• Sat, 15:10: I spent 30 minutes walking. 141 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Sat, 15:23: Boyo is cleaning his bathroom, which means I'm getting up a lot to check his work. How does one count up/walk/down as exercise? lol
• Sat, 15:24: I spent 10 minutes house cleaning. 41 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Sat, 15:24: I spent 25 minutes house cleaning. 102 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Sat, 15:50: Started getting paperwork/copies off to the new loan guy. Was going to start scanning and get the rest to him, but have been going nonstop.
• Sat, 15:50: Don't think he's working today, so waiting until tomorrow probably isn't a big deal. Also, not really hoping all that much that he can help.
• Sat, 15:52: Told the guy we'd have to know before the 1st if he can help or we'd really be done. Once $'s down on the apartment, we can't do more.
• Sat, 15:54: & that's it on the house today. Need to put my head into writing or something. A nap sounds so good. No not stressed at all, why do you ask?
• Sat, 16:14: I spent 15 minutes core: sitting. 72 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Sat, 16:32: I spent 15 minutes doing knee/calf raises, sitting, no weight. 77 calories burned. #LoseIt

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• Fri, 13:06: I weighed in and lost 1.4 lbs. #LoseIt
• Fri, 13:43: I spent 25 minutes walking. 77 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Fri, 13:49: One thing about the apartment: it has a pool (among other things) and will give boyo something to do other than watching TV. lol
• Fri, 13:53: RT @MariAdkins: Teen suspended for controversial anti-bullying video returning to school http://t.co/qBrOX00b via @todaymoms
• Fri, 14:57: The Rostikov Legacy http://t.co/s9rKkQYd
• Fri, 15:01: 3 of 5 stars to The Rostikov Legacy by Charlotte E. English http://t.co/ZgnHKpLc
• Fri, 15:05: RT @MariAdkins: Police seek help identifying three young children found abandoned in Oregon http://t.co/Mh6n7FlZ via @msnbc_us
• Fri, 16:18: Music is helping some, so going to try to get at least a few pages of editing & beta reading down. Not likely to get much done next week.
• Fri, 16:18: Other than packing, that is.
• Fri, 16:20: I spent 2 minutes chair dancing. 13 calories burned. #LoseIt

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b&n


Out in the mists of the Bone Forest lies the body of Lady Navdina Rostikova. Wealthy, beautiful and well-liked, she was at the forefront of high society in the city of Ekamet. But somebody wanted her dead. Who wielded the poisoned knife that slew her ladyship? Konrad Savast, servant of Malykt, the God of Death, must discover the killer and bring retribution.

Aided by a pair of ghostly familiars, Konrad begins to investigate the truth about Navdina's life. But matters grow dangerously complicated when his identity is discovered, and the hunter finds himself hunted.

And there's a beautiful, interfering apothecary who insists on getting in his way....

(Note: above description primarily from the book description provided at B&N.)


Impression: I was actually pleasantly surprised by The Rostikov Legacy. While there were some editing issues, they were very few. Not at all what I expected from a self-published book. The plot was well done, the characters generally well rounded and interesting, the dialogue flowed well, and the setting fairly well developed. There was some awkward phrasing here and there, but it wasn't enough to stop me from reading. The author managed to keep the mystery going, and the events all made sense. There's tension between Konrad and Nanda, but the author thankfully didn't allow it to take over the story.

There were a couple of bits that did make me stumble, however. First, I was initially confused about what Konrad actually was as there were a few spots where it seemed like he was being referred to as Malykt. I did finally figure it out, and again, it wasn't enough to stop me from reading. I also wasn't sure of Nuritov's position as he was never clearly identified as part of law enforcement. Bot of these things did sort themselves out eventually, but I felt the author could have been more clear early on without adding too much in terms of word count. And finally, I felt the magic wasn't clearly defined and came far too easy. Not that I was looking for anything incredibly difficult, but as easy breezy as a thought was too simple. And there seemed to be some contradiction in how the magic worked: it was easier for Konrad, but the killer's use of magic required chanting and calling upon evil spirits. The reasons for the differences (which could be as simple as the kinds of magic they were doing) aren't made apparent.

