Monday, February 13, 2023

Where I've Been

 I owe everyone an apology and explanation as to where I've been. It's long over-due, and I don't want anyone left hanging anymore.

Back in, I'd say, very early 2020 (like December 2019/January 2020) I started to experience extreme fatigue. I thought, "Joy, I love fibromyalgia!" and didn't give it a second thought beyond resting until it passed.

It passed four months ago.

We thought certain stressors, like Covid (which I didn't catch, thank goodness) and Dusty being laid off (we're fine, so don't worry about it) contributed to the lengthy flare I was experiencing. Even my rheumatologist seemed to think so, and due to Covid happening not long after the flare started, we just hoped to ride it out. My appetite, what little I had, disappeared. I barely drank or ate anything. And yes, my rheumatologist believes I dehydrated myself, which contributed to everything going on. I was in pain, constantly, that not even the medical marijuana could touch. I lost track of time, how long I'd been in bed, what day of the week it was, sometimes what month it was. My brother-in-law lost his home and had to move in with us. Luckily, his wife and I get along great, so there were no concerns there. Dusty was laid off, which meant we would, eventually, have to sell our dream home and move.

And then restrictions lifted and I could see my doc in person. She was horrified by my condition. Blood work was done, MRI's, x-rays, and in the end...not much had changed. My AS (ankylosing spondylitis) hadn't fused much more of my spine than it had before the lengthy flare. Which turned out to not be a fibro flare after all. And damn it, I'm kinda mad that none of us, including myself, realized what was really going on.

My biologics had stopped working on me, meaning my AS was fully active again.

Biologics target specific parts of the immune system, effectively causing those parts to stop attacking my body. In other words, stop trying to fuse my spine, damn it! But the body becomes adjusted over time to the biologic, making it less and less effective until you come out of remission and go into a full-on AS flare.

The cure was to put me on a different biologic. The new one is called Taltz. It's a once-a-month injection that I do myself, and after five months I'm doing much better than I was. I'm moving around, helping to move into our new home. I'm sitting here, typing this out, which six months ago I couldn't do. I feel like an idiot for not understanding enough about my own body to let that flare go on so long without questioning whether or not it was medication related. My only excuse is there was so much going on that it just never occured to me.

I don't want, nor expect, anyone to feel pity for me. I've lived with this disorder a long time and I learned something new that cost me quite a bit, but gained me quite a bit as well. I'm now in a new home with Dusty, my boys and my BIL and his family as well, and we're actually quite happy with it. I've got my little corner of the fireplace room, where I can write once more and hopefully get Jamie and Hope's story banged out before the end times come. 

I'm recovering, slowly but surely getting a little better every day.

I'm going to try and be more active on social media now that I'm actually capable of sitting at my desk for more than five minutes without screaming. I'll try answering emails a little more often as well. Please, be patient with me. I've had slide-back days that are coming less and less frequently, but they do happen. 

I'm so, so sorry that I didn't think to have Dusty post something about what was going on. He's had to carry the load for both of us, and he's been my rock through this whole thing. He's been going through his own issues as well as having to deal with mine. I love him more than anything, and could never ask for a better life partner than him, so go easy on him.

In a couple of weeks I'll write a blog post about the Saga of Vineland, where our new home is. It's been...interesting? Fun? Costly? Maybe chaotic would be the best word for it. I'm sitting here, shaking my head and not sure whether to laugh or cry, but I will say despite the, um, interesting things that have been happening, I love my new home and am happy we're here.

I love you guys. I'll try and keep you more in the loop from now on. I'm going to give Dusty the ability to post for me either here or on my blog just in case I can't. Right now he's in full-0n househusband mode, but he's talked about helping me with certain aspects of my writing career, like marketing and advertising, and I might just take him up on that. 

If anyone has any questions for me, I'll mostly be on Facebook. I have trouble following Twitter for some reason, but I'll try and pop in there as well. The links to my social media are at the bottom of this page.

Again, I love you guys. Sorry to make you wait. Now, excuse me while I go work on Jamie and Hope. They've waited long enough.

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

MU + DMB 4Evar! Plus, 25% Done on Sound's Familiar

I watch way, way too many makeup tutorials.

Like, a lot.

So today, having been inspired by god knows what (I think I was picturing Dita von Teese), I decided to have some fun and try doing winged eyeliner.

Two things you need to know before I go any further:

A) I have very hooded eyes, meaning that when my eyes are open, you can't really see my "mobile lid" unless I put a very light colored eyeshadow on it;



and B) I haven't done winged eyeliner since I was in my twenties.

Stephanie Lange does a great video about winged eyeliner do's and don'ts


Eep.

