Two More Companion Dragons Tales Releases!

 

When it rains, it pours! And right now it is raining dragons. We've had three CDT books released from Pro Se this year, bringing us up to date with all that has been written so far. 

Just to catch you up, on April 5th 2021 LAZLO AT HOME, the fourth book in the series and solo written by Your's Truly, was released. If you scroll down to the previous post here, you can read the press release for this one.

Lazlo dragon's debut book was published on June 30th, 2013. It was the first in the series, titled A FAMILIAR NAME, still available in both paperback and Kindle.

Yep, that's the book that started it all, and tells the story of how Lazlo came to live with Nancy Bittergreen, who is both witch and wordsmith. All she has to do is figure out how to get Lazlo out of stasis before he turns to stone forever and at the same time, avoid being investigated by some government spook. Now how hard can that be?

Well surprise, that's not all for this year! On September 1st 2021, MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY saw its debut. This one was co-authored with me by Waxy creator Roger Stegman, and is a collection of three short stories featuring Waxy Dragon, who debuted in CDT #2, the novel FINDING WAXY (paperback here & Kindle here) which was released September 12th 2014. This new Waxy book is a collection of three short stories: Waxy in Atlantis, Waxy and the Bad Cookies, and Waxy and the Closet Monster. You won't believe how much trouble one little curious and slightly stubborn rainbow striped dragon can get herself into and eventually out of!

Here is the MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY book's press release:

MISCHIEF AND FANTASY COLLIDE IN CUTENESS-‘COMPANION DRAGON TALES VOLUME FIVE-MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY’ DEBUTS

Waxy Dragon—that mischievous little rainbow-striped rascal—is back in a brand new set of three adventures in COMPANION DRAGON TALES VOLUME FIVE by Nancy A. Hansen and Roger Stegman from YoungPulp! and Pro Se Productions.

Now that she lives with Roger 'Rusty' Rustman, a part time mage and story idea generator who Waxy calls Bubblehead, her presence in his life presents some interesting problems. Rusty travels often to places that have no name and he would prefer not to have anyone know his secrets. Unfortunately, there's an awful lot of trouble a curious little dragon can get into in a home where magic fills the air and can animate just about anything a young mind can imagine. Having Waxy around makes it that much harder for Rusty to remain an anonymous man minding his own business.

In the first tale, once she figures out how to follow Rusty through the computer-generated portal, Waxy finds herself on her own in the magical resort world of Atlantis, where not everyone is friendly or has her best interests at heart. Can Waxy turn a rival into an ally to fight back against even a worse enemy? In the second story, when Bubblehead brings home some pastries that are past their prime, those Bad Cookies decide they are going to conquer the otherworlds one at a time, and it's up to Waxy to stop them before they get to the portal. And then Waxy gets herself into even more mischief when she encounters a scary closet monster who is holding some innocent creatures hostage, and she winds up getting locked in with all of them in the dark.

How will poor Waxy get herself out of these troublesome and often dangerous situations? Pick up a copy of MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY today and follow her adventures from beginning to end.

Featuring a delightful cover by Larry Nadolsky and cover design and formatting by Antonino lo Iacono and Marzia Marina, MYSTICAL MAGICAL WAXY is available via Amazon for $7.99 at https://tinyurl.com/mv238wea.

The fifth volume in this all ages fantasy series is also available on Kindle formatted by Iacono and Marina for $0.99 for a limited time at https://tinyurl.com/59wuajzy. Kindle Unlimited Members can read this thrilling adventure for free!

The first four COMPANION DRAGONS TALES volumes are also available in print and digital format on Amazon.

For more information on this title, interviews with the authors, or digital copies for review, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

Please don't forget about Copper's Choice either, which is the 3rd book in the Companion Dragons Tales series. Copper Dragon is one of my creations as well. Poor Copper has been neglected and abused. She's been in and out of trouble most of her young life, associating with the wrong kind of human companions. By the time she meets Nigel Gillette, who is both a wizard and a writer of action/adventure tales, she doesn't have much faith in humans left. Can Copper overcome her fears and reluctance to believe in one man's kindness and caring, or will she keep getting herself in trouble by making bad choices with all the wrong people?

