not only has Thanksgiven gone by, now Christmas, New Years and the month of Jan already. Just last week I was thinking I've got plenty of time to review all I learned last semester before the new one starts. It starts tomorrow. Yeah, I didn't get too much reviewing done. Hope I haven't forgotten too much. Oh, that's ASL, by the way, American Sign Language for those who don't recognize the letters. I thought I'd learn signs for words and talk with my hands, simple. Not so. ASL is its own language, with sentence structure etc all different. Not that I think of myself dense, you understand, but more than once I've asking myself, 'What am I doing here?' You might also be asking 'So why is she taking that?' Simple answer, about twenty years ago I lost nearly all the hearing in my left ear and about half in my right. I won't go into the carelessness with which some doctors hand out prescriptions, the cause of that loss. I held off learning sign with the thought that it did me little good to learn if no one in the family knew it. Who was I going to use it with, right? My daughter changed that. She's taking it with me, tired of seeing me sitting off to the side, shut out of conversations because I can't understand what people are saying. She plans on signing while others talk to keep me with it, and she's teaching it to her sons as well. Gradually my husband is learning also. I started him out with simple signs, easy to remember, like having sex (oh, yes, there is a sign for that) hungry (he learned both of those really fast) and no! Joking aside, ASL is its own language, beautiful to watch, and I am, slowly but surely learning it.

the day at least. having the family gathered around me, all in reasonably good health was just great. the refrigerator is stuffed with left overs, the counter still holds pie and I'm looking forward to Christmas. those from Phx weren't able to join us this year for Thanksgiving, but we'll all get together for Christmas.
on the writting front, there's Thirteen Souls coming soon, quickly followed by Mark of the Sire. More info on those to follow. The covers are great, btw. I'll be posting them on my websit, www.larriane.com
Also on my site Sun, the 25th I will host a visitor for the first time. Darrell Bain will be there for an interview and peeks at his book Savage Survival.

My first romance, Mourning Meadow has been released! For ebooks and info go to www.swimmingkangaroo.com  The process of getting it on Amazon.com has been completed yet for a printed version, but that's coming soon.
The 'draw me a glemm' contest mentioned in the earlier blog has been extended. detail for that at my website, www.larriane.com
And last, but not least, I'll be doing my first vitual tour hosting on Nov 25th with award winning author Darrell Bain. His novel, Savage Survival is a page turning science fiction. Drop over to his site, www.darrellbain.com to see more of what I'm talking about and then visit us to learn more of the man behind the story at:
http://www.larriane.com/myblog.htm

I like to draw. Unfortunately that's pretty much restricted to doddles. No talent, but I know there are a lot you out there who have loads of talent and imagination. I'm having a contest, just for fun really, but there is a prize. Go to my site, http://www.larriane.com for the details on the contest page. I'd love to have a Glemm for a mascot. I know what he looks like. Can you draw it for me?

to all my friends, thank you for the lovely, sexy and warm birthday wishes. you are all so sweet to take the time to remember. oh, I know, myspace sent you a reminder. that doesn't make the wishes any less. you took the time to send them. thank you all.
I'm having a combination celebration this month, birthday, aniversary of my first publication, The Knowing, and a new release this month, Mourning Meadows. I have a couple of contests going on my site: http://www.larriane. com (take out the space) to give away some gifts of my own. Thank you all again.
larriane

 As some of you know I have a severe hearing loss. In Mourning Meadows, due out in Oct, I have for the first, and probably the only time, worked my experiences with that loss into the story. My objective is to enlighten as many as possible to the frustrations that arise, not only for myself but for those who attempt to talk to me in a fictional story.

Perhaps I should begin with how my not hearing affects me. In general, around the house, every day living, not much at all really.  I don't hear crickets or birds singing, few if any electronic sounds such as alarm clocks and phones ringing.  I'm aware of that, yet since I can't hear them, I don't know I'm missing them unless someone tells me. What I am aware of constantly are spoken words I can understand, whether it's a person, television or radio, or children. I seldom if ever can understand a child's soft voice. I gave up attending meetings and going to the theater long ago. Oh, and I miss music. It's only sound to me now, sometimes with rhythm, but no longer melody.

