Somehow two sets of homeowners–us and the original owner/builder–missed out on the fact that the attic spaces above the upstairs bedrooms contain very little insulation, either in the batten or blown-in variety. There’s a bit of rolled fiberglass here and there in the vertical spaces, but that’s it. Someone either forgot to do it as it’s one of the last things done on a new home, or someone “forgot” to do it since the previous owners were an elderly couple at the time they first built the place and they (rightly) figured no one would be up there anyway.
Either way, it’s made its presence (or lack of presence) known these last couple weeks! Even with both A/C units going full blast, it’ll still be between 85 and 90 degrees in the upstairs bedrooms during the hottest part of the day. Makes for interesting nap times for our littlest one! We’re in the midst of rectifying the solution, and it makes for hot work. I feel for the guys doing it! The contract work I do sometimes involves attic and new construction work, and always in the summertime, it seems! But, hey, that’s part of it, I suppose. Farmers gotta farm, concrete pourers gotta pour, and attic workers got work no matter the weather or season!
One thing I enjoy when I’m up in an attic is the relative quiet, even on a busy jobsite. When I know I’ll be on my own for awhile, that’s the time to break out the music or the audio books. My listen of choice these days is Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward series, a sci-fi young adult series that–from what I understand–is part of his larger Cytoverse? That’s at least what I read in one of the reviews, but no matter. The series itself has been great. I’m two books in, and can’t wait to dig into the third one. If coming-of-age drama set on the backdrop of interstellar war, intrigue, and starfighter battles sounds enjoyable to you, you can’t go wrong with it!
Morgaan Wynd is Out in the Wind!
In a world where memory fades but danger never does…
Fifteen-year-old Jack Brecker wakes up on his uncle’s lawn with no memory of the last few days and a gnawing sense that something is terribly wrong. Welcome to Morgana Wynd, a town Jack barely remembers but can’t seem to escape—a place where shadows move when no one’s looking, and the air crackles with secrets.
But Morgana Wynd isn’t just strange. It’s a crossroads of blood and black magic, where shapeshifters prowl the woods, ancient curses linger, and fanatics serve demon gods hungry for destruction.
When a demon god sets its sights on Jack’s soul, he has two choices: run—or fight.
Joined by the fierce and mysterious Neria and a band of wayward teens caught in the town’s deadly grip, Jack must face down the darkness and decide what kind of hero he’s willing to become.
The stakes are cosmic. The danger is real. And the time to act is now.
Welcome to Morgana Wynd. You’re not ready—but you’re going anyway.
Other Recent Releases
Weight of Injustice: Book 2 of the Injustice series
Murder, corruption, and forbidden love—how much is justice worth?
When a brutal murder near Malik Addelia’s apartment exposes his relationship with homicide detective Violetta Cq’linns, the revelation ignites outrage. Dating him defies societal norms, and now everyone in her department knows it. Already battling PTSD, Violetta faces scrutiny from all sides—until another murder lands on her desk, offering a much-needed distraction.
But as the body count rises, a chilling connection emerges. The victims, Malik, and his employer are all linked, and someone will kill to keep their secrets buried. With attempts on her life escalating, Violetta must uncover the truth before the killer silences her for good.
Will justice come at the cost of everything she’s fought for—including the career she sacrificed everything to build?
Whistles of the Wendigo: A Joint Task Force 13 Legacy Nove
When the war ends… a new nightmare begins.
The smoke of the Civil War has barely cleared when another battle ignites—this time, on the homefront. A fiery prohibition movement is tearing the state apart, and the governor calls in the US Army’s 6th Cavalry to keep the peace.
But peace is the last thing they’ll find.
On patrol, Sergeant David Wilkerson and his troop ride straight into a ghostly fog—and straight into hell. A terrified horse disappears—a mangled carcass returns. Something ancient and hungry has awakened.
The saloons go silent. The townsfolk go missing. The line between law and chaos is about to be crossed.
Now, with tempers boiling and terror creeping in from the shadows, Wilkerson and his men must ride into the unknown, face what lies in the mist…
…and stand as the last defense between Heaven and Hell.
Not to Yield: Polisian-Scourge War, A Shared-World Anthology
It is the end of a bloody and savage 10-year-long interstellar war. Earth is part of the 230 sentient races of the Polisian War Fleet on their suicide mission to destroy “The Scourge,” an unknown bellicose species whose only purpose is to destroy all intelligent life and colonize their sterilized habitats.
On the far side of The Milky Way Galaxy, Tennyson and the crew of The Ekaterina infiltrate the enemy’s massive, rogue Dyson sphere, and set off a devastating Singularity-Bomb, an all-devouring Dark Matter Fountain which not only destroys the enemy but most of the galactic space-gate network that is the travel infrastructure for the entire galaxy.
The Ekaterina is now cut off from Earth. Stranded far from home, the crew must combine cold-sleep hibernation, near-light-speed relativistic space flight, and random, unmapped, Dark Energy Arterial Tunnels in a dangerous, epic journey of Homeric proportions.
Writing Tip: A Craft Library is a Must
For those of us on the writer’s path, remember that we won’t learn in a vacuum. Some have been born with a natural talent, while others have to start completely from scratch. Regardless of our starting point, we won’t get better unless we commit to learn more. And we learn mostly by reading. Reading books on the craft, as well as by studying our favorite books in the genre(s) where our passion lies.
My advice this week is, if you haven’t already, start building out that craft library. If you’re a writer, you’re likely already a reader, and that means your library is already started. Spend an hour or even a day and sort out your favorites from the rest, then make it a point to re-read those books with a writer and editor’s eye. Study them by part, by chapter, by scene, and even by paragraph in certain areas. Look at the pacing, the character development, the scene description, and other techniques that just click for you as a reader. That’s what you’re looking to emulate. If it works for you as a reader, then it will work for other readers as well. It will work for your readers.
Next week I’ll have a list of books on the craft that are my go-to books on a variety of subjects, from plotting to character development to plot twists and theme. Until next time!
New Cannon Publishing Release
Our friends at Cannon Publishing have a new book out by G. Scott Huggins. War of the Shattered Moon is book two of his Wishkiller Saga. Check it out today!
The war has come. From the soul of the Well, it sweeps across the plains and washes into the cities in a tide of green madmen and red blood.
While the Kingdom of Verlaen fights for its life against the deadly Lotus, Last Sword of the King Aethal Paaling seeks out Admiral Malcoor, the one man who may have faced the ancient foe and survived. His quest will confront him with Well-spawned weapons long-hidden from men, suspicion and betrayal among his own kin, and a conspiracy that reaches the very roots of the throne he is sworn to guard.
As the King despairs of holding his struggling realm together, Aethal and his allies discover a hellish cult taking root among the people of the Grain Sea. A cult that can transform the docile Leafeaters into berserker warriors. But even this may prove to be the least of Aethal’s worries, for even the Lotus cannot compete with the allure of the oldest addiction of man: Power.
In the midst of a war for humanity itself, Aethal comes face-to-face with the question of whether he will have to destroy his kingdom if he is to save anyone.
“The first new novel I’ve read in years that I haven’t wanted to put down.” David Weber
