Time. I have none of it. I’ve come to believe someone has hijacked it from my universe and it no longer exists here except as a distant memory. That might make a good sci-fi story, come to think of it, if only it didn’t feel so real.

Okay, go ahead and laugh. Lou’s all up there on Love Bytes getting maudlin about the tick-tock. Which leads me to another rather silly point. What do I do when I want to know what time it is? Do I look at a clock? No! I look at my phone. This is a very strange habit, but using the phone to tell the time is not really an all-new thing. Back in the day, if you didn’t know what time it was, like if you let your wind-up clock run down, or the batteries in your wall clock died, you could go to your rotary dial phone, pick up the enormous earpiece, stick your finger in the various holes and give ’em a twist… and “call time.” That’s right, and time would answer, giving you the correct time by the universal clock, right down to the second. Of course it was only that simple if you were at a home (yours or someone else’s) where there was a phone. Otherwise you had to go to a pay phone, close yourself into a glass booth or else just turn your back on the crowd passing by, drop your dime in the slot and then call time! Time had it’s own number, though. It wasn’t “O” for Operator. It was like 411 or something, but if you call 411 now I don’t think you get time. Someone (from another universe) not only hijacked time but also hacked their phone number.

Why did I let my guard down so that some sleazy outworld criminal could hijack my time? Well, I’m busy. Why am I busy? Hm. Well. If I was a doctor I’m sure it would be because I was a doctor. If I had five kids under ten at home I’m sure it would be because I had five kids under ten. If I was a ballet dancer… you get the idea. But I’m none of those things, so it’s because I’m an author. Now one of the things I’ve found kind of odd about the author/time relationship is that it always seems like there is plenty of it until it’s gone.

If I could buy time at the grocery store (which I can’t because it’s no longer in my universe), I’m sure it would be like this: Lou looks in the fridge and sees a three-quarters-full bottle of fresh time. Lou doesn’t add time to the grocery list. “I’ve got a lot of that! Better use it up before it spoils.” Lou goes to the store, walks right by the well-stocked time section, comes home and starts to put away the groceries. Right there in the fridge is the time bottle with less than a sip left at the bottom. Lou runs back to the store for time, only to find it’s sold out. In fact, there is now a world-wide shortage of time! Which only makes sense because, as I said it’s been hi-jacked.

Somehow, though, despite time not existing, I’ve managed to have a ‘new’ release less than ten days ago! I put new in quote marks, because these are the second edition of some of the Vasquez and James books—the first three of them in an ebook set, put together nicely by Changeling Press. Many of you readers here at Love Bytes are probably already familiar with the series, but here’s the cover and the blurb(s), and I’ll share a couple of nice reviews from new readers, too.
When badass meets artist, sparks and bullets fly. Blazing romance, chilling suspense, enduring love…

Loving Luki Vasquez: Renowned but reclusive weaver Sonny Bly James masters color, texture, and shape in his tapestries, but when he meets Luki Vasquez, an ex-ATF agent and all-around badass, his heart and desire spin out of control. The heat between them won’t be denied. United by danger, can Sonny and Luki put fear and anger aside, and fight together to save Sonny’s nephew and their own lives?

Delsyn’s Blues: Devastated by loss, Sonny James listens to a voice singing the blues from beyond the grave. Convinced he’s failed in an all-important life task, he tries to shut out Luki Vasquez and love just when he needs him the most. But when Luki finally breaks through Sonny’s fortress of grief, it’s just in time for the newly reunited couple to face a new, violent, escalating danger.

Finding Jackie: When Sonny James asked Luki Vasquez to marry him, Luki’s “yes” was accompanied by a request — a wedding in Hawaii. Months and many trials later, their hilltop island ceremony is poignant and funny, and every bit as beautiful as they’d hoped. The honeymoon is all sex, surfing, and sunshine… until Luki’s sixteen-year-old nephew is kidnapped by a sadistic killer. When it all comes to an ultimate showdown with evil, it’s not only love at stake, but their lives.

“Her characters are very well written, very believable for the most part. The stories will run you through a gamut of emotional ups and downs. In 1 minute you’ll be crying over a sad thing, then just have to laugh along with Luki or Sonny, as they try to find humor to help each other through the pain, or sigh over the sweetness of their love for each other. It can take them time to spot the vulnerabilities in their partner, but they eventually do.The action/suspense in these stories is very well written. Lou has obviously done her homework here. Everything from kidnapping to small homemade bomb building. AND all the emotions evoked in the characters suffering these things are very believable as well.” —Tajuana Munday (excerpt from a longer review)

“This is a fantastic pairing of two MCs who seem like opposites on the surface. and yet they have so much in common. Number one of which is that neither is looking for a relationship! They have trials and tribulations galore as they make their way into each others’ hearts. This is a fantastic set, and the books should be read in order. There is danger, drama, trauma, grief, and love. I was unfamiliar with this author before I picked up this set, and I am so glad I did.” —Alias 11

Both of those reviews can be found on the book’s Amazon listing page, so if you want to read Tajuana’s entire review, that’s as good a place as any.

I don’t know how long the sale lasts, but right now, the least expensive way to get the book is to go the Changeling Press catalog, because right now it’s on sale there, only $5.59. Not that the usual price of $6.99 is a lot for three novels, thogh! One of the things I like about this publisher is the way they organize their catalog listing, they give you the links right there for outside online retailers (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Apple Books), so if it’s more convenient for you to buy elsewhere, you can easily get there.

Alas, I’ve used up the last partial sip of time. Well, let me run to the neighbor’s and see if I can borrow a cup of the stuff, because I still want to tell you how you can win a $10 Amazon GC. (…) (…) (…)

I’m back. They spared me a half-cup. I guess they’ve had trouble with time pilfering, so they’re running low on the stuff, too. Anyway. All you have to do to be entered once in the drawing for a $10 GC is comment below. You can say something witty about time, or else tell me if you’ve read the Vasquez and James books already. You can say “I’ve read them!” enthusiastically. Or “I haven’t but I darn sure will!” with equal fervor. Or just say yes or no. 🙂 If you want to get your name in the hat four times instead of just one, join my group on Facebook—Sylvre Linings. it’s a closed group, sharing good news about books is welcome, but also good news about anything! Hostility is absent and will stay that way. Go in and check it out, and I think you’ll find it an easy, peaceful place to be amid the sometimes crazed atmosphere on social media. Anyway, enter! I’ll pick a winner a month from now, so there’s time!