I’m supposed to be in Morocco now. My husband and I planned this big trip for months! But in early September, a stressful situation caused Danny to stop sleeping. By the time the situation was resolved a week later, he had developed a pattern of insomnia. He tried remedies from chamomile tea to warm milk, natural sleep aids to pharmaceuticals, getting up vs. staying in bed. He read books. Received volumes of advice. Learned that every other person you talk to suffers from the problem.
Nothing helped. Danny started to panic that he must sleep to be able to take our big October trip, which, of course, didn’t help his recovery at all. So, we cancelled our vacation. We are stuck here in Santa Cruz (boo hoo) for our area’s most gorgeous month of the year. Fortunately, Danny has figured out the best option for himself, which is to do nothing. To accept the situation, to stop struggling, to stop admonishing himself for not sleeping, to try to follow the same patterns he had before the stressful situation. Last night he actually slept for a little over six hours–restful, non-drug-induced sleep. We’re pretty stoked.
He may even be able to haul me around to some of my upcoming events:
November 9, 12-2: Join the NorCal Sisters in Crime chapter for their Fall Showcase. I’ll be reading a snippet of my story “Room and Board” from the anthology Fishy Business. This free event, featuring readings by an array of crime writers, will be at Books Inc. in Mountain View. 
November 16, 10-4: I’ll be hawking my wares along with four other Santa Cruz Women of Mystery at the La Selva Beach Holiday Fair. This a wonderful place and time to do some early Christmas shopping. Come on by and pick up mysteries by Mary Feliz, Mary Flodin, Nancy Lynn Jarvis, Nancy Wood, or me. 
December 1, 2-5:30: LocalLit 2019 is a new event for me. Come to King Library in San Jose for an opportunity to meet and greet over 20 local authors in various genres–another great opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping.
Here’s to attending these event, bright eyed and bushy tailed.