Coffee in March

Good morning, Everyone.

 I am in my office. It is brisk and blustery, but the sound of the ocean surf and the view can’t be beat. Grab your coffee. Let’s catch up.

If we were having coffee together, I would report that Matt and I decided to stay on Hilton Head Island near the kids for another two weeks. We had to move from the Coligny apartment and took a VRBO rental in Palmetto Dunes. We enjoy the ocean view, grill and picnic area, and, to my granddaughter’s delight, a pool. It’s a cool dip, but where there is water, there must be an immersion—my girl!).

If we were having coffee together, I would tell you I have been participating in the Women In Publishing Summit Conference this week, coordinated by the amazing WIP Alexa Bigwarfe. The workshops are jam-packed with incredible information on writing, editing, marketing, design—everything an author cannot get enough of. The industry constantly changes and it’s imperative to keep up with the resources and protocols.

If we were having coffee together, I would remind everyone that March is full of special days, weeks, and month celebrations. In my world, there are two biggies. The first is National Women’s History Month honoring women who sacrificed, persevered, and forged paths to make the world a better place for Everyone. There are amazing women who, over the ages, made their mark and secured memorable legacies. It is an impressive sisterhood, but truth be told, I am more in awe of women who humbly carry on through the obstacles, limitations, and hardships they were born into. Despite the difficulties, they pursued their vision for a better life and had the courage and passion to express beauty, justice, and discovery. You know these women. They have crossed our life’s paths in the form of teachers, hairdressers, grandmothers, sisters, social workers, and that nice lady across the street. They inspired the best in us, creating a memorable legacy. 

The other March celebration is National Reading Month. Read a book. There is a dent in my TBR list. I finished two middle grade books and recommend The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Remington and The Summer We Found The Baby by Amy Hest. I also enjoyed The Falconer’s Apprentice by Malve von Hassell and the Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles. My grandkids and I continue to read and reread The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton and the Mermaid in the Bathtub by Nurit Zarchi. 

If we were having coffee together, I would announce that I finished the very rough draft of Becoming America’s Stories Book 2. I found the ending! The title changed to The Hearts of Sluggers and Singers, or maybe it will be The Hearts of Singers and Sluggers. Does anyone have a thought on those titles? I have to say that my new virtual Writers in the Morning Group had a lot to do with this boost in productivity and focus. It’s amazing what I can do when the day starts with encouragement and affirmation, and that I am expected to work for a certain amount of time. Now I’m onto the next step—putting parts together and filling in the gaps. I am also toying around with loglines and story descriptions.

How was your writing this week?

That’s it, Everyone. Thank you to Natalie the Explorer for keeping Weekend Coffee Share up and running.

Have a good week. Make it Funtastic.

Attention Teachers and Librarians

March is National Reading Month!

Schedule your virtual and live Book Club Events and Creative Writing Workshops.

Download FREE Curriculum Connections

If you had purchased a paperback or ebook Daily Bread and/or Becoming America’s Food Stories—Thank you!

Take a picture of you with Daily Bread and/or Becoming America’s Food Stories, and I’ll send you Reader’s Swag and add you to the Becoming America’s Stories Readers slideshow, coming soon! Kid pics are welcomed with parent or guardian permission. Don’t forget to leave a rating and quick comment on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

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