I've Fallen Into Summer and I Can't Get Up

My dear friends,

I know that it is August in the year 2015. I know that it is sunny outside and that there isn't enough sweet tea in the world to combat the relentless display of summer the Lone Star is hurling down at the pesky mortals who reside here. I know time is passing because the sun sets and reappears a few hours later. But...I am trapped in the thick of summer and I cannot find my way out of the blur of days ticking by. And the heat. My goodness.

Lo, in a moment of defiance I wield my sword against the fiery furnace that will. not. stop.

Everyone together now, "For the honor of snow cones!"

It just so happens that this particular sword is super sour cherry and cream. If I've learned one thing this summer it is this: super sour cherry + super sour lemon + cream= my flavor for life. It's good to know your weapon of choice and learn how to use it well.

Another thing I've learned this summer is that Lewis is a surprisingly delightful traveling companion. He thought we should share a few vacation pictures to let everyone know we're still alive and well. I am under contract to agree with his promotional ideas, so here you go:

Just reading by the lake. He's an excellent page/acorn holder. 

I cannot with a clear conscious recommend playing Rage with a squirrel. An angry squirrel is a dangerous squirrel.

Lewis and I also looked into his ancestry, but those pictures aren't ready yet. He's excited to show them off though, so be on the lookout for those soon.

It hasn't been all fun and games in this vortex of endless snacks, late night page turners, and questionable dietary decisions (I'm looking at you, cereal for dinner!). I am still moving in the direction of getting Rise of the Seer ready for publication. It will be in the hands of my editor on August 31st. We'll then work through two passes of editing together to get it ready. And it may not look like much yet, but I've taken the first step to begin the actual publishing process. Rise is officially an open project now!

No turning back now!

I know I've not been as active on Facebook or blogging as much lately, but summer (mercifully) doesn't last forever. In just a few weeks the scent of sunscreen will once again be relegated to memory and hours of uninterrupted quiet will descend upon my house. Although some days I feel like it can't get here soon enough, I'm going to squeeze every ounce of adventure and rest out of this season. If I don't show up again by September, please come find me. I'll probably be stuck in a hammock with a snow cone.  

Yours until sweet tea runs dry,

A.C. 

I Stayed Up Way Too Late Reading But I Still Need to Post a Blog

I can't grammar today. My brain is not having it. Really. I tried to describe simple, complex, and compound sentences this morning and eventually just had to let Google explain things. And then I drank a large glass of sweet tea. It's not even lunch time yet.

Here's the thing...I stayed up too late reading. It pretty much looked like this:

  
Something happens in the summer. Working from home means that I can set my own hours and when I don't *have* to be anywhere at a certain time, things get a little hazy. So I was curled up in a reading chair with Grace in the Wilderness: After the Liberation 1945-1948 until one this morning. That wouldn't have been such a bad thing except that I was awake at 5 and thinking about Go Set a Watchman. Never, ever tell me that books are boring. Especially not today on such little sleep. I'm feeling a bit cantankerous. 

Unfortunately I neglected to post a blog last week...and the week before that, so I didn't want to miss it three weeks in a row. I wrote one for last week, but it never seemed to come together the right way, so I present to you the bits and pieces of what I didn't cut from the blog I never posted. If that didn't make sense, my apologies. Again, I can't grammar. Pretty much at all.

And now we rewind to last week...

June 8, 20015
It’s Wednesday again. I will readily admit that I neglected to post a blog last week because I was sitting in a canoe, paddling up a creek. I saw unexpectedly big turtles and a couple of egrets that made my breath catch as they took flight beside our trusty ark. In the interest of being authentic, I will also readily admit that my opinion of its seaworthiness faltered when a rather large water snake decided to swim beside us. I did lean over to get a better look and surprised myself when my only exclamation about the sea serpent ended up being that it was quite beautiful. My fellow passenger was more concerned about my inexperience with paddling and kept a weather eye to ensure that I didn’t inadvertently fling Nessie aboard our boat. I’m happy to report we kept our respective distances and conversed only in passing. Every snake is secretly hoping a funny looking creature floating in the water will tell them they are beautiful. Nature. Get out in it.

Notice the largish turtle on the branch. Squint. It helps.

Nessie is out there somewhere.

And fast forward to today...

That's pretty much all I've got for today. I think the best thing for all of us to do now is step away from this monstrosity of a blog and have another glass of tea, on the rocks, with a splash of lemonade. And one of us won't stay up so late next week before trying to write a blog...although considering the number of books out there, I certainly make no promises.

The “F” Word

Simmer down now. It’s the word fantasy. I thought we could have a bit of genre talk today, although the concept of genres in general is murky and sometimes challenging to navigate. We’ll try to wade through this together and can blame the library catalog I was sifting through yesterday for this impromptu journey into bookish waters.

One of the more challenging aspects of getting a book ready to publish is trying to figure where in the world to place it. (Indie author here. I don’t have a big company leading me in the right direction.) Genres are essentially matryoshka dolls, where you have categories within categories. To simplify it, I’m just referring to Ransom of the Healer as fantasy and all of the other little subgenres can just cozy up within Big Mama for a little while.

