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Just heard that Natural Instincts is officially off to the editor.  This means that soon I will be hard at work on it again, I’m sure. I got all the marketing and cover designing work done this past summer. Can’t wait to see the cover! The release date has not been set yet, but it will probably be in December.

And I’m working hard on my new novel, Jai. I reached the half way point just as school started, and then I got swamped with real life stuff and progress has slowed. This time of year has a lot of getting ready for winter stuff to do, and the foliage is so darn pretty out there… Sigh.

But I have started working on the next story in the Notice Series in the little notebook I carry around at school all day with me. (Don’t tell!) It’s going really well. It’s going to be called Josh and the Baby Dragon, I think. These characters bring me a lot of comfort when things get rough.

I found out yesterday that Another Healing has been awarded at least an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Rainbow Awards! As I understand it, the names of the books that received at least 36 out of 40 points by the judges are being released daily in the run up to the announcement of the finalists in early October. I’m thrilled! HERE”S a link. Congratulations to the other authors! It’s always such a wonderful, amazing feeling to be recognized. Thank you so much!

Another Healing was just given a really nice review by Anita Mann at Gay List Book Reviews. It is SUCH a wonderful feeling when someone “gets” your book. But this review left me wondering, “Wow, did I really do all that?” I had the help of good friends and editors, of course. Still, I did a happy dance when Dreamspinner sent me the link to this.

Click HERE

At the moment, I am eagerly awaiting the edits for my next novella, Natural Instincts, and eagerly awaiting my first glimpse of the cover. And working away on Jai. Just hit 30,000 words, most of them written in the last month. I also have started the next story in the Notice Series. This one, I think, is going to be called Josh and the Baby Dragon. Guess what it’s about? That’s right. Baby Jenny is going to shift form for the first time. (You all didn’t really think she’d be stuck in human form forever, did you?) And guess who she’s going to be with when she does it?

We moved back home this past weekend to a house infested with mice and a pool full of algae. Not sure how any of that happened, since all was fine the week before, but it’s been a nightmare. Finally able to swim again, but my eyes are burning from the strong chlorine every time. Too used to the nice clean lake. Six mice have met their demise (two to cat, four to traps) but I know there is at least one still in the house because it chased me the length of the kitchen this morning with two cats behind it. Yes, I screamed and it disappeared under the refrigerator.

Good news — Haunted Halls is going to be translated into French and Spanish! How cool is that? I took both those languages in high school and college, but I doubt I’ll be able to read a word. Very excited to see what it looks like, though.

School is exhausting and hot.

But I was greeted with a brilliant Orion in the east this morning when I woke. I love that constellation and it’s like seeing an old friend… Fall is coming.

Here’s a link to a lovely review for The Dragon and the Palm Tree:

HERE

Busy, busy, busy writing my next novel, Jai. Up to 25,000 words now. I’m trying to block everything else out and focus on it, which is hard to do with school starting next week (did two days of training this week) and starting to think about moving home from camp. Sniffle, sniffle. That will probably happen on Labor Day weekend, along with moving our youngest daughter back to college.

I’m also expecting get my first round of edits for Natural Instincts any day, too. Looking forward to seeing the cover!

I’m very excited to announce that my new novella, Natural Instincts, has been accepted by Dreamspinner Press!

It should be released sometime this coming winter. This seemed an auspicious time to make the announcement because I just began the first steps in the editing process this week, and the first thing I did was reread the story so it was all fresh in my mind. It is set on a small lake in a Vermont campground, and a Common Loon figures in the story in a major way. The night after I read the story, I was awoken by a loon calling on the lake. This is the first one I’ve heard all summer, though I’ve seen three since we moved to camp in June. How cool is that?

We’re back safely. It seemed really strange not to be going home, but to camp. Now that we’re here and unloaded and unpacked, it seems really good to be here. I think the best part of the whole trip was coming back here. For the first time, camp feels like…home.

I’ve been for a swim with fireflies and two black crowned night herons and huge flock of misquitoes. Someone on the other side of the bay shot off some fireworks. I figured it was in honor of me coming home, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, I feel refreshed. I needed a break from real life for a while. Of course, it’s waiting for me, but I feel a bit more able to deal with it.

I wrote for several hours in the backseat today. I’m working on a novel called Jaithe. It started strongly this spring, then kind of locked up. I think it’s free flowing again now, which is great. With any luck, the rest of the summer with have more pattern and I can find my balance again. I will rememeber the tides of Fundy and their rythm and find my own.

Thanks for journeying with me these last few days!