And, I’m back!

Hello, all! Sorry for the hiatus. It was certainly longer than I intended. Loss, love, and new puppies have occupied much of my heart…and time. Not that I’ve been entirely idle. In June, I will take my sixth course this year—all related to writing and history, with an eye to filling my creative well. The dogs have finally grown used to my hours on the computer. As a result, they interrupt less often than they did in the beginning. So, while I had been dabbling in writing here and there, I am now gaining momentum daily. 
 
I'm currently working on two different adult romance series, but feel the time has come to decide which one to throw myself into wholeheartedly. One series is contemporary, the other historical. I have written the first novel in each series, am well into the second story in one, and have mapped out all of the books for the two collections. I enjoy delving into both genres. The historical is a slower process as I cross-check facts and get caught up in ensuring the minutia reflects the reality of the times. I do love research though. As for the contemporary line, the setting is a comfortable shoe, and it's fun to simply get swept away with the story. Writing the familiar definitely moves along at a faster pace.
 
I feel I am positioned to move forward on either. So, what to do? Toss a coin? Spin a dog? Throw a submission out there and let that decide it? As a writer, it’s a wonderful conundrum!
 
While I debate the pros and cons of each path, I leave my pups, Biscuit and Bean, for your viewing pleasure. 😁

 

Someone asked me what the most difficult thing about having a dog was. I replied – the goodbye. – Unknown

I began to take my writing seriously about fifteen years ago. Around the same time we got two little Lhasa Apso sisters. They were inseparable, except when I wrote. Spice decided she was my muse. Wherever I wrote, Spice was beside me. I don't write at a desk. My laptop is literally on top of my lap. And my little fur muse was beside me. Always.

On February 25, I said goodbye to my writing buddy. As anyone who has ever loved a fur baby knows, it is an incredibly hard thing to do. She was an integral part of our lives for fifteen years. My logical side knows that fifteen years is a good long life for a little pup, but my heart wishes it could have been a little longer.

I have written since. It took me a few days to face the empty couch. But I have managed to put words down and finish the first draft of the third novel in my Honorable Intentions series. I've also completed developmental edits on book two as well as cover copy and tag lines. It's been hard, but I've pushed through.

It seems she was not my muse so much as my life coach. She taught me how to laugh daily, to see joy in simple things, to stop and pay attention to one another. To be present in the moment. She brought out a maternal instinct in me that I would have sworn did not exist. As her health began to fail these past two years, her care became a top priority. We rearranged our lives around her needs because that's what you do for someone you love. And love? Boy, did she teach me about love. Spice reminded me, daily, that love is affectionate, demonstrative, and unconditional.

Ginger and Spice tumbled into this world together. They'd never been apart in their 15+ years of life. Spice loved all three of us. Ginger loved Spice. She is struggling to make sense of this new world where she has only the humans left. Every once in a while, she'll curl up near me. She's currently snugged in beside me, as though she knows I'm writing something challenging. She'll never be the cuddle muffin her sister was; it's simply not who she is. But, I like to think that when she joins me, she finds some comfort in my proximity. I know I do in hers. It's a start. For both of us.

RIP sweet Spice. Thank you for sharing your life with us.