Okay, so from my title here, you already know I’m the Grinch of summer.
As I’m writing, my left foot is sliding up my right leg to scratch the first reliable harbinger of summertime here—a big fat chigger bite.
Before I moved to Arkansas, I knew summer was upon Texas the first day I saw a scorpion scurry across my floor–usually in late April. Summer arrives much later in Central Arkansas, and the bug-o-meter here is a nasty litle mite you rarely notice crawling on your skin because its almost microscopic. However size-challenged a chigger might be, its bite leaves as nasty a lump as a mosquito and lingers a lot longer.
In addition to the challenge of staying ahead of chiggers, “skeeters,” and horseflies, I have to contend with frizzy hair that no amount of Frizz-Ease will save.
Since I’m talking about bugs, you’ve probably guessed I don’t really have anything else interesting to say. My summer’s “booked”—not with trips or adventures—but with a full-length novel and a novella I have to finish for Kensington.
So while y’all are finding exciting ways to enjoy the warm weather, think about me, hiding out from six-legged varmints while I plow through pages filled with sexy cowboys.
Since Ann covered some of the positives of summertime (see below!), do y’all have summertime gripes you want to share? Hate the heat? Wish the kids were in summer school? Wish you were 12-years-old again when all that time off from studies was ripe for one new adventure after another?
One thing that might give you a few hours of enjoyment and a reason not to suffer the outdoor critters and sunburns is my upcoming release from Ellora’s Cave.
Sin’s Gift is the start of a new series for me at Ellora’s Cave, and those of you who loved My Immortal Knights should be pleased with what I’m doing in “The Shadowlands.” Be sure to follow the link and read the opening pages of that new book!
Oh! And be sure to check out my blog for information about the Allure Author’s Summer Contest!
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hi Delilah.. well summer gripes.. here in iowa right now id have to say its rain, storms, floods and tornados.. we seem to be abundant in the fun department there.
which of course is driving up the nasty creepy things we dont usually see alot.. snakes, critters.. skunks and racoons seem to be everywhere..oh and did i mention water? i never knew i had a lake front farm..
ive given up on hair, as its so humid it wouldnt be worth my time..lol..
and 3 kids that have been cooped up way too much already with the weather..
now on to happy thoughts.. the book sounds awesome and that is one sizzling cover..
by Jolene
on June 12th, 2008 at 8:53 am
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Jolene!
My brother’s in Des Moines, and we’ve been watching the news about all the horrible things happening there. Way more to gripe about than just chiggers and frizz!! I hope that “lake front” doesn’t rise any higher.
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hello DD, I don’t really have any Summer grips. All though I do have some, LOL Mine would have to do with the kids moving back in with you, and not lift a finger to help out in anyway. Well I guess that’s for another time. I was wondering why you moved from Tx to the one your at now? icia
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 10:18 am
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Icia!
Good question. Why did I give up my beloved Texas? In two words, sorta: Full-Time Writer!
There are four children in my family. We drew straws, sorta, a few years ago, and since I was separated from my husband, and wanting to write full-time, we decided I was the best candidate to move back home to be here with the folks before they needed someone here to help. Which is very funny since at 16 I dropped out of high school to go to college when my parents said I’d have their blessing to leave when I went to college. I was such a brat and a juvenile delinquent (a runaway, several times)!!!
Surprisingly, my parents and I get along great now. I can live on what I write here, expenses are WAY down, and I can write full-time.
Arkansas has been surprising, too. I only lived here for four years (last year of high school and 3 years of college), and I remember hating every minute of it. But age and experience have given me a new view. It’s lovely really, very naturally beautiful. Hot and muggy in summer, yeah, but the summer isn’t incredibly long like South Texas. I miss the cowboys in Wranglers, but I’m getting to love the rednecks in baseball hats almost as much! 
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What a hot cover! Wow. And I love summer, but I live in California, so that figures.
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Jill!
I’m thrilled with the cover too–hot, sexy and wicked–it’s everything I asked them to do! DD
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Lucky you, Delilah… that’s one hot cover!! 
As for summer… ugh, I’m not a fan of summer… I live in Houston, TX. Need I say more? lol. I just hate the heat and humidity here… especially the humidity *sigh*
by Ali
on June 12th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
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Ali!
I hear you. San Antonio could get muggy when the wind came off the Gulf–but lordy, Houston can be a steambath!
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Hi everyone. Just wanted to put my gripes in too. I live in Arkansas not very far from DD and it is hot and muggy,with ticks and chiggers and flies and misquitos and gnats and snakes and spiders and so many creepy crawly things. I have lived here all my life so I am used to it but it is not easy. Since I grow chickens, the summer is our worst time. We spend a alot on electric for the fans and foggers and if it is hot enough they still die. I spend hours at a time walking up and down on each side of the houses to keep them up so they won’t die. It is hot dirty work. Now that I have griped. Whats new with everyone else.
by Debby Creager
on June 12th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
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Debby!!
I have to come for a visit to see what a real “chicken ranch” looks like. Gives me an idea for a story too!!
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I like to know how the driving? The last time I was in that neck of the woods, I couldn’t stand the drivers. (They were like being behind the sunday drivers ). I can say the the southern states are very beautiful. icia
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
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Icia!
I hate driving in Arkansas! LOL
I’m always traveling on some little two-lane highway and getting behind someone who’s looking at the scenery rather than trying to get somewhere in hurry!!! They plod and I still drive like I live in Europe (think Autobahn–bat out of hell)!