Today I got another surprise! When I got online this morning, I found out that on September 29th, KIRI'S QUEST, the 6th book in the Companion Dragons Tales series, had been released. This one was co-authored by writing pal and Kiri Dragon creator Lee Houston Jr. Kiri is a well trained and capable little dragon who agrees to take on a courageous solo mission to retrieve a stolen item of great magical power. Along the way, she has to face monsters, mayhem, puzzles, and many dangers as well as some of the worst puns you've ever read! As always this little novel is perfectly acceptable for most ages and a great book to pass around the family.

Here is the press release for KIRI'S QUEST:

A DETERMINED DRAGON ON A DANGEROUS QUEST-‘COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST’ DEBUTS!

A very powerful magical tool has been stolen. In the wrong hands, it could be used to conquer the Otherworld realms; so it must be recovered at all cost. Only one special companion dragon has the experience and skills to take on this covert quest to bring it back. YoungPulp! And Pro Se Productions proudly announce the release of COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST by Nancy A. Hansen and Lee Houston, Junior, now available in print and digital formats.

Under the cover of darkness, ruby scaled Kiri travels to Castle Umbra, the monster-guarded and foreboding stronghold of Grewsum–a wicked wizard, wretched writer, and shoddy speller now turned thief. Kiri is determined to retrieve what was stolen before it can be used for evil purposes—providing she survives that long!

The journey to Grewsum’s fortress is fraught with dangerous perils and Kiri has nothing but her wits and unique dragon abilities to aid her. One misstep could not only end her quest, but alert Grewsum to the fact that his opponents on the side of keeping the Otherworlds free have invaded his private island. That would amount to a declaration of war.

Yet even if Kiri safely makes it all the way to where the magical item is hidden, she might still have to face Grewsum himself. How can one small dragon outwit such a power hungry fiend?

Book Six in one of the most imaginative young reader for all ages series ever-COMPANION DRAGONS TALES-KIRI’S QUEST by Nancy A. Hansen and Lee Houston, Junior. From YoungPulp! And Pro Se Productions.

Featuring an exciting cover by Larry Nadolsky and cover design and print formatting by Antonino lo Iacono and Marcia Marina, COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME SIX: KIRI’S QUEST is available at https://tinyurl.com/4uytnc66 for $7.99.

This latest companion dragons adventure is also available as an eBook formatted by lo Iacono and Marina at https://tinyurl.com/53wvy9xfe for only 99 cents for a limited time. The book is also available to Kindle Unlimited members for free

For more information on this title, interviews with the author, or digital copies for review, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com. Like Pro Se on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions.

These books really are a fun and imaginative read. If you're looking for something different to get the kids interested in, or a book you can read to the entire family and not get bored with, they're worth checking out.

I thought it would be interesting to do a montage of all 6 of the covers to Companion Dragon Tales books so far. 

This should give you an idea of how far we've come with this series. Believe me, there are more to come. As long as they keep publishing them, and you folks keep reading them, we'll keep writing them.  So please, let our publisher know how much you enjoy these and if you can, drop us a comment or a quick review. That's what really gets books out and keeps us writerly types out of trouble. 😉

Always looking to create new adventures,

~NANCY

We have a new release at last!

Folks it's taken a long time, but LAZLO AT HOME has finally been released in both paperback and Kindle versions. 

I'm very happy to see this book out, as I've been waiting since the manuscript was turned in back in early 2016. Inside this book is a collection of four short stories about our intrepid little dragon familiar as he learns his responsibilities in a magical household. Not everything goes well for poor Lazlo, but somehow he always muddles through, and he learns something with every adventure.

Below is the press release from Pro Se Productions, the publisher:

YOUNGPULP! RETURNS ON SCALED WINGS! NANCY A. HANSEN’S ‘COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME FOUR: LAZLO AT HOME’ NOW AVAILABLE!

From the skilled hand and wonderfully imaginative mind of author Nancy A. Hansen comes a quartet of adventures featuring one of several creatures from the world of Companion Dragons! A flagship title of Pro Se Productions’ YOUNGPULP! Imprint returns in print and digital format with COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUER FOUR: LAZLO AT HOME!

