Tennessee Text Wrestling

I’ve been slacking on the blog.  Why?  In a word:  BUSY.  Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to:

1.  Working on Patchwork Stained Glass, my novel-in-progress.  I’m moving along at a pretty good clip, considering all the demands on my time this summer.  And Heart’s Chalice, a subsequent novel-in-progress, is still on the agenda, but before I dive back into Heart’s Chalice, I’m going to work on another project, a super-nifty idea for a novel that lit up like the proverbial light bulb over my head.  I’m going to be mysterious about that one for a while (rubbing hands together, bwahahahaha).  But I will say this:  it’ll be significantly different — both in genre and in tone — from anything I’ve written thus far.

2.  Doing what I can to promote Mirror Blue, my published novel.  Online promotion is a challenge.  There are so many things an author can do online to promote a novel, but how much of it helps to reach readers?  Many promotional activities I’ve participated in have been writers talking to writers, with only a few readers involved.  Sure, it’s fun for us writers to talk amongst ourselves, but it doesn’t do much to help bring our books to the attention of readers.  No question about it, promoting fiction is tough.

But I’m hanging in there, and I’m keeping my mind open to all kinds of new possibilities.  And I’m thinking not only about Mirror Blue but the long haul to come:  Patchwork Stained Glass, the novel which will follow PSG (title TBA), Heart’s Chalice, etc.

3.  Gardening.  Picking cabbage, peppers, zucchini and squash.  The zucchini and squash are pretty much played out, but we’re still getting cabbage, peppers, corn and plenty of tomatoes.  Here’s a picture of our recently picked tomatoes.  Gotta make more pasta sauce, and tomato casserole is on the menu this week.

We still have multiple hills of potatoes.  Dug three hills today, and here is the result.  This week, we’ll be eating potato lasagna, mashed potatoes, and baked potatoes.

Our sunflowers have gotten huge, and pretty soon, we’ll have sunflower seeds — good snacking for both birds and for humans.

And the other day, I picked a hat full of wild blackberries for blackberry cobbler.  The cobbler turned out scrumptious!

4.  Hiking.  Busy as I am, I can’t stay off the trail, nor would I want to.  Being in the mountains helps keep me centered, no matter what might else be going on around me or inside me.  Peace — I crave peace in my life, and spending time in the mountains brings me peace.

To my delight, I found a Mushroomopolis on the mountain — a huge colony of mushrooms in a faerie ring around a tree, and climbing up it, too!  Such ambitious mushrooms, don’t you think?  They want to see through the forest canopy to the sky.

New ghost flowers are unfurling:

No matter how much time I spend on the mountain, the forest never fails to hearten and inspire me.  On every hike, there’s something new to see:  flowers, fresh plays of light and shadow on the trail, fascinating fungi, creatures large (rarely) and small (frequently).  Here is an assortment of pictures, accompanied by quotes which speak to me:

“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher.” ~William Wordsworth

“Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?” ~Rose Kennedy

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”
~Kahlil Gibran

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

5.  And just because it’s been a while, I’d like to share with you pictures of my Ballicai (otherwise known as cats):  four of the brightest lights of my life.  They make me laugh, they warm my heart, and their uncomplicated, unconditional love comforts me when I’m feeling down.

Here’s Brainball, my Lion Boy Alpha Cat:

Here’s little Dorydoo, kitty genius extraordinaire, with her aDORYble profile:

Here’s lovebug Marilyn MonREOW, a.k.a. my Lap Fungus (in this picture, she’s headed for my lap as I sit at my computer):

And here’s mischievous, playful, and very handsome MaoMao (also known as Monkey Mao because he’s always getting into everything):

My sweet Ballicai remind me that joy can be found in every moment of every day, if you know where to look for it.

“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” ~George Bernard Shaw