September 2 – Completed the copyright registration online. Amazing! I paid $25 extra to have it express registered by the end of today. I need a break – need to go somewhere and have some fun just being around others. Writing is a solitary job. Ironic though, I’ll be driving in wind gusts and rain deluges since Tropical Storm Hermine is still in the vicinity, like a barking dog that won’t go away. Hope Dan & Emille are enjoying Italy – prayers still needed for families of those lost in earthquakes.

September 1 – WHEW! Finished and submitted at 11:30 PM, due largely in part to Mark’s assistance. Deadline was today, Sept. 2.

August – The last 2 weeks of this month have been devoted to writing, revising, and rewriting my latest venture, the Sci-Fi novella, Monster Kits, for a contest Mystery Writers of America is sponsoring and which is headed by the national best-selling author, RL Stine. Must have rewritten the first 3 chapters 5 times and finally, we all settled on an exciting storyline. Dan and Mark have been instrumental in the many revisions and technical information needed. It’s hard to please three different people and write a story that meets with everyone’s approval.

7/21… Wow, I deftly avoided physics in high school and college and now find I need to become familiar with fluorescent jellyfish and lasers. Funny how this is working out… I feel like I’m back in school again. But when you’re dealing with science fiction, you’ve got to know the science in the fiction.

It’s not the 50+ yr.-old cabin that’s the most alluring reason for coming to Harper’s Ferry, WVA. It’s that my husband, John, both sons (Dan & Mark), and Dan’s wife (Emille) are here for the few precious days we have to clean all these windows and back deck, fix the broken down front fence posts, and clean out the weeds in the front yard. Sounds just about as unexciting as it is, I’m sure. But it has been exciting to see all this get done in just two days. Man, this crew can work like lightning! Everyone worked hard from sunup to sundown two days straight. Emille worked right alongside the guys and it was so impressive to watch them, like a well-oiled machine. Me? I cleaned the munge from the deck railings and took care of the cooking and cleaning. We weren’t working alone because John’s brother Steve, wife »

8/15… Writing a Sci-Fi is proving to be a serious challenge, even for my imagination. But it’s  unforgettable excitement writing it with Dan and getting intellectual critiques and suggestions from Mark. When these two guys say they like the storyline, I know we’ve got something worth writing… and reading! And that makes it worth the brain strain.

7/14… Recording and recording again until it’s just perfect. Voice Over tutorials are a good way to get a feel for this industry. Gaining a new respect for voice over professionals. This is going to take a lot of time, many practices, and determination to endure… which, after recording the first chapter of Consuming Fire about 5 times, I’m not big on right now.

7/13… Finally, we’re in New Jersey and it’s great to see Dan and Emille. The work begins immediately after Dan gets home from work each day. Meanwhile, I’m watching YouTube tutorials and practicing on GarageBand, reading and rereading chapters until they’re good enough to please us all. John is painting their unit and doing a very meticulous job. He’s a great husband and father and their home is becoming brighter and cooler with the pale blue-grey color. Lots getting accomplished here!

7/12… I know our visit to New Jersey is not only for the purpose of catching up with our son and daughter-in-law, but for the purpose of getting some videos of interviews between Dan and me and also some videos of me reading first chapter excerpts of each of my books. I’m excited! Should be a great experience and I’m hoping I’ll learn a few things about doing voice overs. Now that would be an interesting career!

7/11 …. It’s nice to be on the road and we have a remarkably comfortable car that gets us 44 miles to the gallon. It’s a Prius V and this really isn’t an ad, but it really is a great car. Driving across country gives you a lot of time to think; I’m trying to decide whether to be relieved about retiring from teaching, or sad. I mean I hate the Marzano method of teaching – it’s turning the profession into more of a business that removes creativity in projects and appeals more to left-brained people. But I’ll definitely miss the students. Yes, the students are the main reason for teaching. What else could it be? In Florida, it certainly can’t be the money.