Today, at the gym...

I love music.  I'm not so much about creating it, but about feeling it.  I love lyrics and rhythm and the way my body moves when it catches just right.  Sometimes I'll choose a machine at the gym over classes because I prefer my playlist over the instructor's choice of music.

But today...I was inspired.

I'm revising a new novel now and the themes are still floating around in my head.  How do I want to make the reader feel?  What do I want to think about as I'm writing?

Every word of every song matters when I am seeking an emotion to write about.

I nearly fell over in conditioning class today when one song started.  The words swept me away.  I knew what they were singing about and now I have to write about it too.  So, this video is for you Rio.  Thanks for sharing your back story with me today.

It's DONE!!

Here it is: still empty, but complete.

MY OFFICE!!

It's bright, warm and cozy.

Best of all, it's 

JUST IN TIME!!

A special thanks goes out to my husband, Mark, who spent countless hours designing and building this space for me to creatively express myself.


I promise; it will be worth every second!!

Guilt and Shame Need Not Apply

I don't blog regularly.

I feel bad about it.

WHY?

Because "they" say I should.

But who's "they"?

I guess I'd call "they" the promotion and/or blog experts.  You know, the ones who advise you on how to get and keep followers?

Well guess what? "They" don't live my life. "They" don't grapple every day with trying to balance it all out.

But I do.

So, for 2012, I have a saying: GUILT and SHAME need not apply HERE!

I am going to do the very best I can and be proud of it.

(I blogged more in 2011 than in 2010, so YAY ME!!)

I am going to stop reaching for perfection.

(No more of that: MUST post or else...)

This year, I think this blog is really going to focus on what I read and how it benefits me.  It could be a writing skill I'm studying or the way a book touched my heart.  Either way, I want to have a heck of a lot more fun with what I think.  But most importantly: GUILT and SHAME shall not be included!!

Six Months After the Springfield Tornado

June 1, 2011 changed the lives of everyone living in Western Massachusetts.  On that day, a historic tornado ripped through, leaving a path of death and destruction.

Restoration continues, despite damage from other episodes of severe weather.

But the tornado is not forgotten.

On this six month anniversary, I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has contributed stories and pictures to the Springfield Tornado Website and Facebook Page.  Shawn Morse and I are in the final stages of compiling them for use in a book.

Our targeted release date is June 1, 2012.

Because "We Must Stand Together"....