So effort #1 required micellar water and a lot of cursing to remove. No, I didn't photograph it. I didn't think to. Plus, the horror may have been too much for a Wednesday afternoon in August.

I know. Bad blogger. No cookie for you.


Thank the gods for Tarte Shape Tape and patience or I'd look like a racoon today. Instead, I turned out looking like this:




You can barely see the wings I spent *coughwheezewaytoomuch* time on, but they are there, damn it. Since you can't see them with my glasses on, I went ahead and took a pic without my glasses.




I think I like the glasses better, since they hide a multitude of my blending sins. Also, try to ignore my janky lips. I love this color (ColourPop's LAX, a matte lipstick, with Essence's XXXL Shine lipgloss in Pretty in Hibiscus on top), but my lipstick got smeared after a certain kitty decided he wanted love. Trying to pick white cat hairs out of lipstick is a bitch, let me tell you.

So I showed Dusty the fruits of my makeup labors (pre-kitty hairs), asking his opinion on my first winged eyeliner look in years. He replied, "You remind me of Lily Munster."



I can't think looking like Yvonne De Carlo is a bad thing under any circumstances, so I'll take it as a win.

P.S.: Work on Sound's Familiar is going slowly, but it is going. It has more to do with the weather and my health than the story. Both Jonah and Carol are speaking clearly to me, and I've hit the quarter done mark, so YAY! Most of the research/initial world building is done, so things should go much quicker now. I look forward to sharing this new world of magic, familiars, elves and demons with you.

P.P.S.: Try NYX eyeshadows. They're pigmented as hell and the price-point is spot-on. Also, Ulta often has NYX products buy one get one half-off, so take advantage of those sales!

P.P.P.S.: My favorite makeup "gurus". These are the ones who I'm like, "Oooh, a new video is up!":

Tati Westbrook: https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru
Laura Lee: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKMugoa0uHpjUuq14yOpagw
Manny MUA (yes, it's a dude): https://www.youtube.com/user/MannyMua733
Emily Noel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtC8m_F7jX2fGOQ3_nomg4g
Angie aka HotandFlashy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9rHRAeSzi--j1jkXQ47RA
Mariah Leonard: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQPnuUWSIzpdEN0R9pYRScg
MesiJesiBeauty: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAU_EjJwgb9qxGgDMidRMZg
Zabrena: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwQ48S6LdJVdGUM27M0oy4w

Honorable Mention: SimplyNailogical, because I LOVE her videos and her nails: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGCVyTWogzQ4D170BLy2Arw


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

They're BA-ACK!

The Halle Pumas are once more on-line, available for purchase!

The covers have changed due to the length of time since they were published. Neither Samhain nor the artist had the original files, so other than Steel Beauty I had to change the covers.

The content, however, has not changed, so if you already own the series please don't purchase it again! Unless you want copies with the new cover, in which case feel free. Who am I to stop you?

I don't have purchase links on the excerpt pages (yet; that will take me a whole day, a day I'd rather be writing). In order to purchase you'll have to go to http://www.danamariebell.com/halle-pumas-shifters-poconos-pack and find the book you wish to buy from the series.

P.S.: Other than the Puma/Shifter/Poconos Pack world, each series has its own page.


Halle Pumas Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella/Short Story
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-25-4
Print ISBN: N/A



Is Emma ready for a bite?

Emma Carter has been in love with Max Cannon since high school, but he barely knew she existed. Now she runs her own unique curio shop, and she’s finally come out her shell and into her own.

When Max returns to his small home town to take up his duties as the Halle Pride’s Alpha, he finds that shy little Emma has grown up. That small spark of something he’d always felt around the teenager has blossomed into something more—his mate!

Taking her “out for a bite” ensures that the luscious Emma will be permanently his.

But Max’s ex has plans of her own. Plans that don’t include Emma being around to interfere. To keep her Alpha, Emma must prove to the Pride that she has what it takes to be Max’s mate.


Halle Pumas Book 2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella/Short Story
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-26-1
Print ISBN: N/A



Sweet dreams can easily become nightmares.

Rebecca Yaeger finds more at the masquerade ball than she bargained for.  Getting attacked by some crazed she-devil, complete with claws and fangs, certainly wasn’t on her agenda for the evening.   In a few slashing moments, Becky learns things about her friends and the man she loves she never would have suspected.
When Simon rescues Becky from an unprovoked attack by one of his Pride, he finally confirms what he’s long suspected: she’s his mate. Carrying her off to his home and dressing her wounds gives him the chance he’s been waiting for—to taste her and mark her has his. And she’s far sweeter than anything, or anyone, he’s ever had before.
Just as their happiness begins to take hold, a strange illness begins to haunt Becky, threatening to turn their sweet dreams into a nightmare.


