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Thursday, August 28, 2014

Writing Challenges

As if ragweed season isn't enough to battle with major allergies and being a 'lifer' on the shots, I got sick on top of this infamous time of year. Came down with sinus, bronchitis, and bronchial spasms, so I'm back on the inhaler and an antibiotic. Herbal remedies failed me. Sigh. Unless I would have been that much worse without them. Like dead.

It's hard to write when you're blowing and coughing your head off. Inspiration fades and there's no snap, crackle, and pop (except in my chest). This is when I long for the writing elves to come and work on my novel while I doze in between bouts of hacking. An insightful dream would be most welcome, but mine are weird, cold med induced hallucinations. Nothing useful. I'll just have to make something up, I tell myself. Which probably sounds odd because that's what most people assume authors do. Actually, I don't. I have this deep sense of the story and of being led in its creation. Just making stuff up doesn't happen with me. The characters speak, if I can hear them over the honking. 


Meanwhile, I have good news to share. My latest historical romance novel, Traitor's Legacy, is out this month. Published by the Wild Rose Press. A big book signing event is in the works for Historic Halifax, NC in October. The bulk of the story is set in that area. The event coordinator tells me the interview I had with the editor of North Carolina's Eastern Living Magazine is out, and he did a fabulous job with it. I'm waiting for my copies to come in the mail. The story I'm struggling with is the sequel to Traitor's Legacy, entitled Traitor's Curse. I was sailing along. Then my grandbabies found two abandoned kittens for me to care for, which I undertook with exhausting devotion. Resulting in a lack of sleep, which may have led to my hack, sniffle, honk derailment. But the kittens are doing well. I've named the buddy brothers 'Peaches and Cream'. Perhaps they will inspire me. Possibly show up in the novel. I don't know when readers will pick up on this, but I have an orange tabby cat in nearly everyone of my stories, unless the characters are on the run in the frontier and can't take care of a cat. The orange tabby makes an appearance in Traitor's Legacy, in the wonderful old home featured in the story called Thornton Hall.


“A kitten is the delight of a household. All day long a comedy is played out by an incomparable actor.”
― ChampfleuryThe Cat Past and Present


Two kittens, double the delight. And the work.

“A kitten is, in the animal world, what a rosebud is in the garden.”
― Robert Sowthey


Yep, you're getting kitten quotes. Because this is a random post.

“The only thing a cat worries about is what’s happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time.”― Lloyd AlexanderTime Cat

And that might be good advice for me, as well.

6 comments:

  1. Well I certainly hope you are feeling better soon! I am absolutely loving Traitor's Legacy...trying to read it in between the woodpile getting done and life in general. I am trying honest!!! Then of course my husband wants to talk to me about work and stuff...Can you imagine?...lol I too would have taken over the kitten situation as you did had it happened to me. As it is I get puppy duty,babysitting every once in a while for my son and his fiance. So feel better soon and while you are working on that I will work on getting my reading done :) A win win for us both.

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  2. Thanks LeeAnn, for sharing your enthusiasm for Traitor's Legacy and the well wishes. :) And for stopping by. Good luck on that wood pile. Sounds like another cold snowy winter.

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  3. Beth, so happy to hear you're writing a sequel to TRAITOR'S LEGACY. You are such a great writer. Sending healing thoughts that you feel better soon!

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  4. Thanks so much, Caroline. I appreciate the boost.

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  5. Suddenly it seems as if everyone I know is sick. All with the sneezing, snuffling, etc. Here's hoping you feel much better very soon.

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  6. It's that time of year, and this respiratory thing is going around. Thanks Joan. I'm much improved after five days in the meds.

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