This Life...,  Writer's moments

Where’s the Big Stuff?

Okay, so a week or so ago, I posted that big news is coming and it is. Truly! I turned in revisions to the first Tule Publishing book on Monday and heard back from my editor immediately. She’s got a couple of other books in front of mine in the pipeline–she’s a busy lady–but she’ll be getting to mine very soon. Got to admit to being rather nervous because I tried very hard to address her concerns with the first draft. I think I got it. I just hope she agrees.

The angst that goes along with turning your work over to an editor is real, especially when you suspect you didn’t quite hit it exactly right. Funny, but before she ever responded to the first draft, I sensed that what she would say was that Sam, my heroine, wasn’t fully developed. I focused so much of attention on Conor because the book is his, so Samantha didn’t quite come to life. Not that she wasn’t perfectly fine,  but she needed more depth. I hope the revisions I did made her a better character. After all, hunky Conor falls in love with her practically at first sight–the entire story hinges on that, so the reader has to buy it from the start.

In other news, I’m beginning the new Four Irish Brothers title–this one is Sean’s and it’s off to a rousing start. I debated where to start telling his story and I picked a pivotal moment with lots of action. We’ll see if I can pull this one off. Sean’s a charismatic attorney whose life has always been charmed and suddenly, he’s turned upside down. He has some issues to deal with that he’s not prepared for at all, in fact none of the Flaherty boys were ready for this one . His brothers will help him along the way, but Sean has to fight some demons he never expected to turn up in his life. Hold a good thought, okay?

Summer is going along–we spent almost a month at the lake and are now back home in the city for a few days. We have some things that need taking care of here. Although I love the lake, it’s nice to be home, too. How blessed we are to have two lovely homes, both of which are close to our kids now. Seeing Son and DIL and Grandboy whenever we like is a treat, as was going to Palo Alto last month to see Son become a doctor. Here’s a great shot of Grandboy meeting Son’s advisor.

I’m dealing with a lot of arthritis pain right now–knees and hip joint are not happy, so I’m going try a totally new approach. CBD oil. Not sure if it will make any difference, but it’s easier than surgery, which I fear I may be facing sooner rather than later. I confess I wasn’t prepared to be so cripped up as I aged. Stupid because genetics are not in my favor as far as arthritis goes and I should have suspected that it would get worse, not better. I think that thing that ticks me off so much is that I’ve done all the stuff I’m supposed to do–exercise, eat right, keep the joints lubricated–yet here I am, sore and achy and pissed off.  So, hold another good thought, okay? I don’t ever want to be the old lady in the electric cart at Walmart–it is my worst nightmare.

In the meantime, hold tight for news on the book front. Stay healthy, be grateful in all things, and keep in touch, okay?

Gratitude for this week:

  1. Family–Husband, Son, Dil, Grandboy, Sis…you all keep me going.
  2. One book down, three more to go. I can so do this!
  3. The lake–swimming has been wonderful this summer.
  4. My friends who also keep me going.
  5. My BFF dedicated her new book NICE TO COME TO to me! Wasn’t that a sweet thing? I love it! You can preorder it here.