That's a lesson that Clara Yamada learns in The Darker Coin. Or she will learn it - as soon as I finish writing the last chapter.

Until she does learn her lesson, here's an excerpt from the novel to give you an idea of it:

​As you can see from my word count in the post below, I didn't write a single word on Saturday - I was away at a writer's conference this weekend and Saturday was a full day of programming from 8:30 a.m. to after 10 p.m. I'll be writing about the event tomorrow on my author website, including sharing some inspirational quotes from one of the keynote speakers and some photos. It was lovely to meet so many awesome writers!

​But now that I'm back home, I need to finish up the last little bit of the book so I can send it to bed. And then send myself to bed too!

Starting Monday, I'll be tackling something much, much shorter. What the heck do I mean? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Until then, have a great night.

​Monday, June 3 --- 4,590 words

Tuesday, June 4 --- 6,777 words

Wednesday, June 5 --- 7,345 words

Thursday, June 6 ---  8,602 words

Friday, June 7 --- 7,400 words

Saturday, June 8 --- 0 words

Sunday, June 9 --- 5,304 words

TOTAL words for Week 7 --- 40,018 words

Now that the zombies have been left behind, it's time to tackle the idea of another apocalypse: a massive earthquake. This week's book is a YA fantasy called The Darker Coin. Here's what it's about:

​Every night, Clara Yamada wakes up in the witching hour with terrible images spinning through her head about the big earthquake that’s predicted to hit San Francisco sooner rather than later.
 
A minor shake scares her silly, and she turns to her Japanese grandmother and asks for advice about how to settle her fears. After hearing her grandmother’s stories about the protective spirits in her hometown of Hatsukaichi in Japan, Clara decides, with the help of her two best friends, to summon one of the hidden spirits, the kami, to help save San Francisco. To her surprise, her offering is accepted and her effort works.
 
But she finds out that she’s summoned more than she’s bargained for. Kami have two souls, one destructive and one helpful. Has Clara actually summoned the spirit who will cause the Big One to happen?

Growing up in California - and living through the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake with my family home a mile from the earthquake's epicenter - gives me a very Californian perspective on what the geological event is all about. For people living in an earthquake zone, they're just an unpleasant part of life. I know others who are very afraid of them, and for good reason since they can be deadly and destructive. Not to discount any of that, but if you live in an earthquake zone, you have to just keep on plugging away at your life and your work and hope the Big One doesn't actually happen.

So, I know a healthy fear of earthquakes is completely understandable, and it'll be interesting to write about Clara's journey in the book. I'll be back on Sunday with an excerpt from it. See you then!

Well... the end of days are ALMOST over. I'm almost to the (sorta) happy ever after. For the people who survived in my book, of course.

Who made it all the way to the end of my zombie novel Beef with the Apocalypse? Well... you might have to read the book to find out. Here's an excerpt from the first chapter to get you started:

Next week, travel with me to San Francisco in a YA novel that will tackle great forces of good and evil... all rolled up into one neat little package. Stay tuned!