Beyond those things, however, the book was pretty well done. The story line was solid, there were very few technical errors, and it was a quick read that I enjoyed. I think if the problems noted above had been addressed, I'd be able to give it another star. As it is, I recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable paranormal mystery.



~~~

most recent

whysper at least we're out :: journeys Coming Out Of Darkness
the chef's wife Cranberry Sauce

• Thu, 15:29: We put in our app & a deposit on an apartment. Honestly, not really happy about the apartment (it's dark) but the owner is driving us nuts.
• Thu, 15:31: I'm going to go lay down, maybe take the lappy with me, but I'll be watching Top Chef eps or something. Think I'd rather sleep/read tho.
• Thu, 16:38: I spent 5 minutes doing up & down stairs. 53 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Thu, 16:40: I spent 20 minutes walking. 82 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Thu, 16:45: So, I guess I start trying to pack again starting tomorrow. Thought about it tonight, but I'm pretty much done.
• Thu, 16:51: You know, moving will improve my wireless connection. The one at the house is crap.
• Thu, 18:05: Fighting to get the SSI form filled out online because my connection is so damn bad right now.
• Thu, 21:19: I spent 20 minutes house cleaning. 82 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Thu, 22:02: Trying to get some more words on Tirs. It's tough though. I'd probably do better curled up in bed with a book or a TC ep. :P
• Thu, 22:29: Had to reboot the router again, but the connection is finally clearing up a bit. Finally got the SSI report done. Jeeze!

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• Wed, 12:20: I weighed in and lost 0.4 lbs. #LoseIt
• Wed, 12:38: Boyo not happy about the possible move but is happy that we'll be near two of his sisters. lol
• Wed, 12:58: Boyo lettered in Special Olympics Track and Basketball! :)
• Wed, 12:58: RT @MandyHubbard: I've decided every author trying to survive publishing needs to adopt my daughter's motto: You get what you get and yo ...
• Wed, 13:01: Also? Trying not to hyperventilate about Friday. We close or, somehow, we start the moving process.
• Wed, 13:01: I hate losing this house. :(
• Wed, 13:54: RT @victoriastrauss: Mike Shatzkin's letter to the DOJ: two concerns, imbalance of competition & enforcement of settlement http://t. ...
• Wed, 14:28: Starting to get ready for the grad thing tonight. Youngest is steaming the folds out of boyo's gown. :)
• Wed, 15:13: Discussion with Realtor wasn't productive. He's calling the loan guy, who in my opinion is even less helpful. So, yea, house deal? Unlikely.
• Wed, 15:29: RT @cleolinda: RT @The_MarySue: Looks Like John Carter Flopped So Bad it Crushed an Entire Snow White Adaptation at Disney http://t.co/T ...

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• Tue, 12:13: I spent 5 minutes house cleaning. 21 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Tue, 12:16: The more I think about it, and as much as I love this house, the better the apartment looks. Is that bad?
• Tue, 12:27: I shouldn't be this damn tired. MEh.
• Tue, 12:28: Think I'm going to be a bad mama and let the boy watch a few movies or something. Early. Not in the mood to house clean. Too damn tired.
• Tue, 12:33: House owner texted Chef asking him what the latest is. Um, get a hold of the Realtor. Jeeze.
• Tue, 12:34: @ll_wheeler Join me in chat. We can be brain melted together. lol
• Tue, 12:45: Received Gypsy's paw print from the vet today. Need to figure out a way to preserve it. http://t.co/4qD4ddIX
• Tue, 12:47: And boyo came home with this way cool grad gift from his teacher! http://t.co/gv7kyucz
• Tue, 13:34: I just had someone on GoodReads spam me about his book. Time to unfriend! :P
• Tue, 13:38: Replied with a "I'm not here for buy me spam and this is not a good way to market your book" message and unfriended said author. *grumps*

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• Mon, 13:02: New whysper: at least we're out - http://t.co/PDoGu6bv
• Mon, 13:54: I spent 50 minutes house cleaning. 206 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Mon, 13:56: Boyo is not happy that he won't be watching TV until his regular time (3 PM). Early release all week, & he's not becoming a TV vegetable. :P
• Mon, 14:00: Have to figure out a way to keep him occupied in the mornings. He'll be out of school after Wednesday. My sleep schedule will change too.
• Mon, 14:13: Wow. It's been awhile since i looked at Phoenix Rising. I also suspect it needs a new name. There's a lot of Phoenix Risings out there. :P
• Mon, 14:13: Honestly, would rather be working on Tirs, but I need to wait till my plot checkers get back to me. And short breaks between drafts is good.
• Mon, 14:16: I left this draft in the middle of a poisoning? Wow. ;)
• Mon, 14:17: I could start thinking about what to do with Randi after Tirs, but that's probably not a good idea without Charms & Tirs being sold.
• Mon, 14:17: It's just going from UF Tirs to Epic Phoenix is a real brain bender. ;)
• Mon, 14:43: RT @scalzi: My follow-up to "Lowest Difficulty Setting" now republished on Kotaku (which also repubbed the original): http://t.co/9aubqTCn

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• Sun, 12:13: I'm trying not to stress. It's not working. :/
• Sun, 12:22: I need to eat something. Kinda hungry and getting a headache, but at the same time, nothing looks good.
• Sun, 12:44: RT @emilyprocter: I woke up this morning wondering; what in the world is CBS going to do with 10 years worth of crime- fighting pants?
