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Published on December 15, 2012 13:55

December 14, 2012

A really special holiday by Barbara Edwards

Christmas Anthology

Chapter One

Annabelle Wilson had only one wish for the holidays. She wanted to spend the day alone. Shifting her weight, she slipped her aching foot from her shoe and wiggled her toes. After wiping her hands on her apron, she finished filling the last box of chocolates. Her fingers trembled with fatigue. After the overwhelming pressure of the past few months she needed a break.

The gilded sign announcing Belle’s Best Candy gleamed in the light from the street. Matt Stone’s grin warmed her more than warranted by his casual greeting. He stopped everyday on the way to the nearby fire station for his work shift and she looked forward to his version of eye candy.

“Taking tomorrow off? I’ll miss my daily dose of sweetness,” Matt said. His clear blue eyes gleamed with humor. Belle looked at the way his lips curved and wondered if they would taste like his favorite chocolate. Her heart skipped like an excited child. She taped shut the full box of hand-made chocolates and handed them to her most frequent customer with a wry smile.

“First time since I opened in October,” she replied and shrugged, “My entire family is getting together for Christmas dinner.”

The glass shelves rattled as another Southern California tremor occurred. A shiver raced up her spine. She flattened her hands on the counter and his warm fingers covered hers.

“Don’t be afraid.” His voice was bed-room husky and a fleeting picture of him whispering against her skin sent a different kind of shiver over her skin.

“You’d think I’d be used to them after all these years.” Belle sighed as her gaze wandered over his tall frame. He was a little over six foot tall and her head would fit under that square chin when they danced. She stifled a longing sigh. Although lean he had a muscular strength her female imagination wanted to test in a playful wrestling contest. Not for the first time she regretted the lack of time for more than a light flirtation.

“I never have,” he soothed.

Her cell phone burbled and she answered with a cheerful, “Belle’s Best, Mom. Are you ready for tomorrow?” Matt’s smile broadened when she identified her caller and she swallowed before slipping her hand free. “I’m closing the shop in a few minutes. I won’t be late for church service. And I’m bringing a box of your favorites. Bye.” She disconnected.

Matt held his candy box like a treasure. “I’m running behind. Will you be okay?” Usually her last customer of the day, he’d made it a habit to walk her to her car.

“I’m fine. I waited to close until you came,” she said and felt her cheeks heat. Her gaze met his and her lips parted. He seemed to read her mind.

“Maybe we’ll see each other, do dinner, and make it a really special holiday.” His bright blue eyes twinkled as he bent to press a gentle kiss to her mouth.

“Why did you do that?” she whispered. He did taste of chocolate.

“An early Christmas gift? It was time.” He traced a finger over her heated cheek and smiled.

“Call me,” she whispered as she scribbled her phone number on the box top. Her lips felt swollen and tender. “Have a Merry Christmas.”

Closing took a few minutes. Another tremor rattled the glass shelves and she prayed the repeated quakes didn’t damage anything. Belle’s Best Candy was her pride and joy in the same way as new baby.

Opening her candy shop before the Holidays had been an inspiration. First Halloween, then Thanksgiving had been busy. Her business grew by leaps and bounds, but the eighteen hour days had left her exhausted. After she waved good-bye to Matt, she flipped over the closed sign on the front door and checked her watch.

She’d promised to attend midnight services with her family and she had exactly ten minutes to reach the church. After slipping her leather handbag straps over her shoulder, she ran her hand through her tousled hair. The glass in the door shivered as another tremor tickled the California landscape.

This time she barely noticed. She looked forward to a quiet hour with her family. Her parents thought she’d been working too many hours making candy and not enough with them. Thankfully the sidewalk was empty and the passing traffic was light. Nearer the Mall last minute sales had drawn crowds.

Next to her building, a four-story parking garage encouraged shoppers to visit the area. When Matt walked with her to a rear section designated for business owners they often chatted for a few minutes. Memories of his kiss lightened her tired spirits. Maybe she could heat up their flirtation with a date. Her heels clipped on the concrete floor.

Another, stronger quake shook her car and the alarm went off. Luckily she had the keys in her hand and quickly silenced the loud blare.

The thick concrete floor buckled upward. Dust filled the air as noise rumbled.

A scream ripped from her throat as she was flung into the air.

Impressions strobed before her frightened gaze: the cracking ceiling bulging like a balloon; dirt fell in a hideous blinding blizzard; her car leaped like a goosed rabbit.

Deafening noise roared like an attacking beast.