Lazlo Dragon has begun to settle in as the familiar companion of witch and author Nancy Bittergreen. Along the way, though, there has been a lot to learn about all his new responsibilities, and he sometimes feels overwhelmed. His understanding of the duties he must fulfill don't always quite agree with what he's been told, but Lazlo manages to muddle through somehow. Even when his dragon instincts and youthful inexperience get in the way of doing what he knows is right, his plucky persistence along with his honesty and integrity often win him helpful new friends. Being increasingly trusted on his own, he is learning the hard way that making the right decision is often difficult but ultimately far more rewarding than just doing whatever pleases him the most.

The fourth volume of COMPANIION DRAGONS TALES features four brand new tales of Lazlo's adventures in his magical homeplace. He has some challenging situations to face, and rather difficult neighbors to deal with. Yet steadfast Lazlo always works hard to figure things out, even when he'd much rather be off somewhere else having fun. In the long run he proves himself to be both wise and trustworthy, though his judgment is sometimes a bit faulty and that tends to involve him into all sorts of tricky situations.

Return once again to the magical world of The Companion Dragons as Nancy A. Hansen weaves four tales of adventure and madcap merriment with LAZLO AT HOME. From YoungPulp! And Pro Se Productions.

Featuring a fantastic cover from Larry Nadolsky and cover design and print formatting by Antonino lo Iacono and Marzia Marina, COMPANION DRAGONS TALES VOLUME FOUR: LAZLO AT HOME is available in print at https://tinyurl.com/2tvvdd49 for $9.00.

The fourth book of these terrific fantasy adventures is also available on Kindle formatted by Iacono and Marina for $2.99 at https://tinyurl.com/4eutsmu3.

For more information on this title, interviews with the author, or digital copies for review, email editorinchief@prose-press.com.

To learn more about Pro Se Productions, go to www.prose-press.com.

Like Pro Se on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/ProSeProductions

                   

Now all the COMPANION DRAGONS TALES books are meant to be read by adults as well as children, because the idea here is that these are books that can be handed around the family. And those of us who are involved in the series as authors—myself, Lee Houston Jr., and Waxy originator Roger Stegman—that's what we always intended. We wanted this series accessible to all ages. There will be more books to come, so while this one took a while, I'm hoping to see the next two books,  MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY and KIRI'S QUEST sometime in the not distant future. If releases continue to be slow, I might take the rest of the series elsewhere. No aspersions cast on the current publisher because I'm sure they have their reasons, but this is a joint project between three authors and we have a lot of material just in this series alone that is waiting for readers. I'd like to move on with that because the three small novels that were previously released (A FAMILIAR NAME paperback and Kindle, FINDING WAXY paperback and Kindle, & COPPER'S CHOICE both formats) have been popular. Regular releases are important to build a following, and we need more control over that.

So stay tuned folks, I'll let you know when the next books are due out, and what the future holds for all these little dragons with the big hearts and exciting adventures.

~NANCY

We have some news!

 I've been incredibly busy, or I would have been here by now. But yes, we have some Companion Dragons news!

Earlier this month, I was contacted via email by Pro Se head honcho Tommy Hancock, and attached to that message was a galley draft for the next Lazlo book! That means it is nearing the time to publish it. So I got right down to work on that and knocked it out in a day. I've been dying for one of those to come out again.

This one is titled: LAZLO AT HOME. Yeah, that was the best descriptor I could come up with and it's the title of one of the stories within. This one is a four story anthology, all written by Your's Truly. The stories in order are: LAZLO AT HOME, AMBASSADOR LAZLO, FINDERS KEEPERS, & THUNDER BOOMERS AND GULLY WASHERS. In each tale, our intrepid little blue dragon familiar is learning how to live and manage his position as a helper in a magical household while making friends and having some fun along the way. Yet Lazlo is still rather naive, and like most youngsters of any kind, he's sometimes forgetful and often tempted to do things that can get him in a boatload of trouble. Plus he hasn't quite managed human language in its entirety, which can lead to some interesting misunderstandings. Yet Lazlo is plucky and determined, and he has a good heart, so he manages to bumble his way through whatever has to be accomplished.

