Looking back at 2014

Goodreads says that I read 19 books this year. I think I read more than that, but I've stopped reviewing the books I didn't like. I bought a couple of bundles this year that I still need to work my way through. But I also found some new favorite authors - Nathan Lowell, Chuck Wendig and Brian Staveley. I need to get back to reading more.

 

My computer died a horrible death in February and I bought a laptop to replace it. I was afraid that I would hate the keyboard, but luckily found one that is very comfortable. In fact, I think I type faster on it. So a happy ending there.

 

 

The garden did very well this year. Had a bumper crop of blueberries - almost 7lbs. I couldn't pick the last handful because of a yellow jacket nest under one bush. The veggie garden is now all raised beds. I think that's made a big difference. I'm still doing some rearranging, but I should have a couple more beds for next year.

 

I published Lethal Seasons in August. I sold a few copies. Buying ads does help sell the book. I started using a bit of marketing. And hopefully a few more people will hear about my books.

 

I've been working on Dark Deeds which will come out next month. In between, I've started rough drafts on Scattered Seeds with a May 2015 deadline.

 

Although I haven't sold many books this year, I managed to sell 3 times the number of the year before. A lovely increment, even though it's still miniscule.

 

 

In September, I went up to Kingston, NY to visit relatives and research my roots. All of my Irish relatives settled there. The photo is of the Hudson River from Rhinebeck, which is on the other side. Kingston is a working town. My ancestors worked in the shirt factory or the cigar factory, cutting bluestone for sidewalks, for the railroad or on the river. The next generation had some policeman, nurses and teachers. Kingston is still very much a working class town struggling to come out of the recession. It was very good to see that town and walk around it.



All in all a good year - travel, relatives, reading, writing and gardening. Here's hoping for to surpass it all in the coming year!

Roadtrip!

I'm off to Boston tomorrow for my nephew's wedding. Not sure how it is possible that he is old enough to get married, but apparently he is. I felt the same way when he graduated college. That's the amazing thing about kids - they keep getting older. I don't.

After the wedding, I am driving to Kingston, NY with my sister. We will reconnect with a few living relatives while I do some genealogy research. Oddly enough, all of my Irish relatives settled there after they came over. And so did a few German relatives through marriage.

My great-great-grandfather came over from County Roscommon in Ireland. His name was James Fitzgerald. And there is my "brick wall" relative, as we hobbyists like to call them. No middle name that I can find and no town of birth. I narrowed it down to 46 families in the county. I may have to wait till I can afford a trip over there to continue that research. Or spend a lot of money, which I don't have right now.

I am hoping to find a few clues in Kingston. The relatives who still live there might have pictures or documents tucked away somewhere. I've got my fingers crossed.

Dark Deeds is resting while the 1st reader is working through it. I've started outlining the 2nd book in the Changed World series. The working title for now will be Scattered Seeds. I've got a lot of ideas for it. And I think I may need to do some research for a couple parts. However, I don't think I will be doing much writing over the next week. I worked hard to get Dark Deeds done on time, so I feel that I deserve this little break. Yay! (Besides, it was on the schedule)

How is your September shaping up? Is it as busy as mine is turning out to be? School, weddings, writings, new books?

Pictures from my trip to France

Some amazing wisteria

A lovely little chateau nearby - La Chatoniere

Such narrow, deep streets! The medieval town of Chinon. From between the buildings you can look up a steep cliff to the fort. I considered this research for writing a fantasy...at some point.

The fortress at the top of the hill at Chinon has beautiful grounds. The bare branches of the tree against the stone was especially striking.

The Latin Quarter in Paris has some peculiar architecture. I wonder what the rooms look like in that little green house? I loved looking at all the buildings.

Limestone steps that are a couple hundred years old. I loved all the textures and colors of the stone.

The formal gardens at Villandry were phenomenal. We walked all over. They have miles of gardens, all different kinds. This one made me think of Alice in Wonderland and chessboards.

It was a fabulous trip but I think it will take me a long time to absorb everything I saw and learned there.

France was fabulous!

I stayed in a centuries old farmhouse in the French equivalent of Kansas...only much cooler.

The trip was enhanced by excellent traveling companions and an interpreter. I ate too much and laughed a lot and came home totally refreshed. For two weeks I was out of my own ruts and tossed to the winds. Lots of things shook loose in the process and I return to my writing with new impressions and experiences.

Walking through huge walled courtyards, palaces and chateaus I saw manicured gardens and ancient stone walls covered with lichens and moss. We traveled down narrow streets that once saw men on horseback and carriages passing. Lovely.

Even a friendly lizard or two.

I'm sure this will all surface somehow in my writing. It's so good to go out and see new thing and places and people. But I have to say after all the going and seeing, it's good to get home. Even if the old ruts don't fit anymore...I needed to try new ones!