Maggie Clare's Blog, page 7
April 10, 2023
The Real Adventure Begins!
Although we’ve been on the road for a couple of months now, we’ve stuck mostly to the familiar as we got acquainted with this new lifestyle. On Friday though, we left Florida, where we have family and friends, and started our trek west. As I drove away, it felt like our adventure was truly beginning.
We also left Florida with a new RV. Yes, we just bought the first one, but this one is a significant upgrade. Honestly, when we started our journey, we didn’t know if we were going to love it enough...
March 27, 2023
Spring Forward!
While I am not a fan of changing the clocks, I have to say the extra hour of daylight in the evenings makes a difference in my overall productivity and energy level. As the spring season arrives, I’m experiencing it from the southern part of the country where the amount of daylight is the big difference, not so much the temperature. In fact, it’s been a balmy 85 degrees and sunny for the better part of March, not something this New England girl is used to!
When we hit the road, I wondered if my ...
February 20, 2023
Chasing the Sunshine
In years past, I spent a lot of time during the winter months focused on keeping my mood up and minding my mental health. I had a whole slew of tricks to counter the lack of daylight, including, but not limited to, surrounding my home with candles, changing my desk lamp to a full spectrum bulb, hiking outdoors wearing removable layers, and taking vacations to sunny places. Now that we are essentially chasing the sun, none of that is necessary. I realize now how much energy I had to expend to com...
February 6, 2023
Home is Where We Park it!
The folks who bought our house in RI have become friends over these last few months, and they sent us a fun gift - a welcome mat that reads, ‘Home is Where You Park it.’ Now that we’re entering our second full month of RV life, we’re finding that the catchy slogan holds a lot of truth. Whether we’re boondocking in a parking lot, tucked into a wooden campground, or enjoying the amenities of a fancy RV park, when we pull the shades at night and snuggle into bed, we really feel like we’re home. Thi...
January 30, 2023
Five Things
January is a month with five Mondays, so today I’m going to share my “Five Things” blog which is also posted on www.tabithalordauthor.com. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to that one (sign up at the bottom of the home page), and you’ll get to hear from me every week, lol! In addition to my random musings, I also post our travel schedule over there so check it out. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Insta...
January 23, 2023
Maggie on the Move
In my last post, I mentioned that my husband and I had sold our house along with most of our stuff, bought an RV, and hit the road. The whole plan was one of those wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-a-crazy-idea moments, but we looked at each other and asked, “Why not?”
I find when I have those out of the box thoughts and I begin exploring them, things either fall into place right away or I’m hit with stumbling blocks that make me reassess. Well, we had an offer on our house within minutes....
January 9, 2023
New Year, New Intentions
Dear Maggie,
Do you have any personal, fitness, or professional New Year’s resolutions?
Sincerely,
Gym Rat in Jersey
Dear Gym Rat,
Generally speaking, I like to create big picture intentions for the New Year rather than very specific goals. This year is different however as we’ve just made some major changes to our life. First off, as you may already know, we sold our home and moved full-time into an RV. Since we don’t know where we want to settle next, and with kids scattered all over the west coa...
December 12, 2022
The Emotional Scenes Get Me Every Time!
Dear Maggie,
Do you have a favorite scene in each of your books?
Sincerely,
Wondering in Waterbury
Dear Wondering,
My favorite scenes in the books I’m reading or the books I’m writing tend to be ones with really intense, emotion-filled moments. As a writer, my process when drafting a new novel is to loosely outline the plot, figure out where I’m heading, flesh out the major characters, and anchor the story with a few major, pivotal scenes. It’s those pivotal scenes that are my favorite to write, and ...
November 28, 2022
A Great Big Thank You!
Dear Maggie,
Do you have any book events coming up?
Sincerely,
Book Lover in Bangor
Dear Book Lover,
As a matter of fact, I do! It’s time for the 10th Annual RI Author Expo, a festive event featuring over 100 local authors. Join me at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick, RI on Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 10 am - 5pm. The day will be jam packed with panels, programs, raffles, and even Santa. I’ll be signing all books from the TSI and HORIZON series, so please come say hello.
I’ll also be moderating a pane...
November 14, 2022
Minding My Mental Health
Dear Maggie,
Do you struggle with the winter blues? If yes, how do you manage to get anything accomplished?
Sincerely,
Sad in Sacramento
Dear Sad,
Yes, I totally struggle with the winter blues, or if you want to get clinical, seasonal affective disorder. Here in the northeastern United States, the sun sets just after 4pm. The days are short, the sky is dark, and it’s cold. Winter is definitely coming, and I’ll be honest, it’s my least favorite season. I work from home, often spending hours alone. Dur...
