Bi-yearly check in – Still loving what I do

I’m moving into the second half of my second year away from the day job while I continue to focus on writing and the business of being of an author. Another six months has passed and now I’m critically reviewing my calendar to determine what I’ve accomplished and what I can do to continue to move forward toward my goals.

First of all, the most important thing is that I did publish another novel the first half of this year. Priceof Betrayal, the fifth in the series, was published in May. Yay! On top of that, I republished the remainder of the series with new covers so that they all have the same vibe. It was a huge undertaking and took me away from writing for a bit, but in the end it had to be done and I’m happy with the results.

As for the remainder of the first half of this year…

I’ve continued to work on my young adult and my new series idea in between completing the fifth in the series while revamping the whole series look. While I had hoped the young adult would have been completed by now, I will have a final first draft ready soon. The new series is still a WIP and I’ll continue to work on it when inspiration peaks, while I work on the sixth book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series. I also have some other book ideas and, believe it or not, they aren’t mysteries.

I’ve continued to review and revise my business plan in order to try to stay on task. I’ll continue to use this plan, along with monthly and quarterly check-ins because I like to revisit what works or doesn’t work and I need some form of accountability. I especially need these tools to stay focused considering the number of writing projects I want to complete and the new book ideas I’d like to get started on. I’ll agree that there’s something to be said about focusing on one project at a time. Do it and get the job done. But I’d rather not put big ideas away for that long, so I’m working on time blocking. I can block out three two-hour sessions and work on a different project each session, with breaks in between, unless I want to work on one project all day. However I manage it, at least when I do work on a project, it’s the only one I work on at that time.

Getting ready to greet hospital staff

I mentioned before how Jozee and I were taking classes so that she and I could become a therapy dog team. Since then, Jozee and I completed our training and took the required exam. We are now a therapy dog team for our local hospital where Jozee can say hello to visitors as we wander the halls and where she specifically visits with the hospital staff as part of a care-for-the-caregivers program. It really has been a wonderful experience and we visit every other week. For those who wonder…Jozee is bathed and groomed before each visit and we follow strict healthcare guidelines whenever we’re at the hospital.

Speaking of Jozee, I started a new blog: Jaunts with Jozee. I need to add more posts when I have some time, as I’m only six in, but it’s a simple blog about Pacific Northwest parks we visit with Jozee and what we enjoy about each of them, along with photos to share.

In order to help me form better daily habits to stay on task, I also started morning pages and I'm making an attempt to form a better morning routine. I’m not 100% at either but then I’m not perfect. Changing your habits or forming new ones really is a difficult process and I’m learning quite a bit about why we do things the way we do (or don’t do them). We humans really are funny beings when it comes to what we feel comfortable with or what we do to avoid making changes, whether it’s for mind, body, business or soul, even if that change is good for us.

In the midst of everyday life and my jaunts with Jozee, my plan is to continue to form better habits when it comes to writing, the business side of being an author, health & exercise and a morning routine. Each week might be a mixture of enthusiasm and uncertainty laced with satisfaction and a tad of frustration, but in the end I’m doing what I love and I love what I do.

Volume #5 in the series is now available & the series has a new look!

It’s been a long time in coming, I know, but the fifth book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series is now available. Happy dance!!

Here’s the new eBook cover for Price of Betrayal and you can swing over to Amazon anytime to make your purchase. The paperback is also available but with a different cover at this point, as I’m still in the process of trying to rework that cover to match the eBook. It has been, to put it lightly, a process.

The fifth book would have been available much sooner except that I made the decision to redo all of the covers for the series. I wanted to release the new book, but decided to put it off until I could complete all the necessary changes on the other books in the series. I knew it would be a project, but I didn’t realize how long it would take and once I began the process there was just no turning back until I reached the end. While the paperbacks aren’t technically complete since I still need to update them if everything works as I hope, all the hard work is past me now.

Needless to say, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment, and I’m very pleased with the end result. I hope readers will be, as well.

When No Mother of Mine was originally released, I worked with a cover artist who gave me what I wanted at the time but it was before I realized I would leave myself stranded with a lack of ideas for future covers that would need consistency. From that point on, each new book received a cover not in harmony with the others. I’ve been unhappy with them for awhile now but wasn’t sure how to fix them.

