It’s been a while…..

I’m not very good at this, am I? That’s why I decided to blog again. At my own pace, and when I really have something to say. Today’s writers are told to build their platforms. Honey, the only platform I know is the shoe kind. We’re also told to be active on social media. That’s a loaded request! Have you been on social media lately??? Telling an introvert who only wants to sit in her office and write away (or stare out the window), is like telling a sloth to run the NY marathon! Might take a while, darling. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m sitting in my office staring out the window, or going for my weekly one hour beach walk, or typing away at our fixer-upper lake house to the sound of chainsaws and hammers. (I do my best suspense writing there, since murder is always on my mind when I hear drills and hammers.) Just kidding. My husband is a saint, really!

https://depositphotos.com/portfolio-12982378.html

But we do what we can, where we can, when we can. I like socializing online. It’s the perfect distraction when you just need about 20,000 more words and you can’t even think up one word.

So you go down the rabbit hole. Say you’re researching a location. Before you know it you’re watching baby goats at play, or you’re laughing at a cute kitten jumping in the air. Or you’ve ordered new shoes and a nice purse, because you stumbled onto a site that is the perfect vacation resort, so you plan to go there–one day. But you never did finish that research on the small town where your story needs to be set.

But we tend to get the work done, somehow. I always think I’ll miss the deadline and I’ll be short on words. I’ve never missed a deadline and I always run over the word count. And since I’m celebrating my 80th book with Harlequin and Love Inspired, I guess I’m doing okay. Only I want to go back and edit and rewrite most of those books! (We writers are so very neurotic, too.)

We also love to celebrate milestones, and each other. The writing community is a loyal, support community. My author friends have helped me through the rough times and partied with me through the happy times. So I like to brag on them, too. But see for yourself. Here are some of my favorites:

And here are a few of mine. Most of my scheduled books this year are in the fall:

So you’re all caught up on my “glamorous” life. I work in yoga pants and long t-shirts, I have chocolate crumbs all over my laptop. I have candy wrappers in my trash can. I stare out the window, at the hibiscus blooms and the palm trees. I like beautiful, positive things. I love books, and reading, and always learning. I appreciate my readers and I love my writing friends. Okay, that’s about enough words for today. Please read books. Please enjoy books. And pass them on because a book can be the gift that keeps on giving. And all writers need that!