• Sun, 12:46: Focusing on 3 things today: the Charms synopsis, Tirs, and a crit. Need to try to find some paperwork but will do that later tonight.
• Sun, 13:21: I'm so tired. And sore. Not sure what's up. It's a really different reaction to stress for me, if it's stress. "/
• Sun, 13:25: Please +K my influence in Authors on @klout http://t.co/PhvKZ16h
• Sun, 13:25: Please +K my influence in Writing on @klout http://t.co/xYqMPqwr
• Sun, 13:25: Please +K my influence in Publications on @klout http://t.co/3s9NJNAR
• Sun, 14:29: Synopsis done and posted for crits. Managed to cut the word count a little while adding a bit more info too. Hope it works.
• Sun, 15:23: Not going to do a goal post for next week. What's going on is too up in the air: we may be fleeing to a hotel or something for a few days.

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No, this week did not turn out a better week, as anyone who tracked my tweets probably noticed. I did lose weight, but only because I was so sick to my stomach from events that I couldn't eat. I also managed to finish the Charms polish and get a significant amount of editing done. So there were positives, but overall, it's been really bad.

Next week is too up in the air for my standard goal post. We are going to my son's graduation on Wednesday, but not doing anything we'd planned to do to celebrate it until after the house stuff is settled. Pretty much every extra dime (with a few exceptions) is going into either closing or moving.

The owner of the house has given us until this Friday to close or be out of the house. There's some debate as to whether or not he has the right to throw us out this quickly without an eviction notice (most people say no; one person noted that we're no longer under contract with the guy and the option to lease was broken—not that I want to rent/lease from anyone who can go from "you have until the end of the month" to "you have a week and a half" in two days without us doing anything that would even remotely push any buttons to make that change), but I'm a plan for the worst and hope for the best kind of gal. Chef will be contacting a Real Estate lawyer with the particulars, then if it's warranted, the local sheriff to protect us from any possible strong arming to be out on Friday.

And, no, there's no paper trail to him telling us to get out of the house. And, yes, we still want to close. This whole thing has been a fiasco of miscommunication and craziness from all sides (and me being an honest person and not realizing how off the rails the owner would go), but honestly, things were fine until the owner started pushing things (like calling us and telling us on two separate occasions we were going to close the following week when no one else had contacted us about it). I suspect part of the problem with what we're going through right now is that D suspected the owner was actually planning on putting us into an expensive lease agreement no matter what and withdrawing the sale, so when the idea of a lease came up, he advised us to not sign. But that's also what set off this most recent shit storm and ended up putting us in a position of no longer having a contract for anything. Plus it sounds like the loan guy was being a lazy ass and is...something else since when I last asked, he couldn't give me an exact amount of what we needed but an estimate and wouldn't tell me where it was okay where to get the money from. All he did was tell me not to deposit anything into the house fund without calling him first. And while I think D screwed up by not trying to get an extension for the closing (thus landing us without a contract), he's also been the most sane of the three men (and, really, if he had tried to get an extension, I seriously doubt crazy owner would have signed—he seems to have had a set way of how the whole sale should have gone down, and when it didn't, he lost his mind).

I firmly believe we will end up wherever we need to be. Granted, I would much prefer this house. As Chef's mother noted: it is perfect for us. But at this point, I am equally grateful that we're out of toxic nightmare house, and if we end up in an apartment, at least we have that much.

So, this week is impossible to goal for. If the Real Estate lawyer says we have to close or be out on Friday (even without a written notice), then I'll be trying to figure out a way to pack just in case. Obviously hoping that's not the case, but I've got to be ready for it. And no matter how much I love this house, there's no way in hell I'll rent from this guy. EVER. Hell, if I could, I'd look into buying a different place. He's been that much of a jerk. He's tried to "sound" nice, but really, does "I'm sorry" and "I'll help you in any way I can" really mean anything when you're giving people TEN DAYS to move (and you have the option of not doing that)?

In general, it'll be pretty much the same until I'm told we have a problem: Tirs, Phoenix, maybe a chapter revision for Quest, and editing, primarily. I'll be trying to keep up on MF, but we'll see how that goes. I'm sure no one will fault me for missing a day or two if I'm trying to get us into a hotel for a few days before we take possession of an apartment. The rest will be the usual housework, laundry, maybe exercising (been way sore lately, not sure why, and REALLY tired, which I'm sure is a combo of stress and anemia). And, of course, we have boyo's graduation on Wednesday, which we are going to no matter what.

Anyway, so more than likely, nothing but tweets posts again this week. I'm alive, I'm doing things, I'm just way way WAY distracted and stressed right now.