One day it finally hit me about how I should update the covers (I’ll credit this to finally tackling morning pages – something I’ll write about later). What I decided to do with each cover for the series was to use photos from the local area – my stories are fiction but the town I’ve set them in is not. When I originally wrote No Mother of Mine, it wasn’t with the intention to write a series. That’s just how it ended up working out, as I worked through the story, learned more about the characters and realized there was more to the story than I had originally realized. A series was born by accident, if you can believe it, because that’s what the characters wanted.

And a series of books should look like they belong together. I’m thrilled now that my series does just that. More importantly, the covers will share pieces of this little town I decided to place my characters in. Even better still, I’m free from worrying about what my covers on other books in the series will look like! This gives me freedom you can’t imagine.

The local cemetery

Without further ado, here’s a look...at the new look with details about where the photos were taken:

The photo for No Mother of Mine was taken at the local cemetery. Why use the cemetery? It has history. I have family there. It's also a beautiful, quiet area that will forever be a part of this small town.

Trail at the city park

The photo for Best Kept Secrets is from a trail that's part of our city park. It's a nice little walk over the hills and through the woods, past an old foundation I have no idea would have been used for but must have had some purpose, over a small creek and through more ferns that you could count.

Old bank, recently remodeled

The cover photo on Ties That Bind is part of the historical district on the main street through town, and is of the old town bank that was recently remodeled. The inside turned out amazing and while it was a huge undertaking, it was great to see my friends tackle the idea and set forth in motion the vision that became a reality. 

Quarry rocks near the quarry pool

Cross My Heart shares a photo of some of the quarry rocks which were stacked on each other haphazardly years ago near the quarry in the city park and have been a place for kids to play ever since. I remember playing on them as a kid myself and I take Jozee there even now to climb on them for fun. It was only after I decided to use this photo for this novel that I realized there was a cross carved into the top right rock. 

The photo used for Price of Betrayal is of McIntosh, one of our local lakes as seen from the Yelm-Tenino trail. This is a lake my husband has enjoyed fishing on, especially when our boys were little and catching fish was a fun experience.

So this is what I've been working on and what I'm now thrilled to share with you. I'll share more later once I know where I stand with the look on the paperbacks.

Until then...read on and carry on!

A Year in Photos; Proof of Where Time has Gone

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend and that you find time between all the hustle and bustle to take a breather before jumping in on the holiday fun with family. I’m looking forward to a brand new year, but I was feeling a little nostalgic while going through photos of this past year. 

It’s been a busy year, but it’s also been a fulfilling year. 

While it was difficult to choose just one photo per month, I thought I’d share the past year in photos with some of my favorites:

January:

Koa and Kai move in – at this point we only had Mandy, our 10-year old (9 at the time) lab/border collie mix. It took her about three months to get comfortable with having cats around the house again.

Koa & Kai

February:

Jozee became a part of our family – and Mandy didn’t like us much at this point. She was still keeping her distance from Koa and Kai, but she had no idea how to deal with an energetic pup who insisted on trying to force playtime.

Jozee & her first day with us

March:

Life with pets – I enjoy posting photos like this, along with videos, to share our life with pets on my Instagram account @ www.instagram.com/pj_howell. Not just the cute photos, but how they make us laugh or on those days when I can only shake my head and wonder how long each stage is going to last.

Someone has an issue with the tissue

April:

It was my birthday and we celebrated with a few days in Vegas. You can never go wrong celebrating your special day.

Vegas b-day trip

May:

Jozee was not quite five months when we took her to the beach for the first time. She loved it – this is a cute photo my son took when she was looking out at the water.

Life is a beach

June:

We decided Mandy didn’t have enough playmates so we brought home a rescue we named Booker. He wasn’t sure what to think about moving in with two dogs and two older kittens (who were turning one in July), but he settled in fairly quickly and has been an adorable and fun addition to the family.

Booker is dreaming he caught a mouse

July:

Jozee loves going for walks and we thoroughly enjoyed roaming both Washington and Oregon in order to find new parks to explore.