Halle Pumas Book 3
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella/Short Story
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-27-8
Print ISBN: N/A



He'll do whatever it takes to protect his mate.

Dr. Adrian Giordano is quite happy with the way his life is going. His two best friends are happily mated, and he’s still sanely single. He has friends, a thriving business, and the occasional Saturday night date. Then Sheridan Montgomery comes to town. His inner Puma responds to the husky-voiced snow princess in a way that tells him his life is about to be turned upside down.

Sheri can’t believe her luck could be this bad. Instinct tells her Adrian is her mate, but the last thing she wants to do is drag him into her messy life. She’s on the run from a big bad wolf—an ex who won’t take no for an answer. Worse, if he catches her, he’s got the teeth (and the Pack!) to take what he wants.

She doesn’t stand a chance alone, but with her friends—and the persistent Adrian—by her side, she might just survive.

If her ex doesn’t eat the yummy Dr. Giordano for lunch, that is...


Halle Pumas Book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella/Short Story
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-28-5
Print ISBN: N/A



She's everything a big bad wolf could want.

Coping with a devastating injury is hard enough for Belinda “Belle” Campbell. Forced separation from her destined mate while she heals is almost more than she can endure. Until she is strong enough to take up her duties as Luna of the Poconos Wolf Pack, however, the safest place for her is Halle. Now, after months of being alone, she is more than ready to be claimed. But is the pack ready for a Puma Luna?

Rick Lowell has waited long enough to bring Belle home where she belongs. He’s aware of the danger, as well—and it isn’t long before a bitch with an eye on Belle’s position issues a challenge. The only way to put down the threat is for Belle to defeat the usurper in combat.

There’s only one problem. Thanks to the pins in her broken hip, Belle can’t shift. Without that tactical advantage, it won’t be a fair fight. With his new mate’s life on the line, Rick is forced to make a decision that will change everything.

That is, if Belle gives him the chance to make it.


Halle Pumas Book 5
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella/Short Story
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-29-2
Print ISBN: N/A



Delayed gratification has its place. This wouldn't be it.

Gabriel Anderson has accepted a unique position in the shifter world. He’s about to become a Hunter, one of the few trained and sanctioned to hunt down the rare rogue shifter dangerous to humans and shifters alike. There’s one catch: until his training is complete, he must hold off on marking his mate. No problem…after all, she probably couldn’t handle the sexual demands he dreams of making on her.

Her mate’s apparent desertion devastates Sarah. And his friendship with another woman threatens the bond they should be sharing and building. Maybe flirting with another man will make him sit up and take notice—and finally win Gabe’s heart. It works. Almost too well.

One touch of another man’s hand on Sarah’s tempting body brings every ounce of Gabe’s possessiveness roaring to the surface. He wastes no time making his erotic dreams of dominating her a reality—whether she’s ready for it or not.

If she’s not, the only place he’ll ever have her is in his dreams…

Friday, May 26, 2017

New Release!


Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novel
eBook ISBN: 978-1-946966-24-7
Print ISBN: ?? (Print book coming soon!)

Damien can't believe how wrong he was about Samantha Brody. The woman of his dreams, the woman he fired over theft, is as innocent as a newborn lamb. Now Damien has to decide if it's worth upending his entire life to bring Sam into his world. 

Finding out she already knows about his Nephilim ties makes him even more leery of putting her in danger. Nothing is worth Sam's life, not even his growing feelings for her.

When she does him a favor Sam winds up in his world faster than Damien can say "Shem." He takes her to Gabriel, where the two begin to build their relationship.

The Shem don't take lightly to others butting into their business, especially when it involves missing Nephilim. With the Shem hot on their heels can Sam and Damien finally find the love they haven't put into words?