The fantasy genre is one that not everyone wants to spend time in. For some it has a stigma associated with it that can make people hesitant to explore all that it has to offer. Others honestly view it as somehow inferior and I can't help but feel disappointed when a work is discredited just because it falls under fantasy. To be fair, I will admit there is some weird stuff out there...because people are weird. I don't even need to provide an example of that fact because a memory most likely already popped into your head confirming this. But not all of the content out there is weird. It's just different. I think as adults we tend to shy away from some of the things we would have embraced as children.

When we're younger fairy tales and make believe are as natural as breathing. In fact, they're encouraged. Kids can spend the day wearing capes that transform them into royalty, super heroes, wizards, or magicians and we think nothing of it. We're thrilled to see them using their imaginations and smile as they live their adventures in front of us because we remember. 

We were there once. 

We wore tighty whities on our heads as scuba masks. We were invincible against bad guys. We were cowboys and astronauts and we fought dragons while casting spells. And then something happened. We got older. Our capes were exchanged for suits and uniforms and we all but forgot about the once upon a times and the mighty feats we performed when we had super powers. 

This is why I like fantasy.

I understand that I'm asking you to suspend logic for 300 pages. I get that I'm asking you to accept the fact that my characters don't need food and sleep the way that we do. Fantasy authors are taking you into places that they've imagined. They're inviting you into their world of make believe. For just a little while we're all super heroes again and we are on a collective adventure. We're traveling through wardrobes and we're flying through the air on a Nimbus 2000. We get to postpone the monotonous and mundane aspects of life for just a little while. 

If you are in the group that already enjoys fantasy, you are one of my people. If fantasy intimidates you or isn't something you think you'd enjoy, just give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised. I know it can seem silly or preposterous to some out there, but remember: A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. Thank you, Roald Dahl, for that beautiful reminder.

Laws of Motion

I did not intend to take physics in college. I ducked and dodged and shied away from courses that involved complicated math and equations like a skillet on a hot stove. Bring on the literature! Bring on the essays and reading lists! Chemistry and calculations? No, thank you. An unfortunate round of scheduling brought me face to face with the very thing I had tried to avoid for semester after semester. I took Physical Science over the summer before my impending graduation...and I loved it.

Loving it certainly didn't mean that it came without challenges. Nope. I struggled and worked hard to keep up in that class. But I have to say, of all of my college courses I walked away with a greater sense of accomplishment from that class because of the effort it took to finish. No, I did not get an A. And that didn't matter to me one bit. To this day I still don't fully understand electric circuits, but I'm okay with not understanding all the ways of the universe.

Why the physics talk? So glad you asked. It's because I still have an $80 used textbook on my shelf to unload and I'm trying to finance publishing a second book. Just kidding. It's not for sale. It's my trophy. 

Earlier I was thinking about how objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless an outside force disturbs it. At the moment I'm an object in motion with finishing up this second draft of Rise of the Seer. My plan is to stay in motion until it's finished, which means I need a...

I had a few people ask me about the progress on Rise because I hadn't mentioned it lately. It's moving along and I am looking forward to handing it off once again. Outside eyes see things that I just can't find on my own. Eye color...the spelling of names...who does and does not like pickles and why? (1,000,000 points to you if you knew the answer to that last one.*) 

I feel like I would miss a wonderful opportunity to let you in on one of my favorite lessons from back in the day. Check out the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to see why physics can be utterly fascinating. It can also give me a small case of the heebie-jeebies. What's life without a little bit of fascination? The moral of this story is, work hard, kids. Try the thing you think you can't do and don't put limits on yourself before you ever start. Someone should really put that on a t-shirt. Thank you in advance.

*Points may be redeemed for a smile or high five, depending on your level of comfort and my level of comfort at the time you choose to tell me about your in no way literal points. Open to US residents 18 and up.

Also, it's Catryn. Because of an afternoon of pickling that she just couldn't get out of.  The more you know...

Summer Loves Books

Sunscreen and bug spray have once again become the perfume of the season. The sun is (finally) shining and demands exploration of everything it touches. School is drawing to a close and the communal calendar in our house comes to a screeching halt. Late evenings around the fire pit and board games loom on the horizon. We’ve finally made it.

We have a tradition in this family we started a few years ago. The first Monday of summer vacation is sacred. It is our one day to completely unwind. It starts with a box of toaster pastries left on the counter for whenever someone wakes up. We have them maybe twice a year, so this is a big deal for us. It is also the only day of unlimited screen time and pajamas. It’s the day we recharge. Normally, we don’t leave the house (due to all of the pajama wearing), but this year another magical day coincides with our sacred day-Summer Reading Kickoff at our library.

We'll meet soon, you little rectangle of deliciousness.

