Because survival is insufficient

     I do not play the piano, often.  Many days, I will walk by the piano without touching it.  (It needs dusting, badly!) Yet when I am lucky enough to attend a concert, symphony or just catch a talented performer on YouTube, I regret my lack of practice and want to sit down and practice. At that moment.  It makes me want to put in the work.  I want to play better.

     Emily St. John Mandel's writing makes me want to practice.  I want to write better.  I will never play the piano in Carnegie Hall.   I will never construct a novel as seamless as Station Eleven but appreciate that Emily St. John Mandel did.  The literary landscape is a little bit better because this book exists.

     After the end of the world as we know it,  a traveling symphony roams the Midwest, performing Shakespeare's plays along with classical symphonies.  "Because survival is insufficient," a quote a character has taken from Star Trek, is written on the side of their caravan.  This is a beautiful theme for the novel as it explores less what the characters had to do to physically survive and more what they do in order to live.

     The novel spans decades, effortlessly weaving in and out of time, connecting and contrasting the characters' lives before and after The Collapse.  My favorite character in this novel is Miranda, an artist who creates Station Eleven and regrets nothing.

Reality Bites

"A little learning is a dangerous thing." --Alexander Pope

We still do not have a yard.  We have mud.  A little bit of grass is beginning to emerge here and there but it's mostly a vast expanse of mud and puddles bordering our new pool.  I remembered seeing a post or two on Facebook listing flowers and plants that deter mosquitos.  I remembered marigolds but did a quick search to see if the post had any basis in fact and what other plants would work.  Different sites gave similar lists so I headed out for pots and plants!  I couldn't find lavender in the garden center and forgot to look for an actual citronella plant (I didn't think to search the lists while actually at the store) but found marigolds everywhere.

I put pots of marigolds on my upper deck a month ago.  I did not buy any of the large, pretty, colorful flowers as we already had large black bumblebees out there.  (They tend to freak my kids out a bit.  I've reminded my offspring that while they're sweet, they need not worry about a bee mistaking them for flowers so they'll be fine.)  I put marigolds up there and was happy that we've been able to sit up there without many mosquitos!

Later, when talking with a landscaper, I asked him if it was true that lavender would deter mosquitos like marigolds.  He didn't know of any plants that actually deter them and reminded me that my deck is higher and mosquitos prefer to stay low by the ground.  Okay, maybe my marigolds weren't helping but I figured they weren't doing any harm, either so I left them on the deck and yesterday, bought many, many more to plant near my pool.  While I was planting, the kids were having fun in the pool but had to duck once in a while to avoid a pesky wasp or two that were scaring them.  (What happened to those big, fuzzy bees?)  I suggested we take a break and go sit up on the deck for dinner. They could stay in their wet suits but get up and away from the pool and the bugs.  They climbed the stairs half-way and stood there, waiting for another wasp to stop circling the deck, then went to sit down.  My youngest started yelling that our dog "pooped on the chair!"

My Golden Retriever is capable of a lot of mischief but actually climbing up on a patio chair to do that?  Not likely.  I came up to investigate and did find something on the chair but it was not put there by my dog.  I stormed into the house, complaining that I've been trying to avoid chemicals but I now we had a mud-dauber nest on a seat cushion and no spray to kill those suckers.  My husband said he thought we had hornet killer in the garage but while I went to get it, he took care of the nest.  He went out with a fly swatter and swatted the one trying to protect the thing, scraped it off the chair and kicked it somewhere!  (I asked what we would do if it was still full of wasps but he said he stomped on it!)

It was gone but the kids didn't want to sit there, any more.  One went inside and another came back down to sit by the pool, beside the large pots of marigolds as I went back to planting.  I finished the pots up with ivy around the edges, just as a deer came by to investigate!  (I'd forgotten the deer as I was planting my large pots of salad for them!)  The deer left, I cleaned up, poured a glass of wine and got back online.  I wanted to read more about marigolds and see if they really would deter any insects, at all.  This time, I read a little further.  One site said that both mosquitos and many gardeners dislike them for their strong smell but they are a good plant to place by windows and doors to keep the mosquitos from entering your house.  The same site cautioned, however, not to put them on patios or around a pool as the large orange blooms can attract wasps.

