Contemplation!

 

August 2022 Blog

Contemplation: A Haiku

To write or write not –

Seems more than my navel needs

Attention these days.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(8/1/22)

 

That is the question. Searching for an answer this month.

I find I cannot continue as I am – always promising myself to sit down and write the stories, the novels, this blog. I am only consistent with the Haiku I write daily, and that is probably because it’s become such an ingrained habit.

All else is up for contemplation.

I find very little inspiration in life these days for continuing my writing. Even though the act of writing does offer me those few moments of joy in life I so desperately need, I sometimes wonder if I can continue.

I do have a decent backlist  of books to my credit, and I would certainly like more, but I will never match the well over 100 historical romance novels my good friend, neighbor and landlady has produced.

She cranks out a new one every month or so. I would find that exhausting. But even more exhausting is mentally beating myself up because I have not written, because I can’t seem to carve out the time for writing.

Sometimes I wonder how I ever did. I wrote most of my novels while still working a full time job – mostly writing in the evening propped up in bed for an hour or two.

Now, I don’t work , I have all the time in the world and I just can’t seem to find that time.

Or am I just the world’s best (or worst) procrastinator? I guess I’m the best, because I’m so good at it.

So, do I overcome, or do I succumb to this latest version of writer’s block?

If I succumb, I don’t have to ever worry about missing a deadline again. But, by the same token, I will never know the joy of hearing someone say they enjoyed my work again, or it made them feel better for a little while, or even that they agree with me and I made a slight difference somewhere.

I I can overcome, I will have satisfaction in knowing that I’ve still got it – the drive and the talent.

Hopefully, I can sort it out this month. I guess it boils down to this: If I post a blog next month, I overcame. If I don’t – I succumbed. I’m actually leaning toward overcoming, but we’ll see.

In the meantime, I’ll get my manuscripts todgether and look at what I have already written. Maybe that will inspire me to continue. Or one of my characters may whisper in my ear and get me going again. That has happened before, too.

Hopefully, I can gather my wits about me and continue. Life would be boring without the murder and mayhem my characters can get me caught up in.

While we’re all waiting to see which way the cookie crumbles, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there you have yet to read.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

Until next month, read and write to your heart’s content. Enjoy what respite you can find in your lives.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now August and the world is heating up. The A/C is working way too hard. Not much rain recently to bring us any relief from the drought. May be a good time to check out: “Global Warning: Climate in Crisis” available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/

 

 

 

Slip-Sliding Away!

 

July 2022 Blog

Slip-Sliding Away: A Haiku

Half a year is gone –

That time not much better than

The two years just past.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(7/1/22)

 

Must these precious, waning golden years lie but tarnished? To be covered by dust? I would hope not.

So much left to be done and so little time left to do it. Like Sisyphus, it seems, we roll that burden up that steep hill – only to have to duck it as it rolls backwards to crush us.

It also seems like only the right to kill with a gun will survive our current version of the Supreme Court.

A most certainly biased majority panel of supposed unbiased Supreme Court Justices is plunging us back into the dark ages, where women and people  with different perspectives on life were persecuted and punished even unto death for merely being women or having different perspectives on life.

I grew up in the 50’s with high hopes and eagerness. The path ahead (after World War II – the war to end all wars) was strewn with progress and the promise of a better, longer life for all – and peace upon this planet. That shining vision lasted into the 60’s and the “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius”, flower children and nothing but love, baby.

Somewhere along the way, a darkness crept into more and more souls, until it has become so pervasive as to cover the Earth with a pall of disease, inequity, unnecessary warfare and environmental abuses so grave they threaten the very existence of human life on this planet.

Forget that the birds are angry (as well they shold be at us for destroying their habitats), we have become an angry, vengeful species with few qualms about unleashing our anger to the point that it may consume us.

Forget what Nature may do to man, man is quite capable of destroying himself.

Forget about the separation of church and state, we have succumbed to an oligarchy of men who believe their “church” should rule – and the people should remain undereducated and unenlightened and thus under their thumb for as long as mankind shall live.

