So... It’s been several weeks since I’ve posted anything. I thought I might catch some people up to date as to what I’ve been up to.
Christmas is coming in way to fast.
I’ve had to scale back some of my holiday baking. It is what it is. My poor
feet can’t take standing for hours on end anymore. My mind says “Yeah, you can
do this!” and my body says, “Oh the hell you say!”
I’m expecting an overnight guest, who I truly love. I was such good friends with her mum, who sadly died a few years ago, on her daughter’s birthday no less. But her daughter and I became close friends very quickly. I’m looking forward to her visit. I’m doing salade avec du fromage de chevre cuit au four. In other words, goat cheese with pecans, baked on salad greens. Then Steak au Poive, with a brandy cream sauce. A personal favorite. I got some fresh cherries recently, so I decided to make a cherry pie. Can’t wait for that. I do love me some cherries. I’m so happy that I will get to spend some time with her.
I’ve been writing a new series that I hope everyone likes. So far, the beta readers have liked it. So, this friend that is coming for a visit happened to sneak her way into this story. When I told her, I think she just about pissed herself laughing. A ‘Jillaroo’. Yeah, this story is writing itself and I'm thinking it will be a series. Three books at least!
I finally got the site for the new
chicken coop set up. So close to being done I can’t wait, but I will have to,
until after Christmas. I’m thinking I may do a mix of chickens, but not sure of
which ones. There is a new breed that was developed by a professor in Tasmania.
I’ll try and keep everyone updated as to how it goes.
Some of you may remember how much I
enjoy playing in the dirt... a.k.a. gardening. The vegetable garden is well and
truly going nuts. I hope I don’t end up with a ton of zucchini this year. But
I hope to have enough fresh veg to get me through most of the year. It is very
satisfying to walk out of the grocery store with only the things I cannot
provide from my own plot of land. I can’t make toilet paper, after all. Oh, and
Banjo loves garden time!
Banjo and his muddy face after garden time.
Now, writing: I’d forgotten how much
I enjoyed writing and the process of telling a story. Letting the characters
guide me and reveal themselves. The shaping of the main characters is so
exciting, and it makes me happy to hear them speak, but my excitement really
takes over when the secondary characters come to life. I’ve always thought that
the supporting characters are just as important as the people are in real life.
So... I will have a new book out
next year. I’m hoping to have to all ready by the end of January. It is a story
that I’ve thought about for years. There is a lot of me in this book. Write
what you know, right? Well, I’ve done just that. I know food. Can you guess what it's about?
My grandmother was a key source of
inspiration here. I can remember being in the kitchen at four years old and
‘helping’ make pancakes on Saturday mornings. I did that for years, until she
had a stroke and couldn’t cook anymore. However, I remembered that recipe and
it is how I make pancakes to this day, as well as cornbread.
The title... HA! You’re gonna have
to wait for that. The incredible AJ Corza is working on the cover, as she’s
done almost every cover! I asked for simple. Now, as for covers, I’m thinking I
may be a little tired of seeing hunky, nearly naked men on covers. Let me know
what you guys think. I’ll be very interested. So, speak up you cover whores.
Now, back to this series I’m working
on. I’ve already completed the first book and it’s out for beta reads and then
onto the editor. And yes, I have started on the second book already and I think
I’m about a good one-third done. Yep, those secondary characters are fighting
for the spotlight.
I know that everyone is feeling the
economic crunch. I don’t think that there is anyone who isn’t feeling it. Well,
the ones who aren’t millionaires or billionaires. So, I decided to expand how
many books I put on Amazon Kindle. I am not a fan of Kindle Unlimited because
they demand that you take your work off other platforms. That and the cozy
nature of the top dog of Amazon being BFF’s with the current Administration.
I’ve posted several times about
Banjo, my Border Collie. He’s a delight and a mess, and a complete sook. For
those who are unfamiliar with that word, it basically means he’s an attention
whore. He loves people and particularly children. He’s so gentle with the
little ones and a little more rambunctious with the older ones who love to
play. And let me tell you, he loves, and I do mean really loves the beach. We
try and get there at least once a week.
I have a New Year’s revolution. I am
going to sponsor a child in my community for one year. It is through the Smith
Family Foundation, and I hope everyone will check them out.
www.thesmithfamily.com.au. (Link below.) If there is anyone who knows me, I am always
standing on my soapbox about giving, even if it’s just a smile. You can wrack
up some really cool Karma Coins by doing something, no matter how big or small,
for someone else. I will always recall what my grandmother said. “If we have a
place to sleep, a roof over our heads and food to eat, we’re doing better than
someone else, so it won’t hurt you to give to those who aren’t as well off as
we are.” I have always tried to live by those rules. However... the last few
years were really tough on me medically and I just wasn’t able to do much.
I will add here that each year I adopt
two families from Lifeline, a charity here in Australia. They will have a list
of families in need, and I try and do two of those families. This year was a
single father with two sons, age ten and six. The other was a Nan, a father and
a son. I try and do fun stuff for the kids and things I hope will come in handy
for the household. I get two large tubs from Bunnings (like Home Depot in the
states) and fill them up!
I hope that everyone has a great
holiday season. That’s it for me now. Go on out there and get you some of those
Karma Coins!
See you next year!