~~~

most recent

whysper at least we're out :: journeys Coming Out Of Darkness
the chef's wife Cranberry Sauce

• Fri, 12:14: Tummy finally settling. Probably should eat to keep it that way, but Chef is in the kitchen.
• Fri, 12:32: RT @MariAdkins: RT @RANKIS: Shame of the Nation: House 'Violence Against Women Act' Bill Ups Attacks on Domestic Violence Survivors: htt ...
• Fri, 13:04: We briefly considered having Chef apply for the open casting for Hell's Kitchen then decided he needs more time on the line. ;)
• Fri, 13:55: Plans are being made to get the last of the $ for the house. I've made up for last month's fiasco + a little. Now we wait & see if it works.
• Fri, 13:58: Honestly, now all I'm hoping is that douchbag home owner does NOT show up this weekend. Just don't want to deal with him. At. All. Period.
• Fri, 14:24: Finished CAST IN SHADOW and am now reading KINDLING THE MOON by Jenn Bennet. Really liking it so far! #FridayReads
• Fri, 15:23: I should make an effort to get something done. Anything. Even a small thing. But all I want to do is sleep. Stress + anemia = bad thing.
• Fri, 15:49: Picking up SILENCE by Sagara just because of this: http://t.co/uB36pJrt Have some tissue handy.
• Fri, 17:47: Crazy ass owner has an agent coming to show the house tomorrow. We're supposed to close on Friday. I'm going to be sick again.
• Fri, 17:53: Crazy owner things giving us 1 1/2 weeks to move out is "generous".

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• Thu, 12:24: There are no words. RT @MichaelAusiello: RIP Donna Summer
• Thu, 12:26: WTF? RT @RebuildDream: GA using their $99 million mortgage settlement for corp tax cuts rather than help homeowners. http://t.co/gc46QS1Q
• Thu, 12:31: RT @janelleCNN: CNN confirms Donna #Summer died this morning #diva
• Thu, 12:37: I weighed in and lost 1.4 lbs. #LoseIt
• Thu, 13:23: Appetite back down again because all I can think about is what I want to say to crazy home owner if he shows up here this weekend. :P
• Thu, 13:24: He keeps saying he's sorry and he wants to help us as much as he can. Well, he can give us our $2k back (won't happen) or wait until the...
• Thu, 13:24: ...appraisal has run out or even honor his original statement to give us until the end of the month. W/o any of that, it's all just words.
• Thu, 13:30: Have to call loan guy in a 1/2 hr. Not looking forward to talking to Mr. Rambly-No-Straight-Answer man either. Meh. No wonder tummy's upset.
• Thu, 13:32: I'm so annoyed with this thing that if I received $100k tomorrow...I'd buy a different house. Seriously. Just because owner is a jackass. :P
• Thu, 14:02: Aaaaaaaaand, he's not in. *head desk* Will try again in 30 or so, I guess. Ug.