She fell. Time slowed. Incredibly her mind raced. This couldn’t be happening! I’m not ready! Death reached out its cold hand and she shrieked. No! No! No!

The hard cement smacked the air from her lungs. Her shoulder twisted to the side. Concrete ceiling chunks cascaded down. Pain exploded in her head and everything went black.

Chapter Two tomorrow

Visit http://www.barbaraedwards.net for excerpts and buy links

A very special holiday was first posted on the Roses of Prose blog and will be part of our Christmas Anthology

Filed under: My Books, writing Tagged: A really special holiday, Barbara Edwards,, Christmas short story

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Published on December 14, 2012 13:43

November 28, 2012

Do you post on multiple blogs? By Barbara Edwards

With the year winding down, I’ve been assessing the success of my efforts at

Barbara Edwards

promotion. I established my own blog and post about my travels, my books and my family. Not exactly a focused effort but people seem to like it. My followers are on the upswing. I try to post twice a week- a New Year’s resolution that went the way of all resolutions. Sigh.

I blog bimonthly at The Roses of Prose http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com and once a month at The Black Rose http://twrpblackrose.blogspot.com/ I’ve guested at a number of blogs this year and wondered if the effort is worthwhile.

It’s hard to keep a regular schedule and find time for my novel writing.

So I asked a few friends if they have more than one blog. The answers were all over the place. And absolutely no help in making a decision. Everyone gave me permission to quote them.

Jerri Hines started a new blog and features romantic releases.

She recently had me as a guest

http://romanticpicks.wordpress.com/20...

Maggie Toussaint wrote:

I decided against being in a group blog. I try to blog at my place http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com/ once a week, but I miss the occasional week. Blogging is about revealing more about my stories or me, and I like to have most of those posts concentrated at a venue I control. I do blog tours when I have a release, but I’m a blog-lite kind of gal, maybe one to two guests blogs for about 3 weeks and I call it good for new book PR. Even I’m sick of my characters and hype by then, LOL.

But I have taken a reverse approach to blogging as I try to comment on multiple people’s blog-posts each week. And, most of the time I remember to leave a link back to my blog. So I’m trying to do some stealth blog-networking. Does it work? I don’t know, but its my plan and I’m sticking to it.

I was awed by Morgan’s reply. I would love to have the energy to do this and also write wonderful books like she does.

These are the Group Blogs Owned by Morgan Mandel:

Make Mine Mystery – http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com – My days are 2nd & 4th Mondays – As name suggests, It’s a mystery blog, with members posting almost daily

Acme Authors Link – http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com – My days are each Wednesday. Members post almost everyday here – This is more of a personal life of writers blog, about our books and our writing and personal lives

Books Gone Viral – http://booksgoneviral.blogspot.com – The rules in this blog are there are no set rules on when to post. Our many members post whenever they feel the urge or have an event to tell readers about.

I also participate in a group blog owned by Dani Greer, called The Blood-Red Pencil, http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com, where I’m on the first Tuesday of the month and then later at an assigned date later in the month. This blog consists of mainly editors, but I was admitted because they like my hints for authors.

GUEST BLOGS: I own two guest blogs that are specific in requirements:

Sweet Not Spicy – http://sweetnotspicy.blogspot.com – Guests promote their sweet fiction and romances – Once a week a post appears on Tuesday and stays up until the next Tuesday’s guest.

Spunky Senior Authors and Talents – http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.com – Guests who are 50 years of age and older share their lives, and if they’re authors, they also share their books. – Once a week a post appears on Thursday and stays up until the next Thursday’s guest.

I HAVE TWO PERSONAL BLOGS:

Double M’s Take on Books, Blogs, Dogs, Networking & Life – I share what the title says, and at times host guests. This blog has no set schedule, whenever I have time or a special occasion to a post about.

Morgan’s Book Links – http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com – This blog is similar to a website, in that the content rarely changes. It highlights each of my books, plus offers buy links, and excerpts.

Morgan Mandel - http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

Stephanie Burkhart wrote:

I try to post twice a week on my personal blog Romance Under the Moonlight. I blog once a month on 99 cent book, 4RV publishing and Once Upon A Word. I belong two other group blogs but I’ve neglected as of late because my writing commitments were overwhelming. I’m getting out from under the writing commitments this Nov.,_._,___

Celia Yeary added:

I post on my personal blog roughly twice a week. I co-own a group

blog called Sweethearts of the West, and each of us–15–have a certain

day, even days of the months, which gives each of us a two-day exposure.

