IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE: July 4 Miracle Virtual Book Launches Sparks in the Night Summer Read Zahra's Earth-Friendly Tip My Personal Gossip My Books |
|
|
JULY 4 MIRACLE Eighteen months. That's how long it's been since we first contacted our pool company and tried to get on the liner replacement schedule. We suspected back then it was slowly leaking water. Then again, the water could've been evaporating. We had a lot of hot days. The neighbors took down the giant oak in their backyard. Our pool was in full sun until 4 p.m. When we couldn't get on the 2020 spring pool liner replacement schedule, we decided evaporation was likely the culprit. It wasn't. By August of 2020, after refilling the pool over and over—which also meant re-balancing the chemicals repeatedly—we put a deposit on a liner. But by then, interruptions in manufacturing caused by the pandemic made it next to impossible to acquire an oval-shaped pool liner. It wouldn't be replaced until the spring. Armed with our deposit and determination to satisfy their customer, our pool retailer did some manufacturer hopping and got a liner ordered. Mother's Day has always been the day of my first float of the season. Mother's Day came and went. Father's Day would have been fine—Hubby certainly deserves to embark on the honorary "first float." Father's Day came and went. We didn't get our hopes up for July 4. We decided this would be the infamous summer without a pool. Then, out of nowhere, the email arrived. The liner was in North Carolina. Our pool person sent someone to pick it up in person. She also scheduled the install for immediately. It's a July 4 miracle! We WILL have the pool open for our traditional July 4 family backyard cookout. We WILL be able to cool off in a giant oval of crisp, beautiful, salty water in July, August, and September. I WILL float again and take pictures of my toes. And I WILL schedule a pedicure! |
|
|
As a way to celebrate and market newly released books of SCBWI-Carolina's members, our regional team began hosting Virtual Book Launches (VBLs). As a volunteer, I had the privilege of interviewing Bea Birdsong for the launch of her picture book, How to Spot a Best Friend. |
|
|
I first met Bea during the 2018 SCBWI-Carolinas conference in Charlotte. It was my first conference and I attended alone. Bea was with a group of friends, but reached out and invited me to sit with them at the luncheon. As we talked that afternoon, I learned her first book was under contract to be published in 2019. Going into the VBL on June 24, I knew firsthand How to Spot a Best Friend came from an authentic place in Bea's heart. During the event, we discovered being kind, inclusive, and comfortable with and true to one's self are all themes that resonate in her beautiful picture books. |
|
|
I've been waking in the wee hours of not yet morning but nearly past nighttime with ideas. The ideas are for books. Specifically, picture books. This phenomenon is (I hope) common for writers and other creatives. It's happened before, but not since I woke up at 4 a.m. and wrote the first page of the first draft of my first middle grade novel. |
|
|
As I pitch and query my first middle grade novel and edit the second in that series, my muse keeps poking me. The first time, I wrote a few notes. Later, I'll review the notes and decipher them into a book. Or not. The second time, I wrote the first draft of the picture book—the writing part, not the illustrations. I'm not an illustrator. Something may or may not bloom out of these projects. Meanwhile, I wonder if the sudden infusion of creativity from acting and (a very little bit of) singing in the summer musical has jarred a few ideas loose? |
|
|
I recently finished reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I loved it! It's every bit as good as The Martian. And while I recommend both of Weir's books, I decided to start a lighter read now that we might actually be hanging out at our pool during summer downtime. |
|
|
I perused one of the many shelves in our home that is about to collapse under the weight of books and picked out Traveling Light by Lynne Branard. She's from North Carolina and a New York Times bestselling author. It was an ARC that a colleague received, but wasn't going to review. So he asked if I wanted it. A book? Free? Yes, please. But I was busy. I set it aside. Several years later—that is to say, last week—I perused. Traveling Light caught my eye, so I picked it up and dusted it off. I'm five chapters in and already can confidently recommend Traveling Light as a wonderful summer read. I can't wait to finish it by the pool. |
|
|
ZAHRA'S EARTH-FRIENDLY TIP |
|
|
July 4 is upon us. It brings celebrations, cookouts, ball games, beach trips, pool parties, and ... fireworks. Zahra has an important reminder for those of you dabbling in noisy, fiery fireworks. Like dogs, birds, and many other animals, fireworks scare Zahra. |
|
|
While she would love it if fireworks didn't have to happen at all, she knows they will. She will be curled up inside a tree surrounded by magnolia leaves so she she doesn't have to hear all the scary booms. But she does want you to remember that, like her, many of our pets are just as scared of the thunderous sounds of fireworks. Zahra's Earth-friendly tip is to please be considerate and make sure your pets are not within earshot of the loud firework displays. Be sure to cuddle with and reassure your furry friends if they shake and become upset. |
|
|
Our quaint downtown has lots of antique stores. Walking up and down the aisles is like walking through time. Memories of my childhood are often sparked when I see a piece of furniture or old toy. It's a great place to find meaningful gifts and cool decor. |
|
|
On a recent trip, I was taken aback by a dollhouse. It was not a dollhouse I owned or played with as a child. But it was exactly like the one I pictured in my head when I wrote about Zahra hanging out in an old dollhouse when she visits her human friend. Two days after seeing the dollhouse, I had to go back and buy it. Now Zahra has a place to hang out in my office, which basically is an extension of my imagination. |
|
|
|
|
