Thursday, July 23, 2015

Gods of Talera and Buying Books

Well, I've passed 50,000 words on Gods of Talera. I've also written the last chapter, so I know basically where I'm going. For much of June and July I made outstanding progress. Now, unfortunately, real life has intruded to cause a slow down. Tuesday all our toilets stopped flushing. We had a plumber out and he found out that it was the pipe running from the septic tank that was clogged, most likely with tree roots from all the trees around us.

Now we have to have a new pipe put in and the people who do that had to get digging clearance and won’t be able to start until Monday.  That means showering at the “Y” and bathrooming wherever we can.

While the plumber was here, he noticed that it’s nice and cool under the house, probably because some of our AC piping is leaking or broken. So, we’ve called an AC guy too. We had been doing very well this month on bills after cancelling most of our TV cable and cutting back on our cell phones and on satellite radio, and after poking a new hole in our belts so we could tighten them further. But now that cushion is so far gone that I can’t even see where it was. And it has been like that for month after month for a while now.

We’ve been running in the red for so many months now that I’ve lost track. I believe it’s around 11 or 12 in a row. It’s a good thing I had quite a bit of savings before the run started. One of the worst things for me is not having money to spend on books. I see so many new books I’d like but I’m just forcing myself not to buy them. I’ve bought one .99 cent book for my kindle in the last two months. I’ve also picked up a number of Kindle free deals, of course, and I have years of collected unread works so I’m not in danger of running out of reading material.


But I see new work by friends and colleagues and writers I admire, and I’d love to buy copies of their works to support them, as so many have supported my writing. Unfortunately, it’s not in the cards at the moment. As soon as the cash river regains some flow I’ll be buying some books. I’ve got a big wish list!

As for Gods of Talera, in between phone calls and dealing with all the minutia of getting any house repair done, I've got to try and keep making progress. It's very hard, though. I tend to be a writer who thrives on routine, and I don't write particularly well when emotionally and physically upset. Reckon I need to get over that, given that life seems to be all about constant emotional and physical upset.

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24 comments:

Unknown said...

No pun or insensitivity intended, but sometimes life really stinks! But every now and then the sun really does shine. I hope all is soon well for you and yours.

Rebecca aka Kate Sterling said...

Wow, I'm sorry you're having such a hard of it right now. :( I understand, though. I've even cut back on the .99 books, too, now that I'll have to pay a stomach-sinking amount in tuition over the next several months. If you haven't subscribed to BookBub, it's a good place to be notified of freebies.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Not until Monday? Yes, that does stink.
No worries on not being able to buy books. Just note the ones you want and when you're able, buy them then. Friends will understand.

Riot Kitty said...

That's a mix of good and bad...congrats on the writing. Do you often write the last chapter before the middle? I've never done that - I may have an ending in mind, but my characters tend to make up their own storylines.

Sorry about the finances - been there, too.

pattinase (abbott) said...

This is all too familiar since we bought a new house. A day hasn't passed when we haven't spent more than a $100. Where will it end? I would send you a copy of my book if I thought you'd enjoy it at all, but I doubt it is what you are after.

Adventuresfantastic said...

I hate to hear this, Charles. Been there with the plumbing a few times myself, but not with quite the wait. (Monday? Really?) Hang in there, buddy. Things will turn around.

cs harris said...

Sorry to hear about all this, Charles. At least you inadvertently caught the A/C leak, which must have been a silent drain of money.

Charles Gramlich said...

R. T. yes indeed it does.

Rebecca, I'm also helping my son out with college so that is eating up some coin as well. College is expensive.

Alex, I definitely have my wish list going, and growing.

Riot Kitty, I've only written the last chapter early once before. I'm sure it will undergo some modifications but the basics will stay the same because it's almost a kind of epilog to the main story.

Patti, it is on my list. I will get it eventually. but yeah, the constant, constant bills can be a bit daunting.

Keith, I'm really hoping for a good fall.

Candy, yes, and we thought it was just the heat that was keeping the house from cooling properly.

Ibu, that's easy for you to say.

Cloudia said...

Very instructive......thanks

Anonymous said...

It does seem like when things start going wrong, they pile up. I hope these turn out to be easy fixes. At least the AC one might be a saver if you are leaking air (and shouldn't be too hard to fix)

BernardL said...

The good and bad seem to run in cycles and streaks. It's always tough to even out the peaks and valleys. We strive for a steady course, but we usually settle for controlled chaos.

Sarah Hina said...

We just got a $500 estimate for a minor problem on our car. Needless to say, it's not getting fixed.

I'm sorry you've been feeling trampled on lately. I hope the harshness of reality lets up, letting you get back into your writing flow.

Charles Gramlich said...

Cloudia, instructive on how to have bad luck? lol

Anonymous, yes, really hoping for the AC to get taken care of fairly easily.

Bernard, would love that steady course. Don't know when I've seen it.

Sarah, thank you. I hope so too.

Chris said...

My new favorite saying is this, my friend: the way is hard, and sometimes we have to take the hard way. You'll get there.

Charles Gramlich said...

Chris, indeed.

Prashant C. Trikannad said...

Charles, I'm sorry to hear about your problems and I hope they resolve very soon. Maintenance issues can be a real pain and a drain on the wallet. Out here it's not much of a problem as I can pick up the phone and summon any utility person at short notice and get the work done over a weekend, and without any clearances. Last week, two days of major carpentry work cost me a little under $120, which is pretty decent.

Oscar Case said...

With my garage door repairs, I'm in the same boat, Charles. They say things happen in threes. I guess I'm due for one more repair on my @$^$#* garage door. My savings are getting low since I didn't have much to begin with. But, tomorrow will be a better day! My book dreams cover two pages. Oh, well, hang in there, life is certain to improve.

Charles Gramlich said...

Prashant, its scary not even knowing how much it will cost.

Oscar, sure am hoping for that improvement soon.

Angie said...

Charles -- best of luck appeasing the Gods of Home Maintenance. :/ I'll keep a set of virtual fingers crossed for you that things get done quickly and without any add-on costs.

Angie

Unknown said...

Charles, I hope things have improved on the homefront.
I thought a lot about your comment at my blog, and I apologize for having purged so much of the content, but I cannot reclaim it now.
However, know this: I have resumed active and sensible blogging at Beyond Eastrod, and at least one posting today should interest you (i.e., a focus on western stories and novels).
http://beyondeastrod.blogspot.com/
Perhaps you and your visitors will help me with my "bucket list" of western stories and novels.
Best wishes from the Gulf coast.
Take care.

Charles Gramlich said...

Angie, I'm so hoping for that as well

R. T., well, there's no problem in pausing blogs or taking a hiatus, or even quitting, but the material that is there is often still useful and can stay up for a long time and be used. Anyway, I will be around visiting blogs today after I get plumbing issues dealt with.

Erik Donald France said...

Oh man, that sucks on the logistical goings on (or off the rails) . . . best of luck with all and sundry, and may you both prosper and live long ~~>

Erik Donald France said...

There's always the option that the "you" character can incapacitate "the companion," maybe knock him out for a while?

jodi said...

Charles-What a total drag-mentally and financially! We had to do the digging up at our beach house, but it was worth it. Use your writing as an escape from all this bullshizz!