August 30, 2018: The end of August is in sight. How did that happen? This has definitely been a month of writing for me. I had two revisions due almost at the same time. Deadlines. Isn’t that what life is all about? Writing deadlines are a good thing, though. In most cases, they mean you will soon have a published book. I’ve probably revised my adult mystery more than twelve times. The story has worn me out. The characters words, thoughts, and actions I know almost as well as my own; but each revision has taught me patience and determination. I’ve grown as a writer. I’ve disciplined my time to meet the schedule. I’ve learned to prioritize. One way I do this is to keep a running list. I know what I need to do when. As each task is completed, I feel a sense of accomplishment. Another way is to reward myself. I told myself if I can just make it through August, I’m going to the beach in September where I plan to do little more than lie on the beach during the day and eat seafood at night. “Yeah right,” a little voice inside my head says, “you know in the third book of The Baker Manor Series, the setting is at the beach. You need to jot down exactly how the moonlight strikes the shore, how does it feel to run for your life in the scorching sun on an empty stretch of sand, and what does a killer think as he/she stares out at the horizon?” Welcome to a writer’s world.

August 14, 2018:

#woohooanothercontract #number3- On Friday of last week, I received my third book contract. This one is for Mountain Laurel - the story I began back in 2009 and probably the one I’ve most wanted to see become a book. This is the story about Mom and Dad’s first date. It is chocked full of family lore, with a whole lot of creative liberty thrown in to make a good read, but the stories are basically true, some told by Mom and some by Dad, but each one means something to me. The old sayings, passed down by my Grandparents through my Parents, will live on through me to my grandchildren. The setting is The Smoky Mountains and there’s a nod to many things important to my family: Church homecomings, railroad trains, growing a garden, canning and, with the help of an expert, even burley tobacco (okay, that’s not something we grew, but its history goes way back and was an important crop to East Tennessee). However, I couldn’t write a story about this area without throwing in a chapter about moonshining. This book is near and dear to my heart and I’m excited to see it finally coming to life-due out March 2019. You will know how important it is to me when you read the dedication: 

To my granddaughter, Hannah Elizabeth, named after my mother, the real Mountain Laurel. 

(Onie Elizabeth Bowers, 1918-2011).