First Post of 2011

Well, again, it's been over a month since my last post. As a writer and publisher, I really should do better. And of course, this year, I once again resolve to do just that! My goal is to post to this blog weekly. We'll see how I do...

I'm currently reading Julia Cameron's The Sound of Paper, subtitled Starting from Scratch. Since the 9th of this month, I have taken the morning pages to heart (although they may not always be in the morning, depending on what life is throwing at me that day), and done that daily since - 9 days and counting!

My artist date last week was a humble one. I picked up the latest copy of the Sacramento News and Review to read on my way back to the office from Starbucks. This week's artist date is attending the monthly My Girlfriends Garden event at Villa Fiorente - a winery in Auburn - on Thursday evening. This month, Robynn McCann (The Opal Within Us, Understanding Animal Voices) is speaking on the topic of Finding Our Journey. Last month, Persia Woolley - the Guinevere trilogy - spoke. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend that event.

Ms. Cameron also recommends walks for inspiration, which I am re-incorporating as part of getting back into my fitness routine. We are blessed to have a small nature area with a walking/biking trail near the house, so I walk there and see many species of birds come through, as well as other critters. Last week, there was this adorable Siamese-like cat with the prettiest blue eyes! Many times I'll see a white egret pausing in the large clearing by the road and always there are the smaller birds that dwell in the area as well.

There is a story calling to me in the Belkher Chronicles series, based on happenings along the Wise Canal in Auburn. Six men have drowned in that canal since January of 2009, many of them inebriated transients - but not all. Very much like the story line I was taking in a work tentatively titled Watery Death. Papacita started that way as well - a newspaper story caught my eye and sparked my imagination and off we went!

I have gotten as far as typing up How the Elephant Got Its Trunk from Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories series as well. Now I need to sketch the animals involved, get the layout done and get 'er published! I'm aiming to have that done by my grandson's birthday in late March.

Well, that's all the news that is news at this time - will do my best to see you again next week!