Hi All!

It’s August already. While I love August, it always seems so short because I know summer’s end is fast approaching. It gives me pause to remind myself to “enjoy the moment.”

In book news, I’m waiting. The thing about publishing that I’m learning is that it takes a great deal of time to get from one stage to the next. I have been told my book will be released early 2023 and I should receive notes from my line editor by the end of summer. While content edits deal with plot and characterization, line edits focus on style (word choice, sentence structure, grammar, tone). 

While waiting, I’ve attended five webinars focused on marketing, everything from how to navigate social media to what an author should be doing to prepare for a book launch. I hadn’t realized how much goes into putting a book out into the world. To that end, I’m making lists of influencers to review my book. I created a timeline to keep myself organized (because that’s my personality–as right-brained of a writer I am, I am equally left-brained in the business of running my life).

In keeping with the “enjoy the moment” philosophy, my family and I finally got to our happy place, Cape Cod. For the first two days there was record heat, but the water and sea breeze kept it palatable. I woke up each morning with the sunrise which meant I had about two hours of uninterrupted writing time (book 3 is well underway) before others in the house awoke. Let me tell you, there is nothing more inspiring than writing on the deck under a pastel sky and hearing the water lap on the shore. One morning, my daughter and I set out on a quest to photograph images for content (either for social media or ads) for my book. I bought various colors of sea glass, a candle and a small beach-themed wall hanging, in addition to plucking a few seashells from the beach to style in various configurations. My daughter has a good eye for such things and we had a lot of fun in the process. I also managed to read two books: The Things We Lost by Maggie Giles and Know My Name by Chanel Miller. It was a restorative week for sure and I loved every minute of it.

I hope you and yours enjoy every last bit of summer!  Until next time...