Yes.....Although some people don't agree, I've always found this to be true.

I was walking my treadmill this morning, while watching the Today Show.  Caught a segment about a nurse in the Bronx, who walked into the room to see a patient.........and discovered HE was her biological father that had left forty-one years before, when she was an infant.  He now has terminal cancer, but they've had the opportunity to reunite.

This got me thinking about my debut novel, SPINNING FORWARD.......where my main character of Sydney Webster ends up finding her biological mother over fifty years later in Cedar Key.  Following the discovery, she also discovered that her mother had terminal lung cancer.

When I wrote my story, I didn't think it was such an "unbelievable" story line.  However, after the release, there were many comments in reviews that said "this was totally unbelievable," "this probably wouldn't ever happen," "extremely far-fetched," etc.  

Shortly after the release, I saw an item in the news about two brothers that had been adopted at birth.  They'd lived a town apart their entire lives, and taking it a step further..........they both worked for the same company.  Co-workers were the ones that began commenting "how much they resembled each other."

So do "unbelievable" things really happy in life?  Of course they do.  And I find it quite interesting that what some people may think is "far-fetched" the author allows their imagination and creativity to come to the surface in the form of their story lines.

On this journey that we call life........I feel more people need to be open to the incredible possibilities that could occur.  And for us authors........I say keep writing those stories that are real to YOU. Because to do otherwise..........would be a terrible disservice to the reading public.

Enjoy your Labor Day and I'll see you here next time....................

So Ray and I got in the golf cart and did just that.  This is the photo I got going along G Street, with what looks like a golf cart brigade in front of us.

First we headed to Kona Joe's for lunch and we met some really cute visitors while sitting outside on the deck...............

This is a homing pigeon (notice the bands on each of his legs) that Joe told me showed up about four months ago, had some water and crackers, hung around awhile and then left.  But he showed up again today.  Maybe he decided he needed a rest and knew that Cedar Key was a very friendly place to do just that..........especially at Kona Joe's.

And this little guy is (named by Joe) Pegleg Pete............yup, he only has one claw.  Boy, I bet he's got a story to tell!  He's a frequent visitor to Kona Joe's and here he is nibbling on the cracker that Joe provided............

After lunch we headed over to the Chamber of Commerce.  This Sunday they will be holding their annual auction at the Island Hotel on 2nd Street.  The preview of items will begin at 12:30 PM, with the auction starting at 1:00.  This year's selection will include donations from more than 100 businesses and artists--such as island tours, airplane rides, lodging stays, restaurant visits, artwork, jewelry, gift baskets, and much more.  One of those gift baskets, donated by Kona Joe's Island Cafe, is called A Rainy Day in Cedar Key.........and features an autographed copy of my novel, SPINNING FORWARD, along with yarn, needles and a coffee cup.  How perfect to curl up with these items on any rainy day.

So if you're in the area or on the island this weekend, do stop by the auction this Sunday and bid on one of the many great items.

Wherever you might be, have a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend!

See you here next time...................

Well, Hurricane Earl seems intent on making a visit somewhere along the East Coast.  But what if.....he visited here instead?  

I remember when Ray and I were relocating here five years years ago many friends asked, "Aren't you scared of a hurricane hitting the island?"   Concerned?  Maybe.  But not really "scared."  I didn't think it was worth it to dwell on the "what if" in order to live on such a beautiful slice of paradise on a daily basis.  And five years later..........I still feel the same way.

The last time that Cedar Key received a direct hit from a hurricane was in 1950......Hurricane Easy.  It was a Category 3, destroyed two-thirds of the homes here on the island, dumped 38 inches of rain, had a storm surge of 5.1 and blew 125 mph winds.  So yes, it was pretty bad!

1985 brought Hurricane Elena coming up the Gulf Coast.........but she wasn't a direct hit to Cedar Key.  She had 115 mph winds and was 50 miles to the west.  But she did cause coastal flooding.

In August of 2008 (3 years after I moved here) we were paid a visit by Tropical Storm Fay with 45 mph winds, causing some minor flooding before she headed up toward the Panhandle.

We have an excellent Emergency Management system in place in Levy County and on our island.  We even now have an emergency siren.........three loud blasts means a mandatory evacuation.  Like us, many people that live here have generators, should we lose power.  We also have a well with pump, so we'd have access to water.