These have been fun stories to write, and I actually enjoyed rereading them for the first time in about 4-1/2 years. I found myself chuckling here and there, and there are some somber and scary moments throughout as well. These are suitable for all ages, any child old enough to be read to really—and plenty of adults seem to enjoy them as well. This was my hope when we first started talking about putting the dragon stories into books, because I wanted them to be something that most of the family could enjoy. I read to my boys when they were young, and we shared books I loved as a child as well as things they chose for themselves. They now read to my younger grandchildren, and the oldest grandson is a reader too. We all loved the Harry Potter books and movies, where the magical world came to life and there was so much richness of detail involved. We also enjoyed J.R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles, C. S. Lewis' Narnia series, and Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows stories. I wanted Companion Dragons Tales to be memorable like those, where you want to go back and revisit that mystical place over and over again, and can't wait to share it with the next generation. I'm hoping that's how readers feel about these stories too.

I have no idea when LAZLO AT HOME will be out, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be in time for holiday shopping. You know, 2020 has been a real stinker of a year for most of us, with little in the way of good news and all sorts of cataclysmic stuff going on. There's nothing that makes the ugliness out there go away for a while like a book that can transport you to a place and time where when things go wrong, they somehow get fixed and leave you feeling better at the end. I think we all could use a little of that right now. Hunkering down with a good read and shutting out the screaming headlines, in-your-face social network opinions, and continual news bulletins is far healthier than a lot of things we could be doing. Our kids feel that stress too. These are books that can be passed around the family, or safely read aloud. Educators will tell you, kids need to read more and the best way to set an example for that is to be a reader yourself. We used to do family reading time in the evenings after snacks were eaten, teeth were brushed, and jammies were on, and my kids really enjoyed that. It helped them settle before bed. We had a lot less stress back then than we're all facing now. It's something to think about, no matter what it is you enjoy reading.

I will let you know right here when the book does come out, as well as on my Facebook and Twitter accounts. So stay tuned CDT fans, there's more to come.

~Nancy

I Wish I Had More To Tell...

 

Of my three blogs, this one gets neglected the most. That's because it's pretty hard to post something positive about a book series that hasn't had a release since 2016. I keep hearing the three other Companion Dragon Tales books that have been turned in are coming out soon. I've seen cover art in various stages for at least two of them. But we still haven't had a release in over four years. I have no idea why not, and frankly, I'm discouraged.

This is a series that is near and dear to my heart. It has appealed to people of all ages, so these are good family share books. What better time is there for that now, when so many folks have been hunkered down at home? I understand that I'm not a special snowflake when it comes to having my work released, the publisher has numerous other authors who are just as anxiously awaiting their own books. But I can't let this incredible little series languish much longer. It's been popular and one that I've gotten plenty of feedback on, at least privately if not in many actual reviews. 

In my publisher's defense, this year has been a tough one with conventions cancelled, which means selling opportunities have dwindled. There could be other circumstances involved that I've not been apprised of. We all have lives outside of the business of writing and publishing, and things can go wrong that mess up what has been planned. Yet something's got to give here.

I'm toying with the idea of taking the series self-published to help resolve this logjam. I have plenty of other writing with this publisher, and several other books that are either awaiting print or haven't been turned in because of the backlog. We'll be having a discussion about this shortly because if money was already put into cover art, that is a significant investent on the publisher's part. I'm not looking to financially harm anyone. I just want my work to get out in some sort of timely manner so that readers can keep up with a series they clearly enjoy.

We'll see what comes of this, and I will update here when I have some sort of answer or solution.

~NANCY

So, where are all those dragons?

That's actually a pretty good question. 😉 It's been over a year since I posted here and so we're overdue for an update on what's going on in the Companion Dragon Tales series.

Unfortunately, we haven't had a release since COPPER'S CHOICE back in 2016, but since that decision is made by the publisher, I can't say why or why not. They have their struggles too. I can reassure you that on this end, the writing goes on.