It does look like poop.

Everyday miracles

     You can take the girl out of the South but there ain't no getting rid of her southern fears.  At 5:30am, I saw it out of the corner of my eye as I walked down the hall.  Some of you will recognize the following routine.

     Keep walking and start praying.  "Please God, don't let that be what I think it is."
     Stop walking, start talking to self.  "Don't be stupid.  It's not what you think it is.  Can't be.  CANNOT be."
     Turn around, slowly.  "It isn't moving.  That's a good sign.  I should turn on the light.  I don't want to turn on the light.  PLEASE, God don't let it fly."
     Turn on light (while preparing to run).  "OK. Breathe.  It still didn't move." Actually breathe.
     Slowly retreat to go grab a shoe.  Walk around complete opposite end of kitchen to get a paper towel.  Continue inner pep talk.  "You live in Indiana.  That is not what you think it is.  Repeat.  Not.What.You.Think.It.Is."
     Move closer, try not to close eyes.  "It's just a moth.  Oh Lord, it's The Biggest Moth Ever."
     Try not to panic because deep down, you know it is still going to fly.  "Please God, just don't let it fly in my face.  Please God."
     Move in.  "Please God."
     And it's just dog hair.  "Thank you, God!  Thank you, God.  Thank You, God!"

     I've just admitted my house could use a cleaning but we've not yet invited roaches and thank the Lord, Indiana roaches don't fly!

     One more cup of coffee and I'll be ready to write another southern scene. ;)

An open window

Sometimes you just have to sit back and listen.  Often, you need to pray.  Some days, all it takes is opening a window.

I did not sign up for the first class of the day, today but at the last minute thought I'd try to run over there.  By run over there, I mean last minute shower, grab a cup of coffee and pray I had time to make it over to the House of Seven Gables.  (Those of you who know me, know that this is how I operate even though it rarely, if ever, works out successfully).

By the time I got my coffee, I realized I had 4 minutes.  Still not feeling 100%, trying to run (with coffee) clearly wasn't worth it.  I checked out the library board, went back to my room, opened the window and realized how to make the old draft (the one I'd shelved and resolved to let go) work.

Months ago, I saw this Tweet from Donald Maas: "It is THE event of the year for fiction writers, space is limited.  Registration opens today.  Go.  Just. Go." with a link to Writer Unboxed.  I was pretty certain he was talking to me, specifically and I signed up.  I thought I was meant to attend his workshop but perhaps I was just meant to be here.

*Side note: I write historical fiction and am loving this hotel.  If in any doubt however, you know you're staying in an older hotel when you open a window and find you could get out through it! ;)

The UnConference (Part 1)

There is nothing like a writing conference to re-charge your creativity.  Attending an "Un-Conference" is, so far, even better!

Unfortunately, I've been sick on-and-off since it started so I only imagine the level of awesomeness for attendees who attended all of the sessions, today!  More to come...I'm here all week!

If you would like to follow along all sorts of writerly advice, go visit over on Twitter:
@Writer Unboxed
#WUUncon

Summer Reading List

     On the other side of Labor Day, it feels like summer should be over.  My kids have been in school for three weeks so our collective Summer Vacation ended a while ago.  It flew by far too quickly, of course.  I expected living in a hotel for the summer would slow our summer down.  The situation has made it easier for the kids to reach out and touch each other, breathe on each other, look at each other...but routines and getting up early still came too quickly.

     I have been out of school for quite a while but I still operate under the illusion that I will have more time to read during the summer and feel an obligation like I should be reading over the summer.  My TBR list grows but I don't accomplish half of the reading I planned.  I did manage to fit in a few!

     Tiger Hunting by Tracy Million Simmons had been sitting on my shelf for far too long.  I "met" Tracy years ago, online, as part of a Kansas writers' forum back when I was one of those.  I purchased a copy of her book as soon as it was available.  I don't know why I waited so long to open it up but I brought it along on our flight in July.  It was the perfect time to read her story.  Along with searching for a white tiger in Kansas, her book is about finding your lost voice.  I finished her book as we were landing in New Orleans which was exactly where I'd left mine.  I started a new story while we were there but hers is finished and lovely and has circus folk.  Go take a look!