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• Wed, 13:16: I have decided that the owner of this house is, well, maybe not bipolar, but he goes back & forth on decisions like a tennis ball in play.
• Wed, 13:17: We still have until next Fri to work this all out, but he's willing to try to close. I suspect if we don't, we have to the move next day.
• Wed, 13:19: Calling loan guy tonight to find out EXACTLY what we need & where the $ can come from. That's been 1/2 the problem. (More than, actually)
• Wed, 13:20: Seriously, that $400 problem late last month REALLY messed us up. We wouldn't have $3k in there now, but we'd have more than the deposit.
• Wed, 13:28: We've been doing so well here. Cats are looking and acting better. I'm doing sooooo much better. There's got to be a way to make this work!
• Wed, 13:30: Knowing we have a chance to close has somewhat settled my stomach. Now just queasy, but not ready to throw up.
• Wed, 13:34: Scary. Got through 13 pages of the problem novel without realizing it till now. Hope I didn't miss anything. o.O
• Wed, 14:14: I really should eat something, sick tummy & all. I'm soooo uninterested in food right now, but shouldn't let ulcer make lunch of the tummy.
• Wed, 14:17: I'm skipping house work today. Suspect calories won't be a problem. & if they are, well, I have bigger things to worry about right now.
• Wed, 14:21: I really do believe we'll end up where we're supposed to be, it's just the stress of getting there that's killing me.

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• Tue, 12:34: 1/2 my to do list for the day is done, even my writing. What's left is big stuff though: house cleaning, editing 2 novels, dinner, & dishes.
• Tue, 12:48: Meatballs tonight, which means rice, I guess. Hitting the near empty pantry syndrome. lol
• Tue, 13:03: *wonders if she can get some editing done before the boy gets home and it's time to do house work*
• Tue, 13:04: Trying to figure out what the heck I did to the side of my right knee for it to be so sore.
• Tue, 13:05: RT @Reuters: Apple and five publishers lose bid to dismiss class action lawsuit over e-book price-fixing allegations - NY court document
• Tue, 13:07: The price fixing thing is just so wrong. I think paying more than $10 for an ebook is a bit much, but Amazon was price fixing first. :P
• Tue, 13:08: Why else would they strong arm publishers to price the way they wanted by removing books. To fix the price! Duh.
• Tue, 13:19: You guys having me adding more ebooks to my Nook wish list. I wants! I has no money, but I wants! :P
• Tue, 13:23: RT @BookEndsJessica: Uff. “@angelajames: I promise to never write--or even think--anything like this in email to author: http://t.co/yul ...
• Tue, 13:36: RT @cleolinda: RT @scalzi: In which I explain why "Straight White Male" is the lowest difficulty setting in the game of life: http://t.c ...

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• Mon, 12:49: I weighed in and lost 0.4 lbs. #LoseIt
• Mon, 14:28: It Was One Of THOSE Weeks http://t.co/q6zw20O2
• Mon, 14:42: RT @notjustanyboggs: Aw man. Got off the phone with a writer who paid $ to a scam agency. Dudes, always check Absolute Write and Writer ...
• Mon, 14:43: Okay, this chickie has housework to do before she can get to things like editing work and polishing Charms. Sad but true! :P Be back.
• Mon, 15:43: I spent 1 hour house cleaning. 249 calories burned. #LoseIt
• Mon, 15:47: RT @AdviceToWriters: "Like many other writers, I’ve found that I can avoid [writer's] block by committing to a really hideous first draf ...
• Mon, 15:49: One nice thing about an empty chat room: the pillows are all mine. ;)
• Mon, 16:03: I gave @Ginger_Clark +K about Publishing on @klout http://t.co/WunvFv4o
• Mon, 16:03: I gave @SaraMegibow +K about Publishing on @klout http://t.co/aKi2m45s
• Mon, 16:04: I gave @FifthGrouper +K about Restaurants on @klout http://t.co/k5mTOvDt

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