EEKS!!!

School starts next week and I don't feel ready. Normally I would have been back to work this week, but due to a new law that says kids cannot start until after Labor Day, I am not. This summer has seemed so short, yet so much has been packed into it.

I've finished Out of the Flames. It has its first edits and is waiting for the other editor to finish. I hope to have them in the next week or two. I know I am ready to go to press. I am already looking for the next idea.

I squeezed in a week of rest and relaxation in the north woods. Would have stayed forever if I could have figured out how. I spent a week-end with my grandkids. I've crocheted several preemie layettes for the hospital.

I've done three days of intensive training on the foundations of Reading First. I have one day left of that.

I've lost a dear friend. That for me has been the hardest. Maybe once the funeral is over I will be able to reflect on it, but I am not there yet.

I have a book that is in serious need of a review. I hope to have that done this week-end.

I feel like I'm floundering. I want a different job, but have not been successful at getting interviews let alone the job. I've sent out enough...over 100 this year. I've managed on interview, but no job. That is frustrating.

I've not been to the swimming hole for almost 2 weeks, that is frustrating. My foot and ankle are swelling again...that is not a good sign either. The doctors can find nothing wrong, but that fact that it's swelling tells me there is something somewhere wrong with my body. I have managed to lose 10 pounds this summer and keep it off. I'm hoping to continue that trend when I return to work. I know I will be getting in daily walking that will help.

I guess I had better get with the program and be ready for work next week. I know the kids expect me to be ready on the following Tuesday. And summer comes to an end.

I See I Have Been Remiss

Here it is almost the middle of August and I have not made a post in weeks. I have been busy plugging away at the new novel. It is coming along well. I am pushing to make an August 21 deadline, although I can see where I might not make it.
I spent last week-end with my grandkids. It was fun, but tiring. They spent two hours on Saturday at the gym for National Gymnastics Day. Megan was pretty bored as much of it was set up for rec kids. Jason got frustrated by what he could not do.....hand stands and head stands. It will come with practice. He has just started gymnastics. Megan has been going for four years.
I am still promoting Secrets. It did well the first month, not so well the second. It will be Sept. before I know how month three went. I haven't a clue about month four, but I know it held it's own in month five. Although my fan base is growing it's not there yet. I keep looking for new outlets.
I have also been asked if there will be a sequel to Secrets. At this time I would have to say no. But one never knows what might be in the future. I have an idea that could turn itself into a sequel. I just haven't gotten to that point yet. I have to live with my characters for a while before they can be put onto paper and become real. The characters in Secrets could be my neighbors. The characters in the new novel...which will be titled Out of the Flames.....are becoming close friends. Their thoughts and actions are the driving force behind the novel.
How do you get to know your characters? Go to the library, the park, a local restaurant and watch the people. Look for the one who stands out. Create a life for them, name, age, birth date, occupation, likes, dislikes, habits, and anything else that will make them real. Put them in different situations and see how they react. Once you have done that, they become like friends and you can use them in any story. That's how they become real. That's how your readers will find them believable. Just watch people. What makes one stand out more than another? What makes one blend in? Who is the stranger? Try it see what happens.
Happy summer.....or what's left of it.