Where I’m at Part 7: Long time no see

I’ve kept my distance from this blog for a few months because most of what’s been on my mind is more personal than professional in nature.

On a happy note, I’ve done a lot of traveling with my family.  We visited the Blue Ridge Mountains (from Asheville, NC) and Great Smoky Mountains National Park (from Sevierville, TN). We also spent the end of 2013/beginning of 2014 out West (Scottsdale, AZ, Las Vegas, NV, and Grand Canyon National Park).  I attended YALLFest (Charleston, SC) and the NCTE ALAN workshop (Boston, MA).

I’ve also said goodbye to some dear family members—my grandmother, my cousin, and my aunt. I don’t want them to be gone. I miss them so very much.

And, of course, since I live in the Boston area, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time dealing with snow!

As for progress on my book in the publishing world, I completed two revisions with notes from my editor and a third revision with notes from my copy editor. I understand there will be one final edit to come. In A World Just Right is still scheduled for release in the spring of 2015. Between now and then galleys will be printed for the purpose of getting reviews ahead of the release. Soon I should have cover art. Mostly, all is progressing at the slow but steady pace that it should be.  It takes a long time to prepare a book for release.

I’ve been hard at work researching my next book, tentatively titled Jewelry. I’m a bit behind where I wanted to be at this point, largely because of the travel and the mourning, but I’ll catch up. I always do.

I conclude with some pictures from the last few months.

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Visitors at our cabin in Sevierville.

At Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden outside Charlotte, NC.

 Deer on the pond in my back yard.