Reading and writing and everything in between...

First, I owe my apologies to Michelle once again. I thought that I would have time to participate in the read-a-thon as Child Eater had been released and I Love the Changing Seasons is still a work in progress. However, once again I fell short on the reading. Partially it is because I am sick and cannot focus on anything for long before the pressure in my head builds beyond bearing. This includes reading and writing, unfortunately.

I did manage to get some reading done. I started on a Kathy Reichs novel. I had a hard time getting into it. It is very technical, and there is a French-Canadian aspect that I was not expecting from my experience with the TV show Bones. I was unable to get into the book. I am not giving up on her books, but as I said before, my head is in a fog and focus has been lacking. So, I switched to another book on my list. I began reading Bodyguards in Bed. It is a compilation of three stories from three different writers. I did read the first story in it, which I enjoyed quite a bit. However, as is often the case with collaborative works, I found myself wishing that the story was a full length novel instead of part of a compilation. I felt robbed of what could have been a far more intense story. However, it serves a secondary purpose in itself. I now have another author to add to my list of new authors I would like to explore more thoroughly. I will include my thoughts on this story as well as the other two when I write my full review.

I did manage to get a little bit more writing done on The Adventures of Bear B. and Stone Kitty. I thought I might share an excerpt from the beginnings of this new adventure here.

   My name is Bear B. I lived in a wonderful little house right in the center of town with my humans. I could watch the kids coming and going from school right out my window. Sometimes, I could even bark at them when someone forgot and left me in the yard. But one day, that all changed. They bought us a new house out in the country.

   I don’t know why my humans insisted on moving us to this new house. I was content with the old one. When we arrived, everything was in boxes and bags. I got lost trying to find my way from room to room. I am not a fan of change, and to make it all worse, I couldn’t find my froggy.

   I wandered from room to room, lost and confused. The furniture was all there. It was all the same pieces I was used to, but the boxes were stacked everywhere. Just as I was wandering through the last of the bedrooms, I saw Stone Kitty peeking out of one of the boxes.

   “What are you doing?” I asked him.

   “Exploring,” he answered vaguely.

   “Did you discover the location of my froggy during your explorations?” I inquired next.

   He replied with a grunt and gracelessly hopped out of the box, sending it tumbling to the floor. Its contents spilled out before me. I nosed through the mess. There was no froggy there.

   I wandered back into the living room. My boy was there on the couch. I whimpered and whined. I tried to ask him for my froggy. He wasn’t listening. I collapsed on the floor at his feet.

   “Harrumph.”

   I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew it was dark outside.

   “Mom, I can’t find any pajamas,” my girl yelled from down the hall.

   “Wear one of your brother’s t-shirts,” Mom yelled back from the kitchen.

   “What t-shirts?” my boy shouted back.

   Mom headed towards my little humans. I followed on her heels. Perhaps while she found the pajamas she could also find my froggy. 

I would love to hear some thoughts and feedback on this excerpt. I know it isn't much, but it's what I have thus far.