Lake Sacajawea

August:

Road trips are my favorite, especially when we get to visit Montana and Wyoming. We had to change things up with our itinerary due to the fires at Glacier Park, but we never fail to enjoy ourselves when we get to explore these two particular states. I share photos of both local and out-of-state places we visit on my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/road_trip_junkie.

Montana river

September:

Last year I enjoyed Halloween Horror Nights with my boys and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity again this year, especially when I’m able to enjoy the world of Harry Potter during the day.

HP world at Universal

October:

The weather in the Pacific Northwest was so beautiful and mild throughout October and into November, so that we were able to continue enjoying walks at local parks during the change in the seasons.

Tumwater Falls park

November:

Jozee is one month shy of turning a year old and I just adore her.

Jozee

December:

When someone in your family turns 21 years old and you can make Vegas happen, it will leave you with lasting memories. Even better is when your visit is this time of year, when you also get to enjoy all the holiday spirit and decorations around every corner.

Vegas and the holidays

So that’s my year in photos. We made great memories and have a lot to be thankful for. When my husband asks me what I want for Christmas, I can truthfully say, “nothing,” because the whole year has been one wonderful gift and nothing in wrapping paper could ever compare.

I hope your year has also been a great one and that you made your own wonderful memories.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

When summer collapses into fall

Saying goodbye to summer isn’t always fun, but because fall is one of my favorite seasons…actually, I’ll say it is my favorite season, so I’m only slightly sad to see summer go. I’ll miss going barefoot but I look forward to green grass again and saying goodbye to fire danger. I’ll miss the beautiful t-shirt weather, but I look forward to cozy days wrapped in sweaters with a cup of tea. And, I always look forward to the holiday season, especially with Halloween right around the corner and the multiple choices of spiced hot drinks that never fail to brighten a rainy fall day.

While our days are still somewhat nice, we’ve lost the high temps, we’ve actually been treated to some rain, and I’ve noticed the past few days that the wind has really been kicking in every once in awhile. The seasons are beginning the shift. 

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall." ~Oscar Wilde~

Jozee, such a happy girl

The last month of summer as well as the first week of this September has been a busy time for me, but also quite enjoyable. Since my last post where I shared about extra outings with Jozee and the expected release of my next book, I’ve enjoyed more hikes with Jozee and more time at the beach…

Cape Disappointment State Park 

…a visit to my favorite bookstore in Portland (Powell’s books)…

…a road trip to Montana and Wyoming…

…we celebrated my grandmother’s 89^th birthday, I attended a writer’s conference and…I released my latest book!

Available in paperback and as an eBook on Amazon

Here’s the blurb to give you an idea of what it’s about:

Note to My Author Self is a compilation of notes the author hopes will inspire others so that following their dreams doesn’t become buried by a busy or stressful life. The notes begin from the author’s initial writing journey after she realized her passion was to write and her purpose was to share her stories and inspire others. She shares her experiences during her journey while she navigates writing and publishing as a new author and when she finds herself desperately searching for inspiration as she attempts to continue writing during some of the most difficult years in her personal life.

Note to My Author Self includes motivational thoughts from the author about realizing the dream, living a creative life and avoiding the act of just existing but rather, actually living in a way that brings each of us joy.

Speaking of my grandmother, I dedicated this particular book to her. She doesn’t know it yet because I’m waiting to share a final copy with her, and it has been difficult keeping this fact from her but I’d rather she have the final printed version in her hands when I tell her about it. It wasn’t a difficult decision to dedicate this book to her. I have a chapter in the book titled, “Remain Unique and Unstoppable,” and she is, without a doubt, the most unique and unstoppable woman I’ve known. I can’t wait to share the news of this book with her.

Note to My Author Self is nonfiction, as I noted before, and a completely different experience from writing fiction, obviously. I expect I may try more nonfiction in the future but for now, I look forward to giving my full attention to the fictional world of Jorja and her mysteries, as well as the young adult book I’m still working on. If you happen to buy Note to My Author Self, I’d really appreciate hearing feedback, or would really appreciate receiving reviews on Amazon.

