123 – Reset!

My last blog was HEAVY…as was my energy. Since then, the Tampa Bay area prepares for Idalia while the south continues a 3-digit heatwave. Friends are going through major life issues. 2024 is an election year sure to be another shit-show. I told a friend over the weekend that there are days I wake up and do not recognize the world around me. It can bring you down.

It’s time to reset, re-focus on my goals and keep on keeping on. I remind myself to look above the chaos, hate, and pain. Otherwise, I would stay in bed all day. 

This seems like a good time to share what is happening creatively in my world. I continue to write The Red Chair. I can only laugh when I think I’d have the first draft done by the end of June. What’s that saying – plans are what we make while God is busy with THE plan? 

I remember scratching my head when I’d read that an author had spent years writing a novel. Fellow writers, forgive me, and carry on! I get it. 

I have also started a new book project with my first cousin who lives in Arlington, VA. He is working to compile the history of his wife’s maternal family. They were Russian Jews and came to the United States in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. I love working on these kinds of projects. Through stories and photos, you feel as though you are taking a very intimate peep behind the scenes. We have just begun to put together an outline, with an optimistic goal of completing it by the end of the year. We will see how/if that is possible. 

For readers who do not know, for the past twelve years I have been illustrating and designing books for authors who self-publish. About three years ago I added adult fiction and non-fiction to my services. If you know of anyone needing an illustrator or desktop publisher, feel free to contact me through my social media channels or through the contact form on my website. You can also check out my gallery under the tab Moon Diva Art.

I still have the third book in the Pearl Series to write. As yet, I am still figuring out what the final book will be about. All books in the series focus on my hometown of Columbia, which is Pearl in the books. 

THEN, there is a series of children’s books I have a list to do. One is Spartacus, The Wander Kitty based on our cat, Spartacus. I have written a song, and we are still trying to figure out how to include that with the story.

Outside of writing and illustrating, I have other projects that I want to focus on. Things like making new Christmas ornaments (better get on that fast!), planning a raised bed small garden (next Spring), and refinishing an old dresser and china cabinet. So many projects, so little time!

This afternoon my aunt, sister and cousin are coming for coffee. (Yes, we still drink coffee in this heat!), and have some birthday cake to celebrate my cousin’s birthday which was over the weekend. I dress the table, use pretty china, make the cake from scratch using my mother’s cake pans and enjoy the time. It feels indulgent and I love it.  My sister and I have not lived near one another since I left home at 21. She has recently retired, and it has been great to see her when I want. 

If you are feeling down or worried about our world, I invite you to do a reset. Think about your own goals, make a cake (or buy one), and have family or friends over. Look to the future in your space in a positive manner. We really do have so much to be grateful for. 

So here we go….1, 2, 3 – reset!