 Logan’s day job as the Commander’s Assistant has become as mundane as the lumpy lunch concoctions in the mess hall. Tucker has been training his group of elite recruits, while Saylor’s promotion brings her to command the Firebird on a mission that could reshape Alliance’s, and Earth’s, future. Logan lingers in the background, watching, waiting, and walking a line between loyalty and something far more uncertain. But comforts crumble. Familiarities fracture. And new leads take Logan to the savage edges of the unknown. Survival belongs to those willing to chase the impossible. Insolvent missions. Relentless sabotage. Feral frontiers. And no regrets. *** "A Shadow of Jaguars" is book six in the Alliance series. It follows Logan on a mission of his own. It is written as a standalone, so if you haven't read the other books, I think you can still enjoy this one. I began this story in late 2020. I finally finished it in 2022, as my publisher, Clean Reads, informed me that they would be closing their doors and I would get the rights back to all my books. If you know anything about publishing, it's a tricky world, and at that point I realized that my books would need to find a new home. It is Very Difficult If Not Impossible to get another publisher to take on an author's back list of previously published books. So, I have been through the process of finding a new publisher and releasing the series under the "Alliance series" umbrella with Addison Multimedia, and have only just now gotten up the courage to step once again into the brave unknown. I hope this book brings you on an exciting adventure through the unknown and beyond the end of what used to be familiar. To the end. Beyond the end. Pre-order now; books will release on Friday, July 31st in ebook and print. Soon thereafter, they will also release as audiobooks. I am quite excited about that. Click HERE to check the universal book link, or to click along to Amazon or Barnes and Noble. 
0 Comments
One of the leading questions to greet a person includes, “How are you?” to which the person must only reply, “Good” or “Fine.” Let’s face it, nobody, absolutely nobody wants a response other than that. Especially when it is in passing, which this greeting usually takes place, an honest response of, “Actually, feels like the world is a dumpster fire and I barely got out of bed” leaves both people cringing or walking away awkwardly.
So. Here are some helpful recommendations (and some not-so-helpful) in order to assist your interpersonal communications. Save these or bookmark them to take your doldrum greetings up to a whole new level. What’s cookin’, homeslice? What’s shakin’, bacon? How’s your chaos level on a scale from one to raccoon? What’s the word, hummingbird? Are we slaying or sobbing? What’s the tea? What’s the tale, nightingale? Have you been chillin’ like a villain? Are we feeling Team Edward or Team Jacob today? How's the vibe, tribe? What's crackalackin', captain? What’s the emotional damage level today? You ate today or nah? How’s your main character energy today? Feeling funky or fabulous? How goes thy noble quest? What’s up, famalam? How we vibin’, kids? What’s the crunch, cap’n? What’s the dill, pickle? Are we rollin like bowling pins or sushi today? How goes the chaos? What’s new in your zoo? You in your flop era or comeback era? Are you feeling zesty or just lemon-adjacent? Are we sparkling or just slightly damp? How goes thy battle with the abyss? Dost thou conquer, or be conquered? Not recommended: How now, brown cow? What’s going down, clown? What’s the fox say today? How's it brewin', muffin? What’s poppin’, my penguin? You bussin’ or nah, chief? How do you do, fellow youths? Yo, are you feeling extra yeet today? What emotions are you currently hosting? What’s the haps, snack pack? What’s the 411 on your day? Are you keeping it real? It’s giving Ohio, right? Pray, art thou bussin’ or boomin’? How’s your, uh… rizz situation? How art thou vibing, fair peasant? *** Hope these are helpful! Keep it real, y’all. Heh. “There will be someone or something that will try to knock you down. But it’s up to you to do the work, train hard, and have a winner’s mindset. Are you ready to win?” The presenter pointed at the knee brace on her leg, and the crowd cheered. I’d liked that part of the track. Body Combat has always been a group fitness class that grounded me and allowed me to punch the shadows that clawed at my heartstrings. I was sitting in my map-print recliner, studying the choreography for my morning Combat class.
The phone rang. It was my dad, giving me the gut-wrenching news about Mom. Several weeks later, I kept teaching Combat two days a week. Before I knew it, a pain had crept in to my body. My foot hurt in all caps. The fire started in the right foot. Almost every step I took, shooting pains through the sole of my foot and up into my calf. I shifted to teaching Step because jumping was too much. After doing even thirty minutes of Combat, I couldn’t walk. My dad then had open-heart surgery; quadruple bypass. It was a month of hospital visits, hours of driving, hours of worry and stress. Hobbling through hospital hallways. Broken heart, broken stride. I visited a podiatrist – plantar fasciitis confirmed. He gave me a steroid shot. Pain then wormed its way into my other foot. And both elbows. I had to quit teaching cardio. No jumping. No quick movement. It was too much. It’s been about a year and a half since I was able to teach cardio. A few months ago, I hit what felt like an actual wall while teaching a Body Pump class. Three tracks in, and we slid in to the back track with a line of clean-and-press moves, and I lost all the air in my lungs. Wasn’t sure I was going to make it through. A little voice inside said, “Girl, you got to do something.” Aaron, a teacher at the gym, taught a pop-up Body Combat class on a Tuesday morning. I was actually able to do the entire class. I didn’t jump much but I was able to kick and even do some burpees. Hooray. Around April 2026, I decided to make a goal: try to do four tracks of Combat a day. I made it almost two weeks. Aaron started teaching that Tuesday class on a regular basis and being able to attend as just ‘somebody in class’ was nice. Sometimes you can lead, but sometimes you just need to be able to punch the shadows from inside the shadows. There will be someone or something that will try to knock you down. But it’s up to you to do the work. Even when it hurts. Even when it burns. Even when it feels like you can’t take another step. I’m truly grateful for Combat. It’s been there for me when my writing journey slid sideways, when the online gremlins hated, when the in-person gremlins shaded, and when everything felt like it was on fire. I’m glad for the gym. For the people who dig in. For the ones willing to experience the apocalypse and give you a fist bump in the middle. Like the program director, Rachel, said in one masterclass, “We didn’t come this far to stay here…I couldn’t do this without you. It’s what we do in group fitness; we go deep. And we pull each other through. Ain’t no one drowning today…We got to that point in your workout and your life where it’s a little intimidating. It’s a crossroads. You can go right when there’s nothing left. And you can go left when there’s nothing left that’s right. Or you can struggle straight on, baby. Get that strength.” Every step forward counts, especially when it hurts. Those pain-riddled steps might count the most. Struggle straight on, baby. Let’s go. |
Sign up here to receive an email notification about new blog posts and news! Let me come to you. I promise, no spam!
Please note that you will receive a confirmation email. Simply click the "Yes, subscribe me to this list" button to begin receiving updates from me. Posts
June 2026
Categories
All
ARCHIVE / OLDER POSTS 
|
RSS Feed
Site powered by Addison Multimedia