If you’ve been checking this blog recently you’ve probably noticed I’ve been strangely absent. Thank you for not giving up on me! You see, I’ve been struggling with the whole concept of this blog and what it should be, how I should portray my author brand, how to make my blog interesting and unique… I’ve also been struggling with time. While I love supporting my local RWA chapter, I must admit that volunteering to be the Registration Chair for our upcoming conference has been extensively time consuming. Oh, and did I mention I’ve been writing? Like a mad woman. Work on my book must come first, before conference work, before blogging. As of right now I’m polishing my book, a women’s fiction novel titled THE TRUTH ABOUT DARES, and hope to get it out the door to agents and editors by the end of this month.

On a personal note, I’ve also sent my oldest child off to first grade which was much more emotionally-trying than I expected. It’s the first time he’s in all-day school and I miss him. I worry about him on the bus (will he make friends or sit lonely by himself?), and I worry about him at school (will the big kids pick on him during recess?). I know this is exactly what should be happening in his life and it’s a great experience for both of us, but I’m still having growing pains. This coming week I send my baby off to preschool. I’m hoping I’ll feel a sense of freedom as I dash to the coffee shop to get in a couple hours of uninterrupted writing, but I know I’ll probably be fighting tears that first day. Or two.

So, keep checking back, my friends. I promise to return soon on a regular basis. I’m playing with some ideas on how to make this blog better, or at least different (in a good way). I’d love your feedback as I feel my way through these changes. I’ve been blogging for 2 ½ years, yet I find I’m still learning what works and what doesn’t. And, I’m learning to trust my own voice here just as I had to learn to trust it in my books.

Life is all about learning, after all…

(If you're wondering about this picture, it's of an old weathered boat we found on a sand spit coming into Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State.)