I'm Back

It's been way too long since my last Monday Morning Musing post. If you've followed any of my posts on other blogs (Paranormal Romantics and The Roses of Prose) you know my summer was chaos. Our no-longer-in-Arizona family, Son, DIL, Toddler Girl, and their two dogs--Big (Lab) and Bigger (Great Dane) lived with us for two months while they searched for a house nearby. Happily, we all survived and are still friends. LOL What a wonderful bonding, esp. with Toddler Girl.

Knowing that our routine would be non-existent, I decided I wouldn't stress out over not writing, that included this weekly blog. I just enjoyed each day. They now have a house (about 2 miles from us). We all have our own space again. Although Son and DIL had jobs to go to each day, our house isn't large. In fact, it's just right for two people. But . . .

The best part was getting to know our daughter-in-law better. I am so blessed. Smart Son for marrying her. The time with Toddler Girl was marvelous. Watching her vocabulary grow and her imagination develop made me so proud. Signs of the "terrible two's" began near the end of their stay. Thank Goodness. LOL She's still such a sweetie. The older grandkids had a great time with her. I wasn't surprised at how the oldest (10) enjoyed playing with her cousin. The surprise came when I saw how nurturing the 7.5 year old was. I thought he would (sort of) ignore her since she's a girl. He didn't. He helped her make a spaceship out of a box, helped her decorate it, and together they "zoomed" into outer space. As for Toddler Girl, she is madly in love with her cousins.

Now that everyone is settled (sort of) in their respective homes, school has started, and so have routines. I'm back to writing in the mornings. Before summer began, I was writing a novella that takes place in Far Haven (the fictional resort town on Lake Michigan, home of Alex O'Hara, PI). I was a little over a third into the story. Now I have the last big scene to write and the ending. Then it's editing, revising, and proofing before it goes to my freelance editor. I hope to have From Jailbirds to Wedding Bells available in November.

Along with keeping stress out of my life by not writing this blog, I also didn't plan to write much during the family stay. Then one of the authors who's part of the group newsletter I participate in thought of a great idea. (She thought it was great. LOL) We'd all submit a short story for an anthology that we'd give away to new subscribers to our newsletter, because we all have a short story or two laying around. Right? Not me. And I had to write it in a month. Yikes! I took another character from Far Haven and wrote a short mystery. As soon as it's available, I'll let you know.

I lined up a few book festivals to participate in. They are listed on my website. This Saturday (Sept. 23) I'll be at the Alpena (MI) Book Festival. I did this all-day event last year and had a wonderful time. If you're in the area, please stop by and say hi.

This Wednesday, I'll begin a new venture as a contributor to an online magazine, Pandora's Box Gazette. My column on Family Life will appear on the 3rd Wednesday of each month.

Busy, busy, busy. I'm having a great time writing and more fun talking (either in person or online) with so many terrific people.

How was your summer?