Sunday Snippet: The Post Retreat Edition

It’s funny–it always takes me about a day to regroup after Liz and I have been on retreat. Settling back into my office, using the PC instead of the laptop, doing laundry, etc. I pretty much dropped my stuff yesterday and spent the day with Husband, catching up in the way married people who’ve been apart for a few days do.

But today, I’m back in my office, looking out at a frosty morning and debating where to start. Well, apparently, I decided because here I am writing my Sunday Snippet.

The retreat was, as always, fun and productive and full of words and story processing and sharing ideas. Liz and I are the most companionable of traveling buddies, whether one of us reading a scene aloud to the other or we’re both in our own fictional worlds, writing like mad. This friendship has been a wondrous gift as I’ve aged. I never imagined that such a kindred spirit would come along so late my life. I am truly blessed.

I had a special treat this trip because we went to Madison–the town that inspired my fictional setting of River’s Edge, Indiana, and I got to do a book talk at the local library and then a book signing at Crafted Coffee afterward. It was fun to talk to readers, who were impressed to meet two authors. Ann, the librarian, was gracious and warm and made us so very comfortable there, and Noah at Crafted Coffee welcomed us with open arms and hot coffee and a special place for us to set up for book signing. It was a lovely evening, and Noah’s invitation to come back for another book signing in the summer when the town is full of tourists was exactly what I was hoping would happen. I will go back again!

I had great news from my editor while we were in Madison–she really liked Jenny Weaver’s story, which I sent to her a few days before we hit the road. Liz will tell you I was weepy with relief…that story was a particularly hard one to tell, made even more so by the fact that I went into believing Jenny’s story would be a piece o’ cake. Lesson learned–they’re never a piece o’ cake, not matter how much the characters are talking. So revisions are happening, I have editing gigs to do, and I got a great start on Jack and Maddie’s story. Ahhhh…

Yesterday Son and Grandboy came by to help us out with a couple of things and a pair of hawks landed in the yard, looking, we hope, for moles. We were all fascinated by how close they let us get to them. I think they were focused on food while we were focused on them. Son took a lot of photos, but I only got this one of Grandboy talking to Mr. Hawk after the bird had flown up to our neighbor’s maple tree.

Gratitude for this week: A fabulous retreat, book talk, and book signing; warmish days ahead; Liz, who is so easy to travel with and who is truly a kindred spirit; all the kind folks we met in Madison; Brenda, who is a photographer extraordinaire.

Stay well. stay safe (don’t toss those masks), be kind, and most of all, mes amies, stay grateful.