As an author, probably the biggest impact for me would be not having computer access for both my writing and communication.  Our home is situated on a 22 ft. elevation, therefore flooding is not one of my major concerns for either my house or my writers studio.  All of my writing has been put on CD's........and yes, if we had to evacuate, you can bet those CD's would be one of the first things to get packed to go with me.  

Having lived here for five years, I know without a doubt that should a hurricane ever hit causing damage, the people and community of Cedar Key would all come together to help each other.  Because........well, that's just what we do here.  That's one of the reason's I love it here.  

So back to that "what if" in my title........I think I'll just leave those "what ifs" to my writing which inspire my stories.  Oh.........and I'll also continue to be grateful every single day that Cedar Key is the place I'm fortunate to live.

See you here next time..........And if you're in the area, stop by and visit our friendly little fishing village.

I recently made a baby scarf and matching mittens for the senior publicist at Kensington.  She was due for her first baby, a girl, late August and I wanted to make a little something to welcome her new daughter.

And then I finished the ruffle scarf I was making for myself with the Bonsai silk yarn...............This will be nice to wear at my book events this autumn.

One of my current works in progress is a lace scarf that I'm doing in a very soft cotton in a lovely dusty rose color. 

And if you're a knitter..........then you know we never have just ONE project going.  Goodness no!  In addition to working on some other scarves for Christmas presents, I'm FINALLY going to learn how to properly make socks.  Something I've been wanting to do for the past five years since I resumed knitting again.  My friend, Alice, had come to visit back then......and during the week she taught me how to make socks.  EXCEPT she then went home and Terri ran into a problem and guess what?  Yup.......the sock has been put away and forgotten, because I didn't have anybody nearby to help.

But help has now arrived.........I'm going to be taking a class at the Yarnworks in Gainesville on October 2.  The owner, Barbara, will finally teach me to properly make socks and I'm really excited about this.  So we have homework.....we're to do the ribbing and then follow the pattern for five inches and stop. This is where she will teach us the rest.  Here's what I have to far.................

And good student that I am............I'll have it ready for the October 2 class.

So as you can see, I'm knitting away and loving every minute of it.  My knitting time is always at least one hour each day, while I watch my soap, One Life To Live.  And if I'm not reading in the evening, you'll find me with my yarn and needles.

How do you spend your evenings?  Knitting?  Reading?  Television? 

Today is the last day to enter my August contest being held both here and on Facebook........so if you haven't entered yet, there's still a little time to do so.  The winner will receive an autographed ARC of CASTING ABOUT and will be announced tomorrow. 

Also......the welcome page on my author website has been updated, so you might want to pop by there.  And for a chance to win some L'Occitane bath products...........pay a visit to Fresh Fiction and enter my September Enjoy An Autumn Evening contest.  They're accepting entries starting today, through September 30.  So good luck to everybody on all of the contests!

And I'll see you here next time......................

Some of you might remember me doing a blog post a few months ago about the outside cats that we feed in our driveway.  One of which was Ginger Kitty (my name for her)  Ginger Kitty was simply a pathetic waif.  

I have no idea what her origins were, except that last November or December she showed up in my driveway and proceeded to sleep in my garage for warmth every night until the cold weather disappeared.  She then slept just outside the garage in the driveway.  Although she kept getting thinner and thinner, she loved to eat!  Because she had no teeth, she was special and always got canned food, which was easier for her to eat.  Making her even more special was the fact she was totally deaf.  It was obvious from the first day she arrived that she was sick.  I'd been told not to get attached to the outside cats that so many of us on the island feed.........but I've not yet figured out how NOT to love.

She loved to be patted and purred up a storm when I'd do so.  She never interacted with the other cats, preferring to just lay there on her own.  But she seemed content.  And Ray and I loved her, as did anybody who came to visit.  She just had a special quality about her.  

Her breathing got worse last Friday and she also stopped eating and taking water.  Same thing on Saturday and we knew the end was near.  So Ray and I kept going outside to check on her and yesterday afternoon Ray came in to tell me she was gone.  She had managed to wobble her way (she was so weak at the end, she had difficulty walking) to the walkway leading to our front steps.  I don't think she suffered.  She certainly looked peaceful.  And this morning we will bury her on our property.

