Taking Stock

This post has been a long time in coming. (I'm sure we'll all be sad to see Harry's face leave the masthead, but it must be done.)

In the past few months, so much has happened in my life--weddings, birthdays, a funeral, and travel travel travel--that every time I come here to write about it, there's too much to share. I don't know where to start.

There was the amazing trip to Greece in September (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. Le sigh.). My grandma's sudden and unexpected passing. A best friend's 30th birthday spent in a treehouse hotel. A January luau-themed surprise party in celebration of my mom's 50th. My darling niece's 1st birthday. My father-in-law's re-marriage, as well as a best friend's wedding. When you put it all together, I spent over seven weeks away from home in the last eight months. (Don't get me started on the nine-hour drive home. Ugh.)

And on top of all that, I fell off the blogwagon last summer when I suffered the worst migraine period of my life--having migraines three weeks out of every month from about May to September.

I began this blog to reach out to other writers and to talk about my own writing journey, but with my current focus on finding an agent (and my reluctance to discuss that publicly on the interwebs) I'm finding it hard to think about anything else. (Suffice it to say, it has been both encouraging and discouraging all in one, and I've never checked my email more!)

The reason all this has been on my mind? This is the last week of my twenties(!), and I feel I ought to take stock of my life to date. There are so many things I'm proud to have done in my twenties--finishing college (and more recently, paying it off), writing (and rewriting and rewriting) my novel, running a marathon, skydiving, training my cute puppy into a (mostly) well-behaved dog, traveling abroad alone, getting a tattoo--but there is so much more I want to do and accomplish in the next decade. I'm starting off my thirties with another adventure--friends and family are joining me on a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, something I've wanted to do since we moved here seven years ago. I'm also working my butt off toward my biggest goal--making my novel the best it can be (even if that means more revision) and securing an agent. And this summer, husband and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary (yes, we married young) and commemorate it with a return to England, my favorite place to travel.

So in sum, hello again. (*waves*) I will try to check in more frequently with what's certain to be an interesting year. Oh, and HUZZAH to 30!

Beautiful Malice

Having met Rebecca James through the wonderful world of writing blogs, I was more than a little excited to get my hands on a copy of her book. It didn't disappoint. James kept me turning the pages from the beginning. She had an interesting premise, peopled with unique characters who jumped off the page.

Katherine Patterson's secret lies at the heart of this story. She buries her past and begins anew by changing her name and moving to a new city, but eventually her past catches up with her. Her baby sister, Rachel, was tragically and violently murdered, and Katherine bears the burden of guilt, believing it was her fault. When Alice--beautiful and popular--befriends Katherine, she starts to think life can be normal and lets her guard down. But Alice has a secret too.

The story unfolds in terrifying ways, and although I guessed Alice's secret halfway through, it didn't deter me from reading faster to find out how it all ended.

Beautiful Malice explores the dark side of friendship, and although I haven't experienced a relationship this toxic, I could definitely identify with the familiar feeling of unease that Alice creates throughout. I highly recommend this psychological thriller. You can pick up a copy of Beautiful Malice in hardback on Amazon or in paperback here. Enjoy!

Reading Bees

Caroline Smailes' Like Bees to Honey was a haunting, thought-provoking look at one mother's struggle with the loss of her child. The book follows Nina Robinson, a woman born in Malta, who left to attend college in England, where she found love, but also loss. Nina falls pregnant while unmarried and in college, disgracing her traditional Maltese Catholic family, so her father shuns her. When she returns years later with her husband and young son, hoping for a reprieve, the family disowns her, unable to forgive her for shaming them.

After years of estrangement from her family, Nina returns to the island to deal with the recent death of her mother and to finally release her dead son, Christopher. Feeling like she has lost everything--her son, her mother, her culture--she almost loses herself to the vivid spirit world surrounding her. In a hilarious and refreshing turn, Jesus arrives--in the form of a beer-swilling, toenail-painting island rockstar--and guides her back from the brink by helping her understand her guilt over Christopher's death so she can forgive herself. A colorful cast of characters from the spirit world support Jesus in this mission to save Nina, including my favorites: Tilly, an angry, foul-mouthed ghost with unresolved issues, and Elena, Nina's aunt who also left the island for love.

As in previous novels, Smailes plays around with language and visual text to good effect. Rather than distracting, these elements add to the building narrative.