These two are my focus and sometimes takes more time to do than others.

Two others I can post on anytime, as long as I get on the calendar. I can rarely

manage more than two blogs at a time, although I do have good intentions.

http://celiayeary.blogspot.com/

http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/

The use of blogs seems to be as individual as each of us. I can’t draw any conclusions from what I learned, but maybe you will. I hope you take the time to visit each of these blogs and read what they have to share. If you like it, you can ask to be a guest.

www.barbaraedwards.net

http://t witter.com/barb_ed

http://www.Facebook.com/BarbaraEdwards.Author

Filed under: family and friends, writing Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, Jerri Hines, Maggie Toussaint, Morgan Mandel, Stephanie Burkhart, writing

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Published on November 28, 2012 12:00

November 21, 2012

How do you give thanks? By Barbara Edwards

My Mom,

Long before politicians started pushing the value of volunteering, my Mom, Helen Gadamowitz, was a good example for me and my sister Patricia Anne Nadeau. We were far from well-to-do and money had to stretch to cover food, clothes and medicine. My Mother gave her time instead and taught me to do the same.

I was a member of our church’s Altar Society before I hit middle school. I found that what I gave didn’t equal what I received. One member taught me to crochet. Another’s daughter became a friend.

Over the years I’ve given time to many organizations. Because of my kids I was with the Boy Scouts for eleven years, the Girl Scouts for five and the Parent/Teachers association for six. Don’t get me wrong, I helped because it allowed me to spend more time with my children. The giving benefited me. It gave me hours of wonderful experiences with my sons and daughter. We camped with the troop, went to

Theresa Piazza Spahr Stark

summer day camp, and met some fine people. I can’t list the other places I volunteered, some for a day or a week.

From there it was a jump to RWA chapter President. I benefited so much from the writers who shared their talents and knowledge that I founded a chapter in Connecticut, The Charter Oak Romance Writers.

Again when I thought I was giving, I received so much more.

I taught Sunday School and joined the church choir. The joy I received cannot be measured.

So here I am making a list of things that I’m thankful for. Not in any special order.

1. My sons: the perfect men. Said with a mother’s smile but a belief it’s true.

2. And my Daughters-in-law who gave me grandchildren and are the greatest women I know.

3. Strength to survive the loss of my daughter Theresa Stark (Piazza, Spahr) was a gift from God, that and the sweet memories.

4. My grandchildren who are proving to be talented, smart and generally wonderful.

5. The ability to write is a joy that allows me to share my heart. Thank you God for five books published when I didn’t believe I could do it and for the dozen more in the pipeline.

6. How can I give enough thanks for my husband’s survival of his heart attack?

7. I thank God for the stubborn streak that pulled me through health problems that others failed under.

8. Thank you for my family, my friends and life.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. Count your blessings and share your love.

Visit my website: http://www.barbaraedwards.net for free reads, excerpts and buy links.

Filed under: family and friends, writing Tagged: Barbara Edwards,, family, friends, giving, Thanksgiving, writing

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Published on November 21, 2012 08:10

November 7, 2012

Timeline for my manuscript by Barbara Edwards

Barbara Edwards, Author

Time can be as important as any character in a story. Over the years I’ve read anything from an entire novel that occurred during twenty-four hours to sagas that move through hundreds of years. The author’s job is to make the plot flow smoothly from beginning to end.

My mistake with book three of my Rhodes End was neglecting to keep a timeline as I’ve been writing. I have a lot of excuses. I tried a method of writing scenes as they occurred to me instead of in sequence. With my final edits underway I have to work them in.

Ooops, where does that fit go? Transitions are needed as well as more scenes.

I also had to deal with my husband’s heart attack and its aftermath. I wrote scenes on my Alphasmart in the waiting room or while he slept. They needed to be plugged in.

So here I am with a surprisingly ragged manuscript. Usually when I’m this far along, the work has been edited in an on-going process.

So I am making a timeline. I need to note time, place, weather, who’s there, points covered and anything else I think important.

It’s almost like writing another book.

The only benefit is doing more edits as I read.

While you’re waiting for Book Three, here’s more about Ancient Awakening

Ancient Awakening

In Ancient Awakening, Police Officer ‘Mel’ Petersen investigates a death only she believes is murder. By disobeying direct orders from the Rhodes End Chief, she risks her career to follow clues that twist in circles to her backyard and lead the killer to her.

Her neighbor Stephen Zoriak is a prime suspect. Steve worked for a major pharmaceutical company where he discovered a weapon so dangerous he destroys the research. He is exposed to the dangerous organism. He suspects he is the killer and agrees to help her find the truth.