I'm glad we could do what we did for her these past 9 months or so.........but I feel very bad because she never had a "normal" loving life with a family in a home.  She'd always been a stray.  Not a nice way to live, being homeless, never knowing where your next meal is coming from, and little affection.  But I hope she knows how much we loved her and I also hope that people will please, PLEASE get their cats and dogs neutered and spayed!  Because no animal deserves to have such a sad life.

So rest in peace, my little Ginger Kitty........because you certainly deserve it!  You'll always be special in our hearts.

See you here next time....................

I got a call yesterday afternoon from my editor at Kensington and she's offered me a new two book contract.  Needless to say, I accepted and I'm extremely happy to be contracted with them through 2012!

Book 3 (which I'm working on now) will be released November of 2011..........this is Grace's story, who is Monica's best friend in CASTING ABOUT--being released on October 26.

Book 4 will be Josie's story........you'll meet Josie in my Christmas novella, HOLIDAY MAGIC, also being released October 26.  And Book 4 will be be on shelves November of 2012.

So it was quite a happy day here yesterday.  With the dismal economy, believe me, I feel very fortunate to have secured another contract.  And I owe most of that to YOU, my incredible fans and readers...........your support has meant everything to me and purchasing my work allows me to keep turning out those stories for you.  So a huge thank you!

Join me here next time when I'll have some knitting news for you, along with photos, of course.  See you then....................

And as promised on my last post, I have some great family news to share!  I'm thrilled to announce that my son, Brian, and the wonderful woman who has shared his life these past three years became engaged last Saturday night.  Welcome to the family, Veronique!  I hope you know how much we love you.  And I'm proud to say that my son did this in a most romantic way.  Without going into lengthy details, picture.......a nice dinner at their favorite restaurant on Clearwater Beach, followed by sitting on the beach watching the gorgeous sun set with a bottle of champagne, and the beautiful ring that had belonged to Brian's grandmother.  Making it all a bit more special was the fact that Sunday, August 15, would have been my Mom's eighty-second birthday.  I have no doubt she was smiling down on both of them with love.  There's no date set for the wedding as of right now, but of course I'll keep you posted and of course Veronique said "Yes!"

Moving on to the Florida Mystery Conference that I attended in Sarasota............I thought it was an extremely good conference this year.  Michael Connelly was there, along with Karen Rose, Tim Dorsey, Tim Corcoran, Lisa Unger, Elaine Viets and many others.

I thought the workshops were extremely timely, based on the ever-changing publishing industry these days.  So I found them both informative and beneficial.  I very much enjoyed chatting with all the different authors.  But two of my highlights was the opportunity to have great conversations with both Kathy Carmichael and Karen Rose.  I'd never met Kathy in person before.  She was there with her very personable son and I enjoyed talking with both of them.  I'd met Karen at the RT conference in Columbus this past April, but this time I was able to spend some quality time chatting with her about her work, the changing industry, etc.  I was so impressed with the fact that not only is she a fantastic author of romantic suspense, she's a down-to-earth, extremely nice person.  I have to admit, I'd never read Karen's books before (SO many books and never enough time!) However, I purchased her first one, Don't Tell, and I canNOT put it down!  It's easy to see why she appears on the NY Times bestseller list.  Great characters, great plot and if you enjoy romantic suspense, don't miss Karen's books!

Friday evening was the book signing and I want to thank all of those that attended to chat with us and purchase books.........

In the photo below, Karen Rose was on a panel with David Hagberg, Sharon Potts and Lisa Unger where they spoke about Developing Principal Characters and Villains.

Author, Jim Swain, entertained us during our lunch with a "cheating Vegas" card demonstration. 

In the background is Demetra MacBride.  To Jim's right is Colette Bancroft, book editor at the St. Petersburg Times and to his left is author, Don Bruns.

As always, I came away from this conference with a wealth of new information about the craft of writing, the publishing industry and the realization that writing continues to be my passion.  And once again, I can't emphasize enough.....if you're a beginning or aspiring writer, look for a conference in your area.  There's always something to be learned and gained from attending one.