Reading Like Bees to Honey was like a magical trip to an exotic world where the curtain between this world and the next is lifted and what you discover is both familiar and remarkably new. In Smailes' Malta, spirits flock to the island to heal; it is a magical place teeming with centuries of tradition and culture, where the bridge between past, present, and the future beyond intertwine.

Pile of Books

I received more fun mail!


Rebecca James is a very lovely blogging friend, and her debut novel released in May in Australia. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my hands on a copy of the Australian version, so I have been waiting ever so patiently for Rebecca's book to release in the UK. (The US version released later and in hardback.) Lookey what I received:



Huzzah! Isn't it pretty?

While I delved into my final edits, I fell behind on my reading, and now I have a stack to dig into this week, starting with sweet Caroline's Like Bees to Honey and lovely Rebecca's Beautiful Malice. After that, I may have to dive back into the world of Sookie Stackhouse.

This summer is shaping up to be great.
(Psst. Please don't mention that it's already August! *Sticks fingers in ears* Lalala. Argh.)

Royal Mail

Yesterday a package arrived via Royal Mail:


Ooh, I love receiving mail approved by Her Majesty! I waited all week for this package, hoping it would arrive. Look what I found inside:


Lovely Caroline's newest book, Like Bees to Honey. Isn't it beautiful? I adore the cover. Last week I hosted a sneak preview, but I've been waiting for the real deal. There's something about holding a book in your hands, isn't there? I'm excited to dig in, now I just have to get through some Sookie books fast, since I'm on book three!

Nostalgia

Nostalgia is the scent of winter firewood lightly perfuming the dry high desert air. It is the crisp blue skies of morning, the swirling pink sunsets of twilight, and the inky black nights with a sparkling display of stars. It's the majestic view of mountains covered in snow, and the less charming sight of roadside snow colored deep red by the local cinders which provide traction against the ice. It is tall magnificent trees, mountain lakes, buttes, and the sparse high desert landscape of pine, juniper, and sage.
I am suffering from homesickness more and more lately. Bouts of crippling nostalgia overwhelm me at times, and I can hardly explain where they come from or why. I traveled home to Oregon five times last year--a record since we moved south--and that certainly hasn't helped matters. Although California is now my home, I don't always feel at home. I like living here. There are many great things about it, not least the mild climate and the wealth of activities and culture in the bay area. But sometimes I just miss the familiar:
I love the snow in winter, the dry heat, the unpredictable weather. Gorgeous mountain views greet you every morning. People are friendly and life is an adventure, not a race. Most importantly for me, I have a network of family and friends. I have a group of best friends--girls who have been there for me, whether near or far, for over a decade. You can't build that kind of life in six years, no matter how hard you try. I do love my little life here, but that's how it feels sometimes: little.

Eventful

I feel like I'm trying to keep up with the pace of life these past few months. A niece, reunions, bridal showers and weddings, a final draft, trips home, and a new hard drive are keeping me busy!

Two weekends ago my best friend got married. Eight years ago she was my maid of honor, and it was great to finally repay the favor. I spent the week leading up to her wedding at home in Oregon--throwing a bridal shower, celebrating with a bachelorette party (perhaps a few too many margaritas...), and rehearsing ("Please, please, don't fall down the stairs, Angie!"). The wedding went well, I didn't trip, and the bride was gorgeous!

Once I got home, I had to catch up on work and start retrieving what files I could. I found most of my music, with the exception of a few CDs. Thankfully, I always backup our pictures on our desktop, although I know I need to backup the last two or three years on disk now. Just in case. I lost a lot of my documents, but with the old backup version of my writing file I found, I am able to partially reconstruct my data.

However, I had to go back to the Apple store this week because the new battery they gave me was not working. It could not hold a charge at all, so any time I knocked my cord loose, the computer died. They replaced the battery and the battery connector (which was also new), and now it finally seems to be back up and running.

On a more exciting note, Husband took me up to San Fran for the Jewish BookFest on Sunday, where I heard Anita Diamant read from her new book, Day After Night, which looks amazing. It follows a group of young, female Holocaust survivors in the postwar period as they struggle to create a new life in Palestine, but they run into obstacles with the British Mandate and are imprisoned in camps on arrival. When I did research for my book, I learned about these incidents and was fascinated that I'd never heard more about it. I thought it would make an interesting book, and with Diamant's immense talents, I think it will be an excellent read. I also got my copy of The Red Tent signed. *squeals*

Now I'm turning my focus to my final revisions. I've received two of the reader reports back on my manuscript, and I need to make a plan for my final edits. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this....

