IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE: Book 1 ... Check! Distractions Events Zahra's Fun Fact My Personal Gossip |
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With the release of Society of the Sentinelia, I can finally and officially say the book is done. The feeling of accomplishment wrapped in appreciation and drizzled with awe is surreal. And while I'm excited to have this book out there as I plan signings and visits, I'm even more excited to get back into editing the draft of book 2, THE BLIND FAIRY. Once it's ready to be sent to my editor, I'll complete the draft of book 3, OMEGA CRAG. Then, this November, the plan is to draft the yet-to-be-named book 4. Meanwhile, book 5 drifts within reach as ideas—which I jot and set aside (affix to my home office wall or desk on sticky notes) in preparation for drafting the finale of the Zahra of the Uwharries series— drip through my subconscious into existence. The process, from thoughts, to drafts, through revisions, to finalization, to publication is absolutely magical. |
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It was an honor to write a guest blog for fellow middle grade author Katie Carroll. The blog discusses distractions. Good ones. The kind that somehow got me through the hectic nature of publishing a book while working full time. The distractions that kept me sane. |
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I'm slowly beginning to book author events. As I do, I'll include them both on my website and in my monthly newsletter. Here's my latest: |
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You probably know that trees are important to Zahra. Her fun fact this month is all about them. Did you know, there are about 3 TRILLION trees on Earth? That's more than there are stars in the Milky Way, which has up to about 400 billion. |
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My patience ran out with the unidentified non-squash monster plants. It was a crime of passion in defense of the rest of our crops. A sacrifice for the greater good. A couple of months ago, I purchased four squash plants. Two were supposed to be yellow squash. Two were supposed to be zucchini. I planted all four plants, but lost the labels. Two plants died. The remaining had to be either yellow squash or zucchini. I'd have been happy with either. The surviving plants grew and grew. The leaves shaded my pepper seedlings. They covered and began to stunt my cucumber vines. They encroached upon my tomatoes and nearly killed my basil. Pruning was necessary to save my future produce. The unidentified squash plants bloomed over and over with lots of flowers, undaunted by the pruning. I kept waiting for either a yellow squash or zucchini to appear. The flowers dropped, but there was no squash. The plants kept growing. |
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My baby cucumbers—yes, the vines that grew from seeds planted weeks after the unidentified non-squash monster plants took root already had vegetables forming—were being choked out by monsters that produced nothing but giant leaves, thick stems, and flowers that bloomed, then dropped. Something had to be done. So I did it. I slipped on my gardening gloves, grabbed the pruning shears, and yanked and cut until the unidentified non-squash monster plants lay in a lifeless heap on the ground. As brutal as it sounds, I'm not ashamed. I have no regrets. My cucumber vines immediately perked up and spread out. My tomato plants offered up a few ripe cherry tomatoes as a thank you for relieving them of the invasive monsters. The pepper seedlings now stand tall, reaching for the sun. Even my mature grape vine, several feet away and not threatened by the unidentified non-squash monster plants, looked happier after the gruesome deed was done. |
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