Ah, the first week of September.
Kids are back to school, days are getting shorter, and yes, that wonderful concoction we call the Pumpkin Spice Latte has made it's reappearance at Starbucks.
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| Oh, yeah.... |
After an amazing (and exhausting) few months of fun and excitement, it's time for moms (and dads) everywhere to sit down, grab their PSL, reflect on their summer bucket lists, reorganize their lives and get back to a routine. You know it's been a particularly good summer if that routine is happily anticipated and that first PSL comes with a sense of profound relief.
Ahhhhh.
For me, the relief is particularly intense, as the past few months have brought one heck of a lot of changes. If you've been following me on my social media, you'll have seen the occasional post indicating things were in flux, but sitting here thinking about the scope of change this summer has seen is rather mind boggling.
Here's a short list of what's gone on just since June...
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| New book-baby |
* said goodbye to not one, but TWO beloved day-job workplaces (both of which paid well and had amazing coworkers),
* had the rights for
Dependent revert back to me from Jolly Fish Press (more on this later),
* published my new book,
Skin,
* watched my firstborn graduate from high school,
* went on a house hunting trip for next posting,
* hubby left for an out-of-country post for five weeks,
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| Looking lovely in the shark cage |
* visited Hawaii and SWAM WITH SHARKS,
* packed our household into a moving truck,
* drove almost 5000km (3000) miles, across an entire continent (1 province and 16 states) over 10 days on the Great American Road Trip from the Pacific Coast in Canada to the Atlantic Coast in America,
* watched our moving truck fill our new, empty house with piles of boxes and junk (sigh),
* drove an additional 4 states and 1 province to drop my firstborn for her first year of university (sniff, sniff!) and returned, (Making a grand total of TWENTY STATES AND TWO PROVINCES this summer!!)
* began current existence in the Washington, DC area which mostly consists of trying to find the bottom of the boxes and figuring out how to transfer my physical therapy license while driving kidlets places and trying not to get frustrated at each small item that comes out of a box bent, dented or broken.
As mentioned a few months ago
here, we military families deal with many of life's major stressors on a regular basis. It's part of the job description. But wow, it's been a busy summer, and yes, that PSL is tasting mighty good right now.
So. Details.
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| Me...and Old Faithful |
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Some Presidents and some Dunnes
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Re: Moving...
America is huge. Not as big as Canada, but still...huge. And driving across it is an amazing adventure. There is so much to see, and then so many miles of vast nothingness. It was quite a trip. I've attached a couple of my favourite pictures...but nothing can capture the feeling of driving in the centre of a continent with absolutely no lights but your headlights and the stars for miles and miles. It was quite a trip.
Unfortunately the downside of the adventure are the struggles of setting up shop in a brand new place. I find pulling my third very squished seasonal wreath out of a box frustrating. Or the curtain rods with their finials lost or broken off. Or the lamp that came in one box on the second floor of the house, with the shade in a box in the basement of the house...and the harp/shade attachment is still nowhere to be seen... sigh. Luckily we've found this move to be a bit easier (although it's never easy) as our children are older and huge helpers. And, as compensation, the DC area is filled to the brim with museums, cultural events and things to see. I think we'll like it here.
Re: SKIN
I am so pleased with this wonderful little book. My
launch was so much fun and I've seen some top 30 moments on Amazon. If you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for? :) And don't forget to review!
Re: DEPENDENT
As mentioned above, Dependent is no longer being published by Jolly Fish Press. There are many reasons for this, but after much deep and soul-searching thought I asked for, and received, my legal rights back this past spring. If you have tried to buy an e-copy lately, you should have found that it was out of print, although there are still some paper copies for sale in various places. I am not sure, at this point, where I will go from here. The rights are available, if a publisher expresses interest. I may also publish a new edition via Fortunate Frog Fiction. Decisions to be deferred for a later date.
What's next?
I love fall. I love almost every part of it...the leaves, the smells, the re-established routines, the quiet in the house...
Other than continuing to unpack, I hope to find some well-earned time at my keyboard over the next couple of weeks. I have three manuscripts on the go, all of which could be finished in a month or so with dedicated time on my laptop. SKIN has a sequel in the works, as does TREASURE (slow going, but still plodding away) and a new contemporary YA as well. On top of that, I hope to give my social media presence some love, and tidy up my blog.
Lastly...
I just wanted to say
thank you. If you are reading this, you are supporting my passion. You are supporting indie authors, and you have been an important part of my success to date. Thank you so very much for reading, sharing, buying and reviewing my books. I couldn't do it without you. You rock.
Brenda