I am long past the age of taking up arms (which I wouldn’t do anyway) and battling these seemingly overwhelming odds at adds with clear-thinking, moderate, intelligent people may be best left to the young. I hope to pass the torch to a new generation of free-thinking, accepting, inclusive and mindful individuals who will once again give us high hopes and an eagerness with which to look forward to a full life and a future once again.

In the meantime, I’ll finish that Sam Rock sequel as soon as I find my notes and manuscript changes. They seem to have gotten misplaced in the shuffle of moving things from palce to place. Everything else is going according to plan so far. We’ll see.

Hopefully, my new books will be published soon and bring some respite from the facts of life these days.

Be sure to watch for upcoming announcements about the upcoming book launches. I’ll post the news between writing sessions.

In the meantime, if you need some relief from the news out there, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there you have yet to read.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. Enjoy what respite you can find in your lives.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now July and Summer is heating up. The A/C is working hard. We have had a little rain to bring us some relief from the drought – of course, flooding came with it.

 

 

Indelible Impression!

 June 2022 Blog

Imprint: A Haiku

I would the shadow

Of my life be long and sharp –

Not lost in darkness.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(5/1/22)

 

Thanks to the internet and Amazon, I will never perish from the earth – at least my published works will not.

Okay, maybe I’m not famous and unforgettable, but my words are put there on the ether – available for a click or two. Now, that brings a smile to my face. (let me enjoy that for a moment. Smiles are few and far between these days.)

Not much has changed in the world, just doom and gloom do not wear well over the long haul .Time to take a break and smile about something.

Being basically  a horror writer, I smile at some strange things. Notrhing makes me feel better  than murder and mayhem, as long as it is fictional. The reality these days s overwhelming.

Things are going along nicely in the Garret of AnnNoE. The manuscript for the Sam Rock sequel will be done this month and should be edited        and published in July.

Then comes the Acqueria prequel in August and September.

So I will be pretty busy the next four months, but I will not neglect my daily Haiku postings. It does me good to greet the day with a comeback on what’s been going on in the world over night.

I won’t be writing outside much this Summer if the world continues to heat up like it is. I’ll be writing in front of the air-conditioner, enjoying every minute of it. – until the electric bill comes.

Speaking of shockers, how about those gas prices? Don’t see them going down anytime soon, either. And those grocery receipts are getting shorter and way more expensive.

My puppies get baked boneless, skinless chicken breasts bits with their dog food. That’s doubled in price in just the last couple of months.

Also, there are still shortages on the shelves. Seems you have to have a running grocery list these days and grab stuff off the shelves as it appears. And it’s a long time between deliveries and restocking.

Hopefully, my new books will bring some respite from the facts of life these days. It sure takes my mind off things when I write. Unfortunately, life lies in wait, knowing I must surely get back to it.

Speaking of which, I’m about to run off and cook some rice to have with dinner tonight. Got a giant box of Minute Rice from Wal-Mart – ordered it on line and didn’t know it was so large. Guess I’ll be having a lot of things with rice in it for the near future.

Be sure to watch for upcoming announcements about the upcoming book launches. I’ll post the news between writing sessions.

In the meantime, if you need some relief from the news out there, feel free to check out my eclectic selection of books on Amazon. There may be something there you have yet to read.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. Enjoy what respite you can find in your lives.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

It’s now June and Summer is coming fast and hard. I’ve already turned on the air-conditioners, and we are already suffering the effects of drought. Stay cool, if you can.

 

 

 

Life in Limbo!

 

May 2022 Blog

Stasis: A Haiku

Time was “Limbo” was

Just a dance; of late, it’s been

The state of our lives.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(4/30/22)

It’s like waiting for that other shoe to drop. You know it’s gonna...  Whether its war or  pestilence, something is going to happen. I’m so tired of holding my breath, waiting for those things. I think it’s time to raise the bar and get back to something  like normal – like going to restaurants and movie theaters. Maybe just going out and having fun, maybe writing and editing and publishing like I used to.

Okay, maybe it’s  not just the plague and horrifying  news. Maybe it’s also that I’m getting older and more tired. Naps lately are sounding really good.

I guess I thought I’d just sail along through my golden years with the same energy and enthusiasm I’ve always had.

