New Opportunities

July has brought two new opportunities.

1. I'm writing a weekly food column for my local news paper. It's called The Family Table and also a some feature articles with a food angle. Yes, food and writing, my two passions in one job. I'm floating on cloud nine. :)

2. I've agreed to write a monthly post at Romance Magicians, a group blog for my Southern Magic RWA chapter. My first post is about my training as a writer. If interested please check it out...and leave a comment so I know somebody is reading :)

Bonus opportunity: Getting myself a tweeter account....

Yesterday I drove my husband to a doctor's appointment on post. He'd been having shortness of breath and coughing so much. Monday he spent most of the day in bed. So he agreed and called yesterday morning for an appointment with his Internal Medicine doctor. He saw a different doctor, his is on vacation, and this doctor was concerned about a possible pulmonary embolism. He talked to my husband, Jim was 62 yesterday too, and examined him. Then he sent him to ER via X-ray for a chest X-ray. After spending most of the afternoon and evening at the ER they decided to transfer him. I had to choose BAMC in San Antonio-3 hours away, or Temple, TX with Scott & White hospital-only 30 minutes away. I chose the closer civilian hospital. He was having problems with either his creatine or cretin level being too high. They were saying "creatine" so I don't know what is what but it is at 3 and it is too high. He had high hopes he'd being coming home today the doctor told him this morning after his blood work and the renal ultrasound he'd be able to leave. Then she came back this afternoon and told him she'd really like to keep him one more day. I had a meltdown coming home.

Happy July!

July came in with gifts. The first tomato from my garden. Isn't it beautiful? And a new meet and greet between my hero and heroine. And yes, it's hot :) Four chapters rewritten and revised. Moving forward.

Good Intentions

For those of you who suffer,
I keep you in my prayers
For those of you who celebrate,
Good fortune I will share
For those of you who wait in vain,
I will complete that task,
Unless I owe you money
In which case once more ask
I read your tales of joy and woe
As often as I can
I wish I had more time to write
It always is my plan!
But life soon overwhelms me and
I’m easily distracted
By work and home and other chores
That always are protracted
So know I often think of you
And YOU is everyone
That I have ever cared about
And hope that –

Sorry, gotta go.

Fantasy is Dangerous

I came across this really cool take on fantasy and had to share...

I learned things look different by the light of a dragon’s fire. Ordinary things become extraordinary; common problems change shape and become either unusually interesting or utterly insignificant. You really see things, sometimes for the first time. And you don’t forget them when you close the book. That, of course, is what makes fantasy dangerous. – Patricia C. Wrede, author.

Writers Retreats Are Good For The Soul

I just returned from Deborah LeBlanc's Pen To Press Retreat in New Orleans. Wowza. My master class was with author CJ Lyons, not only a wonderful author, but also an amazing teacher, joyful foodie and just a great, down-to-earth person. While I learned a lot from her, the most important thing to me was: the black moment is not the end. It's always followed by resolution. Then a new story.

That little nugget can be applied to any given WIP, finished manuscript, a writing career and life itself. Personally, it helped me know myself as a writer and what I want. It helped reignite my passion for storytelling, for the first book and beyond. And that understanding is priceless.

Earlier this year, I also went to TWRP retreat in the Texas Hill Country. That was amazing too because it drove home the message: writers write. Don't get me wrong: we went dancing, fossil hunting, attended craft-related talks, but also for hours people (including me) would just pull out their lap tops and start typing. Imagine a roomful of people, just typing. Uninterrupted soft clicks of keys and creativity. Amazing.

Yes both retreats cost money and time, meant work while others played, but the best part was connecting with other creative souls and getting re-energized. Writing is a tough business, and it can wear you out. This year I have treated myself to two wonderful gatherings and my soul needed it.

The end result: butt in chair, writing. And enjoying every minute.

NOW Officially Unemployed

I'm no longer employed as of 11:30 pm last night when I walked back into the store to turn in my office key and lottery box key. Gulp! I spent fifteen years working at Athens Shell Foodmart and while there were times I hated it basically it was a great place to work and learn as I worked there. My shift ended at 11:00 I had received parting gifts of a digital key chain, the movie AVATAR, and little Reese's peanut butter cups in the bottom of the bag under the tissue. My boss, Ida, paid for the pizza I had planned to order for dinner my coworker had a coupon for low price. All my coworkers had signed the card and a sweet customer brought me cake from a bakery in Tyler. It is an Italian Cream Cake and good. So on my way out I made two trips to the car first I carried the pizza left overs and the cake. Then last I carried my purse, my always there giant mug of Diet Coke, and my gift bag. I had to hug my friend and coworker that I trained six years ago. We had fun people would walk out shaking their heads going you two are having entirely too much fun. So we joked that was why the boss separated us. But the truth was Denise took the overnight shift and I was on evenings with one early morning. I always joked if you ever put two on nights Denise and I work well together. Our boss, Ida, would laugh and say I can't do that you two are my best employees and have to put someone else with you. I'd go I know but would be fun to work together again. We closed at midnight when she hired Denise. Denise made the comment one time when another girl who had only been there a week left her a note demanding she do something. Denise said it wasn't like Ida or Kathy had told her to do it, after all they'd been there 100 years they could boss her around. No this was a new person. She promptly wadded up the note and threw it over her shoulder. The 100 years stuck. Denise told Ida with me leaving only person could boss her around now. And Ida said oh no you didn't as Denise said, "Now it's you 'cause you've been here a 100 years." Gotta love your coworkers that make you old in a sweet way.