This is a busy time of year for me. I'm considering which books to enter in this year's Best Book Award Contest. Last year, The Hanging Man and Other Stories was awarded a Finalist position. I could put the Finalist sticker on the front cover. I'm thinking abut entering butterscotch this year, but need to check the publication date as only books published n 2017 & 2018 are allowed. I might also enter a novella or two just to be different. I have until the end of the month of chose and get them entered.
Aticulture2019 is approaching. Now is the time when I (I'm a board member of a local nonprofit group that supports cultural arts in town) line up the authors who will be appearing at the event. This year I am striving to fill 14 author tables. I heard from two more authors today confirming their participation, so hat leaves me with one table still to fill. 'm always relieved that I know so many local authors and a publisher and a book store owner who can steer me toward other local authors. It also helps that Kelly and I have 50 members in our WhipCity Wordsmiths authors/writers social and support group. That gives us quite a pool of talent to draw from. I'm excited about the event this year as I have some new authors to feature and some favorites from the past three years. I'm also excited that I will be participating this year for the first time as an author/artist! As a consequence, I got White Bishop Among the Pawns published, and have been busy making pen & ink art prints of both my black squirrels and all my other wildlife, domestic animals, and birds prints. I've also been making keychains with two mini pen & ink art prints inside for this event and others I'll be doing throughout the year.
I've been drawing a lot of dogs for co-workers and family since just before Christmas. Now I'm being asked to draw cats, too! I practiced with cats by drawing my own cat, Riley Beans. He came out pretty well.
On the home front, I've help Kelly move some more things to her house. The final move in date is approaching. It's been chaotic here while she's been hauling things out of the cellar and packing up more things in her room and from around the house.
Meanwhile, our stove decided to burn the turkey John was roasting for dinner a week and a half ago. This is the fourth or fifth time the self-clean feature kicked on during oven use and toasted what we were baking/roasting. We went right out in a strong wind storm to order a new stove the next evening (it happened on a Sunday night). We narrowly missed a pine tree falling across the road. The stove was supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but we got word yesterday there was a delay at the warehouse, so now it's being delivered on Friday. I can hardly wait to be able to bake again!
And finally- work has been crazy busy as patients change insurances and formularies change with the new benefit year. The baby boomers are beginning to have more need for durable medical equipment and services post surgical procedures, etc. I think my job has at least tripled in the amount of paperwork I have to deal with and how busy I am in the past nearly 12 years that I've been doing it. For the past few years I have been working hard to convince myself I can do this one more year. With my own health issues and chronic fatigue due to RA, it gets harder every year, but I'm not ready to give up yet.
I wear a lot of hats, but I can't complain. I love the people I've met along my various paths. Many of them share or understand my own passions in regards to writing and art. Some of them make me laugh. Some of them make me thankful for the life I have. When I look back on where I was ten years ago, or five years ago, or even three years ago- I am simply amazed that I am where I am right now!
In May of 2019 I will have officially been a published author for four years. In September 2019 I will have officially been an artist again for one year. Two of my novels have been shortlisted in writing contests (2016 & 2017), and one anthology has been awarded finalist status (2018). One of my BicycleCity Black Squirrel pen & ink drawings has been chosen to appear on a wooden nickel that celebrates the 350th anniversary of the founding of the city of Westfield, MA where I live. I've been interviewed on a local radio program. People are beginning to recognize me around town and at places where I do business. It kind of freaks me out a little on one hand, and amazes me on the other.
It all keeps me busy...so if I have gaps in my blog, it's only because I am doing a dozen or more other things!
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