Musings
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A Word From the Editor…
Most of you know that I make my living as a freelance copyeditor. I hope one day that the writing will bring in enough income that I can do it full-time, but right now, it’s important I maintain my editing clients. I’m okay with that because at this point in my career, I can be pickier about the projects I take on. I’m getting more into fiction editing, which I adore, and I have several nonfiction clients whose work is always a treat. All in all, things are good on the editing front. One of my clients is a huge computer title publisher and I’m just crazy about them. The…
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Hi, It’s Me…
I promised myself that I would blog again once this book was done and guess what? It’s done! Clap hands!! Of course, I realize that this is only a first draft and once my betas and my editor have been through it, there will be more work to do, but for now, Book 3 of the Women of Willow Bay series is officially finished! I’m so happy, I’ve been Snoopy-dancing all day long. I’m not sure why the book took so long. Actually, most of was written several months ago. But I changed it up—a lot—and suddenly it got bigger than anything I’d planned. I confess, it’s my own fault.…
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December Memos
Dear Snow, So you couldn’t hang around for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? What’s up with that? It’s 8 degrees outside, so a little of the white stuff wouldn’t be out of line here. Shiveringly, Nan **** Dear James Taylor, Thank you for your Christmas CD! It’s awesome and I’ve nearly worn it out this Christmas. I especially love your rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” You are, as always, amazing. Caroling, Nan **** Dear Christmas Cookies and Fudge in the Freezer, Shut up! Resistingly, Nan **** Dear Grandboy, What a wonderful time Pops and I had watching you and Daddy baking this past weekend. Skype surely rocks! You’re such a…
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Mushy Mind…
…and wow, is it bad right now! I have a very bad case of mind mush—my ability to focus and function is seriously out of whack. I’m not sure if it’s because the weather is changing or that I’m finally sleeping again or the poison ivy that’s driving me crazy or allergies or what, but for some reason, my brain is muddled. My grandmother used to say she was muzzy—isn’t that a great word? I’m muzzy. Example 1: I went back in the house twice this afternoon before I finally took off for my errands. Once to make sure I’d unplugged all the hair stuff in the bathroom (I had)…
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Healing
I’m currently healing from surgery on my foot. Not major surgery, but surgery nonetheless, and I’m surprised at how much it’s affecting me. I guess I had it in my head that I’d be bouncing around a week after the surgeon removed several bone spurs, a cyst, and arthritis from the joint on the top of my foot. Um. I was wrong. I’m not bouncing. Hell, I’m not even walking all that well. It’s painful to put much weight on the foot, which is ugly with stitches and wrapped up in an Ace bandage. I’m disappointed that going up and down the stairs is work and that I have to…
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An Abundant Life
Every couple of years, I break out my copy of Sara Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance. She calls it “A Daybook of Comfort and Joy,” and it truly is. If you’ve never read the book, I recommend it highly and it’s even available as an e-book! I just downloaded it to my new Kindle Fire HD because this year, my pal Marta and I are reading the meditations together each day and discussing them. We give ourselves a few minutes each morning on the phone to talk about what we’ve read and how it affects us. Part of the meditation is to write in a Gratitude Journal. Believe it or not,…
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So…What? No End of the World?
Okay, I confess to clutching just a tiny bit Friday when I woke up, thinking that it was that day—the day the Mayans supposedly predicted the end of the world. However, this week, I’m at Son’s house, so I figured that if the world was going to end, at least we’d all be together for it. But, it was an ordinary day…well, extraordinary because we’re here with Son, DIL, and Grandboy, but no apocalyptic storms or earthquakes or fire falling from the sky. Just a rainy day made sunny by Grandboy’s sweet smile and giggles. I’m a usually not a person who worries about the fate of the world overmuch.…
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It’s Back . . .
. . . that wicked restlessness. I have to tell you, I’ve always been pretty content—a wife, a mother, an editor, a writer . . . my life’s been stable with very little drama. And that’s been deliberate. Growing up, my family was all drama and chaos, so when I met this lovely man who was rock steady and low-key, I was immediately attracted. Our almost-40 years together have been a peaceful, easy journey with only a few bumps along the way. Perky has always been my job; tending to everyone else’s needs is what I do best. My Nana told me that the woman sets the mood for the…
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Am I a Writer?
My summer has literally disappeared and I’m damned if I know what happened to it. One minute it was April and we were opening up the lake cottage and the next, it’s almost September and the nights have already turned cool. My personal life has been an upheaval of joys and sorrows, while in the meantime, I’ve been working practically nonstop all summer long. Working is always a good thing, except that it interferes ferociously with my writing time. If I work for eight or ten hours, I’m loathe to sit down at the computer again after I stop for the day. But yesterday, I worked on my romantic suspense…
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Father’s Day Musings
For many years, Father’s day was an…uncomfortable holiday for me. My dad left our family when I was 6 years old, and was never really in my childhood, except for the occasional times of us going to where he worked to pick up the few dollars he was willing to give us. He rarely paid support and my mom worked her tail off going to school full time to get her nursing degree in addition to being a cashier at a grocery store to keep food on the table. I honestly don’t know how she did it. The woman didn’t sleep for over two years. Mother’s Day was huge, but Father’s…