MIDSUMMER DREAMS

It's July. Almost mid-summer. (It tickles me that my birthday comes right about mid-summer, on August 3rd). My room is just as cold as it was a year ago; aides come in, delighted to stand beneath the air vent (the coldest spot in the building, I've been told)while I freeze.

Tornado season in Oklahoma. We've been holed up in the dining room three times while tornados stormed down our path. Didn't hit here, thank God. But my son lives in Moore, which was devastated. His house and his family were unharmed, but the images have stamped themselves on my granddaughter's memory. Talk about trauma.

Speaking of Jordan, she starts public school preschool next month. My darling girl! All sunshine and giggles, with shiny pink cheeks, long, curly, dark brown hair, almost black eyes, tall like her daddy. I got to see her last Sunday, and she always finds a way to play with me, even when I'm in bed.

Jordan was born in a time of grief, renewed life in our loss of my daughter. I spent days taking care of her that first summer. I regret that I don't know my grandson nearly as well. He knows me, but there is not the ease and joy as with Jordan. Of course it may also be his personality as well. :) I love watching the two of them play. So glad they have each other (21 months apart). Or maybe it's the fact that Jordan makes at least the sixth generation of brunettes in our family (going back to my greatgrandmother, Sarah Eady Anderson.)I'm not that superficial.

Since I turned in my last manuscript on June 1st, I have made very slow progress on my next book, making it to about 30K total on two projects. Sigh. I can lay part of the blame on bouts of pain but it's mostly due to too much time spent playing games on the computer.

Oh, yes, so there is summer TV programming. Since TNT runs dramas 24-hours-a-day, it's my default channel. Favorites: Falling Skies, Perception, The Hero (Patty won my heart during the first episode). And how Mary McCormack has taken over Major Crimes and made it her own! Looking forward to the return of Face Off and Project Runway. . .

So. . .there's my boring, every day life. Hours interspersed with leg cramps and pain. Increased activity--walking, wheeling my chair, moving my arms beyond the keyboard. It was either that or a brag on how God recently told me (when I wanted someone to tell me my devotional about imminence vs. transcendence made sense and not too academic) "shut up already and just do it. I gave you the gift of teaching, stop doubting it."

Like I have learned (mostly) not to doubt my fiction writing. . .the process works. I start out with something boring and slow. It ends up being light and entertaining, even if I do have to cut 10-12% of every manuscript.

With a wave of the red, white, and blue, and a wish for a sunny birthday, I will bid you adieu.

BOOK GIVEAWAY RESUMES: I still have books available for 10-20 more people and possibly more. Please leave a comment here with your email address, and I'd love to hear which of my books you've read/enjoyed the most. You are most likely to receive either Hidden Dreams, Pride's Fall, or It Is Well With My Soul.