Saturday, June 16, 2007

Neglecting my riding and writing

Hello,
I've been neglecting both my bike riding and writing this blog, and actually I should start zeroing in on the topic for my next novel. I do this all the time though, and eventually I hit on an idea that sticks and it becomes my new book. So I'm not going to worry about it, and besides, I need to promote my current novel before moving on to something new. I've been pushing myself hard lately, working on the website particulars and a million other things, and that's why I decided it was time to do a ride with my fellow Wolverines (Michigan bicycle group).

So this morning I drove over to Beverly Hills (Michigan) and did 42 miles with the gang. I haven't been riding much compared to the kind of riding I've done every year for the past 15, so I was a little worried about keeping up. I know I'm not in shape, and that wouldn't be much of a problem except that everybody else is! I've probably done less than two hundred miles since spring, barely anything. Riders talk a lot about miles, how many miles they rode on a given day, how many for the season, how many for the year. Oddly, other riders are actually interested in this stuff, unless the rider in question goes on and on about it. Gives them a chance to mention their miles, for the day, for the season.... You get the idea.

Anyway, the flats were fairly easy and I kidded myself into thinking I was okay. We hit the first set of hills and I struggled, but didn't fall behind ... too much. We usually stop for coffee and a sweet roll midway, and I was fine until we were about two miles from the stop, then I bonked some and lost the group, but knew the rest of the way fortunately so it wasn't a problem.

But on the way back my lack of conditioning really began to show, and when we hit Kirk in the Hills, normally a fun set of ups and downs, I fell apart. I literally almost fell over I was going so slow on one hill. I lost the group again, but fortunately my friend Steve took pity on me (he knows I don't know the way back at all) and led me out. The group stopped and waited around the corner, which was nice of them. Steve and I would have missed them totally, but they yelled out to us and we were able to rejoin them. I plan not to let this happen again, and will keep a better riding schedule. I don't like it when people have to wait for me. Plus it's my fault, not theirs, that I haven't been riding. It's also a lot more fun to ride when you're in shape, less heavy breathing, cramping etc.

But I'm glad I went. I missed everybody, and it hasn't felt normal lately. I love to ride, especially with my group. It was a great day! Nancy

Update - Website live as of July 11, 2007

Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.

http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/

Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

I finally have High Speed Internet!

Hello everyone,
Yes, I know getting High Speed Internet isn't a really big deal to most people, but it is to me. I don't like to admit this to myself, or to anyone else for that matter, but I tend to make changes very slowly and only after much consideration. I am one of the least compulsive people I know! Dial up was just fine with me, and like those turtle people on t.v., the Slowskis, using a slow connection wasn't much of a problem for me at all. It was a problem for those who wanted to get a hold of me though. Since I'm on the Internet more than usual lately, my phone just rang and rang and rang ... no answering machine ... nothing. I never heard it, of course. Plus, I didn't miss getting any of the telemarketing calls (I mean, who would?) and I got a lot done because I wasn't interrupted. But I couldn't watch videos or listen to audios and it was very frustrating when something interesting presented itself. If you've never had dial up, you wouldn't be aware that audios and videos are impossible to listen to or watch. It's like trying to watch someone with the hiccups trying to talk!

The nice thing is that it isn't going to cost a lot more than we were paying before, and we get better t.v. programming too. We even get an assortment of free movies, some of them pretty decent.

My book, Her Last Letter, is available on Amazon now. And Angie and I uploaded the cover image recently and it looks really good! It's also available at barnesandnoble.com, but the cover image isn't up yet. We're planning to take care of that this weekend. My website is almost complete, just taking care of some shipping and handling details needed by PayPal. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be. I want to offer the most reasonable shipping possible, and also the quickest. I worked a lot on that the last few days, and I think I have it just about under control.

Well, it's late and I'm exhausted. So, I think I'll get to bed. Been on the computer too much tonight. Nancy

Update - Website live as of July 11, 2007

Visit my website to read a FREE EXCERPT of my mystery romantic-suspense novel, Her Last Letter.

http://www.nancy-cjohnson.com/

Books are available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and can be ordered through most bookstores.