     Someone Else's Love Story, by Joshilyn Jackson, is her best yet.  Yes.  I know.  If you've read this blog for a while, you know that I say that each time I pick up her latest book.  It's still true.  If you have read her books, you know what I mean. If you haven't read any of her books, are not sure where to start or if you aren't sure you have the time to commit to another whole novel right now, you are in luck!  Two of the main characters in SELS also have parts in a separate short story, my own miraculous.  You can get the e-book version for ninety-nine cents.  Go read it now.  You will then purchase Someone Else's Love Story.  It's like trying to eat one potato chip.  Once you get a taste, you will not be able to stop and you will have to read more about Shandi and her extraordinary son, Natty.    I have a vicarious crush on Walcott.

     The Rent Collector is a book I've read over a period of many months.  This doesn't sound encouraging as you're looking for a book that you can't put down and I'm admitting I did.  Lessons build upon each other however and this story was no less powerful read a few chapters at a time versus all at once.  We've all had countless vicarious journeys as we read to "escape."  This story is an excellent reminder of how learning to read is a true means of escape for someone who can't, otherwise.  Camron Wright has set beautiful stories, some familiar, amidst the stinging smoke of a trash dump in Cambodia.  Well worth the read.

     How to Have a New Kid by Friday.  You've heard of this one.  If you need it, you've probably already read it.  If you haven't, it's stuff you already know, but written in a step format so you can read a little each day and put it all together at the end.  (Of course, this is the one I read in one two-hour sitting).   I'm guilty of giving too many choices and too many chances so my own mom recommended this one to me too many times.  If you have the time, it has plenty of good reminders.  Otherwise, say what you mean, once and mean it.

     It is a "teacher in-service" day which means my kids have today off, giving them a nice four-day weekend to recover from the last three full weeks of school.  Looks like rain.  Maybe I'll get some writing in.  I have to, as that is the only way I feel like I've earned time to read.  I said I wasn't bringing many to the hotel but I still have a decent stack waiting to be opened.  Next on the pile is The Invention of Wings!  What are you reading this month?

Pocketful of Sunshine

Packing up "the library"/aka "my room" has been a slow, work-in-progress.  Each time I try to fill a box, I find a book I've not yet read, a draft of a novel I never finished or a box of photos I swore I'd scan or, at least, organize.  I've mentioned, I have a tendency to keep EVERYTHING.

Every so often, that makes it worth it.  Determined to finish this room tonight, I finally got to my file folders.  And I found artwork by and photos of Natalie and Christian from years ago.  Much, much too cute!

Under those were some more novel drafts.  Why didn't I finish those?  Under those--my answer.  A folder stuffed with "Volunteer Appreciation" certificates.  Each and every time someone takes the time to print one out, I shake my head and swear that I don't volunteer in order to receive any recognition whatsoever.  And I mean that.  I don't.  I don't need the certificates or thank-yous or gifts.

That said, I was tired from a busy day plus tired of packing and tired just thinking about moving and then to find so many things still unfinished...I will say it made my day to find a folder full of "thank-yous."

As it turns out, just because I don't have a folder full of finished products/novels/projects, that doesn't mean I haven't seen things through.  I am just a little better at finishing things you can't really see.  But for those who took the time to notice anyway, it's my turn to say Thanks!

Sit still

I've tried to take some time this year to refocus--spending more time in prayer, or meditation or just sitting still.  I don't have a job outside the home, I am not an overly ambitious person but as you know, life is busy.  Lately, I have had to schedule quiet time to make it happen but it has made all the difference.  It is amazing what happens when you take the time to sit still.