In the course of their investigation Mel and Steve find the real killer and a love that defies death.

Excerpt:

“Don’t touch me, Mel, not unless you’re willing to do a lot more,” he warned as her hazel eyes flared golden.

“Don’t threaten me, Steve. You’re…”

He pulled her into his arms despite the alarm bells clanging in his head.

Danger! Danger! Danger!

Her widened eyes met his. Mel’s hands were trapped against his chest, but she didn’t push him away. Instead, her fingers curled into his shirt.

Her mistake. His mistake was to crush her mouth under his.

Mel’s soft lips parted. Need exploded. The taste of black coffee didn’t hide her sweet flavor. As her tongue tangled with his, her arms slid around his neck and her fingers burrowed through his hair.

Steve hungered to peel the starched shirt off her soft shoulders, lay her on the thick turf and ease his desire. He tasted her brows, her cheek, along her throat, seeking the source of her call. Her pulse whipped under his mouth, awakening another need.

His teeth gently closed on the vulnerable vein.

He wanted, wanted, wanted…

Cold alarm chilled his pounding blood.

Steve gasped for air. He’d forgotten his own ironclad rule. Mel’s eyelids flittered open to reveal the molten glow of desire but he forced himself free.

He had no right to touch any woman. Not until he knew he hadn’t become what he had set out to destroy.

Blog Site: http://barbaraedwardscomments.wordpress.com

Ancient Blood http://on.fb.me/naHRY5

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/barbaraedwards

Email: author@barbaraedwards.net

Buy hyperlink Ancient Awakening http://www.wildrosepress.us/maincatalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=177_136&products_id=4511

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002TG4NFG

Filed under: writing Tagged: Ancient Blood, Barbara Edwards,, Rhodes End, timeline

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Published on November 07, 2012 09:41

October 27, 2012

Batten down the hatches by Barbara Edwards

October snowstorm

Weather is the most slippery of topics to report. Hurricane Sandy is moving up the East coast with a prediction of hitting my home state, Connecticut. The weather reports predict anything from a direct hit to a vague miss with high tides. Maybe it will be hitting on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday with the storm hovering for another four or five days.

We’ve been hammered before. Irene took out sections of the coast last year.

The October snowfall kept us without power for ten days. I learned that gas station pumps work on electricity, so do ATM machines and cash registers. My cell phone took longer to charge connected to a generator.

We’ve learned a lot about survival. We have bottled water even when no dangers threatens. We have dry goods to provide meals, our prescriptions are filled, the propane tank for the grill and gas cans for the generator.

I hate to admit I remember Hurricane Carol in the early fifties that wiped out parts of Connecticut that have never recovered. Twelve inches of rain fell, rivers flooded, dams broke and sent dirt and mud downstream. Luckily our house is on the north side of one of the highest hills in town. If Sandy turns into a Northeaster, we’ll be sheltered from the heaviest gusts. The nearest river is a block downhill so flooding isn’t a big worry. Heavy rain might do damage.

Water and wind are the biggest threats.

Batten down the hatches is an old mariners’ term. Sail ships had covers over the loading openings into the hold called hatches. In a severe storm the cover could blow off and water pour into the hold. The Captain would order them tied or battened down, a sure sign bad weather was at hand.

Be prepared. Stay safe.

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Paranormal romance by Barbara Edwards

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Published on October 27, 2012 10:58

October 22, 2012

Ghostly bride haunts cemetery by Barbara Edwards

Colonial Cemetery

Haunted cemetery features ghost of bride should be the description of most creepy stories. I decided to be logical about the over-abundance of dead young brides if there is any kind of logic to deciphering deadly tales.

My opinion is that there aren’t more brides fluttering over gravestones than any other demographic.

So what causes the stories?

In times past burial was a simpler matter. Wash the body, cloth than wrap in a shroud or winding sheet, put in a wooden box (this is if there was someone to build it in the time left), dig a hole and insert remains. Cover with dirt.

Now comes the interesting part.

The body decomposed. TaDa- gas is released. At night this could appear to be a mist or cloud rising from the grave. Thus anyone passing the cemetery at night might be treated to a scary sight.

Imagination would provide the identity in a small town where everyone knows who was the most recent person to die.

Would you expect to see the actual person or a misty form floating near the grave?

My favorite local story is in a Harwinton Cemetery and she is called The Green Lady. The story says the Green lady was murdered by her husband on their wedding night. He threw her body into the swamp bordering the cemetery and claimed she ran off. This was in a time when the settlers were sparse, the graves few in number and the area not well-traveled.

