I’m like a kid with a new toy. I keep clicking on my website for no reason other than it makes me happy. Oh, I know I have other business with it. And I’ll get to that. But for now, I just want to look.
I only recently learned something I never knew. The first image that pops up on a homepage? It’s called the hero image. I love that. For my “hero” I chose the view out the window at the house I stay at in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, which my friend Jon Giswold, (who also happens to be a physical fitness expert, author, and expert knitter, among many other talents ) generously allows me to use for extended periods of time. The image you see was taken by my husband, during our vacation there last summer. One misty morning, when the light was at that magical moment of perfection, he dashed outside with his Nikon and grabbed the shot. Life is like that. Those magic moments are fleeing, so act fast.
A lot has happened since that summer day. I self-published the first book in my Cypress Bay mystery series, BONES AND ROSES. For months on end, I was crazy-busy, no time to so much as bake a pie. Flossing? Forget it. It’s a ton of work wearing two hats, I discovered. And I thought raising kids while writing books was hard! I don’t regret it for a moment. It was a crash course in publishing, and a revelation in many ways. I learned that what works for others doesn’t necessarily work for me. I had to reassess my priorities and come up with a workable plan for myself. And I did, which I’m happy about. My husband, Sandy, is still waiting on that pie, but the other day I baked banana bread.
I also discovered you can only sit at a computer for so long – we’re talking years – before it catches up with you. Sitting is the new smoking, as one friend put it. I developed back and neck problems and have been seeing a chiropractor which involves hours of physical therapy three times a week. I’m learning gobs about ergonomic bad habits, of which I have been guilty. I’ve gone from whining “Why is this happening to me?” to asking “Why did it take this long?” I was a train wreck in the making. I just didn’t know it. Oh well. Hindsight is 20/20. Which reminds me. At least I have my eyesight. Thank God for that. I’ve decided my strategy, moving forward, is to be grateful for what I still have instead of moaning about the body parts that are crapping out on me.
I leave tomorrow for Grantsburg, where I’ll be speaking at the library’s annual Spring Gala the following Saturday. Tickets are still available if you happen to be in the area.
I’m excited to get back to my adopted community and breathe the country air. I’m working on the final draft of Book 2 of my Cypress Bay mystery series, SWIMSUIT BODY. I also started a new book, a romantic suspense novel, set in Grantsburg. More on that to come, so stay tuned. In the meantime, sit up straight. No slouching.
