Kim Janine Ligon's Blog, page 4

The Omni

The room just off the kitchen at the front of the house is bordered with bookshelves, as are most rooms in our house. This particular room is packed with a mixture of science fiction, foreign languages, poetry and plays, almanacs, contemporary fiction, and my book, soon to be plural. The shelves also house friend and family photographs both framed and in albums, and bric-a-brac from my life: postcard size paintings, plaques with encouraging words like Life Is too Short To Be Anything But Happy,...

Year Five

Hard to believe but today is the fifth anniversary of this blog starting. Some people reflect on the past year on New Year’s day, but for me this blog birthday triggers my review of what I’ve accomplished in the past year.

2022 was the year my first book was published– Polly’s List– and I signed a contract for my second cozy mystery with a splash of romance, hope, and faith– Landing On Her Feet– which will be out this summer. But you regular followers out there already know that!

I like ...

Oh, Baby!

I recently saw a news piece on the declining birth rate in the United States. They were bemoaning the fact that young people didn’t want to have children any more. They only want to make money, travel, and not be tied down. That may be true for some people, but my personal experience is that a lot of those young people have a great deal of faith in the future because I’m still making lots and lots of baby blankets for bouncing new arrivals.

I sat down and started calculating how many blankets...

Oh What Fun!

Well…I did it. Not only did I survive my first ever book signing, I had so much fun doing it!

I walked into the local Barnes and Noble on Saturday and they had a table set up by the door with a blue tablecloth on it, that perfectly matched the top I was wearing. On one side of the table there was a lovely bouquet of cut flowers in a stylized Mason jar as the vase. They were from a dear friend in Pensacola with a note saying “I wish I was there to share your special day.” That instantly ratch...

Did You Ruby It?

My Mother-in-Law, Ruby, loved to shop and she was an Avon lady too. She was always finding little goodies for herself or to use as gifts in the future. When things went on sale with Avon, she’d stock up so she’d be sure to have the perfect item when she needed it. She would buy something special and “put it away” until later. The problem was that when she needed it or wanted to give the perfect gift she’d bought earlier, she couldn’t find where she had hidden it from herself. She told me the ver...

Not According To Plan

I’ve been in a reflective mood of late. No doubt triggered, in part, by my 50th high school reunion. I didn’t go, but the notice made me dig out my yearbooks to reread the autograph pages and pour over the senior pictures. We look so young–I guess half a century ago–we were!

I had a solid plan for my life. College where my dad went. Not marry until after med school. Then I’d save lives in between having three or four exceptionally gifted progeny. Yes, I was going steady but somehow everythi...

The Hummingbird’s Almanac

All summer long I enjoy watching the bright green, ruby throated hummingbirds flit around our feeder. One swoops in and drinks greedily until another bird appears and chases it away so the newcomer can guzzle the sweet nectar.

They retreat to a nearby crape myrtle bush and perch on a branch blending in with the oval green leaves that are nearly their size. When another bird nears the feeder the camouflaged one zooms out of hiding with tail feathers fully fanned to warn the intruder against sa...

Birth Announcement!

She’s here!

I’ve known she was coming since last October. The C-section date has been scheduled since June. You’ve seen the sonogram. Now “Polly’s List” is officially born. Thank you to all her aunts, uncles, close friends, my fellow Roses, and my birth coaches. I so appreciate all your encouragement and support.

I’ve said before but it bears repeating–my fellow authors with the Wild Rose Press are simply outstanding and uber-supportive. Yesterday, I was hosted by another Rose, Anastasi...

The Remodeling Gene

Earlier this spring another friend and I had lunch at Linda’s house so we could see the amazing transformation she’d completed in her master bath and kitchen. She embarked on a remodeling adventure mid-pandemic so along with the normal stresses of a major project she also dealt with supply chain hiccups and halts. The results are exquisite. Her master bath, in particular, looks like something straight out of a magazine or home make over TV show. As beautiful as the results are, I haven’t the pa...

Check Your Messages

The post office’s stamp price increase this week made me think about electronic communications. When I was working, I was always early to work. I could check on the night shift and if I had extra to do I’d much rather do it in the morning than to stay late and miss out on evening time at home. And work in the morning had fewer interruptions than staying late. Some of the pleasant moments of those early mornings were when Daddy’s name would pop up in my inbox. He was an early bird too. Most times his message wasn’t of critical importance, probably a thinking of you message or just talking about life in general but they always started my day off on the right foot. I treasured each one.

Emails have been essential in rounding up my far flung siblings for surprise parties for our parents and for sibling vacation retreats. Now I use it to get the word out to over one hundred people for family reunions. Lately, it’s had pictures and announcements of new arrivals complete with vital statistics.

A lot of text messages are flying around too. I have a text enabled phone but it’s not smart so it take six clicks to type in my first name, if I don’t care about it being capitalized. I have received texted baby announcements too with postage stamp size pictures on my phone. Most recently when the niece who is only eleven months younger than my husband became a great grandmother. That makes my husband a great great great uncle, but he’s decided his handle for that generation will be UG3. He hasn’t signed a deal for a rap album yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.

The biggest impediment to timely electronic communication is that the devices have to be on. Mine generally are not. These days I only check email about twice a day unless I’m expecting a response to something specific and text messages once a week or less. So if you want to get in touch with this girl just pick up the phone and call my landline…yes I still, have one.

Other updates from my world:

This site is now https for your improved security.

We’re 32 days from P Day, publication of Polly’s List

Check out the new picture on my blog Meet The Author page compliments of my friend Beverly who shot oodles of pics for me to use for promotions. Thank you!

My Reading Recommendations page on the blog is growing almost daily with books I’ve read and reviewed for other Roses from the Wild Rose Press Garden. Lots of talent out there.

Hope your summer is filled with fun, family, and frolicking! Enjoy!