A PEEK AND A POEM

Hi all! Poking my head out of my writing cave to give you a sneak preview of coming attractions. But before I get to that, a quick update entitled “Meanwhile back at the ranch…” Here in sunny Sacrament, my garden is blooming where trenches aren’t dug. What trenches, you might ask? Those would be the ones dug in our backyard as part of our garage conversion, which, when it’s completed, will be the hubby’s man cave/studio. We had talked about making my “she shed,” but this girl needs an office close to the kitchen where she can keep an eye on any bread dough that might be rising there and keep an ear out for the oven timer. I’m still baking, though not as much lately, largely due to my writing commitments. (Check out my cookbook SOMETHING WARM FROM THE OVEN, to see my recipes.)

Speaking of my writing, as you know if you’ve my following posts, my latest novel ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is due to be released on September 24th of this year. I’m so excited for it to be bringing this book into the world, and hopefully into your hands, at long last. It’s been an eventful time in my life, and much like our house remodel, one that’s shaped by “blood, sweat, and tears,” and filled with surprises and “reveals.”

The writing of ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW was a deeply personal journey for me. First, because the writing itself came at a challenging in my life when I was dealing with upheavals (relocating from New York City to Sacramento was just the tip of the iceberg). Second, because the story reflects aspects of my life. They say “write what you know,” and I always have, or rather, I’ve created fictionalized versions of events in my life. I could relate to my main character, Kyra, as she’s making her cross-country flight in escaping her abusive husband, because I once made a similar move in moving from California to NYC, where I started over and made a new life for myself and my children with little more than a wish and a prayer.

The friendships that form in ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW between Kyra and the group of women she meets in Gold Creek who call themselves the Tattooed Ladies is based on my circle of writer friends, Jen Tucker, Samantha Bailey, Meredith Schorr, Julie Valerie, Francine Lasala, and Josie 
Brown. We call ourselves the Beach Babes because we used to meet every year in January at a beach house in Santa Cruz for our annual writers’ retreat (we still get together, though in other places nowadays). Like the “Ladies” of my novel, we come from different walks of life and are different ages, but what we have in common is our love for one another and our love of books, both the ones we read and the ones we write.

Now for the promised “peek.” It’s a first, folks. As in the first time I’ve kicked off a novel with an original poem, and also the first anyone’s seen it. The poem was written by my sister Karen, who is an amazing artist and poet (follow Karen Goudge Potter on Facebook and Instagram, or check out her website, to see more of her or gorgeous works). I commissioned it and she came through with the loveliest poem, one that brought tears to my eyes when I first read it. It’s not only beautifully written but it reflects Kyra’s journey, one that’s driven by a mix and fear and hope that ends with her reinventing herself in ways she couldn’t have imagined. I hope you enjoy it. And speaking of kickoffs, I hope your summer is off to a good start wherever you are!

All They Need to Know

All they need to know,
Is that I’ve traveled on the wind,
Carried along by tumbling woes,
Wondering where it will end.
Life cannot be trusted,
Any more than the wind,
It mows down hearts and lives,
And then, it begins again.
 But the wind blows through this endless blue,
Filled with dancing clouds,
That move to allow the sunlight to,
Shine where love abounds.

— Karen Goudge Potter