Another One Bites the Dust

Oops I did it again..." Unfortunately, not whatever Britanny Spears was talking about in her smash hit in the late 90's. Rather, it seems, I've made another petty thief happy in the city. It was a Friday afternoon. If not for my apartment needing extermination, I would have been at work. Anyway when the time came for me and the kids to leave the apartment for a few hours I decided to take them to the carnival on our city's Riverwalk. Not only did we need something to do, but my sister had informed that the event was free until later that evening so I figured this was an opportune time to support the city. Humph.

If only I hadn't already taken my laptop with me to breakfast and the park near my home, it would have been safely at home. Instead, as I'm always trying to find opportunity to write, I'd brought it with me.

So we arrive at the event, park on the street in a pretty decent area-SO I THOUGHT!

It would seem some punks in the city picked the street I parked on to randomly check for unlocked cars to see what they'd luck up on. That day it would be my laptop!

Pure luck for them. Not so much for me. I may have been dumb enough to leave my friggin' doors unlocked but not dumb enough to leave my laptop out in the open. It was tucked under the seat, no cords exposed. But those bums rifled through every place but the trunk of my car.

And yes, I did say this is the second time this had happened--the first time my mom was using my car & my laptop was inside when she left the doors unlocked to run into the corner store. That time was worse because my tote bag WITH my laptop AND flashdrive inside was taken. Everything was lost. Literally. I practically had to start my novel over, which I could use as an excuse for why I'm behind schedule with publication.

Nevertheless, I was able to look on the bright side of things-my car was not damaged in any way nor were me or my children.

Surprisingly I haven't run out to replace my laptop. While lack of available funds play a significant role in that fact, I also have to admit that I don't really make that much progress with my writing on the laptop anyway. Most of my writing happens on my desktop at my day job--on breaks & lunch, of course. I just like the laptop for for occasions of trips to the coffee shop, library, or vacations.

It's safe to say that whenever I do get another laptop, it will always be kept on my person when I take it out of the house. Enough is enough!

When you take your laptops out and about with you, how do you protect it?

Summer Book Giveaway!!!

Three years I conjured up the nerve to publish the manuscript that I'd been nursing for nearly ten years. It was both the scariest and the most rewarding time of my life.

What better way to celebrate this accomplishment than to reward book lovers everywhere with the chance to win a free copy of Unfinished Business, a story of an addiction to love and/ or lust months before the follow up novel is released.

Just subscribe to my blog, tell me about your addiction to lust or love. All new subscribers will be entered into a drawing to win the ebook edition or a printed copy. You choose.

Good luck!
L. A.