I signed up as an Adorer for Perpetual Adoration. For those of you that I just lost,  the host, the body of Christ, is on the altar in the chapel.  People sign up for an hour to ensure He is never left alone.  I have to say, this is easily one of the best hours of my week.  Once there, I am not required to do anything for an hour except be there.  I pray, sometimes say a Rosary but most often I just sit.  I sit and listen.  It is perfectly quiet in there, of course, but I have learned more about myself, my faith and my place in the world by simply sitting still and listening.  Sometimes I jot down a few notes/thoughts that come to me that I didn't expect.  (A friend of mine once told me that her friend started taking a notebook with her to Adoration, started writing a book while there and is now a successful, published Christian author!)

I'm usually running to get in there!  I have it on my calendar each week, else I would never get there but I still try to fit one more thing/task/chore into my day, right before I go.  Whether you believe it is God, the universe or your subconscious that guides you, it is so hard for most of us to find the time to just sit quietly and listen.  Put it on your calendar!

Of all of the books I've read to my children over the years, one of my favorites is It's Hard to be Five, by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell.  Of course, my youngest doesn't want to hear it, anymore as he is SIX.  The struggles are real for any age!

I stepped out of my comfort zone a week ago and attended a weekend retreat at church.  I wasn't going to go; I have been avoiding it for years.  In my quiet hours at Adoration, I kept hearing a voice telling me that I should go this year but I attributed it to my "guilt voice" as I knew I probably should go but really was not interested.  Finally, just days before, after enough separate people had asked/encouraged/suggested that I go, I relented.  It was lovely, of course, to meet new people and learn more about my faith but what I did not expect was to have quiet time, alone.  This was exactly what I needed and never experience on a normal weekend!

I try to go to Mass on the days the kids have "All School Mass."  It is nice for the kids to see that I go, too and my youngest still enjoys having me there. ;)  But I'm rushing in the mornings, to get them all off to school, give the husband a kiss on the cheek and still make sure I have matching shoes on in time to get there.  Today I was a few minutes late.  Since then however, my day has gone so smoothly.

 So many friends of mine who are also mothers say that they purposely get up very early to make sure they have quiet time for reflection before getting everyone else up and on their way.  I haven't been able to do that, yet.  I am not a morning person. I stay up far too late and know that I can send up a few prayers when I finally lay down to sleep.  But the voices and the thoughts and the schedules all assault my brain at once and then it's tough even to fall asleep.  But making time during the day--even if it is running into Mass in the morning, going to Adoration after lunch or just sitting somewhere in my parked car for a few minutes with the radio off--has made all the difference.  Now, once I get to bed, I fall asleep immediately.  I know if I would go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier, our mornings could start off much more smoothly.  I am working on that.

Take some time to sit still, today.  Enjoy!

Two steps (or days) behind!

I was not going to sign up for NaNoWriMo, this year.

I am writing.  I need to write.  NaNo makes me write but I wasn't going to sign up because I felt guilty about not finishing the last thing I was going to write.  But I really do love that NaNo status bar! ;)

So....I signed up today (late) to pressure myself (and gain access to that status bar) to add 50K to the book I need to finish.  It is cheating as it isn't a new idea.  I already have 13,000 words.  Note: I did not say 13,000 good words.  Just words.  But 13K isn't anything.  So if I can 50K this month, that would be approaching something.  So...here we go!

Are you in?  How's it going?
(If you're in and are looking for buddies, I am "LoryKC" there, too!)

Tricky Tuesday morning

Are you superstitious? How would you approach an obviously sinister threat, directly outside your door?
Our fluffy, Golden attack-chicken would like to know.

Human visitors are easy.  She will BARK loudly and be THERE.  (Preferably ON THEM.)  But what if the threat is more sinister?  What if you were to look out and see the tall grass swaying in front of the corn fields, only to see a black cat taking her time, poking around the outside of your fence?  Bark!  Right?    Yet one bark caused the cat to turn and look this way.  Looking into the direction of the rising sun, her eyes were glowing.

Golden chicken looked back at me, to be sure she had human back-up, before proceeding half-way out the door, barking and wagging her tail, simultaneously.  She cautiously made it all the way out on the deck,  bark-bark-barking until the cat stopped.  Sat.  Stared.

