I was out walking Rourke this morning, as I do most mornings and I noticed how the pristine white landscape can be so easily marred by just a twig or gravel or... yellow snow.
Yes, yellow snow.
You all know what that's about, all you dog-lover people and even those of you who are not and just curse all us crazy dog walkers - you know too. I mean we can scoop the dog poop, but the yellow snow, well there's nothing we can do about it marring the landscape. It's just there, usually - maybe conveniently, depending on what goes on in a dog's mind, at a high traffic corner or at the end of a meticulous and well-shoveled driveway and there's nothing you can do about it. Except either shovel it away and put it somewhere less conspicuous or wait for the next snow or spring melt. It's ugly and it really wrecks that expanse of glorious white that stretches for miles or until the next patch of yellow.
Yellow snow - kind of as delightful as book piracy. Yes, for the first time that I know of I've had a book pirated. Now that all sounds like some sort of exciting thing like in the swashbuckling days of Blackbeard but I'm pretty sure if you'd been there back then you wouldn't find the pirates any more exciting than the modern day pirates off the coast of Africa. But I've veered somewhere into the waters of the Indian Ocean when what I was really talking about was my book. Yes, it was pirated and at first I didn't really believe this might have happened. Surely this was wrong, surely this was a mistake.
But you know, there it was the evidence glowing atop my cursor. There was no denying it was my book - so I sent my polite please take down letter with gritted teeth and waited. I sharpened my sword while I waited and... no, what? You're telling me I don't have a sword? How else am I to fight pirates?
But turns out these pirates were reasonable and Fatal Intent is home safe and sound. Now, the yellow snow issue, well that's still a problem. I think I may have to wait until spring on that one.
And you? Any yellow snow in your day?
Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
Where does time go? Yesterday I picked up a friend who it seemed, only just left and is already returning after a tour of Ecuador. And Valentine's Day well - that's already behind us. The good news, and in a year that has begun with a spate of bad news, the good is really welcomed....let's start with the advent of spring, only weeks away now. Yes, hard to imagine when you have six foot banks outside any window in the house, but it's true and I'm counting days.
The other good news? I'm on tour again today with Fatal Intent. It's part of a tour lasting into May. I'm taking Fatal Intent over to Christine Young's Blog today. Again, there's a chance to win an e-copy of my first book From the Dust, for one commenter. And comment and your name is also entered for the grand prize at the end of the tour - the movie East of Borneo and a autographed copy of From the Dust. 
