I blame the ghost in the machine

I am kind of embarrassed to mention it, but my computer had to go in for repairs. For some reason my computer screen went black and stayed that way for days. So I took it in for repairs and guess what? The computer suddenly started working perfectly and the tech guy blamed me for not shutting down my laptop properly. I am convinced that me and computers don't get along. There is a ghost in the machine that plays all kinds of havoc and makes me look bad. Bad Ghost.

Back from holiday

The holiday was great fun and I have gotten a lot of rest and have even finished my second round of rewrites. It was something about the solitude that really stimulated my creativity. As promised, I have some photos for you guys. The camera wouldn't work, so I had to make due with my phone's camera. 

View from our balcony

View from the balcony

View from my room

On the beach

On the beach

I also wanted another ear piercing, so when I got home I got an upper ear piercing to both ears and no, it didn't actually hurt that much. I love the way it looks though.

My ear

I feel re-energized and I got to see my writing in a new light, which was refreshing. I also got to catch up on my reading and I read Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs, which I liked and I finally got to read Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James, which I loved. It was so hot.

So, what have you been up to while I was gone? 

Effigy by M.J. Fifield available now

It's Effigy Release Day!

EFFIGY (Epic Fantasy), Book One in the Coileáin Chronicles
by M.J. Fifield

Release date: July 22, 2014

Now available in paperback and on Kindle at Amazon and CreateSpace (other editions to follow soon!)

The survival of a once-mighty kingdom rests in the hands of its young queen, Haleine Coileáin, as it slowly succumbs to an ancient evil fueled by her husband’s cruelty.

A sadistic man with a talent for torture and a taste for murder, he is determined to burn the land and all souls within. Haleine is determined to save her kingdom and, after a chance encounter, joins forces with the leader of the people’s rebellion. She gives him her support, soon followed by her heart.

Loving him is inadvertent but becomes as natural and necessary as breathing. She lies and steals on his behalf, doing anything she can to further their cause. She compromises beliefs held all her life, for what life will exist if evil prevails?

Her journey leads to a deceiving world of magic, monsters, and gods she never believed existed outside of myth. The deeper she goes, the more her soul is stripped away, but she continues on, desperate to see her quest complete. If she can bring her husband to ruin and save her people, any sacrifice is worth the price—even if it means her life.

Add it to your Goodreads List!

About the author:

Armed with a deep and lasting love of chocolate, purple pens, and medieval weaponry, M.J. Fifield is nothing if not a uniquely supplied insomniac. When she isn't writing, she's on the hunt for oversized baked goods or shiny new daggers. M.J. lives with a variety of furry creatures—mostly pets—in New Hampshire's Mount Washington Valley. Effigy is her first novel. Visit her online at mjfifield.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

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On Vacation

I will be on vacation next week, so I won't be posting, maybe one scheduled post.  I also won't have access to the internet, so I will only be able to respond to comments and emails when I get back. I hope all of you will have a great weekend and week ahead. Please stay safe.

When a dog gets the better of you

My chef sister was off today and needed to take her dog to the vet. Because her dog is a rather big dog she needed my help taking the dog to the vet. After all, the dog is such a cutie.

Anyway, the appointment went well and my sister's dog was very well behaved. My sister stayed behind to pay and I took the dog's leash from my sister to take the dog for a walk. Instead I ended up on a light jog to what I hoped was a toilet break and not an attempt to run away in anger.

In the end all she wanted was to go back to the car and she had ended up dragging me behind her in her search for the correct car. Finally at some point I realized that she only wanted to go back to the car and once there, she calmed down. Duh.

A few minutes later my sister came out laughing.
"What's so funny?" I said, petting her dog.
She said, "Everyone inside the vet's office saw you running with the dog and one guy said 'there is a lady in the parking lot being dragged around by a dog'."

What can I say, my life is anything but boring.

Fresh bread

My freshly baked bread

Yesterday I attempted to bake fresh bread and much to my surprise I had gotten it right. I am so proud of those two beauties, even though my family had already started eating the one loaf. What can I say, the smell of freshly baked bread was just too great for them to ignore. Yay for me. 

Great few days

Hello Table Mountain (view from car)

The past few days have been really great and the struggle from earlier in the week forgotten. Yesterday my siblings and I headed off to Canal Walk in Cape Town for dinner and some shopping. Food was excellent and the fact that my siblings were treating me was even better. The company was wonderful and the frozen yogurt I had on my way out topped off my night quite well.

This morning my family and I kicked off our day with a great breakfast of eggs, crispy bacon, fluffy pancakes, sparkling wine, freshly squeezed orange juice and french toast. It was absolutely delicious and once again, the company was superb. After breakfast my brother took my two sisters and myself on a mystery drive, as it was a beautiful day and we wanted to experience it. We started off our journey to Franschhoek, but changed direction quickly when we realized the Bastille Festival was on (too crowded for us) and we headed towards Pniel and then Stellenbosch, where we bought some fresh ingredients for supper, which was delicious.

On the way to Franschhoek (view from car)

Still on the way to Franschhoek (view from car)

I think what made these few days extra special was the fact that my chef sister was off for a few days and we got to spend lots of time together. Sometimes I talk a lot of crap about my family and how they don't understand me, but I love them a lot and they are more than just my family, they are also my best friends and life just wouldn't be as great without them. Mom decided to sit out both adventures because she wanted to play computer games instead.