Now that summer is over, my plan is to get back to blogging more often; at least every other week, if I’m not able to manage once a week. We’ll see how it goes. For now, though, I hope you enjoyed the remainder of your summer days and are also ready to fall into fall. J

The dog days of summer

Jozee is people watching

As I prepared to write this post, I was actually startled to look at the date and realize August is almost half over. It seemed like yesterday when I shared a photo on Instagram about the hay bales in the field and how that usually marks the end of the beginning of summer for me. Suddenly, it’s been almost two weeks since then and now we’re really not that far away from entering the next season.

It happens every time; the rapid end of summer, but it surprises me each time, nonetheless.

This summer has been a hot one, with temps in the 90’s more often than we’re use to in the PNW, and apparently with more on the way. Today I’m enjoying the fact that I can work comfortably in my office with temps in the low 70’s after a huge amount of rain yesterday. The rain was certainly a welcome sight considering how dry everything has been and the constant threat of fire in too many areas at this point.

Happy Dog graduate

This summer has also been a busy one, especially since my last post, with family gatherings, small-town festivals, and multiple visits to the beach and various parks around our state in order to get out more to explore with Jozee. I love taking her on walks and hikes and we meet so many nice people who are also dog lovers. Jozee was also in her first training class this summer and she graduated the end of July after having a great time proving she’s a bright pup. I’m a little biased, of course, but I guess you can’t blame me. J

But summer hasn’t kept me away from working on my writing…

In fact, I just completed another book that will soon be published. I’m excited and nervous about this publication, because it’s personal, it’s non-fiction, and its purpose is to be motivational. When authors talk about dealing with imposter syndrome, I really hadn’t understood it, until now. Until now I’ve been writing fiction and I just haven’t been inclined to believe there’s any reason why I shouldn’t be writing and sharing my stories. I always hope readers will enjoy my books but I know not to take it personally if they don’t. However, now that I’ve ventured into the world of non-fiction, and with a book that’s so personal, I believe I can finally understand. While the book expresses my own thoughts, which is enough to make anyone nervous, what I’m anxious about is whether readers will accept and understand what I’m sharing due to my underlying need to fulfill my desire to inspire others. And beyond that, whether they’ll believe I’m equipped with the experience to inspire them.

As with all things, only time will tell.

So whether I sweat from the high summer temps during the remainder of our dog days of summer, or from nervousness as I wait for feedback and reviews, I’ll hope for the best and continue moving forward. The most recently completed book is in the final stages and if all goes according to plan, it should be available by the end of August. I’ll definitely share the news and the links once it’s available. In the meantime, I’m back to working on the next book in my series, as well as a young adult novel I’ve been working on, so it’s back to the fictional world full time for me. And I’m okay with that.

I’ll share a post when the next book is available so until then, enjoy the remainder of your summer, stay safe and stay cool!

How to generate character and story ideas…just walk the dog.

It’s the time of year again when the calendar days fill up so quickly, it may become difficult to carve out your own free time. It’s a busy time with graduations and graduation parties (us included, with our youngest graduating from college), mixed in with birthdays, weddings and babies (we are expecting a great niece the end of the month 😊), in between work and family responsibilities. 

Visit to Budd Inlet, Olympia

I sit enough during the day while I work on writing projects so when I carve out free time, it doesn’t usually mean time to relax. It means getting out, walking, checking out a new trail, finding a new park, or finding new sights that I can enjoy and photograph. 

Getting out benefits more than just myself, since it means I can explore with my almost six-month-old puppy, Jozee. I’m not sure I’d get out as often if it weren’t for her, so I’ll give her credit when it comes to keeping me moving more regularly. Walking, getting some fresh air, discovering new places…the combination is not only good for a growing puppy, but also for my health and my creativity.

It’s been fun the past couple of months to find ways to get out and explore the sights with Jozee. We take walks around our property or at the local city park, which is fine when I only want to take a limited break from a project, but when we can take half a day or a whole day, my husband also joins us and we’ve had fun visiting old haunts (so that Jozee can see them for the first time) or exploring new places. Part of the fun is mapping out where we’re going to go next, what trails we might hike or which parks and beaches we can visit. Whether we’re visiting local parks or areas an hour or two away, the sights, people we meet and the adventure as a whole provide me the break I need and also food for thought when I’m mapping out new story or character ideas.

