Easing Back In and Birthday!

Hello, Blogging friends! While I have thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of stepping away from blogging for the summer months, it’s time to jump back in with new things to share!

And today’s my birthday, so what better time to write a blog post? It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that today I am 73 years young. Where did all the years go? In retrospect, I have to sigh with contentment that I’ve done a lot of living throughout these years. I am blessed to be healthy and to still being able to enjoy life’s journey. And a journey, it is.

It’s difficult to really think about bidding summer farewell when the temperatures here are hovering around 105 each day, but the kiddos are all back in school, so a semblance of routine has returned.

So much has happened since I last blogged. I took a week long vacation to Arkansas to do research for A Noble Bargain, then incorporated two days of pleasure into the trip. I’ve been to Hot Springs, Arkansas several times, but never had the chance to indulge in the mineral baths they are so famous for. So, getting to do that was a real treat, then the following day I did one of my favorite things in life—dig for Crystals near Mt. Ida, Arkansas. And yes, I found some great specimens. I have to say for me, it’s very therapeutic to dig in the dirt.

Shortly after the trip to Arkansas, my daughter asked me to go to Legoland in Florida with her and three of the grandkids. While it was super hot and there was tons of walking involved, I had a great time AND they even got me on one crazy ride. As you can tell from the photo, I screamed the entire way through it. That’s my oldest granddaughter in front of me with her arms flung wide, loving every second of it.

Another significant summer event for us was a going-away party for my oldest grandson, who has now left Texas for Grand Rapids, Michigan to get a computer engineering degree at Calvin College. While I am sad that he’s going to be so far away, I am super excited for his new journey. This is me and Ryan at his going-away party.

The icing on the cake of this celebration for Ryan, was getting a chance to visit with my brother and sister-in-law, who came up from Houston. Irvin is 84 and every opportunity to get together is super special. This is me and Irvin.

A fun little surprise for Irvin and his wife was an unexpected opportunity to go up in a hot air balloon while they were here!

On the writing front, A Noble Bargain is all set to release in the fall. I am just waiting on the cover to start sharing. I do however, have the blurb. What do you think? Does it intrigue you?

A true testament of character, resilience, and the magic of never giving up.

The year is 1948 and folks in the sawmill town of Crossett, Arkansas, work hard and play hard. Oliver Quinn does both. Oliver is the son of Irish immigrants who firmly believe in pursuing the American dream. His deepest desire is to play major league baseball. He only needs one chance to prove himself.

Rose Blaine is living a nightmare where dreams don’t exist. She’s suffered for years at the hand of her violent moonshiner father and his partner. During a brutal attack, she must fight back or die. The aftermath is devastating.

Fueled by desperation, Rose strikes a life-changing bargain with Oliver. If he’ll take her and her brother to St. Louis, Missouri, she’ll introduce Oliver to her uncle, a baseball legend.

While their journey is fraught with unseen perils, along the way, they forge an unbreakable bond and make surprising allies.

When destiny throws them a curve ball, they must find the courage to create a hopeful future out of the ashes of shattered dreams with newfound fortitude.

I am super excited about this sequel to A Beggar’s Bargain!

I am also in the process of getting my new Flowers And Stone book cover adapted into the print book format as I sold my very last copy of the original at a book festival this past weekend.

As I return to blogging, I have LOTS of book reviews to share, so I will be trying to catch up on those. I also have some fun ideas for blog posts, so I hope you’ll stay tuned!

While I’ve made haphazard attempts to keep visiting your blogs, I know have fallen way short. I’ll get back in the swing of things. But for now, I’ll close and say I am looking forward to visiting with you all again as I ease back into blogosphere.