It’s not happening, and I feel the need to conserve what energy I do have. I’ve tried making lists and schedules, but it’s really hard for me to stick to them. Perhaps if I scheduled nap time in there, it would be easier to stick to.  But then I would probably just nap more.

So I guess I’ll keep muddling along until something clicks and I feel better and have more energy. Then I look forward to writing up a storm or two.

Maybe I’ll even get my ducks in a row. Heaven knows they’ve been paddling in circles for too long.

If you feel you need some relief from the doldrums or the news, feel free to check out my eclectic selections on Amazon. There may be something there you have not read yet.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. Enjoy what respite you can find in your lives.

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

 https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Spring has sprung here and Summer is following close behind. It’s going to be a hot time. I’ve already fired up the air conditioners.

 

 

 

Still Hanging!

 April 2022 Blog

Delayed Reaction: A Haiku

I’d put off musing

About the day until it

Improves somewhat, but...

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(3/30/22)

...it may not. And the war and the virus continue. And I’ve come to a conclusion: I am that which is...  and the only one who can “make it so”, as Captain Jean Luc Picard used to say. All is my responsibility (at least in my immediate family), and I do not have the right to consider it onerous. Nor do I have to be happy about it. It is what it is.

“Somewhat Improved” is not something, it seems, I’m going to hear about anything, anytime soon. The virus tapers off, but it continues. The war continues. The Earth’s tipping point looms. And doctors’ diagnoses (at least in my husband’s case) are still “best guess”, and not one of them has found a solution in the last three or four years.

Yet we continue to plod on. And plodding it is. There has been little forward progress in quite a while, and the year is one-fourth gone already. Spring has barely come upon us, and I am little refreshed.

So, we push things back. We wait...  for what, I’m not sure. The end of the pandemic? There is no end in sight. The end of the war? Not on the horizon anytime soon. A breath of fresh air? That would be lovely, but so far only ill-winds are blowing everywhere.

So, I have decided to just do what I can – remembering Yoda’s famous words: “Do! There is no try.” And the old Nike slogan: “Just Do It!” (when that was not mired in controversy)

So, I will go about my daily chores, pay my bills, and write my chapters. But there is little joy in any of it, except maybe in writing my chapters. I will nap as I am able and expend what energy I can garner to improve my little corner of the world.

I am so happy to have you, my loyal friends, in my little corner of the world that I will do my best to make is a brighter corner. Even if that means more murder and mayhem from Marie Delacroix’s ravens (my Sam Rock sequel) and exposing Dhavin’s true origins in my Acqueria prequel.

Those will be still brighter than what’s happening out there in reality.

By the way, it’s a sad thing when the news of war is overshadowed (but for the briefest moment) by the slap seen ‘round the world. And I stand with Will Smith. Okay, he shouldn’t have done that, but I understand why he did it.

And so, I leave you now with this shortest of blogs to delve into another world where I can actually make things happen just by scratching my pen across the page (until the ink runs out and there are no more legible scratchings).

If you need some sweet relief from the the realities that confront us daily, check out my selection on Amazon. There may be something there you have not read yet.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, this month we can really recover from the woes that plague us, and the following month will find us enjoying a more beautiful, peaceful Spring in anticipation of a stunningly brilliant Summer.

 

 

Hanging by a Thread!

 March 2022 Blog

Standstill: A Haiku

Just when we thought we

Survived pandemic, we yield

Normalcy to war.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/28/22)

My mind grows even more tired. My heart grows even more weary. I still see no end in sight. Normalcy is again the victim.

Never, at the beginning of last month, did I ever imagine I would end up writing this. But for the last six days, I’ve had little else on my mind but the insanity that is one man’s megalomaniacal invasion of a sovereign nation in an attempt to rebuild an empire. Every Haiku for the last six days has be on this absurdity, starting with “Rude Awakening” on February 24^th.

Rude Awakening: A Haiku

The world woke to war

This day – another scourge with

Dire consequences.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/24/22)

Continuing with “Short Supply” on the 25^th, “Untitled” on the 26^th, and “Inconceivable” on the 27^th. The above mentioned “Standstill” was written on the 28^th.