Golden chicken came back inside.  It's better to protect the home from the inside.  When the cat was ready to move on, gc did go back outside to bark the dog equivalent of "that's right, you'd BETTER go!" until the cat finally sashayed to the next yard.  Our fierce, fluffy protector then felt empowered enough to venture out into the actual yard (ever so slowly) for one last bark ("yeah!") before running back into the house to make sure I was okay.

She's chewing on her security blanket, now.

Jack, the Butterfly

I wish I were smart enough to be able to craft children's books.  Admittedly, it irritates me when my husband says I should write for children. He offers it as a suggestion because children's books are short.  (I am eternally "almost finished" with my current draft.)

I spend much of my day with children.  Every evening, I read to at least one child.  Thus, my husband believes that I KNOW children's literature.  When I have time of my own to write, however, I want to create something that I would want to read.  I wouldn't even know where to get inspiration for picture books.

There were very few "slow" or "boring" days this summer but on one of those rare days, my youngest was bored and had no one to play with.  I found him in the garage, talking to a small caterpillar.  He showed me his new friend, and I asked if he had a name.  He looked at the little green guy and said, "Jack."

I suggested we relocate Jack to the garden as he would starve in the garage.  My son was a little worried he would lose him in the garden but didn't want him to die in the garage so we scooped him up and moved him. My son stood, put his hand over his 5-year-old heart and said, "So long, Jack.  I will keep you in my heart, forever."

He will, too.  Five-year-olds, especially mine, do not forget.  Just in case, though, he did draw Jack's portrait so he would always remember him!  (The creature flying above Jack in this portrait is a bird.  My son began talking to a bird in the grass after he drew Jack's portrait but the bird quickly flew away.  Josh added him to this picture of all the friends he made and lost, all in one afternoon.)

My children, unlike myself, are artistic.  Another reason I do not consider writing children's books is the number of illustrations!  How would I find an illustrator?

All three kids are finally in school full-time, so on the four days that I am not going into the school as volunteer librarian (to read more picture books to more children) I fantasize about using those hours to craft grown-up, full-length sagas.  I keep meaning to get to those drafts right after I throw the kids' clothes into the washing machine, wipe toothpaste from the bathroom counters and empty trash cans that have been decorated with basketballs or zebra stripes.

After taking the dog for a long walk recently, I decided to clean up the backyard.  I paced the yard, thinking about the next chapter I really am trying to work out in a current draft.  While I searched the yard for piles of dog poop and thought about escaped slaves in Florida, one lone, beautiful butterfly kept following me.  By that time, I smelled.  A sweaty human who had played with a dirty, smelly dog and was holding a bag of excrement cannot possibly smell like ANY type of flower this butterfly might be trying to find. He kept flitting in my face, darting back and forth.  He would not get out of my face. I stopped thinking about Civil War battles, thinking instead that the butterfly looked like so many butterflies in so many children's picture books.  He circled my head again until I stopped, smiled and said "Hi, Jack."  He did a little spin in my face and flew away.

(This butterfly was not drawn by my son.  This is a close-up of part of a picture my daughter drew years ago.  It now hangs on a wall in our library/den/office so I have something to look at when I can't think of what to write next.)

Parental guidance 2

One of my big challenges in parenting is recognizing that my child may not be able to be ANYTHING they want and guiding them towards areas that are similar to the skills and talents I see in them.

Having said that, my children can be anything they want to be.  I stand by that.
Having said that, some careers are going to be much easier than others.

Tonight, I heard myself say to my son, "There is no successful career path out there where you can procrastinate, find the loopholes around the work you should be doing and blame your mistakes on others."

As I shook my head (hoping he thought it was in dismay over the as-yet-not-completed homework), I realized that there is a career path where one can succeed with that particular skill set. And my son is charming enough to get enough people to vote for him.

It's all in how you say it...

For better or for worse, I have a tendency to pick up "local" accents wherever I go.  I don't mean to do it, it is just a bad habit.  (Not a problem until I hang out TOO long with friends from Canada as they start to look annoyed.) ;)

After 12 years as a military wife, you never know what I'm going to say!

