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IN THIS POST:
Phoenix Health Update
I went into June, my birth month, excited to hit the ground running with all things -- marketing for DHK Creations & Publications, LLC, writing and recording online formatting classes, working on book II, and so many other tasks. But when my cat, Phoenix, started showing signs of a urinary blockage... I went into a panic and all personal projects got put on hold.
Friday evening, Phoenix started acting like he was in some discomfort and hadn't urinated at all. He was still playing around and running, which is the weirdest thing. That was the opposite of what happened the first time he had a blockage, where he wasn't active at all. (I'll explain why I think this second time was different in a minute.) Anyway, we contemplated taking him to the vet, but decided not to since he didn't seem to be in that much pain or discomfort. We figured... let's just get some apple cider vinegar in him and that should help with any crystals or blockages. The next morning, he seemed to be doing the same -- was playing around and active, but he still hadn't used the litter and was getting a little moodier when I would try to touch his stomach. (Growling, hissing things like that. He's never swatted or tried to bite, he just shows verbal signs of discomfort and tries to run away.)
Within just a few hours he went from walking around, jumping up on the couch to look out the window, even climbing up the cat tree.... to really, really bad. As in he could barely walk because of the pain. I knew he would die within maybe an hour. So.... we rushed my cat to an animal ER where they had to do an emergency draining of his bladder -- they removed 212 ml of urine, and that wasn't even all of it. The doctor's exact words were: "We're surprised he didn't already rupture."
That was the most traumatic vet experience I've ever had. Phoenix is the first animal that I've ever owned myself and really take all responsibility for. I've had dozens of pets growing up, but Phoenix is the first that I found, that I adopted, that I fell in love with and bonded with and have this insane connection with and feel like he's been a part of my entire life though I've only had him for two years. To know that he wasn't hours, but minutes away from dying............ I was horrified. And he was horrified.
We we able to take him home that night. He was given medicine for pain and also to help him urinate easier. On Monday, we got him a specialized urinary crystal prevention/dissolution diet that we had been using to supplement. Got him on that, and within a few hours, he was making progress with his litter trips. Within a few days, he was better.
And then............... he started backsliding. I'm not sure how I knew that it was not crystals this time, but a UTI caused by the crystals. The symptoms were pretty similar -- he was in pain, he wasn't urinating again, but I told my parents, "There's something off. I think it's a UTI. We need to take him to the vet."
UTIs are not necessarily life-threatening, but they are very painful and can cause a cat's bladder to fill because they just won't go, and if it were to rupture, obviously that would be bad. Because his bladder and kidneys were already stressed, I wasn't willing to risk it, and our vet was able to get us in that day, by a miracle, because when I first called them, their next opening was a week later.
We go to the vet and, yes -- it's a UTI. Again, he has to be drained and he's given antibiotics. We take him home, and he has a pretty quick recovery. Within a couple of days, he is almost back to normal! We had some issues introducing Phoenix to my mom's cat, Ember, after all the vet visits and sickness, and she still gets a little hissy when he tries to play, but over all, our kitties are back to normal!
Being on this new diet has really forced me to realize how bad Phoenix had been and for how long. He's been the "moody" cat in the family. He didn't like to be picked up a certain way, didn't like his back half being touched at all, and would always growl or hiss if you went too close to his stomach. He was also the less athletic cat. He didn't run a lot and spent most of his time sleeping. I thought that's just how male cats were (he's been my first male cat that I really have taken care of.)
I now realize the moodiness and lethargy was because of pain. He's on his medicated diet specifically for urinary crystals, and he has become a BRAND NEW CAT! He's not moody anymore. In fact, he has become so affectionate. He loves to run now, and his new favorite activity is jumping from our kitchen table to the top counter just to explore the kitchen, which he never even attempted to do before. (So no it's training him that the kitchen is off limits.) He's also become so mischievous! He's discovering all the new ways to get into trouble.
I wouldn't have it any other way!