Let me explain what kind of hearing loss I have. I had a moderate, symmetrical hearing loss since childhood after a bout with a high fever. About twenty years ago an improper mediation affected that weakness. Before the condition could be diagnosed and corrected the additional damage was done. Now in my left ear I have profound to severe loss in all frequencies. In my right I have a moderate loss in about 1//3 of the frequencies that plunges to about 1/3 profound and severe in the remaining frequencies.

Currently there is not an aid on the market powerful enough to raise those frequencies to a hearing level for my left ear. Those on the market do not raise the profound/severe loss high enough in my right ear, but they do amplify the moderate to a barely tolerable level while only assisting in hearing speech at a very minimal degree. I have zero speech definition in my left ear and only 24% at a moderate level in my right. As a result the biggest problem for me with my hearing is conversation. To talk with me takes extra time and patience. It's frustrating to me and whoever I'm talking with when they have to repeat things over and over before, or if, I understand what they're saying. Although most people are very patient and understanding there are those few who are rude, treating me either as stupid or invisible. I had one woman tell me to call back when there was someone there that could hear and a physician who despite the fact that I was the patient did not address another word to me or look at me again once he was told I had a hearing impairment.    

At the beginning I said in general and around the house my hearing has little affect on me. I watch television with captions, amazingly hear fairly well on the phone, use a clock radio turned to maximum for an alarm clock and have a dog that lets me know when someone knocks. I've adjusted. It's when more than one person is here or I go outside the home, when strangers speak to me in the check out stand and I can't understand, when a clerk asked me a question I can't hear, when all the relatives get together for special occasions that I feel the loss. I am excluded, though not by silence. I can hear that people are speaking, but I don't understand. I fake it a lot or I just withdraw. Without the ability to communicate I am in essence isolated in a room full of people. Even if one person is taking the time and extra effort to speak directly to me, I can't understand for the noise around me drowning them out. Trying to is exhausting because I have to concentrate so intensely to pick out what I can in lip reading and hearing and then put them together to make some sense out of it.

I had put off learning sign simply because for me to be able to read it won't do any good if no one around me knows how to do it. I still made the decision as few years ago to start to pursue publishing; something I knew would require me going out in public. It's something I want enough to face the challenge and frustrations and find a way to overcome them. Learning sign is one way I hope to be able to communicate with some of the people I encounter, and my daughter is learning with me. I also have a niece and her seven year old son who are leaning, bless their hearts. My daughter and I start our second class the end of this month.

Of course there are things I miss, but as with all things in life, adjustments and acceptance are necessary. I can't sit around boo-hooing and still live a happy, productive life, nor do I intend to. I can't change my hearing, but I can change how it affects my life.

See lots more on my books and myself at http://www.larriane.com  yes, I've gotten my own domain. 'The Knowing' will be offically launched Oct 19th and 'The Looking Glass Portal' is passed the first edit. Look for it in a few months.

The first book is moving right along. We, editor, publisher, and I, have passed the first hurdle of the first editing, with a minium of trama--on my part. No screaming or pulling my hair out over of the changes suggested. There are so many firsts for me with this being my first book published. We're still aiming for a early Sept release. Hopefully there will only be one more edit of the edits. We are going to change the title. 'Sword and Shield' is a little general sounding. I WILL be sure to let you know what the new title is and of course where it can be found.
On the home front hubby has been patient with my obsessive drive to get the editing done. He has complained a bit about not seeing me and did have to remind me it was past time to do some landry when he ran out of underwear, socks, and Levis. Writers, I have discovered, do tend to be trifle single minded when working. I am anyway. We've had a week of monsoon weather too, which does not do a thing for the floors with the dirt tracked in so the house is a bit of a mess. Ah well, back to the world.
As soon as we settle on a final edit, I'll post a sample from the story for you to get an idea what it's about.

I'm an author, a title I just getting used to. I've been a writer for years (and years) but never attempted to publish. Now  I have three novels under contract. Am I excited? You bet ya. The first, The Sword and Sheld, a fantasy, will be released in early September under the pen name of Larriane Wills. The other two, Looking Glass Portal, a sci-fi by Larion,  and Mourning Meadows, a comtemporary romance by Larriane Barnard, will be released later in the year. Different names for different genres. I finally got brave enough to bite the bullet and face rejection slips, and there were several before I clicked with my publishers, Swimming Kangaroo Books. I'm a perfect example of the old 'you can't do it if you don't try'.