Visit to Pacific Beach

And meeting new people is a never-ending feature these days. One thing I’ve noticed now that I’m out and about with Jozee is how many new people you meet when you have a dog. It’s so easy to remain introverted and isolated when you’re by yourself; but when you have a dog with you, especially a puppy, the number of new acquaintances you meet is quite high, as most are dog-lovers who won’t hesitate to strike up a conversation. 

Being a self-proclaimed introvert, I’m still getting used to randomly having conversations with strangers at any given moment in a pet store, on a city sidewalk, on a rural trail, at the beach or even while visiting a rest area. On the plus side, meeting so many different people during various types of situations gives me a larger deposit of character and story ideas when I’m open to receiving them.

Visit to the Witch's Castle in Portland

Case in point is a woman we met last weekend at a rural rest area on our way back from Portland. She had a little white dog and we got to talking while her dog and Jozee got to know each other. She was from Portland and was heading up to Seattle to see her daughter while her husband was on the east coast at a business meeting. We were just getting ready to leave when I walked by her vehicle and she told me that she had accidentally locked her keys, her phone, and her dog inside her vehicle. One of the volunteers working at the rest area let her use their phone to call a couple of locksmiths, but she learned the soonest anyone could get to the rest area wouldn’t be for another four hours. Four hours! It was already around 8:00 p.m. at the time she called them. She was at a loss. She couldn’t call her daughter to say she’d be (really) late because she didn’t know the number by heart; she couldn’t call her neighbor to ask them to bring her the extra key because again, she didn’t know the neighbor’s phone number by heart. She could call her husband, a number she did remember, and ask him to call their daughter and their neighbor, but he was three hours ahead of us, could already be asleep and she didn’t want to call him and worry him if it wasn’t necessary. One of the rest stop volunteers tried to jimmy the lock, but that didn’t work. Finally, she used my cell phone after we discussed contacting the state patrol, to see if they’d be willing to figure out how she might be able to get help in a shorter period of time. The 9-1-1 dispatch operator put her through to the state patrol operator, who then said she would do what she could. Since we had no idea if or when she’d receive help, we stayed with her to keep her company. It was maybe a half hour later when a tow truck operator arrived, having been sent by the state patrol to assist. It was wonderful to see him drive up and save the day, and the dog! A quick stop at a rest area for Jozee’s potty break turned in to hanging out with a complete stranger for a few hours. It was completely out of the norm, as far as what we’d expect at a rest area, but as we left that day, my mind wandered… What if…? There are so many ways this ordeal could have worked out differently, and there are many endings I could attach to it, but for now what I like to think about are the number of characters I can attribute to this visit at the rest area. Each played their part and the end result was a good one. 

If we had left before knowing how things worked out, my mind would have wandered, leaving me with thoughts about the many “what if” endings my imagination could come up with. And I probably wouldn’t have been able to get to sleep because of it. 

Instead, when we finally left the rest area that evening and drove the rest of the way home, it was with the satisfaction of knowing that the woman and her little dog were safely on their way to Seattle. And I was able to sleep very well.

A good ending all around. 😊

An extra hour with snow is my kind of day!

An extra hour in the day – it can feel like a gift, those extra sixty minutes. If I have to admit to how I used my extra hour today, it’s probably the time I spent going outdoors to take photos of the snow we were treated to this morning and sharing those photos on social media with my friends and family. October treated us to some very nice weather, but November appears to have other ideas, having shown its hand with a dusting of snow as early as the second day of the month and a good amount today. 

1st good snow of 2017

If I had to pick one of my favorite weekends of the year, this is one of them, because I love the idea of getting an extra hour in my day. Sometimes I use it wisely, other times I don’t, but I like the idea of it, just the same. Of course, six months from now when we turn our clocks back, I often wonder why the heck we still take part in daylight savings because I thoroughly dislike the idea of actually losing a whole hour of my day.

But do we have to wait for daylight savings to gain that extra hour? Or can we easily find an extra hour or more every week depending on how we use our time? 

Well, of course it depends on whether we use our time wisely; it’s just not always that simple.