The LAZLO AT HOME anthology was scheduled for earlier this year, and there is some hope we might still see it in the not too distant future, though its release may be pushed back until sometime early next year (2019). This collection of 4 short pieces features the little blue dragon with the big feet and impaired speech as he fumbles his way through learning his duties as a familiar of the witch Nancy Bittergreen in her magical household. Lazlo is still young and inexperienced, and when unsupervised, he doesn't always make wise choices. Meeting the neighbors and not making enemies of them can sometimes be fraught with dangers that come along unexpectedly when you're a small, fire-breathing dragon roaming in a rural area filled with little beings of various fairy tales. Not everyone is friendly! Let's hope poor Lazlo can find a way to win them over.

After that comes MYSTICAL, MAGICAL WAXY, another anthology of short pieces, which I will assume is slated for a 2020 release. This one has 3 stories featuring everyone's favorite rainbow dragon Waxy, and her adventures with her erstwhile mage companion, Roger 'Rusty' Rustman—AKA 'Bubblehead'. Waxy is irrepressibly curious and bold, as well as rather contrary and stubborn. She refuses to be left out of any adventures and manages to get herself into a boatload of trouble, whether sneaking off in the other magical realms or safely at home. Fortunately, she's often able to get herself out of some very tough situations. Fun to write, even more fun to read, this book is a collaboration with co-author and Waxy Dragon creator, Roger Stegman.

Back in early August of this year (2018), co-author Lee Houston Jr. and I submitted the manuscript for KIRI'S QUEST, which introduces yet another little dragon to our pantheon of familiar companions. Ruby-scaled Kiri has an entire book-length adventure of her own. She is a well established dragon familiar who is sent on a covert mission by her current companion, to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that was stolen by an evil (and very egotistical) wizard who calls himself Grewsum The Great. That he lives on a remote and foreboding island in a fortress guarded by all sorts of monsters as well as spells of detection doesn't make Kiri's quest any easier. How can one small but brave little red dragon manage to get through all those perils and then break into the fortress without being discovered? Well with some luck you should hopefully find out with a potential 2021 release.

None of these release dates are definite because things in the small publishing world can change rather rapidly. I am far from the only author with books waiting to be released and so I have learned to be patient. It's a privilege to be published at all because there are so many writers out there clamoring for a chance to reach an audience. But I will let you know as soon as I have any further announcements on the above books, and any other news involving the Companion Dragon Tales series. One way or another, the writing goes on.

We appreciate your patience and loyalty!
~Nancy 

Some Updates...

Just popping in here for a few minutes to let you all know what's going on with the Companion Dragons Tales series. In spite of my rather sparse blog updates, work still goes on with this very beloved series of books for kids of all ages—even the ones that never grew up.

Today I finished working on the final story of the rough draft for next year's Waxy Dragon anthology. The book has three stories that were original concepts by co-writer Roger Stegman and I just took those ideas and flew with them. Roger has already seen the first two: Waxy In Atlantis and Waxy And The Bad Cookies, and approved them; and co-writer/editor Lee Houston Junior has been over them for me. Once I get Waxy And The Closet Monster in at least a semi-polished state I will pass it on to the guys and get their feedback on that as well. Then we can put the book together. For an anthology title I am leaning toward Mystical Magical Waxy. You're going to love reading about what misadventures everyone's favorite little rainbow striped dragon gets herself in and out of in this collection.

UPDATE: The Waxy anthology is finished and has been sent off to the publisher.

I have not heard yet anything about this year's proposed CDT anthology, Lazlo At Home being near to release, but I have had one other Pro Se Press anthology come out recently (see my other blog, WRITING FROM HOME for details on that) so I am hopeful still that we might see it before the end of the year. That CDT anthology contains four brand new stories of what happens when a witch who lives in a magical old house brings home a small blue dragon companion who just doesn't quite understand what he is supposed to do. Lazlo certainly gets into his share of mischief, but he has a talent for getting out of it too.

UPDATE: The Lazlo anthology has been moved up to early next year.

And remember, the first three Companion Dragons Tales books are still available, so if you haven't read any of them, please do because they are so much fun! These are books that the entire family can enjoy, easy enough for all but the youngest children to understand (and still plenty of fun anyway) and yet sophisticated enough to keep any adult entertained. You can find them on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com in paperback and E-reader, and Smashwords in many electronic formats.