Falling for Fall

...all over again.

I love autumn. I think it might be my favorite season. Of course I say that with the advent of spring and summer as well. And Christmas, if it can be considered its own season. (I love the snow of December, not so much February and March, so winter is out of the running.)

With the arrival of fall, all I can think about is pumpkin food!

pumpkins Pumpkins PUMPKINS

Pumpkin scones, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin frozen yogurt and ice cream, pumpkin muffins and bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin ravioli. Gordon Ramsay made a gorgeous pumpkin risotto the other day that had my mouth watering. (I found the recipe! Yay! Must try that next...)

My friend Kristen made a tasty pumpkin chili last night that was to die for. By the way, she just started a new blog called Frosting and Froth that focuses on food, fitness and books, where she also shares her yummy baking recipes and escapades. Check it out. She promises to try her September muffins with pumpkin puree soon!

The one thing pumpkin I don't like--brace yourself--is pumpkin pie. I didn't realize my love of pumpkins until later in life, because pumpkin pie clouded my judgment. Husband is one of the few others I know who doesn't like pumpkin pie. At Thanksgiving we have the fruit pies and the chocolate pie to ourselves, which is brilliant. However, we've discovered that we love pumpkins in just about every other form.

My love of fall foods doesn't end with pumpkins however. I've also developed a love for gourds. There, I've said it. Gourds. Particularly butternut squash. (And did I mention pumpkins?) And also sweet potatoes. None of these foods graced my family table growing up, so I've discovered them slowly over the years, and it's as if a gorgeous autumnal veil has been lifted from my eyes. Behold baked sweet potatoes (with marshmallows if I'm being naughty)! Butternut squash soup! Sweet potato fries! Butternut squash ravioli!

Oddly enough, despite this obsession with fall (and pumpkins), it's ridiculously hot outside, so I can't dive into the baking. It was 95 here yesterday, and today promises a high of 91. I think the autumn season became confused because it's late. I hope it arrives soon. I can't wait for the changing leaves and the arrival of gorgeous fall bounty at the market.

But while I wait, does anyone have any pumpkin recipes they'd like to share?

The Horror

...and some nice things.

We really know how to live it up here. We spent a wild and crazy Saturday night attempting to pull two ticks from Drew's belly. Unsuccessfully. Eurgh! It's no secret that I have severe arachnophobia, and that includes all the other nasty critters with creepy wiggly legs. I was a very brave mama holding the Drewser while Husband attempted the impossible feat, and I was bitten at least five times for it! (By Drew, not the critters!) If only Drew knew how much I love him in order to actually look at those nasty beasties. I nearly jumped out of my skin. *Shudders*
First thing Sunday morning we visited the vet, who pulled the buggers out and tested for Lyme Disease. All clear, thank goodness.


Now if I haven't already scared you away with my nasty tale, I do have something more positive to share. A "Love Ya" blog award from Aspiring Writer, Joanne. Here's a description of the award:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."

I don't feel like I deserve an award since I've been neglecting my blog lately, but I'm thankful for the acknowledgment, so this award means a lot to me. Cheers!

Like Joanne, I'm going to pass this award on to three lovely writing bloggers:

JJ over at Tea Stains has the most excellent taste in brew and is a lovely, supportive friend too. (Oh, I rhymed!)

Marmite & Tea has blogged about books for some time, but began the novel-writing journey last year and is a cheerful and enthusiastic blog chum.

I began blogging around the same time as Yvonne at It Had Better Be Good and we've been buds ever since. She recently finished the second draft of her first novel and is always an inspiration.

Love ya, ladies!

Pay It Forward

Back in January JJ over at Tea Stains was involved in a Pay It Forward gesture. She received a gift and was offering to pay that act of kindness forward to three people. I joined in because I love receiving packages and thought it was a neat idea. When I arrived home from Maui (more on that later), I received a lovely package from Thailand containing a writing notebook, a traditional Thai embroidered purse, a silver necklace made in the Karen Hill tribes, and a cute orange elephant.JJ is wonderful and I love everything!

I am now appealing for three people who’d like to receive a gift from me. You’ll owe me nothing. If you join you only have to agree to pay it forward, link back to me, and blog about it. What you send is up to you. The gifts don’t have to cost much--and can in fact be handmade--but should be fun, inspiring or uplifting.