I’ve come to recognize that the concept of time management is going to be a lifelong work in progress; there’s just no getting around that. Not because it’s a difficult concept to learn, but because life happens. Things change. You may get to a place where you have it all figured out but then discover you have to adjust your schedule around new obligations, other people, different schedules. What you learn is how to adjust your expectations of how to manage your time depending on what you currently need to account for.

As we move into this new month, I’m preparing myself so that I can stay on task. October had a lot going on, and I don’t expect November to be any different. What I have always liked about November is that it can be a good month to find the extra time to stay in and write and is also the reason taking part in NaNoWriMo can work for me. However, with many things to focus on currently, both personally and professionally, I had to admit to myself that I just wouldn’t be able to find the extra time needed to join and commit to NaNoWriMo this month. 

Sometimes you just have to acknowledge that while you may be able to find extra time in the day, you might not be able to find time for everything you’d like to do. I gave up joining NaNoWriMo for that reason. I feel good about my decision and I know there’s always next November, or even Camp Nano in the spring or summer before that if I so choose.

Instead, I’ll be completing the tasks necessary to publish the fourth book in the Jorja Matthews’ mystery series, as well as other to-do’s I need to focus on in order to prepare for the end of the year. This upcoming New Year will include many changes for me, leaving me with a lot to complete in order to accommodate these changes. As those who know me are aware, I’m not one to nonchalantly take on change, so I’m making good use of the time I have to prepare myself. Regardless of the fact that change is coming and my time management skills will again be put to the test, it is all positive and exciting and I am eager to see what this next year has in store.

In the meantime, I think I’ll make more use of my extra time today to enjoy taking more photographs. 

Have a great week!

The season begins with fun, frights & fitness

I guess the letter of the day is F!  Sorry, couldn’t help myself…

The month of October has been a mixture of fitness and fun, both of which are competing with my time to write on the weekends. Other than the months I’ve taken part in NaNoWriMo, if I look back at this season for the past five years, I’m fairly certain I’ll find that it is not always the most productive when it comes to writing. 

Horror Nights in CA

The fall and holiday season is my favorite time of the year, hands down, and this year I finally decided to take part in something I’ve been interested in attending for a long time: Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. I love Halloween and I enjoy scary movies so the chance to finally see what Horror Nights was all about was like a dream come true. And I was not disappointed. It’s really difficult to put into words just how much fun we had or how incredible the haunted mazes were, especially when the mazes are based on some of my favorite horror movies. For those of you who don’t enjoy Halloween or horror movies, or being frightened…period, I’m sure it’s hard to imagine taking part in this sort of experience, but for me it was a fantastic way to start the season. Speaking of the season, for those of you who do enjoy Halloween and ghost stories, don’t forget to check out my short ghost story if you haven’t already: 1313 Psycho Path ($0.99 e-book or $5.50 paperback).

Mt. Rainier near Paradise

That’s how we started out the month with fun, and only a week later added fun with fitness with some day hiking at Mt. Rainier. This spectacular mountain is a majestic offering from nature that is basically in my back yard, so to speak. Some of the trails were clear, if just a little damp from trees constantly dripping moisture, while further up the mountain we hit a good amount of snow, which gets me in the mood for Christmas. J Only a week before I was strolling around in California wearing shorts and sandals, but on the mountain hiking boots, jeans and layers on top were a necessity. The mountain was impressive, as always, with views that only awe and inspire. I look forward to returning, especially in the spring when a new season and showcase of beauty will be waiting for me and my camera.

I’ve also had to focus more on fitness during the work weeks this month, because I finally began physical therapy for my back. Not only do I have a back injury I’m trying to heal without surgery, the amount of sitting from my day job and my writing can increase the pain I’m in, which is really an issue when I’m trying to stay put and remain focused on a project. Just writing this post has taken me much longer than normal, since I’ve had to get up and walk around at least a handful of times to try to walk off the pain I’m feeling in my lower back. 

Oh the joys of injuries and aging…but I’m optimistic. I like what physical therapy is doing for me, I’m still able to partake in yoga, and I’ve always enjoyed walking so I’m happy it’s an activity that doesn’t hurt. With some other changes I’ll be making, I expect to make great strides in my health when the New Year begins.   

