February Brings A Chill And Romance Fills The Air...

 Happy Friday Everyone!

It's February of 2022! February. Let that sink in a moment. February makes me a bit nervous this year. Last year, on February 15th, we lost power and water, got displaced for about 4.5 months (due to water pipe bursting and needing to fix parts of the house). With the talks of winter storms and things, I'm doing a lot of praying for this year not to have another Snowmeggeddon. (Yes, I'm praying for those who DEFINITELY will be dealing with bad parts of the storm, but I'm also praying that we don't have to go through what we did last year).

In between all this, I'm editing. My freelance editor, the incredibly helpful Deb Ewing finished all passes on my manuscript and now it's down to me doing the final read-through and little nit-picky things. Deb warned me not to get so hung up that I lose the way my story works, which is a fair point. As a writer, you don't want to poke and prod your work into a oblivion and lose the voice that works for it. However, I know that this pass is very necessary (including something that Deb made a note of that I've been watching out for). (By the way, Deb is an AWESOME editor and I highly recommend her. If she has time to work with you on your manuscript, go for it. She gave me great notes).

I've also set up a "10-minute with an Expert" meeting through The Manuscript Academy. I joined under the Gold Membership to take full advantage of what they offer. So far, I'd say if their faculty and workshop offerings look like something up your alley having at least a month or more of a subscription (either Basic or Gold are the choices) with them could benefit a writer. It really depends on where you are with your career, what you're looking for, and what you need assistance on in your own craft. I've attended other of their events before I chose to get a subscription, so having a membership wasn't my first introduction to the company. And, I have to say so far the "10 Minute Meeting With An Expert" seems like a helpful item (they have other meeting options, but I chose this particular one for several reasons--one of them being I wanted to work on my query letter a bit more--I've had at least 3-4 sets of eyes on it including my own, but the chance to have an actual agent look at it is an opportunity that's hard to pass up. (And probably shouldn't be passed up, either, if you find someone on their list that reps what you write).

The Author Encounter continues forward. This year, we plan to have our "mainstay" events (Authors March Forward in March, Traditional Publishing Day in September, Indie Author Day in November). Other things are being worked out. For February's Behind The Page, we're going to have author Robin Covington as a guest.

February is a fantastic month for us romance/romantic writers since it's filled with romance and Valentine's Day prep. Fun fact: there actually existed a real guy named Valentine who was a bishop. I've also read that there is, in fact, more than one St. Valentine. The one I've read about attributed to February 14th  and that he left a note for someone and signed it "Your Valentine". In any case, February 14th has lots of stories attributed to it and if you celebrate the day, I wish you a good one.

Also, yesterday, February 3 marked 63 years since "The day the music died" when Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson "The Big Bopper", Richie Valens, and their pilot, Roger Peterson, died in the famous plane crash (I apologize, I meant to put plane crash and originally had "car crash" that was a typo. And apparently the plane is unnamed, not named "American Pie"). Years later, Don McLean released the song "American Pie" in tribute. Don was a Buddy Holly fan, and so am I. He was very talented, and apparently well-liked by those who knew him. May their souls rest peacefully in Heaven and their music live on.

Lately I seem to be posting once a month, so unless I get some news or have something interesting to post, I'll keep my posting frequency at once a month.

Hope you have a wonderful February and a Fabulously Fun Friday!

2022, A New Year...

 Happy January and Happy New Year 2022 one and all!

There have been many times that I've said this, and I expect many times to say it again: my observation is that every year brings both good and bad. Some years there's more good, some more bad, some in the middle. I don't know what 2022 will be, but I continue to look for blessings.

One of the blessings of 2021, was in spite of Snowmeggeddon (or, rather, because of it) back in February, I got a new kitchen. Now, a storm with broken pipes is not the way I'd PREFER to have gotten this kitchen, but I love it. So, even though the storm sucked and being out of my house for 4 1/2 months wasn't always easy, I got this brand new kitchen that is so much more me and my family than what we moved into when we first got the house.

In August, I got a non-displaced fracture in my shoulder. Yeah, I hadn't known silly detergent had spilled and I wasn't looking to perfect my detergent-skating abilities (or, in this case, inability) but despite it, it meant I got to see my husband's job in action. The ortho doctors allowed him to work with me on my PT, and I've had the chance to experience his expertise and gentleness. He also paid me a compliment, saying "Thank you for not fighting me. Some of my patients do." I had reasoned in my mind the way I do a lot of things that it made no sense for me to fight him since the way to get better was to allow him to do what the doctors told him to do. Yes, it's been a painful process (I won't lie) but I'm improving and learning. Plus, I spend extra time with my husband.

My point in sharing these things is that so many people take the bad and just focus on the bad and never look for any good. Yes, there has been a lot of suffering and that sucks bananas and I'm definitely NOT trying to downplay any of that. I lost people close to me. I mourned. I looked at the junk in the world and cried. But I also turned to my faith and found solace. I learned about joy. I learned that it's okay for joy and sorrow to exist simultaneously. Sometimes they do. I learned a deeper appreciation for the blessings and good in the world (especially good people).

I've had the chance to work with an extremely talented freelance editor (named Deb Ewing) who has helped my manuscript get polished and better than it was before. I've added stuff I hadn't thought to add, which will enhance the reading experience for my audience. Through The Author Encounter, I've met some really nice agents and other people who have answered some questions I've had regarding the industry.

Sure, I've still got learning disabilities--those will never go away, but that's okay. I've lived with them this long, I can continue living with them and learning in spite of them (and sometimes because of them).

Yes, Covid-19 still exists and that's not cool, but my family continues to do Sunday Family Zoom sessions and I've gotten to talk to my family more than I ever had done in a year (or even 2 years) so for me, that's a blessing in a yucky situation. We've continued this practice of having Family Zoom sessions every Sunday afternoon (so far only missing one or two Sundays). It's been wonderful!

My wish for all of you this year and every year is to find that place of solace and to recognize the blessings that exist. Even when it's hard, or seems impossible, this is my wish for you. Find those who can make you believe in hope and cherish them. Even if they pass on, you can have the comfort of having known them and what you learned from them.

God bless and Happy New Year 2022 to you and yours.

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!