*****


“What happened?” Sam kept her voice low. She didn’t want to disturb Damien, but she was dying to find out how they’d rescued Rafe and whether or not Damien needed anything other than a shoulder to lean on.
“I followed the…” He scowled. “I’m not sure how to explain this.”
“I’ll wait while you figure it out.” She started stroking his forehead. The poor man looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his curiously glowing eyes, and his shoulders were slumped. Damien leaned heavily against her, snuggling close.
His power must take a lot out of him, because he’d napped before he left and now he looked like he hadn’t slept in at least three days.
He sighed, the scowl slowly disappearing. “You have forever to stop doing that.”
Sam continued to rub his forehead, patiently waiting for him to speak again. This close to him, the scent of his skin, his hair, and feel his breath on her breasts made her want to hold him even closer, preferably naked. She tried desperately not to react when his hand landed on her thigh, an intimate touch that went nowhere. He didn’t move his hand, just let it sit there, warming her. It was a brand, as if he was setting his claim on her, and she couldn’t find it in her to ask him to move. She didn’t want him to. She wanted to be claimed by him, but she wasn’t sure how to tell him so.
“Shem give off a certain aura, a scent and a fog that’s…” He grunted. “It’s this thick green miasma only other angel-born can see and smell.” Damien grimaced. “We call it their stench, because there’s this odor that accompanies them, like rotten food or spoiled eggs.”
“Ew.” Sam wrinkled her nose.
“The place was saturated with it, so much so I couldn’t see into the building. We had to go in to see who was there. While Gio and Sasha took care of the first floor, I went to the second and found the kids.”
“Are they Shem, too?” She couldn’t imagine such innocent-looking children being hungry little Shem.
“Yes and no. They’re too young to hunt and feed, so they can be saved. But they were born to Shem parents and lived in the stench for so long the little boy’s belly hurt from Shem hunger. I think Gabriel is their best hope for not turning fully Shem. They have the chance to become true Nephilim now.”
“So you not only saved Rafe, you saved two kids.” She’d known he was a superhero, even if he didn’t believe it himself.
He grunted. “There was no hope for their parents. They were lost years ago.”
“But there’s hope for them, and that’s all you could do.” She started as Micah came thundering down the stairs, racing toward where Gabriel had disappeared with Rafe. “Does Gabriel need our help?”
Damien shook his head wearily. “That’s what Micah’s doing. He’ll help Gabriel, maybe even take on some of the healing himself.”
She bit her lip. “You seem really tired. Are you ready to go to bed?”
He smiled. “Are you propositioning me, Ms. Brody?”
Sam smacked his forehead. They’d only gone on one non-date he insisted was a date. No way she’d ask him to her room so soon.
“Ow.” He sat up, rubbing the faint red mark she’d left behind. “No, not yet. It’s going to take a little bit longer for my vision to return to normal.”
“Okay. Want me to keep you company?”
He leaned his head wearily against the back of the sofa. “Yes, please.” He took hold of her hand. “Anything happen while we were gone?”
“Nothing major, unless you count some foxes playing in the backyard important.” She eyed him sideways. “Zeke only flirted with me twice.”
His grip on her hand tightened. “Oh?”
She blushed furiously. She was going to go to hell with the lies she was telling. “Yup.”
“Did you tell him I’d kick his ass if he kept it up?”
She stared at him in shock. “No. Why would I?”
He started to laugh. “Why would you?” His tone was self-mocking, bittersweet almost. He turned to face her, the pale blue now a deep cornflower blue. He’d said it would be a while before he saw correctly again. His eyes were darkening back to his natural sapphire. “You want to find out why you should?”
She nodded, unable to look away from his strange, hypnotic eyes.
“This.” He leaned forward, taking her mouth in a ruthless, possessive kiss that left her senses reeling. The taste of him overwhelmed her, his scent filling her. His hands cupped her face, his fingers slowly threading through her hair. She whimpered when he started to pull away, throwing her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer, kissing him back, practically begging him to keep going.
He moved his hands from her face to her waist, taking charge once again. The kiss changed from possessive to sensual, drugging her with desire.
The kiss went on and on. She couldn’t tell if it had been hours or minutes since his lips met hers, and she didn’t care. When his lips left hers she could barely catch her breath.
His hands clenched, gathering the back of her shirt in his fists. “I don’t want to go any further than this. I don’t want to scare you off.”
Damien’s eyes were finally back to normal, the beautiful sapphire so dark it was almost navy blue. “There you are.” She smiled and touched just beside his eye. “Can you see again?”
He nodded. “You’re not afraid of what I am?”
           “No. Not even a little.” She frowned, thinking about him out in the night, fighting monsters. “I’m afraid for you.”

Favorite Quotes

"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability." Ron White

"So let me get this straight. You want me to kill the little guys, kill the big guys, crowd control those I can't, buff the team, debuff the boss, keep myself alive, AND keep you alive, all while waving a stick and dressed in a towel?" - Anonymous Role Playing Gamer

"I think that statue over there is a statement on modern life. The statement is, "Well, shit." - Varric, Dragon Age II

"Why is it all claws and guns? Can't we piss off a fuzzy planet? Still dangerous, but hey. Bunnies." - Joker, Mass Effect

"Last night, I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?" - Dilbert


"Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success." - Annie Oakley

"It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly." - Flemeth, aka The Witch of the Wilds, Dragon Age 2

"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.'” - George Carlin

"I hear there's a wild bridge tournament down the street. And you know Bridge. It's a lot like sex. If you don't have a great partner, you'd better have a good hand." Barry Weiss, Storage Wars

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." - Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery From Avalon"

"I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

“If you think you can or think you cannot, you are correct.” - Henry Ford
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