Hi All!

Well, August came and went–rather flew. Fall is my favorite time of year, so I’m mostly happy it’s September. I love the colors of fall, the mums, the crisp air, and, of course, pumpkin spice everything!

In book news, I have a lot that I’m juggling. First, I have written about 60K words toward my first draft of novel three. While I was hoping to get a full draft done before the end of summer, I remind myself to be forgiving when I don’t meet the goals I’ve established. At least, I’ve made considerable progress, and I’m well into the groove of these characters and this story. 

For All That is Sacred, I have seen a draft of my cover and work has begun to put together a book trailer (yes, like a movie trailer, but for a book instead). I am brimming with excitement to see the finished products and to share them with all of you. I also filled out an application (which I didn’t realize I’d have to do such a thing) for an audio reader. With each step, I’m learning more about this process and trying to savor every moment of it.

I scheduled my first live author event at our very own indie bookstore, ReRead Books & More in Cheshire, CT on September 17th from 11 AM to 4 PM. It will be their First Annual Writers’ Festival featuring authors of many genres from across CT to speak, read, sign their books… I hope if you are in the area, you’ll stop by!

Lastly, an occasional essay (a short piece of nonfiction) “Living in a Bag of Sugar” I wrote was selected for publication in an anthology called Smoke, Blokes and Jokes of Foggy Town London, published by Red Penguin Books. It’s a collection of stories about travel to London that will be out sometime this fall. London is truly one of my happy places in the world. I’ve traveled there several times with my British literature students, visiting many locales that appear in the curriculum, in addition to some personal trips. Oh, the stories about London I have to tell seem infinite. This one happens to be about my daughter (at age 5) attempting to decipher our tour guide's British accent.

Much to my chagrin, the school year began on Tuesday, August 31st. Don’t get me wrong, I do love teaching and my students, but I can always use just two more weeks of summer. So begins the challenge of balancing author life (which feels like it’s about to go full throttle soon) with school and personal life. “I think I can, I think I can, I know I can.”

Until next time…