Since then the area has been populated, the old cemetery expanded to hold hundreds of graves and a major highway passes close by. The swamp still exists due to inland-wetland preservation.

My two sons went there one dark night near Halloween to check her out. They parked the car and walked in, daring each other and talking the trash boys exchange when trying to scare each other.

I don’t know what they saw.

A green light floated over the swamp. Growing brighter, larger, it drifted toward them. They ran like rabbits and almost blew the tires speeding out of there.

They were laughing by the time they got home, but they did say ‘no’ when I wanted to go there, too.

Do you have a scary story?

Read my paranormal romances, Ancient Awakening and Ancient Blood for some frightening scenes.

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Author Website: http://barbaraedwards.net

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Filed under: family and friends, history, psychic ability Tagged: Ancient Awakening, Ancient Blood, Barbara Edwards,, Bride ghosts, cemetery

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Published on October 22, 2012 11:13

October 12, 2012

Dudleytown, A haunted place in Connecticut by Barbara Edwards

Dudleytown doesn’t exist anymore, but stories of madness, suicide and horrible happenings keep it from fading into history. Hikers report a dead zone minus any animal activity. Similarly birds are absent except for the day-time hooting of owls.

Map featuring Dudleytown

Was Dudleytown haunted by something evil? Does the haunting continue even though the houses have fallen into the ground and little remains to mark the spot? I don’t know. According to some local historians, the town’s remains have witnessed madness, suicide, fatal accidents, natural disasters, and vanishings

A curse befalling residents from the mid-1700′s to the early-1800′s makes a scary story. The curse has been traced to an English nobleman, Edmund Dudley, ancestor of the Dudley brothers who settled the town. His head was chopped off for plotting against King Henry VII. A curse on Edmund followed his family to the New World.

One of the Dudley brothers went insane. Other strange incidents included a barn raising where a man fell to his death. Lightning struck and killed a Dudleytown woman on her porch. The curse destroyed a sheep-herder’s family. His wife died of tuberculosis, and his children disappeared. When his house burned down, he wandered into the woods, never to return.

Rev. Gary P. Dudley, a Texas resident and the author of The Legend of Dudleytown: Solving Legends through Genealogical and Historical Research (Heritage Books, 2001), traced the genealogy of his name, found no historical basis for Dudleytown’s cursed reputation or genealogical link to Edmund Dudley.

The final resident of Dudleytown was Dr. William Clarke, a New York City physician who built a vacation home in the early 1900s. The traditional story alleges that Mrs. Clarke was left alone overnight while her husband was summoned to an emergency in the city, and she descended into madness. Rev. Dudley says Mrs. Clarke committed suicide, but in New York, not in Dudleytown.

Before leaving, Dr. Clarke helped found Dark Entry Forest, Inc., an association of property owners that designated the area a nature preserve. As Dudleytown fell to ruin, the land reverted to forest.

Cornwall Covered Bridge, Cornwall, CT

he Cornwall Covered Bridge is nearby and worth a trip.

Anyone can follow directions in a guide to nature walks in Connecticut to the preserve’s main entrance at the end of Bald Mountain Road in Cornwall. The way is blocked by a locked gate and signs announcing “No Parking” and “No Trespassing.” Instead enter Dudleytown from the Mohawk Trail, a bit farther north. Dudleytown is about 1.5 miles from the trail’s entrance.

It’s obvious why Dudleytown’s neighbors don’t cotton to strangers.

The town’s legend attracted paranormal investigators, journalists, hikers, the occasional birder, curiosity-seekers, and just plain folk inclined toward the supernatural. Until in 1999, after the release of The Blair Witch Project (the hugely popular movie about haunted woods in Maryland), trespassers got out of hand.

The internet spread the legend far and wide.

The members of Dark Entry Forest, Inc placed Dudleytown off-limits after complaining of drinking parties, campfires, littering, disorderly conduct, and vandalism. A news release they issued stated in a single year, “law enforcement officers have been summoned 79 times”.

A sign in the Mohawk Trail parking lot warns hikers to keep out from October 25 to November 4. The trail crosses a corner of Dudleytown. The Connecticut Forest and Park Association closes this trail section for several days around Halloween.

I’ve personally hiked the fabled Litchfield Hills in their autumn colors.

