Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan

Oh, boy! It’s June, and all my e-books are on sale at Kindle and Smashwords for 99-cents each! Here are the links. Kindle: http://aliceduncan.net/page5.html and Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/aduncanzianet

Not only that, but I get to go to California, where I’m originally from. In California I’ll get to see all my old California buds, and I’ll also (and this is the most important part) get to attend my daughter Robin’s wedding to Gilbert Polozzi, which should be mega-fun. So what if I won’t be able to see yet? I can enjoy the pictures afterwards.

Speaking of not being able to see yet, most of the eye doctors in Roswell have given up performing cataract surgery (I learned the hard way that when you have surgery to correct a detached retina, you always get a cataract as you’re healing. It’s kind of a two-for-one deal). Ergo, I get to go to Albuquerque to have my cataract assessed (one trip) and then removed (another trip). 400 miles round trip. Overnight stay. I know my semi-cousin hates it when I say this, but Roswell is a STUPID place to live!

I also had an MRI in May, the results of which have prompted my doctor here in Roswell to get in touch with a neurosurgeon in (where else?) Albuquerque. With luck, the neurosurgeon will be able to scrape away the calcium deposits on my lumbar spine, stick spacers between the squashed discs, glue ‘em in there, and then put some sort of shield around the surgery spot so my spine doesn’t have the opportunity to crumble again. I’m not exactly looking forward to an operation on my spine, but if it works, I might possibly not be in constant pain any longer. Heck, I might even regain an inch or two of the three I’ve shrunk. I’m sure my muscles will protest, but to heck with them.

Naturally, this will also be a two-trip ordeal, one for the assessment and another for the surgery. After the surgery, God knows what will happen, but I suspect I’ll have to spend time in the rehab center here in Roswell (at least we have one of those), and two of my dogs will have to be looked after by others because I won’t be able to pick them up. Fortunately, Giblett, the heaviest (and cowardliest) of my wiener dogs comes complete with a handle. He has a genetic malformation that makes him walk like a duck, or Charlie Chaplin, so I keep a harness on him all the time for easy pick-up. Also fortunately, through my work with New Mexico Dachshund Rescue, I have someone willing to keep him during my ordeal. My darling, WONDERFUL neighbors, the Laskys, will take care of my other wieners until I can resume looking after them myself.

Gee, for a person who’d never had surgery in her life until last December, it looks as if by this coming December, I’ll have had three of ‘em. Getting old is so much fun. Not.

On the book front, FALLEN ANGELS is now available as an e-book on Kindle, Nook, Sony, or whatever other e-reader you have. And if you don’t have an e-reader and don’t mind reading books on your computer, you can download a free Kindle application from Amazon.com.

Also (this is the scary part), I aim to publish the next Mercy Allcutt book, ANGELS OF MERCY, by myself via CreateSpace. This is a total experiment. When the book is published, it will be available as a trade-size paperback and via Kindle, Nook, Sony and the rest of the e-publisher venues. This is both exciting and frightening. I mean, I’m no Nora Roberts with a ten-million-person fan base. I’m just little old me, who writes books some people like to read, but most folks have never heard of. This is the cover art the talented and overall wonderful Melissa Alvarez did for ANGELS OF MERCY:

Anyhow, please wish me luck on all fronts. Heck, you can even buy my books if you’re feeling particularly generous. My e-books will be on sale for NINETY-NINE CENTS EACH during the month of June! Wow, Whatta de