Life is all about balance – so this weekend we stayed put, giving me the extra time needed to write, to blog and relax a bit. Sometimes we need to get away to switch things up and sometimes we just need to stay home to recharge.

I hope this weekend you’re either taking part in something fun, or using the time to unwind.  Either way, enjoy the day!

What I did this summer…so far

One more day in the month of July and then we’re sliding right into the last real month of summer. This week, everyone in the PNW will be preparing for a real heat wave expected to hit us mid-week, so I guess many will be sliding into the new month on their own sweat. Temps nearing or over 100 degrees…not optimal for many who don’t have access to A/C because these high temps just aren’t normal around here. If this continues, our summer weather will be holding out until September and beyond. Some will love it, others won’t but Mother Nature doesn’t tend to care what we think.  J

How has your summer been so far? Mine has been a mixed bag, really it has, but I guess that’s what’ll keep the summer interesting.

Piper

If you’ve kept up with my posts, you know I’ve had some difficult moments with Piper during the months of May and June. I wish I could say we were all through it, but unfortunately, she has been struck yet again with another infection and she’s back on antibiotics as of last week.  We’ve been in and out of the vet a dozen times over the past two months…I’m sure if she could speak she’d say she hopes this time will be the last. Even with everything she’s gone through, she’s been such a good girl through all this; it’s probably obvious, but I really can’t say enough about how special she is to me.

Home from Hawaii!

June also marked my oldest son’s return home from Hawaii – funny enough, on one of the days when I had to take an unexpected trip back to the vet because Piper had pulled out her drain tube after surgery, I returned home from the vet to find a bunch of luggage in the front hallway. Nothing can eliminate the anxious feelings of a parent better than the knowledge that their kid is finally home safe and sound after a long trip.

Steps while in Orlando!

June was also busy with preparations for a family vacation to Florida where we visited all the theme parks at Disney World over a four-day period, as well as Universal Studios for two days.  

Just a sneak peek...

While my absolute favorite place to “be” was Diagon Alley at Universal Studios, my favorite ride by far was at Disney World, in the newest addition of Animal Kingdom. Avatar’s Flight of Passage is nothing like any ride I’ve ever experienced since we first began going on theme park vacations more than ten years ago. I really can’t put into words how absolutely amazing the Flight of Passage is, but if you ever get the chance to experience it, do it. You won’t be disappointed.

Very alert & just about ready to fly

 

Let’s see…what else? 

Oh yes, birds. 

This summer has been quite the experience with birds. Not just the normal characters who visit every summer, although I would like to see more owls than I have so far. No, this summer we’ve been treated to quite a few baby birds. The first family was a nest of robins in a shrub in our front yard – one we had planned to cut way down because of how large it had gotten. But once we realized there was a nest of babies, we had to put that plan on hold. When the babies finally left the nest, the plan to cut down the shrubs was halted yet again when we discovered a new nest with more baby robins in the other shrub. 

Cheez-it B&B for birds

And baby robins weren’t our only guests this summer; we also had some swallows who decided our porch would be a good place to start a family. Their home was probably like no other, but it worked for them and all six babies thrived in this odd-looking nesting box. It was seriously fun to watch them grow as they received food from their parents, and then watch as they learned to flutter and fly and finally move on. We don’t have cats right now, or this situation would have made me very nervous!

The month of July has been busy with family events just about every weekend – to include a wedding reception, an outing to the zoo with my two great nephews, hanging out at the annual Oregon Trail Days and a family reunion at our house just yesterday. 

I think I’m ready for some free weekends during the month of August, if I get my way…I have a book to complete! 

I hope your summer so far is a fun one to write home about – carry on and stay cool!

This (storm) too shall pass…be prepared but positive.

It’s funny how Mother Nature can teach you a lesson without even trying.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, the bulk of the western side of Washington was preparing for the worst…a storm of “epic” proportions, to quite possibly match that of a storm that occurred even before I was born.

Going to the store for a plain ‘ole gallon of milk became a chore, as shoppers had to swim against the horde of frenzied consumers who thought they needed enough food and water in light of the possibility that they might be stuck in their houses for…I honestly don’t know how long people thought we’d be buried under wires and trees.

