Hello November and IWSG!

 

So, I have to begin with the best news first. I WON!!! My entry "Rain" won first place (Gold) in the women's fiction category of the Royal Palm Literary Awards this past October! I'm still feeling the high... I've received the actual award and included a photo of it below. This was so heartwarming for me since it took me SO long to finish this novel. Whew. Talk about a WORK in progress. We're talking years here. So, to have it recognized in this way was more than powerful. It was an acknowledgement by others that the work was worthy. I am so incredibly grateful. (In case you'd like to read it, click on the links Rain and novel in this post!)

On the home front, my husband is recovering well from knee replacement surgery and I'm hanging in there as his nurse, cook and bottle washer. It's tiring, but worth it when after his first Physical Therapy session Tuesday, he came home feeling so much stronger and happier with his choice (as if he had a choice) to do this. He'd tried everything else first over the last two years. Surgery was the last choice and he finally made it. I am thankful he is healing well!

And again on the home front, our retaining walls are done! I'm going to post a full album (on FB) of the beginning, progression and end, but here I'll post just a few to give you an idea of what we had done.

Before...

During, first & second walls done

Planting first bed!

Besides all this wonder and work, I'm tired, but still happy to see the kiddiewinks I tend in before/after school care in my "day" job. I'm off to bed, but wanted to thank all the wonderful well-wishers who cheered me on last month when I told you I was in the running for the RPLA award. Thank you thank you thank you! I won! Rain won! I'm still over the moon about it. 

Now, on to the IWSG. Please go and visit our wonderful co-hosts this month! Thank them for doing a great job!  Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

The question of the month is: What is harder to do, come up with your book title, or write the blurb?

BOTH! For me each one has its difficulty. Though sometimes titles come easier, blurbs are never easy, at least for me. I struggle, and I send it out to many writer friends to ask for input. Thank goodness you all are there! How about you? Which one is easier for you?

I wish you all a November full of colors and food and good times with family. See you in December!

So October Is Here IWSG

 

A day late, but not a dollar short. A new take on an old saying to start this post off. Perhaps funky, but I've been up since three something so go figure!

This is the month where I find out if I've won the Royal Palm Literary Award! I'm excited and trepidatious. I'm posting the link to the YouTube video of those of us who are finalists. I show up around 6:07 for about 2 seconds. I'm glad they posted it for us to see ahead of the conference which will not be live this year, thank you Covid...again.

RPLA FINALISTS FOR 2021

On to IWSG!

Our wonderful co-hosts this month are...

Jemima Pett, J Lenni Dorner, Cathrina Constantine, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, 

and Mary Aalgaard! 

Please go by and give them a thanks for being there for us, if you haven't already. I'm sorry this is so short, but have to go get ready for work! Hope all of you are doing exciting things and staying safe and healthy! Fall/Autumn, here we come!!!

Surprised By September! IWSG Also

So working full time has messed with my schedule. I totally thought next week was the first Wednesday in September, not today! Once again I have done no writing, same as August. However, I'm crocheting every day and that gives me a semblance of having "done" something worthwhile (making things for friends and family is so much fun!). My job is worthwhile I know. But I do that for others, not for myself. Anyone who works with children has a worthwhile job. Writing was fun and worthwhile in the beginning, for me. When it turned into a way to "earn money" and be a "real" writer, I began to hate it (the marketing really). So, now, since I've taken a break from writing, I am returning to thoughts of my current work in progress and listening to where the story/characters want to take me. This is the part of writing I LOVE. So, hopefully soon, I will be able to indulge in continuing my writer's journey. I wish you all well on your own writing journeys and, meanwhile, we are happy to have our dream retaining wall terraces going in so I can plant more! Happy end of Summer everyone!

RAIN Semi-Finalist! August IWSG

Happy August Everyone. I have been working full time this summer and not at home, so have done no writing to speak of . Imagine sad face here.

However, before summer began I submitted my latest release the novel “Rain” in a contest and heard back yesterday that I am a semi-finalist! I don’t want to get too excited, but it is wonderful news to receive and I wanted to share it with you! So, I’m breathing deep slow breaths and keeping my fingers crossed. Thank you to those who have hung in with me and read my stories. I appreciate you so very much.

And as I am not at home right now and will be on the road tomorrow, I’m writing this on my phone, which is terribly difficult, so I’m sorry it’s not a great looking post. I’ll be visiting blogs later this week, and will put up the link to IWSG as well. Please visit our co-hosts and thank them! I can’t figure out how to add them here yet, so will do so when I get home.

Have a great end to your summer! I’ll be back here in September!

 

OMG It's June #2 IWSG

 

Okay, so I missed last month completely. First time I've done that in a long time. I guess I will forgive myself, especially since I remembered this month, a little late, yes, but as Alex said, I remembered!

I haven't been writing. It's harder to forgive myself for not writing. But I have been in my garden creating new stories there, with plants. I think of my WIP and know I will get back to it soon, but in the meantime I must play in the dirt. I must arrange my beds and make sure I do whatever I need to for my plants to thrive, and make their own stories. This is necessary for my sanity right now. I have gone back to work in a "day" job, and will work most of the summer, to make up for last year when I couldn't work (outside the home). Last year I wrote and hit my goal of getting my novel "Rain" out before Christmas. I am very happy about that. So, until I take up the proverbial pen, my spade will be my quill, and I will smile each time I look to my garden/yard and see what I have helped nature to create. I wish all of you a happy summer, one where we can get OUT and literally breathe again. See you in July!

Please visit our IWSG co-hosts this month and thank them for being there for us all, 

J Lenni Dorner, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, Lee Lowery, Rachna Chhabria!

Enjoy my flowers. They are the stories I am telling right now!