Life & Writing Updates

Things at Pavlik HQ have been busy as usual.  Gunner, my husband's retired EOD K-9, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on March 19.  He was a part of our lives for nearly a decade, so we're rediscovering "normal" life where we can and making up the rest as we go.  Gunner was so much more than a pet.  He "spoke" five languages, came to the United States from Slovakia, and had the mentality of a 6-year-old.  He was Tim's partner for 9 years, putting his life on the line every single day.  They were attached at the hip, even after Gunner retired and spent his days at home with me and the cats instead of with Tim.  As soon as Tim got home from work, Gunner lit up, always excited to see his guy and to return to his side.  The house is empty and quiet without him, and his absence has left a large hole in our lives.

In other, typically-Pavlik, news, I was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder.
  It's not great news by any means, and might end up being the worst news I've ever gotten, but it does answer so many questions for my doctors.  After more than 5 months of my doctor and I arguing with insurance, we finally approached the lab directly and they agreed to run the required DNA panels at no cost to me.  This is an insanely great development, as this disorder has several subgroups, one of which being fatal, that can be confirmed with DNA testing.  Additionally, there is a global push for genetic testing to further research.  There is no cure and currently no adequate treatments for the defect itself.  People with this disorder are born with faulty collagen and not only suffer through life, but sometimes live rather short lives.  The results should arrive any day.

As is also typical for me, when I need something good in my life, I make something good in my life.  Today, I received my physical proof for my short story novelette, How to Make Lemonade.  I've had fun developing a few digital images using both photographs and original drawings, which I then replicated via pencil sketch and colored using blended oil pastel and chalk/charcoal pencils.  To complete the illustrations, I then merged the digital and physical copies and created hand-touched pictures with the added depth of digital.  I will post about this separately soon.  This should go live by the end of next week!

I'm still rather active on Instagram.  The writing community there is supportive and interactive, and it's nice to be apart of a group of like-minded individuals.  I'd been searching for a support group for my health, but I don't fit in with the MS or EDS communities, although both are helpful at piecing together ways to cope with my unique needs, so it's awesome to connect with other authors, writers, and readers.  It has truly worked wonders for coping with everything despite being completely unrelated to my health.

In fact, I've connected with an author whose books I enjoy, Serene Conneeley, who interviewed me for her Camp Nano MoWri daily challenge for today.  Check out her site to read the interview and check out her books, HERE!  I also reviewed one of her books a few posts down.  And I enjoy interacting with author Ruth Miranda, whose Blood Trilogy I am currently reading.  The review of the first book, BLOOD, is also in the posts below.  More reviews coming soon!

Finally, I'm preparing for my speaking engagement at the Tolono Library on April 23!  The library has received quite a bit of interest, so I'm nervous.  (laughs)  I'm seriously looking forward to it, though. I love talking about my books, the writing process, and so forth, and I'm not afraid of talking in front of people.  I am a little scared that my MS brain will steal something from me mid-sentence or mid-explanation, but that's a daily thing, so I'll deal with it, like I deal with everything else!

Bye for now!