Jenn McKinlay's News #33
August 20, 2019
THE WINNER OF THE NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION DRAWING FOR AN ARC OF WORD TO THE WISE IS...SUE FOSTER. An email will be sent to you to confirm. Congrats, Sue!!!
BOOK NEWS: WORD TO THE WISE is coming out on September 3rd. This is the book Publishers Weekly described as "riveting"! So, yes, I'm very excited to have this library lover's mystery out in the wild.
THE CHRISTMAS KEEPER follows quickly on its heels, arriving on October 29th. A Christmas loving cowboy mixes it up with a city girl who does not dig anything about the holidays, most especially his outrageous collection of ugly Christmas sweaters. Much fun was had with the research on this one!
EVENTS: I'm signing books at the Poisoned Pen on Sept 7that 2:00 PM,
giving a book talk at Mesa Public Library on Sept 19that 6:30 PM,
speaking at the launch of the Phoenix NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)
on Oct 26that 2:45 PM at the Phoenix Public Library,
and, lastly, I'll be in Dallas for Bouchercon from Oct 31st thru Nov 4th
CONTESTS: Follow me on social media:
Facebook - www.facebook.com/JennMcKinlayAuthor
Instagram - @mckinlayjenn
Twitter - @jennmckinlay
for random Wednesday Giveaways -- FREE BOOKS!
WHAT'S ON MY MIND? This one's easy – I. Am. An. Idiot.
Let me explain. For as long as I can remember, I have disliked doctors, doctor's offices, hospitals, check ups, physicals…you get the idea. Minus the one lady doctor of my youth who told my mom I could eat as much cake as I wanted, I have no use for the healthcare industry overall in regards to myself because I am an absolute freak about waiting in waiting rooms. I hate it. I'd rather spit and rub some dirt on my severed limb than give up a few precious hours for a reattachement. For my loved ones, it's another story, natch. If my people are sick, I will hold a medical professional hostage until they make them well.
Side note: I always have better interactions with nurses than with doctors. Just sayin'.
Aside from the time it takes, my other issue is that I've never felt like any of my doctors understand my body as well as I do. Arrogance, thy name is Jenn. I remember when the hooligans were babies and Mother's Day rolled around and I was coughing, wheezing, feverish, and a lovely shade of corpse gray. Hub looked at me and said, "You either let me and the boys take you to urgent care or you go by yourself, but either way you're going today." The thought of two toddlers in urgent care scared me straight and I went alone (which was a bit of a Mother's Day gift in itself). When the Physician's Assistant had me blow into the plastic thingy with the little ball, I couldn't even budge the ball and then proceeded to hack for five minutes. She looked at me in wonder and said, "You're not getting any oxygen. How are you even alive?" I would have told her sheer stubbornness, but I was too busy coughing. She then gave me ten prescriptions, only two of which were necessary to chase out the bronchitis and were the only two I filled. Still you'd think I would have learned that not all medical visits are a waste of time. Nope.
This summer Hub and I took up golf as a hobby. Shortly after, I left on a trip back east and discovered I had terrible pain in my hip. I was certain that it was a golf injury. I figured my swing must be awful. No, really. I took some Advil and forgot about it, mostly. Then my ear hurt, and I was sure it was swimmer's ear from too much pool time. I get it frequently, so I hit it with some alcohol and vinegar. Next, shockingly, a huge pimple sprouted on my chin. I hadn't had one in fifteen years! Naturally, I dabbed on some toothpaste. And then, I seemed to have wandered into a patch of mosquitos or spiders because, boy howdy, they sure feasted on me. I had red bites all over my right side. Weird! Because I never get bit. And the pain in my side wasn't getting better but worse, like, a lot worse.
I scratched my head, how does a golf injury get worse when you're not golfing? Pinched nerve? Knotted muscle? No idea. Then several more pimples appeared on my chin and cheek and some in my ear. How bizarre! And what the heck? I was beginning to think I was cursed with all of these random ailments or someone was going to town on a voodoo doll of me. Finally, I cried "uncle" and went for some medical help. Shingles. One glance and they declared I had shingles! I was certain I was too young for it but they assured me that, no, shingles can hit at any age. Because I had waited so long to seek medical help (ahem), there really was no short cut to better health for me. I had to cancel some business plans, and even as I write this, I still have the remnants of some of the blisters and the occasional blast of nerve pain, which is a lot like being electrocuted. Good times! And, in case you're wondering, yes, all of this is going to be book material somehow someway someday.
So, now that I have been duly chastened by the universe for my careless disregard of the medical profession, I am scheduling every doctor visit that is so long overdue I have to start each phone call with "Remember me?" And I solemnly swear to be better from now on. Did you read that, Mom?
So this is my PSA to you, if you're cool with vaccinations try and get the shingles one. Five weeks of life interruptus has been a total drag. Trust me here. Also, if you have access to decent healthcare, get all the weird spots (I also had skin cancer this year, which I ignored for months - like an idiot) and nagging aches and pains looked at by a professional, not WebMD or your best friend's cousin's neighbor. I know doctor's visits are a time suck, I do, but if there's something wrong, you'll be glad you went. Bring a book! I have two coming out. We can sit in the waiting room together.
Thanks for being the coolest cats and best readers a writer could know!
Happy Reading! XO, Jenn