The Work Goes On

The epic of refinishing the hardwood floor continued...yesterday. Is there anyone else who has taken as long as we have? Terry only gets every Sunday off and every other Monday off. Boy oh boy...we live 120 miles from the large lumber yards. Our local lumber yard does not carry rental equipment. The rental shop here has old and damaged stuff as far as floor sanders go sooooo... We went to a town 60 miles away to rent from a mid-sized lumber yard. We got the sander and found that the horror stories we have heard were exaggerated.Terry decided that we would start with 60 grit paper instead of the roughest stuff. Our floor is in good condition so we didn't need the roughest. The floors look good. The next step is staining and then varnishing.One tip I think is worth knowing: Do rent the edge sander or get rough grit for an oscillating sander if you have one. It takes at least 40 grit to cut through the residue on the edges. Don't let the largeness of the job intimidate you. If we can do it, you can too. I will let you know how the staining and varnishing go...stay tuned...this may take some time. Hopefully all will be back to normal by Thanksgiving. That is my hope!!! and Terry's semi-promise.

The Rough Draft of the Third Book in the Heritage Series is finished!

Monday I decided to drink some coffee and do a little writing on my day off. We are limited to the finished basement until we get the hardwood floors finished on our main floor. It may take a little time....That's another story...
Anyway, being in the basement with no natural light, I began writing and got lost in the story. I emerged periodically to eat and drink and all that but I returned to the basement. Before I knew it I heard footsteps overhead. Terry was home and I asked him why he was at home so early. He said that it was 7 p.m.! Wow! I had written all day!
The great thing about it was that I finished the rough draft of "Luke's Legacy". I am very proud of the story and I think readers of "Nan's Journey" and "Elk's Resolve" will be moved by this story about the "little brother and sister". I am entering it into a contest and hoping to place. Pray for me!

Women's Conference with Lisa Bevere

This weekend I am going to Oklahoma City to a women's conference featuring Lisa Bevere. I am so excited! When I first signed up to go I asked Tate Publishing to help me get a book signing in the hours after the conference on Saturday. It happens that the big Texas vs OU game is on that very weekend. We decided that a book signing would be unprofitable. Now I am so glad that I don't have an event of my own to distract me from the things I know I will learn at the Bevere conference.

I am looking forward to recharging my mental and spiritual batteries. I have been running on empty for awhile. (I heard you say airhead!) Anyway, I think these times away with no other agenda are vital to strong mental health. If you haven't taken time like this for yourself, consider it a priority. Give yourself permission to get away to a conference like this one or a ballgame or concert. These times bring texture to your life when everything seems bland.

New Mexico Here I Come!

On Friday, September 26, I will be heading out to New Mexico after work. I will spend the night with my brother and his family and on Saturday hold two book signings. The first one will be at The Art of Beauty Salon and Spa located at 6200 NE BLVD Ste B in Albuquerque from 1-3 p.m. and the next will be at Hastings Booksellers at 12501 Candelaria Rd NE from 4-6 p.m.On Sunday I will be speaking at the First Assembly of God Church in Estancia, NM and enjoying a ladies luncheon following the services.I cannot tell you how excited I am about these events. It is great to visit with people and see their "take" on "Nan's Journey". Hopefully some of the issues represented withing the pages have rung true to real life. I am very interested in what the readers have to say.If you are in the area, please stop by and visit. I would like to meet you.One note of interest.... the second book in the series already has 82 people signed up for copies as soon as I get them. (about 3 months before the release date) If you have not emailed me or left a comment requesting one or more, please do it. I don't want you to have to wait to see..."What happened to the other baby?"

Using Time Wisely

Right now the publisher has "Elk's Resolve" in the hands of the editors. This process is very slow. When they were working over "Nan's Journey" it drove me CRAZY! When I got frustrated at the process I began writing the sequel ...Elk. That really helped me deal with the pace of actually getting a book produced and released. It reminds me of having a baby. It takes 9 to 10 months. (My sons were born in their 10th month!!!)

At this time I am 3/4 through the third book in the series. I am very excited about it also. Other book ideas fly through my mind and I am taking notes and writing a few outlines for them also. I find the whole process of writing exciting! It is sort of like watching a movie in my mind. Writing while I am waiting through the steps to the release of the next book is a good use of time.

Balance is the key. I am still working on that. While going through the editing process and writing the new book I still am marketing and promoting "Nan's Journey". I have two book signings on Saturday. The first one is in Amarillo at Hastings at 2020 Georgia Street from 2-4 p.m. The next one is at Canyon, Texas at Hastings next to the new Walmart from 6-8 p.m. On September 27 I have several book signings at Albuquerque. One is at Hastings and one is at my niece's hair salon/spa. I will have a speaking engagement at her church,the Assembly of God in Moriarty, NM on September 28. After that I have some time at home before getting back on the road in October. It is fun because I love meeting the readers.

If you are interested in setting up a book signing for "Nan's Journey" or "Elk's Resolve" (when it is released) please leave a comment here.

Depression

One of the things that "Elk's Resolve" speaks of is depression. I am interested in what you have to say about it. You don't have to use your actual name.

1. In what way have you been impacted by depression?
2. What things helped you overcome it?
3. Are there indications that a person feels when a bout is coming on?
4. Do you have any other information or thoughts on this subject?

Please post on the guestbook. I think this is an important subject.

Tearing out part of the original hardwood floor

Today Terry was out of hours for driving his truck so he was home. After these few months, this was his first opportunity to really get into working on the hardwood floor since he patched the hole from the floor heater opening. He studied and studied the condition of the floor and even took out his belt sander and sanded the rougher spots and the spots with large gaps between the boards. He determined that the portion of the dining room that was in the worst condition had to come out.Yes, come out! He also said, "Boy, this is almost as bad as the can of worms I opened with the bathroom floor."I responded, "THIS IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE BATHROOM FLOOR!!!"We had a big laugh over that. He did find a store/dealer for hardwood that is 3/4" thick and 2 1/2" wide. It is either red or white oak. (kind of a bear to find) Anyway, after the dust and sawdust settled, we have a sub floor showing over 1/3 or the dining room floor. Such fun trying to keep the house presentable.This reminds me of the job of getting a book published. After it is accepted for publication, the work begins. One thing leads to another. First you write the book, then write the synopsis for the back cover. The next step is to get people to write reviews, then write acknowledgements, and dedications. There really are a lot of steps to it. It is a fun process.You would think that writing a synopsis of a book would be much easier than the book itself. I have to say that it has been a bigger challenge for me than you might think. Also, the author biography is a soul searching experience. "What have I done with my life?" or "Where have I been?" I find that I am so terribly ordinary.Now, let me tell a goofy story about Terry and I...THAT'S EASY AND FUN!!!