Anyhoo....it comes with perks.  Like drinking with my little brother one night and he says "with each glass of wine, you sound like you come from somewhere else!"  Or...the cab driver in Miami, the other day who was listening to me talk to my kids.  He finally asked "where are you from?"  When I replied, "I was actually born here," he shook his head and said "that's not it."  I said, "We live in Indiana, now.  Do I have a MidWestern accent?"  He nodded and said "THAT'S it!" *sigh*

Although I grew up in Florida, I acquired my "southern" accent more during college in New Orleans and it seems to show up again around family in the South, or when I drink.  Ahem.  So... I am going to feign innocence (as even the older kids are giving their little brother a "break" on this one) as it isn't TECHNICALLY wrong for him to ask, "What the Hail?"
(Right?)

If it's happened once...

The fun part of writing historical fiction is that you can spend a morning reading ("researching") and call it "work."  I have always been interested in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras in our nation's history and am currently fascinated with Natalie Benjamin (wife of Judah Benjamin, "the Brains of the Confederacy.")

I find history compelling but need to find a way to make it more accessible for my children.
This week, I reminded my son, "those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it."
It did not so much motivate him as give him a new motto.
He keeps muttering, "I'm doomed!  DOOMED!"

Parental Guidance

Switching gears for a moment to review a non-fiction book (although the cynic in me suspects a few of the "correct" examples given in this book were fictionalized a bit).   Having said that, the examples of what to say and do were invaluable to me as most of the "what not to do" scenarios are exactly what I might say or do on any given day!

Getting to Calm, by Laura S. Kastner, Ph.D. and Jennifer Wyatt, Ph.D.  belongs on every parents' bookshelf!  My copy now rests in a very easy to reach/consult spot, snuggled between  T. Berry Brazelton's Touchpoints and Christie Mellor's The Three Martini Playdate.  As this book offers strategies for dealing with tweens and teens, I've come to it a little late but after reading it from cover to cover, I feel reassured that I may not be TOO late.  (If you have younger children, get this now and read this now--before you are in the midst of some of these scenarios.)  My two older children are 14 and 12 years old, and many of the chapters in this book apply to our situations today.  (The authors suggest keeping this book to refer to the appropriate chapters when needed--when these issues arise--but I found at least 11 of the 14 chapters useful NOW and the other 3 were still worth reading.  I WILL need them!)

I am still working on the calmness.  The authors detail a four-step plan to achieving the calm.  The stories/examples they provide in each chapter offer invaluable instruction as you witness parent/teen interactions.  Some go swimmingly well and you see WHY.  Some plummet quickly and things go horribly wrong and you see WHY.  Changes have been implemented in our house and more are coming.  And now, when I yell and nag, I understand where I've gone wrong much sooner.  It's a process. ;-)

Speaking of where I've gone wrong however, the book made me feel better.  Written by a professor of psychiatry and a psychologist, the authors show where parents go wrong without laying blame.

I usually use this space to discuss reading or writing fiction but once in a while, there are a few other must-have books out there that you should know about.  This is one.  If you are a parent, give yourself this book.  If you are not a parent, give this book to someone else in your life--somebody needs it!

History repeats and it's a blast!

I am praying for the Russians who were in or near the recent blast but was also intrigued by some of the comments in this article.

"We would expect an event of this magnitude to occur once every 100 years on average," said Paul Chodas of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The only novel I have actually pitched begins in Ukraine and Russia, one day before the Tunguska event in 1908.  This blast was not in the exact same location but globally speaking, not far at all and roughly 105 years later.

Reminders for the New Year

I haven't kept up with this blog as I should but had to take the time to share this with you, today!  So take a break to visit this site--then get back to work! ;-)

Good luck and Happy New Year!


http://www.upworthy.com/there-are-a-lot-of-quotes-about-creativity-heres-one-thats-actually-useful

The Key Inheritance

Earlier this year, I shared the news of the release of Jen McConnel's The Burning of Isobel Key.
Since then, you've likely been wondering what came next for Lou--and what about Brian?
So I am happy to have more good news to share!  The Key Inheritance will be available in January!
Take a peek at the beautiful new cover!