If the storm were as bad as they thought it might be, we knew we’d possibly be without power for 2-3 days or maybe even a week.  It’s happened before at least a handful of times over the course of at least two decades.  Because of where I live, in a remote, rural area in a small town, we are usually the last on the list when it comes to how soon we might finally get to see those heroes we call linemen.

The predictions of weather forecasters gave us a good scare as they portrayed Mother Nature in a diabolical way and warned how much we may be assaulted by her.  So everyone hunkered down, waiting out the storm, hoping it would just pass on by.

For us, it did just that.  We were pelted with some heavy wind for a short bit, and a whole lot of rain, but hey…we live in Washington so it’s to be expected.  There are some who weren’t so lucky but we did not lose power or a single tree and we had removed danger trees away from our house years ago, for fear of what might happen if we didn’t.  But I had prepared myself for the likelihood that it might be worse than when we were suddenly, and without much warning as I recall, hit by a storm on my oldest son’s birthday almost five years ago – the amount of trees we lost during that unexpected storm was a sight to behold.

January 2012, what was left after a storm of "epic" proportions

We tried to stay positive, but it’s always good to be prepared.  We had hoped for the best, but we braced for the worst.

There is something to be learned from Mother Nature – maybe she is like any woman who doesn’t like being told what she’s going to do and she’ll go about doing just the opposite.  Maybe, but it’s also how we can all go about living our lives with optimism, courage and confidence, even in light of the possibility that epic storms may occur.  It never hurts to be prepared…that’s a given, but I let the words and predictions of others keep me in a state of mind that left me anxious.  I’m mad at myself for watching the news as much as I did while they kept going on and on about the epic storm we might be up against – those are wasted minutes I can never get back.  We can all act like Chicken Little and claim the sky is falling, but why live in a constant state of panic and pessimism?  If you’re familiar with the fable, not the Disney version, you know most versions of the story don’t commonly end well.  Besides, if the sky were to actually fall, all the time we spent fearing the worst takes away from time better spent in the present. 

This may be well beyond what you got out of this storm or any other, but for me, it just reminds me that we should all do our best to make a habit of being optimistic and expect the best, while remaining confident that if the worst actually happens, we’ll have enough courage in order to handle it.  

Have a great week!

Silent night, silent writer, silent blog

Toots, my little writing buddy,
looking real cute in his Santa hat

The month of December has been a quiet month here on my blog. I’ve been a little distracted and very busy with work, family and other matters. You know how it goes this time of year. With a busy work schedule, family gatherings, shopping for gifts, holiday parties, and other events such as tree lightings, holiday bazaars, birthday parties, etc…there’s very little free time to be had this last month of the year. 

I have no particular reason to post now; I just wanted to say hello and happy holidays to those who are also busy this time of year. 

If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to since I released my last title, the above is it. Writing has taken a back burner this month; even so, other writing projects have not. As I prepare to dive back into some serious writing after the holidays, I have continued to work on some projects to help me be better prepared for what I anticipate will be a consistent writing schedule. I want to seriously move towards a publication date for the next Jorja Matthews book and also continue to work on my young adult novel. 

I’m sure you’re busy; too busy to read long blog posts so I’m keeping this one short. Instead, I thought I’d share some photos from some of my excursions this month when I’ve been out and about…

This is Thompson's in Tumwater, a beautiful place to just stroll around and gawk, and where there's much to choose from when it comes to holiday decorations and gifts.

A Home Goods opened up a new store in Olympia so I had to check it out...found these televisions with miniature moving scenes. I adore miniatures, but I quickly decided not to add them to my Christmas decor when I saw the price.

However, I wasn't able to move way from this little guy so quickly...he was too cute to pass up and the price was just right.  He found himself a nice home on my wall in my office.

One of many holiday bazaars on the calendar this time of year; this was part of the Victorian Country Christmas at the Puyallup fair grounds.

These were a real find.  You'll only find the humor in these "pee here" rocks if you also live with boys/men...

A tree all lit up at Zoolights in Tacoma.  I can now say I saw Zoolights but will likely never go back. I enjoy Fantasy Lights in Spanaway much more.

So that's my little holiday collage...I hope you are also taking time to visit the sights and enjoy yourself.  Take care and happy holidays!