I'm not the adventuresome type, except when it comes to my horse or the books I write. I live my adventures through my writing. Living in Los Angeles gives me plenty of opportunity to venture out to a myriad of great events and places. But, other than ride Okido competitively, I'm very much a stay-at-home lost in the worlds I create.

So,when my neighbor and friend, Sandy, said she had VIP tickets to Dancing With the Stars and asked me to go with her, I thought it would be a fab experience, and it was. I love the show and wanted to experience being a part of it. In the picture above, Bettina, Sandy's friend (and now mine), is one of the camera specialists on DWTS. She's the one who provided the VIP tickets and made sure we were treated like royalty. After we arrived on the set, we were whisked inside, had fabulous seats surrounded by friends and families of the dancing celebrities, and loved the tremendous energy that's created on set with this show.

But, unfortunately, getting to and from the show became the real adventure! 

Sandy didn't want to drive, so I volunteered. Poor thing. Little did she know that I'm a terrible driver, especially at night. Anyway, we had to check in at 3:30p, so we left my house at 2. With my handy GPS, we arrived to the designated parking garage 45 minutes later... that is, after I missed the entrance a couple of times and had to turn around. Then, we circled the parking garage, getting lost - yes - getting lost in a parking garage - for 45 minutes more! Finally, going up to almost the top, we found a spot and parked.

Now, because I got lost in the parking garage, we got turned around and went the opposite way we should have to walk to the CBS Studio. We'd been told if we weren't in our seats by 4:30 that our seats would be given away! Sooo, another fifteen minutes of walking (yes, we were late) and we accidentally stumbled our way to the VIP line. Whew! 

After that, all went well... until the trip home. I managed to get us out of the parking garage, after fumbling with the ticket meter, through downtown, and onto the freeway home. It was going quite well until I hit a bunch of orange cones that scraped the side of my almost new Fusion.

I think poor Sandy was glad to get home alive and regretted asking me to drive. Doubt she ever will again! And, thank God, Mark was able to rub out the scratches the cones had made  from the front tire to the back.

I'm very grateful for the experience at DWTS, but I can't believe what a mess I made of the trip to and from. Do you have stories where you've bumbled a perfectly good experience? If you do, please share them in the comment section. I'd love to know I'm not the only doofus!

Til Next Time,
​Carol

Kane – The First Blood Son is the prequel to the Snow Blood Series.

This is the perfect cover for Kane – The First Blood Son. During the poll I sent you to help me select a cover, some of you wondered why Snow Blood wasn’t on it. That’s because this is the story of how Kane met Brogio and the results. It takes place long before the white husky Snow becomes Snow Blood.
 
Let me tell you why Brogio and Kane are the focus of the cover:  

Kane de Medici’s thirst for knowledge leads him into the dark world of vampirism. Working as an apprentice to the great master, Leonardo da Vinci in 1503, he encounters Brogio, one of Florence’s most wealthy bachelors. Their growing friendship coupled with strange events lead him to uncover Brogio’s inconceivable secret. Brogio is a vampire, the very first vampire.  
 
Kane’s quest for endless learning has him propose that the vampire “turn” him so that he can become Brogio’s first vampire blood son. Reluctantly Brogio agrees, but Kane’s uncontrollable blood lust unleashes a plague upon the world.

Kane – The First Blood Son is now available for Pre-Order for .99 cents. By pre-ordering the Kindle Version, you will receive $2.00 off the regular price. Get yours today by clicking here. 

And, do you remember that I've decided to give Kane his own series?  I've actually completed Moon Blood Season 1 and am outlining Season 2.  So, get in on the story of Kane from the beginning!

Want to join my launch party and get a free copy of Kane – The First Blood Son? Stay tuned.
 
Thanks!
Carol

After losing my husband Mark's mother last Sunday, I wasn't going to write anything sad. I'm doing a book poll for the cover of my upcoming book, Kane - The First Blood Son, and planned to post about it here. 

But then, this morning, our beloved Neo showed us he was in pain. Mark immediately carted him off to the vet. The news isn't good. A large mass was discovered. Probably hemagiosarcoma, the same cancer that took our beloved Luke, of Luke's Tale.

That combined with the passing of two other beloved family members this year crushed me. I had been holding up until the news about Neo this morning.  My heart is breaking once again.

Then, I recalled a line from John Irving's Hotel New Hampshire. "Sorrow always floats." In it, the family is moving and flying to Europe. They take the family dog , Sorrow, whom they couldn't bear to lose, so they had a taxidermist stuff him after he passed away. To be safe, this large family takes two different airplanes, splitting up so that if there's a plane crash, some of them will survive. Inevitably, the plane with Sorrow, along with other family members, crashes. Irving describes the stuffed animal Sorrow floating among the wreckage. Thus "Sorrow always floats," hit me today. 

Death is a journey we will all take, but that's no real comfort to anyone at the loss of loved ones. They say tragedy always comes in threes. For us, this year, it certainly has - Mark's mom, his step-mom, and now most certainly, Neo.

I am sorry if this brings you down. I'm a writer, and I'm writing out my pain. That's one of the ways that I cope. So, what is the point of this message? Hold your loved ones close to you. Cherish every moment. Sorrow takes us by surprise and floats into our lives when we least expect it.  Mark and I certainly didn't expect the sorrow of losing three beloved family members in the last six months.

Hopefully until a better time,
Carol