A brook bubbling near Dudleytown

The Mohawk Trail follows Dark Entry Road, which climbs steeply past houses and towering tree before narrowing near Bonney Brook. In the forest, a broken stone wall crosses the brook. Once it was a dam—Witches’ Dam, some now call it. Nearby, a hollow moaning comes from a thin stream of water spouting into a rocky pool.

A half-mile beyond the brook is Dudleytown. The trail guide calls it “an abandoned community.” It is so quiet around the doomed settlement’s stone ruins that belief in a dead zone is brought to mind.

Visitors have experienced vortexes and cold spots in Dudleytown; others have seen spirits. A few are recorded on film although cameras and other battery-powered equipment are unreliable here. A few claim to have been chased, even slapped, by ghosts.

I can’t claim to know if the stories are true, but it does make me shiver.

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Paranormal romance by Barbara Edwards

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Filed under: psychic ability, writing Tagged: Ancient Awakening, Barbara Edwards,, Cornwall Bridge, Dudleytown, haunting, Mohawk Trail

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Published on October 12, 2012 05:44

October 9, 2012

A repeat visit to Bar Harbor, Maine by Barbara Edwards

Bar Harbor, Maine has changed since our last visit.

Sag Harbor and ship’s Tender

Five years ago we camped at Acadia National Park for a week. Dry camping is a challenge, but well worth it for the wonderful access to the rugged Maine coastline.

Bar Harbor is a typical resort area with large private residences nestled so far into the woods you can’t see them. It stars waterfront properties with all types of boats at anchor. In the intervening years, cruise ships have increased stops. The response from the

Barbara Edwards on Main ST, Bar harbor

town is a pretty new marina area and easy access to the small shops run by local business people. Despite the increased traffic, the people are friendly and helpful.

I drove my husband crazy reminding him I wanted to buy a piece of watermelon tourmaline. If you’re not familiar with gemstones, you don’t know about Tourmaline. It comes in lots of different colors and makes beautiful jewelry. I coveted the watermelon: striped with green, white and bright pink. I never saw it anywhere else for good reason. It’s a local stone and the artisans here are smart enough not to share.

Family dining of fresh Maine lobster

We spent the day, had a fresh Maine lobster for lunch and returned to the ship. The leaves hadn’t changed color last week, but I bet a trip up the New England coast now will show glorious views.

I set my paranormal romances in New England because I love it so much. Does it show?

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Paranormal romance by Barbara Edwards

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Ancient Blood,

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Filed under: family and friends, writing Tagged: Ancient Awakening, Ancient Blood, Bar Harbor, Barbara Edwards,, Tourmaline

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Published on October 09, 2012 10:08

October 4, 2012

Rereading ‘Savers’ is like eating comfort food by Barbara Edwards

The stress of my husband’s heart attack, even with the hopeful outcome, left me exhausted. I didn’t realize how much until I looked at my current manuscript, a short Christmas story due December first and suggestions from an editor for rewrites for another short novel. I haven’t worked on anything since his attack.

Queen Mary 2 in Bar Harbor, Maine

Not that I didn’t have ideas churning in my head screaming to be let out. I didn’t have the energy. When I sat in front of my computer I was just tired. The opportunity to go on vacation, actually leave the house with the dirty dishes, laundry, and unmowed lawn for ten days on a cruise sounded like heaven. Who could refuse.

I packed my computer. I said I would get back in the groove. Instead I took the advice of another writer friend. I sat on a deck chair and watched the waves. I took naps. I smiled at my husband and

From end to end a thousand feet

told him to have fun as he wandered the ship. I took advantage of my kindle to reread some old favorites like “This Rough Magic” by Mary Stewart, several by Barbara Michaels, the first twenty in the Death series by JD Robb… Did I mention I’m a prolific reader?

The writers provided a remembered pleasure, a recognition that some things never change, that you can find a kind of comfort in knowing the end and just enjoying the power of the words to carry the reader to another world.

Sailing away

Getting back to life as normal hasn’t occurred yet. Unpacking, doing laundry, getting my dog back from her favorite family other than me, and shopping for groceries took the first couple days. I spent hours deleting old email since my connection to the internet cost me $2.99 per minute and I put everyone on digest. And I missed Skhye’s class on Triberr. Shoot.

To get back to my point. I am happy to say I feel better. My husband is still improving day by day.

Maybe life will never truly return to the old normal. Knowing that my favorite books remain to provide pleasure helped me to move forward. Better for my waist than comfort food.

Here are all the places I can be found:

Author Website: http://www.barbaraedwards.net

Ancient Blood buy link: http://on.fb.me/naHRY5