School is about to begin in most places, and your children, nieces & nephews, or grandchildren will be encouraged to read more, which is becoming a lost practice in this age of gaming on every electronic device or site. Why not give the kids in your life something they can enjoy and maybe even learn something from? Nothing fosters imagination quite like a good book—especially if you can use that electronic savvy to enjoy it. These little dragons will take them to places they never dreamed of, and at the same time they'll get to watch them learn about how to live in their world the same way human children do. I guarantee you won't regret it.

~NANCY
PS: I am now on Twitter, so if you'd like to follow me I'm @Nancy_H_Author
On Facebook I am simply Nancy Hansen but you should recognize the background as covers of some of my books. On Google+ I am also Nancy Hansen. Come on, lets be friendly! 

How About A Little Catchup?

 Ok, bad joke and silly pun, but that's what we're known for here in the CDT, so let's get caught up already!

First off, I hope you all have been enjoying COPPER'S CHOICE. The feedback I've gotten on the story has been very positive. Please if you've read it, A FAMILIAR NAME, or FINDING WAXY, take a moment and tell us what you think. We have room for comments here on the blog, and all three authors (Your's Truly Nancy Hansen, Roger Stegman, and Lee Houston Jr.) have FACEBOOK pages. Or you can always give a short review via the booksellers (like Amazon) or maybe on a reader's site like GOODREADS. Not only does that tell us what you liked and didn't like about the series, but it at least lets us know we're being read. Down here at the author level we don't get a lot of feedback that doesn't come directly from the readers. A few words is all it takes. The more you tell us, the more we know what you like and dislike and the easier other folks will be able to find our books. You are our readers, you're the reason we do what we do. Thank you for buying our books, but please, make your voices heard so that our publishers also know they've invested wisely in choosing our work for their catalog.

Now as far as what comes next...

I'm hoping to see LAZLO AT HOME, an anthology of Lazlo Dragon stories, come out some point this year. I haven't recently spoken with the publisher but that is what is next in the CDT queue. That little blue dragon with the big heart sure can get himself into some interesting situations! The manuscript and all other pertinent information that goes along with this one was turned over to Pro Se a year ago in early January, but I have yet to see a galley draft so I have no idea when it will be out. Trust me, I'll post as soon as I know something.

I've been talking lately with CDT series coauthor Lee Houston Jr. about where he is in the KIRI DRAGON origination tale. Lee's a bit swamped with other deadline projects right now, so Kiri had to take a bit of a back seat. It likely won't get finished let alone edited and turned into Pro Se this year, which it would have to be for a potential 2018 publishing slot. Don't worry, we will get Kiri into the series as soon as can be managed. In the meantime, we have plenty of other material to work with, so I told Lee to go ahead and do what he has to do to clear his writing calendar. We'll find an interesting substitute that will fill his slot. What I've seen of his story for Kiri looks amazing though, so I know that when the time comes, we're going to have something you'll all enjoy.

So I've been thinking about how best to fill that open slot, and since I already have a Lazlo Anthology in the wings, (Yeah that was a pretty good pun!) Waxy is due for one next. Fortunately there is a ton of written material to work with, since Waxy was the first of the Companion Dragons and her creator Roger Stegman wrote a whole bunch of story ideas involving her adventures. Pro Se headman Tommy Hancock has been hinting around for a while that he really wants to see one called 'WAXY AND THE BAD COOKIES' and so that will definitely become a central part of the anthology. I'm going to select a few more stories from Roger's stock of them and we'll work together getting them updated and ready for print. Waxy is such a fun character in that she has that universal sassy little girl attitude, but she really only sees herself as being misunderstood. She has adventures that most of us only dream about. I'm sure we'll come up with a stellar collection.

I hope that you'll all be patient with us here at CDT Headquarters while we keep doing what we love most—creating comical yet thoughtful action/adventure tales for kids of all ages. The best part of these stories is that they can be safely handed around the family. You're never too old for a daring enterprise in some strange location, amazing feats of magic, some goofiness, a little really scary stuff, and all the bad puns you can shake a stick at. Hang in there folks, there's more of that on the way!

 ~NANCY