If we were having coffee today, July 12th, I’d invite you to sit outside with me. It’s a perfect summer day. I’d ask you to get comfortable. We have a lot of catching up to do!

Yesterday, my sister and I spent the day at the beach. We chatted as we watched my nephews swim in the ocean. Ours is a small beach and we enjoyed the sun on our little patch of sand. We were delighted to discover a Little Free Library box had been installed near the parking lot. I found copies of a book series I started last year and my sister found a book by a favorite author. I have a collection of duplicate books sent to me by Scholastic during the school year. I’ll have to go drop them off.

I’ve been making my way through my TBR pile of books this summer. While I am not a book reviewer, I can tell you I thoroughly enjoyed Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. The story hooked me from the first page. I am an avid fan of history and historical fiction, especially novels about World War II. I also finished Devil at My Heels by Louis Zamperini and David Rensin. If you are familiar with Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, you’ll know this tale. I liked this because it was told by Louis and was an interesting contrast with Ms Hillenbrand’s book.   Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry was probably my favorite read so far this summer. I saw her speak at an author event a few months ago and became a huge fan. Her story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts which is a favorite destination for my husband and I. If you are looking for book reviews, check out Belle of the Book. Marsha does an excellent job inviting you into the pages of each book she discusses.

I’ve also been very busy writing. I’m making progress with the second installment of my Blarnach series and am slowly figuring out how to market the first book. That alone could be a full time job. Because I always seem to be working on a million things at once, I’ve also spent time editing an old novel I’ve rediscovered. The original manuscript was on an old computer that crashed. I thought it was gone forever, but I found a hardcopy a few weeks ago. This is a contemporary fiction/romance novel which I hope to have ready by the end of August. I have a specific publisher in mind to query and the deadline is early September. I must admit, with everything else happening, I have not been as good as I should be with posting poetry to the blog. Part of my mission this week is to come up with a more manageable schedule that I can stick to.

Mark and I have been busy cleaning, organizing, and rearranging the house. We’ve been here five years now and are finally feeling settled. We are calling this the “Year of Discovery.” Things that should have been obvious from Day One are suddenly becoming clear. Yes…we are a little slow on the uptake.

I hope I haven’t worn you out with all my chatting. Tell me, what’s new with you?

photo: Pixabay