Friends and Community Service

     In life there are people who make a significant impression on you and who you can never forget. One of those people for me was Jena, one of my closest college friends and roommates who died tragically last year when she was only 27. Jena was one of those people who lived to give back to others. She believed fiercely in giving her time and energy to community service and outreach. In her honor, her friends and family started an organization, the Jena Ashley Smiles 929 Foundation, to help continue on Jena's strong commitment to community service, particularly in the areas of youth, literacy and medical research.

For the month of October, I will be donating all profits from the sale of Beckoning Light to the foundation.

For more information please check out     The Jena Ashley Smiles 929 Foundation

New Baby Boy

I became a mother of two on Wednesday when my son Samuel was born! I'll be taking a short break from writing but I'm almost done with the first draft of Perilous Light and I'll be sure to update everyone soon! 

Favorite Books

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about preference in books. What makes us love one book and dislike another? How do we choose what books we want to read, and which ones we pass up? In some ways it's similar to how we choose other things in life like foods and movies, but at least for me, taste in books becomes even more personal. My preference in books is broad, and my favorites vary but usually I stay in certain genres. However, my all time favorite book, Moby Dick, doesn't fit any of my usual book categories. There is just something about Melville's depiction of obsession and his prose that has me coming back time and again.

Does anyone else have a favorite book that doesn't quite fit in with your usual taste? How do you know that you have found your perfect book?

Creativity

I recently had coffee with a friend and we ended up discussing the creative process. She brought up how people tend to create in two distinct ways either with a flash of inspiration that is more emotionally based or in a more logical manner. Although my initial reaction was to say that my creativity always comes with a flash, recently my writing has become more of a hybrid of the two. I have been writing Perilious Light with a set plan, but letting the details fill in naturally.  I'm hoping that the result is positive... you will all have to let me know this Spring.

New Beginnings

As summer comes to an end and fall seems within sight, it's hard not to think about new beginnings. Although September in North Carolina is still very hot, even the faintest hint of cooler weather reminds me that the seasons are changing. My daughter starts a new year of preschool this week, bringing with it a lot of excitement and some additional time for me to work on Perilous Light.  Book two picks up about a year after Beckoning Light ends, and while the characters are of course still dealing with the aftermath of the events of the year before, they are also experiencing their own new beginnings. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the first draft and I look forward to sharing the next chapter of Charlotte and Kevin's story with everyone this Spring.

There are some good things in life you can get for less than a dollar...

On Monday Beckoning Light will have been out for a month. It's been wonderful sharing the story with so many people, and I have loved hearing all of the feedback. In an attempt to expand my audience further, I have decided to lower the price on the e-book for a limited time to .99 cents. Be sure to tell your friends :)

Moving

I woke up at four in the morning on Friday with an idea I just couldn't wait to write. It was a scene with Charlotte back in Energo after more than a year away. Charlotte, as usual, is full of a variety of different emotions, and is trying to come to terms with changing environments. As bleary eyed and exausted as I was, I could relate to Charlotte.

I'm no stranger to moving. Since graduating high school I've lived in three different cities and even more apartments and homes. Each move involves the unavoidable packing and unpacking, perfectly situating furniture and finding a place for way too many things. A move also requires finding a new place to write. Even when using the same computer and desk, it still feels strange to sit facing a different wall, or looking out a new window. It's been two weeks since my family moved into a new home, and I'm still getting used to the setup. With all the change, it sure feels good to be working with some familar characters.