Hi, everybody. Hope you had a great week and are looking forward to an even better one. They say the weather here mid-week will be fantastic and with the 4th coming up, that’s good news. Tuesday is my oldest granddaughter’s birthday. She’ll be 14. You know how old that makes me feel? Well, you don’t want to know and neither do I. 🙂
Actually I was 14 when I met my husband at a football game. I hate to admit it, but I didn’t go to football games to watch football back then. I was watching the guys on the sidelines. At any rate, Darrell and I met and the moon and the stars must have been lined up just right, because we’re still together all these years later. And yes, I was way too young to be out looking for the right guy. Guess I was blessed to find that right guy first time around. And now my granddaughter is going to be 14, but thank goodness she’s not in as big a hurry as I was to go out boy hunting. Fourteen seems really young to me now, but I felt plenty old then. The perspective changes with age.
I got to see all my kids and their families this week. Not all at the same time, but all in the same week which is a gift. I have one son in WV and one daughter in SC and one son closer to home right here in my hometown. We went to see the son & family in WV the first of the week. His wife’s a little over 7 months along carrying twins and she’s getting tired, but so far, so good. We’re praying she’ll be able to endure a few more weeks and deliver wonderfully healthy baby boys some time in August. But summertime is a hard time to be expecting.
Then my daughter came home for a visit the end of the week and we had a great time. We went to the Kentucky Horse Park along with my other son and family. One of his daughters, age 6, is horse crazy. She decided she might like to redecorate her bedroom like the tack room that was on display in the visitors center except she’d have to have a window to see the horse next to the tackroom. You can tell she hasn’t been in a lot of barns.
So it wasn’t a good week production wise writing. I’ve been trying to meet a self-set goal of so many pages a day, but you know, you’ve got to put in the days. Still I guess everybody needs a few days off now and again. Especially in the summertime.
And I got some great news. Revell is offering a contract for the book I wrote based loosely on some of my mom’s memories of growing up during the depression. It’ll be a while before it’s out on the market, but the story is extra special to me because of how Mom shared her memories with me to help me know how things were back then. I’ll be sure to let you know more about the story down the road. I titled it Angel Sister, but titles sometimes get changed.
Now the publication date for The Outsider is drawing closer and closer (along with my twin grandsons’ birthday to be). I’m hoping to take part in a book celebration at the Paul Sawyier Library in Frankfort, KY on August 2 (again if the twins don’t decide to make their appearance that weekend). And then I’ll be having another booklaunch party at Corinth Bookstore in Frankfort. We haven’t set that date yet, but we’re considering when. It’s hard to plan with those babies on the way. I’m the designated babysitter for their other children as well as naturally anxious to see my new grandbabies.
The folks at Corinth Bookstore in Franklin Square have been so kind to help get my Hollyhill books off the launching pad each time. It’s great having such a nice store with so many great books and beautiful gift items and books and toys for kids. If you are in the area, check them out. For the owners, Bonnie and Steve, the store is a ministry and it shows. Of course I think books are the best gift ever. I love giving books and getting books.
And I did get some good news about a review of The Outsider. The Romantic Times Book Review Magazine chose my book as a Top Pick!! That’s not just good news. That’s great news! It’s always such fun when reviewers like your book. Not so much if they’re not as enthusiastic. I hope if you get the book, you will like it too and give it a good review to all your friends. There’s still a week or two before my drawing for the early autographed copy if you want to put your name in the pot. Just click on my website and send me an e-mail.
And a special thanks to Laura Frantz, a fellow writer with a book coming out from Revell next year, for her comment last week. Her book is tentatively titled Dogwood Winter and is set in frontier Kentucky. Sounds fascinating. And can you believe it? Her book has a frontier doctor in it the same as The Outsider.
Check back again next week. Maybe I’ll wax philosphical or something next week instead of being simply chatty. Hope you have a safe and happy 4th of July.