Well, my past week was a major time suck and not in the writing department.  Unfortunately, I developed a dental problem while away at the conference and more unfortunately, even after five years up in this area, I've stayed with my dentist in Port Richey.  So Ray and I did a lot of traveling......2.5 hours each way on Tuesday and again on Thursday for my follow-up, but I'm happy to say the dental problem is resolved and I'm smiling once again.

In between all the travel this past week, I was very busy sending out more ARCS for reviews on CASTING ABOUT.  The first review has come in and I couldn't be more pleased.  Here's the link so you can go read it at BookPleasures.    Needless to say, I'm extremely happy, so a huge thank you to the reviewer!

Hopefully, next week will find me back at work on book #3.  But on Tuesday, I'll be paying a visit to Barbara and the great gals at Yarn Works in Gainesville.  I've made a boo boo on two of the scarves I've been working on and I need some expert intervention.  So not only do I get to visit with great women, I'll be back on track with those scarves.  My ruffled scarf that I've been working on for myself is just about finished and I'm very pleased with it.  It's worked in short rows and I chose my favorite Bonsai yarn, so I'll share a photo of it here with you soon.

I hope all of you are enjoying the end of your summer and I'll see you here next time................

Yup....BUSY is the operative word for the past month or so.  I've had two conferences to attend, and then I return home to a multitude of emails to answer.  In the middle of all this, I've had ARCS to send out for reviews, contests to tend to, and oh, right!  Writing!  Yeah, every now and again a writer DOES actually get to write.

I've got lots of news to share with you and even some pretty exciting family news that occurred this past weekend.........but I'm afraid I won't be able to get to any of it for a few days.

Why is it when we're the busiest, life intervenes in a most annoying way?  I developed a dental problem while at the writers conference this past weekend, so yesterday found me tending to that and I have to go back tomorrow for the follow-up. 

So join me back here soon and I'll bring you up to date.  See you then.................

Yes........for those of you that aren't signed up for my Facebook Fan Page (some people have no desire to visit Facebook) I'm also going to be running my monthly contest here at Island Writer for you. 

You'll now see a new icon on my sidebar that says, "CONTEST".............this will be updated each month in conjunction with my Facebook Fan Page contest.

You'll have to leave a comment in order to be eligible, along with your email address.  So join in the fun and give it a click now to enter my August contest.

I'm leaving this week for the Florida Mystery Conference in Sarasota and I'll be doing a book signing there this Friday evening, August 13, at the Sarasota Hyatt Hotel, from 5:00 till 7:00 PM.  So if you're in the area, stop by and say hello.

And I'll see you back here when I return.....................

I wasn't the only one that welcomed their pleasant company.  Duncan adores both of them and when I told him "Brian and Veronique are coming" he promptly ran to the front window and sat there waiting until their car pulled up in the driveway.

We didn't do anything special while they were here, except spend some great quality time together.  We had a couple of nice home cooked dinners together, we talked and talked and also laughed a lot.  It's those simple things in life, shared with enjoyable company, that make them so special.

I had no idea my son had ever smoked a cigar!  He gave up smoking cigarettes about eight months ago, but when he returned from the store with Ray, he produced a cigar to enjoy with a beer.............(after a few puffs, it was still in the ashtray the next morning)

Veronique flew over from Paris a week ago Monday and will be on this side of the pond until the middle of the month.  I always enjoy her great company and sense of humor.  She's always fun to be with.

And as always happens, when it was time for them to leave yesterday afternoon, our time together had gone much too quickly.  But I certainly enjoyed the nice break they provided for me.

And today it was back to work.........catching up on book-related stuff, emails to my editor, publisher, marketing and publicity director, phone calls to follow up on, touching base with my personal assistant.  An author's job is never done, but I still maintain all of it is a very good busy.

Not sure you can see the paperback book on the table in the photo above...........I just began reading The Accidental Bestseller by author Wendy Wax the other day.  She's from the Atlanta area and this is my first time reading her.  I love the book and can't put it down!  It's about four writer friends and is a wonderful "tell all" about the publishing industry, related in a nice way.  Wonderful women's fiction and I highly recommend this novel for both writers and readers alike.

I have a busy weekend ahead, playing more catch-up before I leave next week for the Florida Mystery Conference.  So enjoy your weekend and I'll see you here next time...................