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Snakes and bugs. My sister-in-law was looking at my mom’s flowers in her garden. She reached down and was going to tip one of them, instead she touched a baby snake. The next little bit was spent trying to find the snake to kill it cause it was a copperhead. Last year, the nieces and nephew were in the front yard riding their bikes. Next thing I knew, my brother and his wife was pulling in shouting about a snake. It crossed from the road into our yard, where the kids was riding the bikes. We tried finding that one but couldn’t. We have a creek in our backyard and that makes the snakes worse. I read the excerpt for Sin’s Gift, it sounds great. Can’t wait to read this one!
by Amy S.
on June 12th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
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Amy!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the excerpt!
We have a pond in the woods behind our house. We have to worry about cottonmouths, copperheads, rattlesnakes, etc. I never go near the pond in summer unless I have on thick jeans and boots.
Okay, so I will admit I love snakes. Used to go snake-hunting in Texas when I was much younger. Would trek out into the military firing ranges in West Texas (after scaling chainlink) and hike into the hills beyond the range, not only looking for snakes, but also fossils. The things we did for entertainment before MTV and video games.
by Delilah Devlin
on June 12th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
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LOL> that was how I looked at it too.
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
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Ooh! Go take a look at my blog [ http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/]! I just got the cover art for “Alluring Tales: Hot Holiday Nights!”
by Delilah Devlin
on June 12th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
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Great looking cover! I love summe in the Pacific Northwest.
by Estella
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
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WOW!!!!!!!!!!! nice cover. I like. icia
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
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Thanks, Estella!
I was born in Washington State and visit often because I have relatives up there. If it were a perfect world, I’d live on one of the islands off the coast up there. It’s paradise as far as I’m concerned, and I don’t mind the rain and the cold!
by Delilah Devlin
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
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I love where I live. Of course I live near SF> San Fransico (god I hate spelling)
Its like 45 mins in good traffic.
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
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Icia!
I take it that you saw the Hot Holiday Nights cover. It’s sexy and classy, I think! And I LOVE San Francisco. Love Northern California. If I ever get up there again, we’ll have to meet for coffee!
by Delilah Devlin
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
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I must confess that I hate the summer. It is the worst time in the year for me. I hate it and it hates me back 
my skin in awful all through the season, I seem to get sicknesses no one has heard of, eating the fruits make me sick during this time of the year too.
One more reason, cockroaches. I mean they are everywhere and I cannot stand them. I too am a summer Grinch. 
by Rasha
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
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Rasha!
I hate cockroaches, but haven’t had to do major battles with them or silverfish since I lived in Georgia and Florida. The inside pests I have to deal with here are spider (including black widows). They don’t freak me out like they used to, because nothing gives me the creeps like scorpions, and they don’t live here!!!
But that’s okay. You can grinch along with me! 
by Delilah Devlin
on June 12th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
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Sure I would love to meet and spend some time ( I could think of a couple of more who’d love to meet you too). LOL
by icia
on June 12th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
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I live in Alabama and it definitely been hot so far this year. It’s been a week of 95 degree weather. i am so ready for fall but have a long ways to go.
by Pamk
on June 12th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
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PamK!
We’ll both be singing Glory H’s when fall comes!!
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Hi Delilah. Enjoyed reading the excerpt for Sin’s Gift. Love to read series books and I’m really looking forward to reading it. As far as summer goes, I’m ok with it. My favorite season is Spring. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky. Spring in Kentucky is a beautiful time of year. Plus we have the Kentucky Derby and all of it’s activities. This week it’s been in the high 80’s low 90’s so it seems summer is already here.
by Shelly
on June 12th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
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Hi Delilah. Oh my gosh, do you realise how interesting you all sound? Now, I know that may sound a bit of a strange comment. But, living in the UK, our summers are nothing like you are all describing you’re experiencing in the US. If our weather goes over 25 degrees, we call it a heat wave!! We don’t have any of the ‘critters’ you’re describing, other than the occasional house spider, venturing indoors. Living this side of the ‘pond’, its so interesting reading about your summers, everything seems to be so different there, but I will say one thing, I absolutely do not envy you your snakes!
Being British, we obsess continually about if we will have a nice summer. That’s all we seem to talk about, so far, its not been too bad, periods of sun and showers.
Keep happy everyone, and I hope summer isn’t too hot for you all.
Hugs and best wishes from the UK.
xx Karen
by Karen
on June 13th, 2008 at 5:19 am
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I love the cover to “Sin’s Gift” and the excerpt. Your book is definitely on my wishlist here.
As for summer, I don’t like it. I am more a fall or winter lady. And summer here in Chicago has been pretty messed up. First the cold spell hung on (which I enjoyed) but it then jumped so quickly into the hot weather that it took me time to try and adjust. And recently our weather has been swinging from heavy thunderstorms that soak everything to a few sun baking days in between. With that and all the tornado watches going on around us here it’s been a odd and not too fun start to summer here.
by April
on June 13th, 2008 at 7:05 am
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Shelly!
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the excerpt! I envy your summers in Louisville! I’ll be in Kentucky in September for Lora Leigh’s big event!!
Karen!
You’re too funny! I have relatives in Ireland, and have visited often, although mostly at Christmas time. One summer when I was there, I had to laugh because they complained about the heat (to a Southerner, it was very mild!), about the bugs (bottle flies are not dangerous!!), and about the “horrendous” rain (again, a misting shower, not the blinding sheets of rain we can get here!). Yeah, your weather and pests are dull! LOL
April!
I love Fall and Winter too. Have always wanted to spend a winter in Alaska to experience it. The cold wouldn’t get to me (I lived in Eastern Montana) and since I love the darkness, lack of sunlight won’t make me nuts!