Until a few years ago I didn’t even know that our local library offered summer reading programs for adults. After discovering this exciting news I have made it a part of my summer ever since. We read a certain amount of books from any genre, fill out a form, and are then entered in drawings for prizes. The first summer I won a basket full of pens, sticky notes, chocolate, and a gift card to Half Price Books. It was a solid week before my merriment finally died down. I realize that summer is no longer a break or three free months for most of us out there now. It’s still fun to challenge ourselves to make reading a priority, and it is nice to know that others out there are joining in on the literary jollification.

Current to-read shelf. House rules dictate no new purchases can be made if there is no room left. I've still got space!

Check your local library to see if they offer a summer reading program for adults as well as the kids. If you do have children, Half Price Books also offers a free summer program where they can earn Bookworm Bucks to apply to future purchases. If book contests are more your thing, one of my favorite authors, Sarah Addison Allen, is co-hosting a Summer Reading giveaway. You can enter by clicking here. 

Books and hammocks are best friends. I hope you enjoy their friendship to the fullest extent this summer. Do it for the books. They are the least expensive vacations you will ever take and their destinations are unlimited. 

Down Came the Rain

It's Wednesday. You know what that means! I hope that you said, "New blog post!" You're correct, by the way. May is still screaming by, just like always. But unlike always, we're a soggy mess right now. I had mentioned in a Facebook post about scouting locations for a Ransom of the Healer book trailer. It's a very exciting idea and I am looking forward to turning it into a reality. 

We found the perfect location and figured out the means to get there. I was planning costumes and beginning to put together the ideas for camera shots. Things were moving along well. And then the skies opened up. I'm sure by now you've seen the video footage of the exorbitant amount of rainfall the Lone Star has received as of late. My heart hurts for my fellow Texans who have lost lives, loved ones, and homes. We're used to crazy weather here, but this is more than we've grown accustomed to. It's downright staggering. Twenty of the last 26 days have brought rain to our area. 

What does the rain have to do with the book trailer? Our key location was on the remains of a bridge in a lake that has been accessible for a few years. That bridge is no longer an option. Now, please forgive my horrible photography. Some of these pictures were accidents and I had no intention of sharing them on my blog when I took them. But I changed my mind so you can see this and marvel with me. 

This first picture was taken on the first of May when we were scouting the location. I'm actually standing in the predominately dry lake bed looking back towards the shore. (It was an accidental picture as I was trying to avoid hidden animals that both screeched and hissed at us.)

Fast forward several thunderstorms and two weeks later and you have a vastly different location. This was taken from the other side of the lake. That tiny speck in the picture is what was left of a portion of the bridge I could have walked across on the day I took the first picture. I haven't taken a picture in the last few days, but the tops of the rails are just about submerged again.

I'm not about to complain about rearranging filming when people have suffered so much and are still dealing with the ramifications of the storms. I've just been amazed at the sheer volume of water in a land that's been suffering a significant drought for the last several years. 

As I was wading through a flooded field I came across these floating blobs. If you've ever wondered how ants survive when their nests are flooded, here you go. They band together and form islands. I had never seen this before but I found it fascinating.  

I've found other things fascinating during our monsoon season. Like this, for example. I love when one of these pops up after a storm, but when two of them are there, you must stop and stare until they vanish.

And just two nights ago after another severe thunderstorm, the prairie sky was once again wide and high. (Insert hand claps here.)

Photo credit goes to Rex for this one.

As the water begins to recede, let's continue to take care of each other out there and remember that people are the priority. And soak in those sunsets. Beauty has a soothing quality about it and there are some out there who could use a touch of it today.

May I?

"Wednesdays are for blogging," she said.
"But I demand your constant attention," May said.

It's that time of year again. In a valiant effort to make every moment count, the month of May roars in and threatens to remove all semblances of order and routine for four consecutive weeks of end of the year activities. Yes, it takes an entire month to end the school year. When the chalk and ghosts of assignments past finally settle, I will have attended no fewer than six awards ceremonies and other various "final performances."

We are heading face first into summer vacation around here and I give. Bedtimes are stretching out later and later as the sunshine continues to cascade through the blinds in the evening. Our wardrobe choices have relaxed into a "just make sure it's clean" system and I don't even bother to check if socks match anymore. The nostalgic laissez-faire household policy of summer living is creeping in and waffles are served for dinner, flip flops have taken up residence on the front porch, and reading cots are permanently stretched out in the living room. It's a wonderful time to be alive. It's a challenging time to try to write.

I'm making it work though! In between book battles, band concerts, track meets, and appointments for a broken bone, I'm chipping away at the rewriting process. I'm overdue for a blog post, so I just thought I would drop a quick snapshot of life barreling down the highway to summer. I know it's like that for the majority of us out there. Just remember to take a moment to kick off your shoes, have a glass of iced tea, and breathe. We've almost made it. In just a few weeks we'll be wondering where on earth our summer vacation went. One day at a time, my friends. We're smack dab in the middle of soaking up the moments that become memories. Some things just shouldn't be rushed.