Short Supply: A Haiku

Peace and love to all

Wounded souls this day; would that

Wars were but rumors.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/25/22)

Untitled: A Haiku

I am but cold, and

The world holds no warmth but the

Fire, fury of war.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/26/22)

Inconceivable: A Haiku

One man’s hubris could

Render unlivable the

World he would conquer.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(2/27/22)

 

And now continuing with “Odorous Harbinger” today.

Odorous Harbinger: A Haiku

I would Spring be in

The air without the stench of

Missiles and gunfire.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

(3/1/22)

I normally don’t get involved in political matters or what happens on foreign shores, but I cannot ignore what is happening now, even if it is halfway around the world. Lives are being disrupted and people are dying because one man has it in his tiny mind to rebuild an empire that was dissolved half-a-lifetime ago.

And like the pandemic, we have no idea where any of this is heading or when it will end. I’m not even sure if there will be a world left for me to endow with an April Blog (scariest thought ever).

For it seems, this man (whom we’re not even sure is in possession of all his faculties) has his fingers literally on the button that can do more to destroy this world than Mother Nature, mankind as a whole, and the virus-infected bat population combined.

If that finger slips, we can be globally involved in a nuclear winter that will make all else moot.

And for what? To rebuild an empire ala Adolph Hitler (which was tried and failed almost a hundred years ago)?

I know there is nothing I can do or say that will “amount to a hill of beans” or affect what is happening, but I have to say something. I can only hope that the powers-that-be can dissuade this absurdity (or at least lift that finger off the button).

In the meantime, I’ll keep my head down and continue to write, and edit, and publish as if nothing was dangling over all our heads waiting to annihilate us and/or make the world uninhabitable (which amounts to the same thing).

Assuming there is an April, I hope I can write about Spring and the renewal of the earth with only our normal problems of pandemic and global warming. (At this point these are the lesser of the evils that hang over us.)

If you’d like some relief from the current conflict, check out my Haiku offering on the not much happier subject of Climate Crisis:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KWQ6SHK/

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

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As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, this coming month we can recover from the woes that plague us, and the following month will find us enjoying a beautiful, peaceful Spring.

 

 

Two Years and Counting!

 

February 2022 Blog

Stumped: A Haiku

Nothing comes to mind

But the frustrations of life

As we now live it.

by Ann Wilmer-Lasky

 

My mind grows tired. My heart grows weary. I’ve been vaccinated and boostered. I wear a mask everywhere I go. I see no end in sight.

I’m not sure we’ll ever be given the “All Clear”, And if we are, I’m not sure there will be a normal life to go back to. (Yep, I ended that sentence with a preposition. Pretty much, I don’t care anymore. It’s how people talk now anyway.)

I Should be used to the solitary lifestyle we now endure. As a writer, I’ve spent a lot of time alone in my own little world. But that was my choice, and I’ve always had the option and privilege to rejoin the human race at any time and share a smile and a hug with a another human being even raise a glass or two at a favorite local restaurant. I’m not doing any of that lately. I’m beginning to miss it.

Also I’ve found that the less social I am, the less inspired I am to explore new avenues of murder and mayhem.             It’s amazing what a chance encounter or new surroundings can inspire. Just seeing an interesting face or  place can lend inspiration to so much of one’s writing, even in the strange stories I tend to spend my ink on.

And I’m still spending ink on my “Sam Rock” sequel as well as my ”Chronicles of Acqueria” prequel. Hopefully they will stay on track to be published this spring and summer respectively.

Once again, Sam Rock will come up against Maerie Delaceroix and her murder of ravens. And in the Acquerian prequel, the birth of Acqueria will be expanded upon.

     The more I think about them, the more anxious I am to get back to work on them, so this will be a very short blog.

I hope with the coming of Spring, we will get back to a normal we can live freely with, if not the normal we were used to. I wish us all a save Winter’s end. I am certainly looking forward to a brighter summer minus the endless precautions we are still encumbered with.

Until next time, read and write to your heart’s content. My eclectic collection of reading matter may take your mind off things. Enjoy.

https://www.amazon.com/author/annwilmerlasky

As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there or look for my publication announcements:

https://twitter.com/awlasky

https://www.facebook.com/ann.wilmerlasky

Hopefully, this coming month we can recover from the Winter’s bleakness, and the following month will find us looking forward more freely to Spring.