My little girl is a year old today.....hard to believe!  We brought her home last May at 7 weeks old and she's been a delight from the moment we first saw her.  She's extremely friendly, affectionate and playful.  She adores Duncan and the cats and is very bright.  Brie loves to "talk"......We've never had a dog that did this before.  She stares directly at you and her little head moves from side to side as she chatters away in doggie language.  This is usually when she wants something. 

Brie had her annual check-up and shots at the vet yesterday.  She now weighs 15 1/2 pounds......she's gained 3 pounds since last Aug. when she was spayed.  The vet said she's not overweight, but she shouldn't gain anymore.  So shhhhhh!  Don't tell her.......but I'm afraid we're cutting back on those doggie treats.

We also had Duncan seen by the vet yesterday and as you can see, that really tuckers him out.  And yes.....he does have an odd way of sleeping in the guest room......half on the bed and half on the window sill.

The reason I wanted him seen was because of his left leg.  Scotties have stubby little legs, but his left one has an abnormality the vet thinks he was born with.  It turns out at a right angle and the bone is quite pronounced.  He doesn't limp, doesn't ever appear to be in pain, but I'm concerned about it long-term.  The vet agreed it might be wise to be seen by a specialist now and see what our options are.  He said as he ages it could get worse and cause a problem for him walking.  I hate the thought of surgery, but I also want him to be able to walk well as he gets older.  So the vet suggested we go to the vet school at UF in Gainesville and have a consultation with a specialist there.  I'll be calling for an appointment.

I've been so busy that most days I'm not quite sure if I'm coming or going......somebody mentioned the other day that April 1 is next Tuesday, and I really thought they were playing an early April Fools Day joke on me.  April 1 is next Tuesday?  Wait a second!  WHAT happened to March? 

All the business related stuff that goes along with getting a book published is very time-consuming.  I've now hired a website developer for my new website.  I'm pretty much designing it, with my own thoughts on what I'd like and she's doing all that tech work that I detest.  There was a lot of work involved to shut down my other website, cancel that account, transfer my domain name, etc.  But......I've managed to get all of that squared away.  Now I'm spending time trying to decide on colors, fonts, themes, etc. for my new website.  I've also been busy contacting other authors for blurbs for my book jacket. 

In addition to all of that, I'm also busy with being the Chairperson for the writing contest with Florida Writers.  This is a very time-consuming job.  Sending out the entries to 3 judges, updating the Excel spreadsheet, when the entries are returned I then record all the info and do up an envelope with the critiques that will be returned to the entrants in November.  I committed to this project back in December, before I signed my book contract and I'm not one to back out of a commitment, so I'll just plod along.

Oh and let's not forget my vacation rental home.......we've been booked solid the entire month of March and April is already pretty full.  This involves a fair amount of work as well.....taking the phone calls or answering emails for inquiries, updating my reservation book, keeping track of everything, making sure I contacted my cleaning woman to clean on the appropriate days, etc.

I'm not sharing any of this with you to complain.  Quite the opposite......I feel very grateful for the busyness that I have.  However, I'm finding it more and more difficult to get "out" there in the blog world to visit all of you like I used to.  I miss you and trust me.......hang in there with me and I promise to pay you a visit very soon!

In the meantime, sending all of you the very best and I'll see you here again soon...........

I'm back from the Writers Conference in Augusta and it was great!  Augusta wasn't in full bloom due to the cold winter, but enough of the Dogwoods and Bradford Pears were in bloom to make that town even prettier than it normally is.  And also enough to raise havoc with allergies.  I never thought I had allergies, but I'm afraid I sneezed and had watery eyes the entire time I was there.

The Sandhills Writers Conference at the University is always great, but this year I enjoyed it even more because the Keynote speaker was Rick Bragg.

I met Rick the first time about five years ago at a conference at Birmingham Southern College.  For those of you not familiar with him.......He is a a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist.  A native of Piedmont, Alabama, Rick has worked as a reporter for the Anniston Star, Birmingham News, the St. Petersburg Times, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.  Bragg was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 in feature writing for his "elegantly written stories about contemporary America." 

Rick has also written two best-selling memoirs, "All Over but the Shoutin" which recounts his days growing up poor in rural Alabama.  I bought that one when he was in Birmingham and was instantly mesmerized by his writing.  His other books include "Ava's Man" about his grandfather, which I bought this time and he autographed for me, "Somebody Told Me" and "I'm a Soldier Too; The Jessica Lynch Story."  His latest work will be released in May and is a memoir about his father.

Rick's writing is profound, humorous and deeply poignant.  But his speaking truly captures the listener.  His words are simple, yet eloquent.  I am so impressed that somebody with his writing fame can be so humble and so down-to-earth.  He's not only a dynamic speaker, Rick Bragg is a wonderful human being.  I admire his writing and respect his deep love for family and all the things that truly matter in this world. 

So maybe you can understand how excited I am that Rick Bragg has agreed to give me a blurb for my book jacket!  I asked him (not really confident that he would say yes) and explained what my novel was about and he said, "I'll definitely give you a blurb.  Send me the entire manuscript.  I want to be able to do it justice."  I didn't jump up and down in front of him, but trust me I'm back up on that Cloud Nine once again.  Rick is now a Professor of Writing at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  So I've printed out my manuscript and it's on its way to him. 

While I was in Augusta, I also got together with an old friend I'd met a few years ago.  Karin met me for a drink and we had fun talking about the writing business.  Her first three novels were the Bottom Dollar Series and her fourth novel, Earthly Pleasures, was just recently released by Simon & Schuster.  Karin wrote her first novels under her maiden name, Karin Gillespie, but she married a few years ago and wrote the current novel as Karen Neches.  I bought a few copies of her current release and here we are as Karin autographs the books for me.

And if I wasn't already excited enough with Rick's offer of a blurb, Karin has also graciously agreed to give me a blurb for my book cover.  Needless to say, it was a very beneficial conference for me! 

And now I'm playing "catch-up" since I got back.  So much to do and never enough hours in my day.  Join me here next time when I'll share both writing and other things with you.