was writing a sequel to "Zombie" and honestly at this point I haven't decided.  Ideas for a sequel have formed in that hazy way all writers have.  I can take the sequel(s) into so many different directions.  I guess the deciding factor will be the reading public.  If sales do well and the reader response is good, I will.  My mama used to say, "Never say never."  I had forgotten this while writing.

Meanwhile, the sales on both of my other novels, "Escape from Second Eden" and "The Sacrificial Lamb" have stalled for the past two month.  I am no longer upset by this.  I chock it up to a exposure, advertising, and a self-publishing thing.  While dream of being traditionally published again is still on hold because of my husband's illness, I continue writing.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.