This episode is brought to you by Doctor Who, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week (UK) from May 12-18, and National Creativity Day (USA) on May 30th.
In the words of the Eleventh Doctor to Lily Arwell, when her mother Madge became the ‘mother ship’ and then flew a forest of tree souls through the time vortex,
“Do what I do. Hold tight and pretend it’s a plan!” (Doctor Who, 2011; S6: E14, “The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe”).
Sometimes, even for years or a lifetime, this is good advice. My mental health and creativity are both leveling-up as pretenders this year and can vouch for it.
Later, the Doctor summarized how ‘his’ plan went: “Got a bit glitchy in the middle there, but it sort of…worked out, in the end…”
May your plans sort of work out in the end, too, this month!
In The Frozen, the female protagonist Shaanleigh has two canine/semi-canine sidekicks: Nash and Oshi.
If you read closely, you may wonder:
“How old are these dogs?! And how are they not having any geriatric issues yet?”
Well, we know that Shaan’s dad was a renowned veterinary geneticist, breeder, and trainer, and that Nash and Oshi were pups of dogs he was working with when Shaan was younger (and she is in her early 30s in The Frozen). I’ll leave you to do the approximate math!
Here are some current studies showing scientists in our time are already working on the problem (🥳)!
Remember how I was soooo confident last month that the months of repeated hospital stays were finally over?
Nope. Another round of C-Diff for our daughter Sabrina, and another hospital stay. Bonus: one solid migraine from March until…June?, as per usual. Of course sometime recently I uttered the words “Hopefully we’re past the worst of 2025 now…”
2025: “Hold my Diet Root Beer!”
My brand new computer went caput; the business coaching program in which I invested a huge chunk of our savings is now facing a lawsuit for various shady business practices; and my to-do list, the lawn, and the weeds seem to be growing about a foot every two days.
Plus I’m pretty sure the Diet Root Beer that 2025 was drinking was mine.
[allegedly criminally insane]
But hey, Sabrina’s home again and doing well so far (🙏🏻), the computer’s under warranty and I still have a semi-functional old computer to use, my bonsai trees are…still alive, I have tons of flowers and garden plants to plant (once I address the aforementioned weed issue), and the weather’s been awesome!
So, in short: I’m glad God has my back and He knows what’s up with 2025 so far! 😆
Dog Life:
The dogs made it their collective mission to make my mid-month birthday a meaningful, memorable one — which, I discovered to my surprise after doing the math, was my actual 48th. I did not do the math last year, and thought I was already 48. 😂🥳 (Math is not what birthdays are for, ok.)
Happy birthday to me… Good thing Jim and I went out to celebrate and see New Avengers the night before!
Writing Life:
Accomplished:
✅Time Jumper scenes
✅ Attended the Sci Fi & Fantasy Writers Summit
✅ More revisions on Would You Pleeease Just Eat Your Peas?!
✅ Researched some cover designer options
Main [MarchApril] May-June Goals:
⏹️ The Refuge audiobook edits
⏹️ The Erebi draft
⏹️ New cover designer
⏹️ Continue pre-planning 2025 newsletter & social media content
⏹️ Finish “Would You Pleeease Just Eat Your Peas?!” & getting started packet
Serial Fiction with Friends
Last month, Ethan headed out for a cinnamon roll on a sleety, windy night. When he reached the first crosswalk, time froze around him. Except for the short, eyeless woman next to him — who used a weird tool to illuminate a map on his skin.
You voted to go back to Ainan.
Original art by my daughter, Alex Porter (Thank you!)
12: Fading Fast
Ainan ran, spurred by adrenaline, fear, and exhilaration, toward the crimson horizon, toward the next portal. The alligator-like creature that had lunged from the primordial pool was surprisingly agile — and surprisingly fast. It was still on her heels, and she was running out of steam.
There it was! Not a second too soon — she pressed the button on her time capsule, and the snow began swirling around her, with a welcome blast of cold time stream air. The stream opened — and the creature jumped, at the same time she did…
As always, unless I indicate otherwise, I have not personally finished/vetted any of the following special book deals, so please use your own best judgment while perusing them.
A prequel to the YA fantasy Rise of the Grigori series — in this rich, breathtaking series, join merfolk, sphinxes, dragons, and humans in a search for redemption that will determine the fate of the world . . . they just don’t all know it yet.
Note from Jen: This one looks very intriguing: a Christian [military sci-fi] zombie story? (And it’s a full-length novel with an audio version available!)
Two brothers fight to survive the end of the world with their faith and humanity intact!
James and Connor Andderson learn of the apocalypse after being out of touch for a few days. Returning, they see first-hand; the dead are coming back to life with a taste for flesh.
With their parents in Nebraska, they must embark on a journey to rescue them as they set into motion their zombie apocalypse plan. But not all is fun and games and they realize the end of the world is nothing like they’d imagined…
Note from Jen: A Christian military sci-fi novella, complete with a treasure hunt — sounds like fun!
Fear. Faith. Firepower.
A behind-enemy-lines mission on the far side of the world.
When Navy SEAL candidate David Lozano washes out of training with a career-ending injury, he thinks his future is over—until a shadowy former operative, Sam Conagher, offers him a second chance.
The catch? It involves a two-hundred-billion-dollar treasure hunt in the war-torn city of Stepanakert, Azerbaijan. Under the guise of an urban explorer, Lozano infiltrates a crumbling shopping mall hiding a treasure that could tip the balance of power in the world. But he’s not the only one on the hunt…
51 *FREE* Sci-Fi and Fantasy books here; check it out soon! Runs until 5/31/25.
FREE Sci-Fi & Fantasy May
114 more *FREE* sci-fi and fantasy books! Look fast! Runs until 5/31/25.
Correction Note
There was a missing reference in last month’s “Lost in Metaversal Translation” segment: “Bajoran word ema (him, as in the funeral chant in ST:DS9, S3: E24 “Shakaar,”).”
Thanks for reading this episode of The Blessed Bulletin! Let’s connect on socials if we haven’t already (or if you prefer that to emails). See you next month!