Cover art by Heidi Sutherlin, 2012.

Ten years after the trip to Scotland that changed her life, Lou is back in the misty, magical country.  This time, however, she’s not on vacation: Lou is there to settle some distasteful and depressing family business.  When Brian, her old Highland fling, turns up, Lou is forced to wrestle with a past that she thought was dead and buried.  As tension between the former lovers mounts, something wicked is stirring in Scotland.  Lou must use all her strength to handle the increasingly desperate situation, but will she be strong enough to battle both a vengeful ghost and her heart?

The Key Inheritance is a novella that takes place a decade after the events of The Burning of Isobel Key.  This contemporary story crosses into the supernatural as Lou discovers evidence of a long-dead spirit who refuses to rest in peace.  Lou may have thought that she was finished with the witch Isobel Key, but her inheritance is more than the young woman can handle alone.

Want to read an ARC of The Key Inheritance? Sign up here for your chance to get an advance copy just in time for the holidays.

The Burning of Isobel Key, released by BrightFish Press.

Release date: October 1, 2012

When Lou travels to Scotland, she’s a mess.  She’s twenty-six, unemployed, and unsure of herself.  It doesn’t help that she’s traveling with Tammy, her best friend, who is everything Lou is not.

At first, the trip pushes Lou towards the brink of depression, but then she meets Brian, a handsome local tour guide.  When Brian tells the tourists about the countless witches burned in Scotland, Lou starts to listen.  And when she discovers information about Isobel Key, one of the victims of the seventeenth century, Lou finds renewed purpose.

She sets out to learn the truth of the condemned witch, but she isn’t prepared for the knowledge that waits for her.  Lou must face her demons if she has any hope of righting the wrongs of the past.

THE BURNING OF ISOBEL KEY, available from Amazon Fall 2012.

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I Can See Clearly Now

It is time to accept that the Mid-Life-Conflict is a battle I can't win.

In other news, the resolution and clarity on both my laptop and phone are amazingly clear.  Who knew?

LoryKC: 1 MLC: 5

Just when I think I am through with the ubiquitous Mid-Life Crisis, I find that there is yet another inning to be played.

I thought it was over and I had made it through to the other side.  Then I bought a pair of skinny jeans and a revised GRE prep book.  Clearly, the battle has only just begun.

This afternoon, while wearing my new jeans, I opened the book, found the information needed to take a diagnostic test online and sat down to face Question One.  I was asked to write an essay question and had 29 minutes and 54 seconds to write it.  I read, and then typed over, the instructions on how to save often and how to "delete" (using the command key and "x" if typing on a Mac) and typed my first few words.  I used the delete/backspace key immediately and was kicked back to the login page.  Right.  I took a deep breath and started again.  This time, I saved the directions at the top of my page, planning to delete them when I was done, but leaving them there as a reminder not to hit the delete key the moment I mistyped a word.  A typo followed not three seconds later and my fingers automatically hit the delete key before I knew what had happened...and I was back at the login screen.  This went on numerous times.  (At least, by the third time, I had managed to save what progress I had made, so I was able to "resume" my test rather than starting again.)

Finally, with three minutes to spare, I had a convincing 5-paragraph essay complete with examples and a quote from Harper Lee.  I read it and clicked on the option to "grade my essay."  It asked ME to grade MY essay.  Huh?

I went back and clicked on the little bubble indicating that I had completed my essay.  Then sat there and watched the timer continue to count down.  Oh!  Right!  I needed to click the next button.  Except I was to click "next section" (as it had indicated there was only one essay question in this section).  I did not, of course.  I clicked the "next" button, which took me to a screen which reminded me that there was only one question in this section and then gave me 29 minutes and 54 seconds with which to write my essay--on a completely NEW Question ONE.

I think I will try again tomorrow.  And pray that if and when I do take this test again for realz--it is on a PC.  Because my shiny little laptop?  Oh, she is a pretty computer but she is no PC--and clearly she is not in this fight with me!