From Where I'm Standing [9] - Update

Hey quirks.

It has been twenty days since I last saw my dad, seventeen since he died. I don't know when I'll stop counting, but I'm not able to keep the numbers away. OCD runs in my family, but I'm not nor have ever been the counter. But I'm not myself right now.

I once had a creative writing professor tell me that everything I wrote had an atmosphere of sadness or melancholy to it, and as I grew as a writer and changed as a person, (read: got my depression under control) that stopped. But now I feel like my entire being is dampened. I can still laugh; I can still talk and joke and smile. But it is tinged with grief and loss that even if not visible is still there.

This is actually the first time I've been on my laptop since the day my dad died. I was sitting with my computer in my lap when I got the call from my sister that all was not right. Thankfully I had set it aside when she started screaming on the other end of the phone. But I've not even been able to look at my computer much, just enough to pack it up with my things and move back into my family's home, but it's been sitting ever since.

When my sister called, she was using Dad's phone. I thought it was him calling. He always seemed to call just as I got settled with my laptop on the couch.

So looking at and touching my computer right now hurts. But I have things to do, and if Dad taught me anything, it was perserverance.

Things are still going to be relatively quiet on the blog for now. I am in the process of moving my entire family (husband, sister, mother, seven dogs, two cats, and myself) into a new home. My first wedding anniversary is approaching, and a couple weeks later, some trips out of town. I'm still working full-time and currently battling some kind of stomach/stress issue that has made me feel more like a zombie than a person for the last several weeks. But I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, if slowly.

I have a couple books through ARC tours that I will be reviewing, and a scheduled review, so those will appear in the coming weeks. I may review some other books I've been meaning to get to, but more than likely it will be mostly reviews on here for a while. I'm not writing. I decided to give myself July to recover before trying to get back at it. I am sporadically on Twitter, though I haven't felt a whole lot like tweeting or even keeping up with what is going on in the blogosphere, but if you message me, I'll respond.

I just wanted to let you all know where I was at and what to expect as I love my internet friends and family and didn't want to keep you all hanging with no further explanation.

Hopefully I'll be properly back in the blogging/writing/tweeting saddle soon.

-Shalena

Terry Owen Parker

I wanted to state officially that I will be on an indefinite hiatus.

 

Early this afternoon, my daddy passed away. He struggled for years with various health problems but his passing was sudden and a shock to my family.

He was one of the sweetest, smartest men I have ever known. He kicked my butt at Trivial Pursuit every time and could spot errors in movies and TV shows faster than Clint Eastwood could shoot a bad guy. He gave me my love for fantasy books, old films, and music from classical to classic rock. For those of you that have met me in person, he's where I got my inability to shut up. He encouraged me to do what made me happy and gave me the best advice and all the love and support I needed. I couldn't have asked for a better dad.

Terry Owen Parker

October 24th 1946 - July 4th 2012

Authors from A to Z: Z

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you have followed the Authors from A to Z challenge this year and to Heather at Proud Book Nerd for hosting such a fun event!

Z = Markus Zusak

Here we are at the end! I know I'm a day late in getting this challenge finished, but I couldn't leave it incomplete. I am also very glad that I had an actual, no-foolin' Z author to use this year! When I realized that I'd read not one but two books by this author and liked both, lets just say there may have been a fist in the air.

I am even more glad that I got to read Markus Zusak's books. I had heard over and over again how amazing The Book Thief was, and after convincing myself (you know how I am when it comes to the possibility of the sads), I read it and it was brilliant. Literally, brilliant. The narrator is Death, after all. Then it was suggested to me (by none other than up-and-coming author of the recently acquired novel Faking Normal, Courtney C. Stevens) to read another of Zusak's books, I Am the Messenger. I enjoyed that one as well. If you want something different, smart, and thought-provoking, read a Zusak novel.

Authors from A to Z: Y

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

Y = Miranda Kenneally

I really wanted to highlight this author, and after being tricky, I found a way (her name ends in Y, lol). I first became aware of Miranda Kenneally through a giveaway on her blog. I was intrigued because of two things. The first was that she is originally from Tennessee (and I love my home state and writers from my home state). The second was that the premise of her debut novel, Catching Jordan, is about a female quarterback from Tennessee.

I won an arc of the novel from that giveaway and read it in one sitting, late at night, so if it isn't obvious, the book is AWESOME. I am insanely excited for Kenneally's second and third books, Stealing Parker and Bad, Bad Thing, which are companion novels to Catching Jordan. But because of how amazing Kenneally's writing and characters are, I'll be reading whatever she comes up with! And as if that weren't enough for me to be a fan, Kenneally is also lovely and approachable and you should follow her on Twitter. ^_^

Authors from A to Z: X

Authors from A to Z is a posting challenge hosted by

Heather at Proud Book Nerd. The challenge is simple: each day for the month of June (except Sundays) share your favorite authors whose last name corresponds to the letter for that day.  
For more info, click the photo.

How I'm participating in the challenge:

This year I am going to try to highlight just one author each day that I am really taken with. If I can't come up with one, it may be a book, a song, or a surprise!

X = Ten

I got a little tricky on this one since I wanted to do something different from last year and still have it relate to books. It took me a while but I finally realized that a book I am eagerly awaiting, the new book by YA author Gretchen McNeil entitled Ten, was a number and therefore could be represented by the Roman numeral for that number, which happened to be X. How felicitous, yes?

I have been interested in McNeil's debut novel, Possess, since I heard about it, but because the WIP I'm currently writing has elements relating to possession, I didn't want to muddy the waters so I'm still putting it off. But McNeil is a fascinating person with an interesting how-she-got-here story, so I was extremely excited to find out that her next book was going to be a YA thriller/mystery. A premise I love and not relating to possession? Yes please!