Last week I was treking through the appalachian mountains with two of my sisters. We had an amazing time. The first day was incredibly scary since I had no idea how difficult the journey would be. Our driver told us about black bears, rattlesnakes, and bobcats and then dropped us off on the side of the highway along with our 25 pound backpacks. We had no idea that the next 6 hours would be straight uphill, or that we would run out of water, or that darkness would descend before we made it to the cabins we had reserved ahead of time, or that thunder and lightning would light up the sky and turn the trail into a river. Mosquitos buzzed in our ears, so the rain was a welcome reprieve from the critters. We were hot and sweaty, but the rain made everything a little heavier, a little tougher, a little scarier. My middle sister weighs 105 pounds and has no muscle and she was losing the uphill battle. I had carried her backpack along with my own for about a mile, but she took it back and was inching her way along the trail. The oldest sister, now dubbed “braveheart” went on alone to find the cabin before it was too late to get a key. My thoughts were filled with how I was going to tell her family how we couldn’t stop her from going on ahead…alone. “Never separate from your friends” was what I had read about treking through the mountains. But now there were only two of us and I wasn’t sure if Sally was going to make it at all. I found a decayed tree stump for her to sit on. Water ran between her eyes and off of her chin in a river of its own. Sally looked defeated and I felt defeated. All we could see was water running down a steep trail ahead of us, but Sally pushed on and she made it. By the time we found Cathy she was headed back toward us to save Sally. She had found our cabin and was so happy we were all safe. She also had found three mountain men to help us carry sally if needed. We took showers and then plopped down on the bed and passed out for the night. No dinner. No idle chitchat. Just sleep. It rained through the night but the sun was shining the next morning and we left bright and early in hopes that we would have more time to get to the next lodge. That first day on the trail made the next three days seem like a breeze. Although it did take us about 7 1/2 hours each day, we stopped to smell the roses along the way. It was a journey I will never forget. We saw deer, snakes, ravens, and even a black bear! A thrilling experience.
I love this book trailer. Caroline and I have been writing friends for years now. We have critiqued together and brainstormed and shopped for conference clothes together. We have laughed and cried together and now her dream of selling a book has come true. I’m very proud!
If you’ve read my earlier blog, you know that I have been doing some wild and crazy things…like going brunette and painting my front door red!
I’m having fun. Years ago I painted the interior of my house yellow! I loved it but nobody else did. Ha! I have painted my kid’s bedroom walls with murals and other crazy things (see picture below). I love expressing myself with fun pictures and bright colors!
Do the days and weeks fly by, or is it just me? Never enough hours in the day. I have so much l want to do and I don’t know how to squeeze it all in. I want to learn to speak spanish and write a lot more books. I want to read books too, and bungee jump and hangout with my kids. I want to go on a date with my husband and poke around in my garden. I want to play my piano and learn more wonderful songs. I don’t want to clean my house, but I do need to clean it! I want to reconnect with old friends and and exercise everyday. I want to help people in need. I want to have a cause. I want to go back to college and learn! I want to go kayaking again and ride my bike. I want to write a new blog every morning and update my website more often. I would love to become a better cook! I want to watch a movie every friday night, hopefully one that makes me laugh and cry. I want to drink hot chocolate by the fire in the winter. I want to attend writing conferences and go somewhere new every year. I want to LIVE life to its fullest!!!
I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainty that just to be alive is a grand thing. –Agatha Christie
Okay, I’m feeling it…self-doubt is pouring down on me and as I usually do when this happens I find myself pruning roses or painting a door some crazy color OR dying my hair! After 49 years of being a blonde, I am now a brunette! LOL I’m seriously afraid to turn in my ninth book to my agent…afraid of more disappointment. There. I said it. I do feel a little better. But hey, I’m not holding my breath with this book. And I hate the idea of turning it in feeling like, “okay, here you go. Good luck.” I mean, I need to have the ol’ confidence and LOVE that I used to have for all of my books. And sheesh, I know a lot of writers out there, even best-sellers, have doubts…but nobody’s doubts seem as bad as your own.
Okay, thanks for letting me vent. Off to write another chapter. Maybe someday you’ll see one of my books on the shelve’s at Borders. Hopefully before bookstores become obsolete.
My sister, Sally, has been planning teas at various tea houses and it’s so much fun! Recently we visited Tea Era’s Tea Room on Main Street in Sutter Creek.
My favorite tea that day was the San Francisco Blend. Their most popular tea! An aromatic blend of Ceylon, jasmine, cinnamon, and strawberry. We also enjoyed scones with clotted cream, lemon bars, and wonderful southern style bread pudding. Yummy!
I enjoyed Easter this year. It was a perfect day. Great weather and great fun. We ate shish kabobs and sipped margaritas. The wild bunnies were running around, ducks landing in the pool and birds everywhere. We took pictures because that’s what we like to do! Never enough pictures.
Okay, I’ve been working on revising my ninth novel for nearly two months now and I am starting to think this will never end. I’ve been writing every day, six to eight hours a day, even Saturdays and sometimes on Sunday and I’m starting to feel as if I’m on a hamster wheel. And yet I know the book is getting better. I took an on-line pacing class and I learned so much. That scares me. I’ve been writing for about fourteen years now. I know we’re always supposed to be learning and improving, but come on! I cut words, sentences, and paragraphs that have no purpose. I added scenes. I added tension. And then I go back to the beginning and start over again. Man, oh, man. I love being a writer!
We took showers and then plopped down on the bed and passed out for the night. No dinner. No idle chitchat. Just sleep. It rained through the night but the sun was shining the next morning and we left bright and early in hopes that we would have more time to get to the next lodge. That first day on the trail made the next three days seem like a breeze. Although it did take us about 7 1/2 hours each day, we stopped to smell the roses along the way. It was a journey I will never forget. We saw deer, snakes, ravens, and even a black bear! A thrilling experience.
