Slow, frustrating, and quiet…

Life just seems to have come to a standstill this week and last–and not in a good way. From what I’m seeing on LJ, I’m not the only one who’s running into frustrations and having problems with stuff not happening and people being pains in the tush.

E-mail is dead, the forums I’m in are dead, lj is quiet, the ‘Net is dead. Even the weather has been blah this week: mostly overcast but dry, temps in the 70’s, chilly at night. No more replies to any of my queries to reviewers, positive or negative. Amazon finally put up a cover image for Mortal Touch, but no “Search Inside” materials (which I submitted last Friday, precisely to spec), no additional search keys, and no sales rank, meaning no sales yet. One of the review copies I mailed on August 7th still has not been delivered, and I sent it Priority Mail. I e-mailed them at the end of last week to see if maybe it was delivered but not scanned, and they haven’t replied to my e-mail. This is the publication that asks you to follow-up with an e-mail to confirm delivery and send them a cover image and synopsis, by the way!

I have medical appointments this week–all routine exams, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they stay routine. Today I go for a pelvic ultrasound, which means I have to drink 60 ounces of water an hour before the appointment (and then drive 15 miles to get there). I’m a little nervous about it…I don’t have any reason to expect anything to show up, but then, you never do, do you?

On Sunday, I went up to the airport with my sister and her family so I could drive dad’s car back down here. Dad had a concert in the afternoon and he got a ride to my house to meet me and get the car. While he waited for me, he finally started reading Mortal Touch. He left it here when he went home! He’s on a trip to upstate New York this week and I have no idea if he planned to take the book with him. *sigh* You hear snarky remarks about all the authors whose only readers are their friends and family. I’ve done them one better. I’ve written a book that not even my friends and family will read! 🙁

At least I’ve been using the “down time” constructively. I’ve been writing material for my website–got an article done I’ve been intending and planning to write for YEARS, updating my original FireHeart article. It’s hard, because some of it consists of, “yes, I admit that I got this part wrong, and here’s what I think now.” But it does need to be said and I do want to say it. There’s a lot more, too. It will feel so good to get all this finished! Next Wednesday, the 29th, is the 10th anniversary of By Light Unseen‘s debut. I want to go out to dinner or something to celebrate! Especially since, once this new stuff goes up on the site, I’ll probably be banished from the vampiric community, so I may as well go out with a bang. Oh, well.