Humming Birds, Camera Lenses, & Clutter

Today I feel like a humming bird. You know how those little birds look like they are hovering in the air and dart to and fro but never really land anywhere. That’s how I have felt lately. I have so many things I need to do but can’t seem to land on any one project. I want to do them all and none of them all at the same time.

I dart over there and look at that then hover over here and gaze at this, but I don’t know if I’m accomplishing very much. I can see it all, but I have a hard time focusing on any one single thing. I think I’ve always been this way. There are too many things I like.

It’s like looking through a camera and having it out of focus. I can see everything, but nothing is clear and I can’t tell what anything is. Until you turn the lens to make everything clear, you can’t pick one thing to focus on and enjoy.

So what am I trying to say here? I haven’t a clue. Maybe it’s to get rid of some of the clutter, both physical and mental, so I can see things more clearly. So I can focus on what I really want to do and enjoy it.

Springtime in the Rockies

I woke up Easter morning to 4” of snow. I wasn’t expecting that. The weatherman said it was supposed to be in the 40s on Sunday and therefore the precipitation we were expecting should have been rain. Imagine that, the weatherman was wrong.

It was one of those really, really wet, mushy snows. Shoveling that kind of snow is really hard. It’s heavy and it sticks to the shovel. It snowed that way all day.

And today? We have sunshine and it’s supposed to get up into the 50s. Most of this snow, if not all, will be gone by the end of the day. This is what is meant by springtime in the Rockies. Snow shovels one day and the next day you may need your shorts.

My daughter is ready for the snowy, cold days to be over. She wants a real spring.

Some real spring weather would be nice but then it would be harder to be indoors at my computer all day. Work, work, work. And all of mine is the indoors kind. Even so, I too look forward to nicer weather. Hopefully it stays.

Hope you had a good Easter.

Upcoming 2009 Releases

In May, A Prairie Romance Collection will be released by Barbour. My novella, Love Notes, will be one of twelve in the collection.

Laurel’s father robs a bank, Ethan accidentally kills him in the hold up. Does love have a chance to blossom between these two?

Love notes won the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year contest in the historical novella category. You can order it through the Barbour Web site. As of this posting, it wasn't listed on the site yet, but should be soon.

In October, Cascades will be released by Barbour as well. Cascades is a compilation of my three historical Washington state novels. I don’t have a cover yet to show you, but when I do, I’ll post it. It will also be available through the Barbour Web site in the fall.

Astrid & Veronika

Book Review
Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson is about two hurting women. Astrid is eighty-years old and is a hermit, staying in her own house, having no friends, and socializing with no one. Veronika is thirty and has come to live in the house next door to Astrid. These are the only two houses in the area. Veronika has come to write her book and to recover from the loss of her fiancé.

Astrid is inexplicably drawn to Veronika and the two women head out on the road of friendship. They each tell the other about their life and their hurts and their darkest secrets. Both women heal from their pains.

As I read this book, I didn’t really enjoy it. I couldn’t connect with the characters. I thought the story that was being told was good, but I just couldn’t connect with either Astrid or Veronika.

I read this book for the book club that I’m in. After going to book club and discussing this book, I like it better. This is not a surface book. It is better appreciated when you have time to think about it. Maybe if I wasn’t in a hurry to read it so I could pass it on to the next person in the group to read, I might have found the beauty in it as I read.

Works In Progress, part 2

Now for my fantasy.

It is a three-fold project. I have this fantasy world swirling around in my head and am trying to create three different series from it for three different age groups; early readers, learning disability middle schoolers, and adults. My fantasy world is set around warrior faeries.

The early reader would be for those beginning readers in 1st – 3rd grade. The ones learning to read. Think Flat Stanly, ABC Mysteries, & Berenstain Bears Big Chapter Books with simple black and white line drawings on most pages. Also Junie B. Jones, Hank the Cowdog chapter books, & up to the Animal Ark books that don’t have all the pictures.

My idea for the middle school series I might be most excited about. I want these books for those resouce kids with learning disabilities like dyslexia who don’t want to be embarrassed about carrying around a little kid book because that is all they can read comfortably and enjoy but the stories are below their interest level. I myself am dyslexic and know what it is like to be standing in front of the room giving a book report on a picture book while all your classmates are reading chapter books. My oldest son is dyslexic and was struggling his way through Harry Potter. He eventually made it through the whole book but it took him almost the whole school year. I say bravo to him for keeping at it.

My books would have a very low reading level but with fast paced, high adventure and stories of interest to middle school boys in particular. I want short, short chapters with an occasional line graphic picture to complement the story and help relieve needing to read all the details to make the story read faster. I only have a title for the middle school series: Flying Warriors, book 1: The Outcast.

My adult series starts with a human young woman being taken to the faerie world by a faerie cat. Here is a teaser for the series: In a parallel world, a broken warrior, an old man, and a cat struggle to reinstate the rightful heir before evil forces takeover the land and destroy both worlds.

So that’s what I’m working on at the moment.

Works In Progress, part 1

I thought maybe someone out there might like to know what I’m working on in my writing. At the moment I have a three-fold approach. Historical, nonfiction, and fantasy.

My agent has recently sent out a proposal for a full-length historical novel that we are hoping sells. The working title is Untamed Angels. Five sisters—in a town of men. Love and fireworks fly in every direction, while one man walks a thin line to keep the peace.

I also have a historical series at Heartsong that I’m waiting to hear about. The Knight brothers are all struggling to find their place in the world. Book 1: Knight Refuge: A stubborn ranch owner meets a tenacious healer and together they must fight social injustice to save a papoose and themselves. Book 2: The Gambler: A young farmer struggles to hold on to her land when her brother loses the farm and her in a senseless wager. Book 3: Courtship of Katie MacGregor: Barely a teen, a young girl fights against her father’s wishes that she marry a young doctor in training.

I also have a contemporary story with historical elements that is sitting on an editor’s desk waiting to hear. It’s a seventy-year-old treasure hunt mystery dealing with Confederate gold. The working title is One Came Back. A feisty female guide and a determined stranger clash in search of the truth and treasure in the desert.

My nonfiction is a craft book on making new things out of worn out jeans. I call it Do It Again Denim. Go Green with blue jeans. Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose. Jeans are an American icon. But don’t throw out your old, worn-out jeans. Give them a second life.

On Wednesday I’ll describe my flying fantasy series.

Spring Break

I always have good intentions to get a bunch of stuff done over the school breaks. Take time off from my regular writing and regular schedule and get something different accomplished that I’ve been wanting to get done.

Then my daughter sits across from me in the living room texting, talking, and laughing. We play with the cats and act silly. She’s a junior in HS, a great kid, and a blast to be around. We have fun whether we are shopping for groceries or clothes.

My two sons have grown and moved out. How much longer am I going to have with her? Not much.

So, I’m going to take advantage of one of the few remaining school breaks and laugh with my daughter.

:-D