Like JJ, I’m happy to send the package anywhere in the world. If you’d like to be one of three recipients for my Pay it Forward, then please leave a message in the comments. The first three to indicate that they’d like to join in will be the winners. And then I’ll need your postal addresses.

Best of luck!

Disraeli Avenue

Disraeli Avenue by Caroline Smailes


In this touching novella, Caroline Smailes provides fascinating glimpses into the lives of the 32 residents of Disraeli Avenue--the location of her first novel, In Search of Adam. She displays a strong grasp of the regional dialect and social mores of her characters.

Disraeli Avenue expands upon the characters and events that Jude mentions in In Search of Adam. I nearly cried when I read Crystal Williams’ chapter reflecting on Jude, her older sister, and I found myself getting angry while reading Aunty Maggie's reflections. However, ending the collection with Jude’s father somehow made the story feel resolved, and although he doesn't redeem himself completely, he does bring the story full circle.


If you want a copy of this limited edition book, head on over to Caroline's website, and donate to a worthy cause while you're at it.

On Balance

I received two rejection letters in the last two days, but I also returned home to my lovely signed and personalized copy of Caroline's Disraeli Avenue, an Amazon giftcard, and my beautiful present from husband, which I had to leave behind while we traveled to Oregon for Christmas last week:


I was also somewhat heartened to learn that the finalists and runner's up in the contest where I submitted one piece, included not only well-published writers, but also tenured writing professors.

I had a lovely time with family and friends, and we enjoyed a white Christmas, but I'm glad to be back in my own space with a return to 60-degree weather in California. (I think Drew would love to be a snow dog though.)

Farewell

Last night we enjoyed a proper farewell to summer.

We spent the evening picnicking on the grass at a local amphitheater, before being entertained by Augustana, a band I love, who opened for Maroon 5 (*swoon*) and Counting Crows.

The crisp evening signaled the coming season, but it wasn't too chilly to enjoy the open night air.

Amusingly, the moment the lights went down, puffs of smoke went up across the amphitheater. (And drunken dancing **COUGH-swaying** ensued.) Young techies--on the opposite end of the Bay Area spectrum--sat in front of us and entertained us with their 'social' interaction - they enjoyed the show together through the medium of videocameras and smartphone screens.

Augustana didn't play as many songs as I would have liked, but they played my favorite--Boston--and did it well. Maroon 5 performed perfectly live. I've lost respect for many bands who can't hash it out on stage, but they rocked. No wonder Adam Levine gets all the girls. Adam Duritz had a completely different stage presence, and as my friend commented, it almost felt like musical theater because he was so expressive and dramatic. They mostly sang songs from their new album--very angsty folk (or is it folksy angst?)--and Husband was bummed to miss the Shrek song, aka, Accidentally in Love.

All in all, a beautiful end to summer.

Friendship

Lovely Alix of Marmite and Tea gave me this Friendship Award, which made my day:I can't imagine a prettier award.

Since it cheered me so much, I want to pass it along to a few of my special blogfriends.

JJ over at Tea Stains is a wonderfully supportive fellow writer and tea lover. Sending you pretty teacups for the perfect cuppa PG Tips (my fave too), JJ.

Yvonne over at It Had Better Be Good is a kindred writing soul whose sheer determination and upbeat spirit always inspire me.

Caroline of In Search of Adam fame, writes a popular blog and lovely books, but is always generous with her time and encouragement to new writers.

Hullaballoo over at Hullabrouhaha always cheers me with her sunny and cheeky posts. Hope these pretty teacups add to her new places in blogland and Scotterland.

Lane over at Lane's Write first caught my attention with her cleverly named blog. Her posts always make me giggle, and she is a supportive writerly friend. These teacups should fit well with her little teacup family.

Lifting my cuppa up to these lovely blog friends, whose friendship I greatly appreciate, as well as the many others I didn't mention. Cheers!

Ho ho ho and Oh oh oh!

It's Christmas over at Caroline's. Copies of her novella, Disraeli Avenue, are now available for pre-order. The proceeds benefit the charity One in Four. The limited edition signed and numbered copies will make a lovely addition to your shelves, so hurry up and get your copy! I've already ordered mine.

