I’m sorry to go MIA so soon after resuming posting again. Some of it is because I’m still adjusting to the Boyo’s new school schedule. He’s home on Wednesday’s now, so we spend a lot of time at the local parks trying to wear him out. Some of it is because shortly after we moved, I got sick.

Now, any time I get sick I get a cough that just lingers for weeks on end. It sucks, but it’s manageable. Well, I don’t know if it’s because of the stress of moving, or all the pollen in Washington, but the normal cough has mutated into something nasty. For a good week there I couldn’t go five minutes without a coughing fit, and any time I took a breath my lungs crackled. It was bad.

Urgent Care claims it was Viral Induced Asthma. I’m inclined to think it was Bronchitis. Either way after a week of albuterol and prednisone at least the wheezing has stopped.

The cough is refusing to give up the ghost though. Mucinex helps, but it turns me into a bit of a zombie, so I try to save that for bad days.

Anywho, needless to say I haven’t been getting as much writing done.

As a result, Elusion is probably going to be pushed back until the fall. And I have no idea when I’ll be able to get started on the next Etta Teague book. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself – after all a LOT has happened in the past year! – but it can be rough when you see other authors publishing books at a far faster frequency.

But just because I haven’t been able to do much in the way of writing lately doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to share for WIPpet Wednesday!

Since today is the 23rd, here are five paragraphs (2+3=5) from Elusion. This takes place shortly after the last snippet I shared. In it Mattie meets Marley for the first time, and he makes it very clear he doesn’t trust her at all.

Liam opened the door, stepping over the roughly hewn threshold. Mattie followed him, sneezing as the ticklish sensation crawled over her flesh once more. She looked up to find that the wall above the door was covered in straw charms of all shapes and sizes. Some were large crosses, a few looked like squares with tufts sticking out on certain sides, while others resembled eyes and hands. All were covered in a thick layer of dust, and quite a few had turned brown and brittle with age.

“They don’t bother you, do they?” The voice asked.

Mattie turned to find the old man from the window staring at her intently, an expectant expression on his face. This must be Marley, she assumed. Even though he had been born long after her, he appeared to be older than her father. His fingers were just as knobby from joint ail, and his face was etched in deep wrinkles and framed with thin white hair. However, his eyes were clear and bright, free of any madness. In fact, they belied intelligence and wisdom instead. This man might be gossiped about in town, but he was no fool.

“No.” She lied. “They’re quite interesting though – what do they mean?”

“Protection.” He snapped, obviously disappointed that she wasn’t bothered by them. Though why he was so disappointed wasn’t clear to her. “But apparently they’re useless.”

To read more WIPpet Wednesday posts, go here.