This Life...
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40 Days…
I always give up something for Lent–well, I have for the last twenty or twenty-five years anyway. It’s my little stab at doing something and sticking to it for a specified time. I can honestly say that I’ve always succeeded at it, too. If I vowed to give up chocolate or wine or sweets or . . . whatever for forty days, I did it. I think there was a little part of me that worried God would strike me with lightning if I backslid or cheated. I don’t know, but I’ve always been very faithful to my Lenten sacrifice. However, this year, I wondered what would truly be a…
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Welcome, Liz Flaherty!
Hey, Nan! Whose turn to drive is it? Mine? But it’s your car, right? Oh, we’re blogging, not doing a girlfriends trip. Okay, here we go. Thanks for having me here, by the way. I brought wine… Hi! My name’s Liz Flaherty. Nan and I are friends, good ones. We write together, travel together, moan to each other in long poor-me texts we’d never let anyone else see, and travel all over Indiana to have lunch together sometimes when it’s been a while. We are, we say, sisters from different fathers—and mothers. We are kindred spirits. We sound like the oldest of friends, don’t we? But we’re not. I’m…
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Guns . . . Really?
I’m freaked out. Someone behind us is shooting something huge–like a cannon or an anti-tank weapon or something! At first, it sounded like a dump truck dropping its bed too fast, but we’re convinced it’s a weapon of some kind. Ack! I’m so not a gun person and for some reason, guns have become a big thing for people around me. A lot of people I know–people I wouldn’t have expected–have gotten into having guns lately. One person in my family is going to the shooting range (Ack! The cannon just went off again!) to learn to shoot the new pistol that her husband got her for Christmas. Points for…
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Starting Again…
I’ve been avoiding posting to my blog–well, maybe not avoiding, mostly just not doing it. I’ve allowed other stuff has taken precedence–life stuff, work stuff, writing stuff…you know, just stuff. But I thought this morning that maybe my blog might be a good place to brainstorm the new book. What do you think? Will I be giving away too much if you listen to me figure out characters, story, descriptions? It’s a new WOWB title and I’m really excited about the two main characters because for the first time I’m going to attempt to write an alpha male. Okay, so I know this isn’t my usual style, but Nick Collins…
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Wednesday Gratitude in Michigan
Yeah, I missed yesterday, but I’ll be double thankful today. Here goes: Lovely hotel room here in Muskegon–gorgeous view and so very comfy. Having that “I’m home ” feeling here in west central Michigan. Showing Liz all the places I love so much. White River Light station. Chocolate (random, I know, but I’m enjoying some fudge we got in Pentwater today and it’s really good). I wrote last night–made some decisions about where to go from here–feels great! Shilled our books to some ladies at a fruit stand today–could mean some sales. Gorgeous watching the kite boarders today. Swimming I remembered more than I thought I would…things haven’t changed all…
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Monday Gratitude
This list is easy–it’s been a lovely day and I am feeling particularly blessed. The car did great as we traveled today and I figured out why Gigi–the GPS–wanted to take us down all the country roads. It was actually a treat. Liz and I are very companionable and travel well together. Gorgeous hotel in Muskegon–amazing staff and a beautiful big room. Son is doing well and seems happy. That’s always a blessing. Lake Michigan is so comforting–it is home.
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Sunday Gratitude
This will be a quick post, but today has been so lovely, I truly need to acknowledge all the things that I’m grateful for, so here goes. My dear Husband, who got my car all ready to travel, made sure I understood how to get out the tire changing gear and how to jump the battery and most especially how to get a hold of OnStar if I need help on the road. Then he filled my tank and washed the car. What a great guy! Tonight, we got to Skype with our little guy, who is full of energy and so excited to be talking to Nanny and Poppy. …
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Still Here…Still Working…
…still grateful! I’m into 12-to-14-hour days now as I work hard to get this project done and back to the author for review and then back to the publisher. I love this client–they’ve been good to work with for at least ten years and the Project Editors are always so terrific. I never turn down work from them if I can help it and I’m ever so happy to be working for them now. This book is very well written, so even though it’s very technical, I’m handling it. But (you knew there was a “but” coming, right?) their work is often technical and arduous. I think I’m feeling it…
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Providing the Normal
Sunday at the lake–it’s kind of a cloudy cool morning and Husband and I are on our laptops, just doing our respective stuff, sipping coffee, and chatting. It’s comfortable, easy–a nice life. And it’s made me start thinking about how blessed I am to have this life. A couple of years ago, I blogged gratitude every evening and I’m thinking I should probably reinstate that practice because when life gets harried, I lose sight of what a great life I have and how so many others don’t have such a great life. Last night, I talked to my dear friend, Lucy, who’s on her way home from spending a few…
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Don’t Be Skeered…It’s Just Me
Not long ago, I had Son update my website and put my blog back on the Home page, so it’s the first thing anyone who visits sees. I did this on purpose because I need writing motivation and I’m hope that knowing how tacky an out-of-date blog is will make me write at least something each day. My thirty days of blogging in April was good for me, but as soon as that challenge ended, I slid back into letting life take precedence over writing—any kind of writing. Here’s the thing. I want to write. I want to finish novels 4 and 5 of the Women of Willow Bay and…