In other news, I've cut my hair. Again. I'm not quite sure what all the fuss was about, because these are real bangs (fringe for all the UK readers):
Oh yes, and did I mention I cut off all of my hair? Oh dear, oh dear. (Okay, actually it's fun and requires hardly any effort, but I realize some people just don't like short hair on girls, and I feel slightly self-conscious.)

I've been out with a migraine most of this week, so I'm struggling to keep pace with everything, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon. I'm almost to the halfway mark with my editing, which is exciting. It only hit me how far along I've gotten on Monday when I noticed I was on manuscript page 128! I'll give another writing update soon after I catch up with everything.

Oh, and did I mention tennis? First the Olympics, and now the US Open. Sport is taking over our Tivo!

Grace

I may have mentioned before that I'm a bit clumsy. (Thus the nickname Grace in high school.) I'm actually quite good at it though. I trip so often that I rarely ever fall. The last time I actually fell, I was back home, hiking here: Sadly, the picture makes my fall look much more dignified than it was. I didn't fall on one of the steep grades--though I tripped there as well--no, I fell on a flat gravel trail, right around here: After taking some pictures, I ran to catch up with my friends, and as usual I wasn't looking where I was going. I ripped my favorite jeans, but by sleight of hand, I did save our brand new camera, at the expense of my forearm.

So back to the present. Friday evening I'm in San Francisco celebrating with a friend. We're walking and chatting, and naturally I'm not watching where I'm going, which is dangerous enough given the state of the pavement there, but worse considering the 4" wedges I was wearing. I began crossing the street and in mid-sentence, before I can even finish saying Victori--BAM! I'm on the ground, in the middle of the street, in front of a car. *sigh* At least I saved my brand new jeans this time.

Happy Fourth!

An old friend is in town so we're heading up to San Fran to celebrate her birthday with dinner and the traditional 4th of July fireworks over the bay. Should be brilliant. Enjoy the holiday.

100 words

Lovely Helen set up a new blog with a challenge to the contributors: write 100 words each day. For a group of us who have been floundering, it's a great motivator, and 100 words is very doable.
Since I finished the first draft in April, my days have been filled with light grammar editing while I type Type TYPE. After I was a few chapters in, I also began the more intense substantive edit with Chapter One.
But I haven't created anything new. I'm using this challenge to write whatever I fancy each day, be it a short story, work on novel two, or writing new scenes for novel one. I need to keep my writing skills sharp and my confidence high (or at least keep it from being so low).
Off I go...wish me luck.

Peeking in

...to say hello.

My posts have been sporadic lately. I'm busy busy busy preparing. Yesterday I scrubbed the bathroom, today I went grocery shopping, and tomorrow I scrub the living room and bedroom. We have guests coming.

Two of my best friends are getting married this weekend. To each other. I'm very excited and proud to admit that I set them up. Husband and I are in the wedding. Huzzah!

Two old friends are coming to stay with us for the weekend to attend the wedding, then my sister and her boyfriend are coming to stay all next week. I had to plan meals for four people for a week. I'm used to shopping for two or for the occasional dinner party. Apparently sissy's boyfriend eats like a teenage boy. Oh dear. I do hope doubling our normal rations will be enough.

In addition, I'm trying to wrestle down chapter three, which insists on being difficult and insolent. Currently chapter three is winning this battle, but just wait until I print it out and attack with a red pen. (Mwah ha ha!) I decided I need some outside writing input. I tried to find a good writing group in the area, but after searching in vain, I signed up for an advanced novel writing course online. The course begins in June and my teacher, a published novelist whose book I want to read, is local. I'm going to see her do a reading next month. I'm very excited.

Giggles and Girly Time

A week ago Husband surprised me with a Thursday night date to go see In Bruges, which ended up being the funniest movie I've seen in ages. It's been awhile since I've laughed that hard. The humor was admittedly shocking in parts, but I loved the mix of dry humor with in-your-face absurdity. Artistically the film was beautiful as well, with stunning screen shots of the namesake city. I just thought I would mention it here because I highly recommend the film.

Tomorrow morning I leave on an early flight to Portland,where I will be spending the weekend with friends to celebrate my best friend's bachelorette party. Sure there will be drinks and all that jazz, but in our true style the highlights will include the many coffeeshop visits (especially if the rainy forecast holds), hours spent perusing Powell's, arguably the best bookstore in the US, and manicures followed by an afternoon of high tea. Bliss.

Ciao until next week!