Wednesday, November 03, 2021

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!


10 comments:

  1. Big congratulations! Bet that felt awesome to win.
    Retaining wall looks great. Something about building things yourself - just makes it feel better.
    And glad your husband is on the mend.

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  2. Congratulations!
    Love the retaining wall and flowerbed. Looks great!

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  3. Wonderful your husband is feeling better and happier.

    I love your wall project. We had as much fun with our garden and patio addition this year.

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  4. Congrats on your award! I hope your husband continues to mend.

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  5. Hi Lisa - congratulations on your win ... that's just brilliant - a great achievement. You've had lots going on ... with the new home - that retaining wall will definitely do its job - and lovely to see the planting come along. Good to see you hubby is healing and will I'm sure feel much easier with his 'new knee' soon. Well done on all the extra work behind the scenes - keeping things going. Cheers Hilary

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  6. Congratulations again on the contest win!!!

    Your wall looks amazing and I'm glad the hubs is healing well and felling better.

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  7. Wow! Congratulations! That is such an honor. Savor it. Congrats to your husband, too, for the knee replacement. I've had both of mine done--worst pain ever. Worse than childbirth. I kid you not. But in the end, it was worth it. The retaining wall looks like quite a project. Well done.

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  8. Hope you're going to post this month . . . Congratulations all over again for RAIN. I hope you are still glowing from this great achievement. Stay healthy (including that now-recovered hubby), be well, and keep writing!

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    1. I did update my post for this month! Thank you for visiting and thanks also for the congrats!

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