Writing Progress
(Or Sort Of... Lack Thereof)
Writing has been complicated lately. As in......... it's been difficult to get much writing done. The summer started off crazy with Phoenix getting sick, then getting hired on for some pretty big client projects
But back to the writing update...... When I would find the time to sit down and write, I found myself lost. The story, again.... was so disconnected and, though I had a clear direction on where I wanted to go -- or so I thought -- I couldn't find the words. So.......... today, I was out and ended up texting my dad this:
"I feel so lost with "Captive." Like I know where to go, but I'm just struggling to write it or get connected with it. I think I'm trying to second guess the story and I need to STOP IT. Because it's good, right? Like the story is good. I just need to stop second guessing myself."
His response brought tears to my eyes because it was exactly what I needed to hear:
"Stop second guessing yourself. I imagine it's because you're so busy that you have trouble "feeling" the story anymore. It's not as new, not as exciting, but you still love it. You just don't know where the spark went. Just like a marriage, the honeymoon phase is over. Now the hard work of making it work begins..."
After hearing that, I worked out a few scenes that needed some TLC + I am going to add a scene that I, originally, didn't think was going to happen. But it was EXACTLY what my story needed and exactly what was hanging me up. I pray that as time goes on, my writing can pick up and I can have more updates for you guys!
I also updated COLLECTOR's cover because I couldn't stand the way I did it. For some reason, I seem to STRUGGLE with formatting my own book. I can get a client's book done in a week, sometimes less. But my own..... I tend to let the goal for perfectionism (AND THEN SECOND GUESSING MYSELF) trip me up. So the cover is pretty much identical, except the title and subtitle are actually arranged correctly.
I ALSO designed a new cover for a new WIP that is 1000% perfect. I'll talk more about this project in the coming months. I'm not actively writing it, but I am actively planning it. It's called, "The Castle," but it's not at all a fantasy. In fact, it speaks about very real (and horrific) series of subjects, such as trafficking and abuse.
Keep an eye out for a blog about it coming soon. :)
New & Notable
DHK Creations & Publications, LLC has gained some amazing clients. We launched an author out of Texas who needed a reformat + revamp of his book, "From Darkness To Light." It is SUCH an incredible story of overcoming and putting your faith in God. This wasn't just a book we were hired to create, it truly was an honor to work on this project with Tremayne.
I also am in the process of formatting the LONGESTTTTTTT book I've ever formatted. It's at a whopping 508 pages, and it has been so much fun!!! I'm sure most people are intimidated by that number, but I was excited to push Affinity Publisher to the limit. It didn't even blink with 500+ pages! (And no, these aren't affiliate links, but if you want to learn more about Affinity Publisher, I'm offering live -- and soon to come, recorded -- classes teaching you everything you need to know about formatting with Affinity so you can tackle a 500+ page book in LESS than a week!)
And about those soon to come recorded classes..... I recently invested in a podcast microphone specifically for recording those voiceovers. I want to help authors learn to do exactly what I'm doing because... I promise... it's not as complicated as it can seem. You're going to get some fantastic resources with those online courses to help you stay on track with your book. If you're curious or if you'd like to request any topics, you can leave a commend down below!
My goal is to get these classes recorded, edited, and up by the end of the year. The biggest challenge with it......? Get my cat and siblings to stay quiet long enough for me to do so. All of them have nerve endings in my microphone, it seems, so any time it's on....... it's like they're hosting a talk show through megaphones right outside my door. I'm kidding - they aren't that bad!
In all reality, I'm praying that I can set aside some time each week to work on at least one class, or module as I'm calling them. I have a detailed outline set out. I tried recording with a script, but I just can't seem to do it naturally, so I'm just formatting and talking in real time.
Conclusion
Things have been CRAZY lately, and while my writing has suffered a little bit, I am seeing the fruition of my dreams and taking steps to help others on their writing/publishing journey! What are some new/notable events that have happened to you? Is there anything I can be praying for? What are some subjects you think would be beneficial for the formatting/publishing classes? I'd love to hear from you!
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