So I will have 3 books published in 2016! Whirlwind Romance in Feb, Just Say Yes in June and Taste in October. How exciting! My year off was successful. I'm still working on Just Say Yes, but I will have that completed in November. If anybody has the opportunity to take a year off to write, I highly recommend it. What a fantastic year!

I am not a soccer fan. I don't understand it nor do I have a desire to really learn it. I did watch the Women's FIFA games for obvious reasons and cheered on the U S A team all the way to the championship. All that being said, I am getting ready to hit my friend's son's game here in my town. Watching 10 year olds playing soccer warrants some type of reward later. He's not going to care if I am there. I am there to hang out with his mom. She lives on the other side of KC and our time together is a rushed lunch here and there. So I will get it together and head out in a few minutes. I'm still horizontal. I did get out this morning for an excellent breakfast downtown. Oh! and I picked up caramel apples at Crown Center. So yes my morning was productive. This afternoon I'm just a wee bit sluggish.

I turned in Taste yesterday so I plan on relaxing until I head back to the real world on Tuesday. Today I have a writing get together with KB Draper and then she's going to help me take the donated books to the LikeMe Lighthouse this afternoon. I still have at least two more boxes that will arrive early next week, but I want to take a trip there before I lose my freedom. Hopefully this helps the library grow! Reading is so important. It's entertaining and is a great way to kill time. The Lighthouse is a pretty cool deal and I would like to help out more. If you'd like to help out, send me books! My address is PO Box 3078 Independence, MO 64055. Thanks!

I have ten days to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with my poetry. I have picked out a handful I plan on publishing and Deb's been working on the cover. She (and others) wants me to put my photography to my poetry but that's a little harder than it sounds. Plus I'm limited on time. I need to write a novella before the end of the year, and I have 2 books that are in the editing stages and that will take time, too. Oh, yeah, and a new job. Gah!

As a writer, one might think I have a lot of incredible things to say. No, not really. My "blog" is more like a short burst of energy that just works itself out. Sometimes it's profound, but most days it's just drivel. Today was a great day. I was on the radio, visited the LikeMe Lighthouse here in KC that works with our LGBTQ community, and had a good lunch. Good times. I've asked my writer friends to donate books to the organization. I hope they come through for me and the organization! More to follow...

I am returning to Corporate America Sept 1. Here are some important things I learned during my writing break:

1. Washing my hair everyday isn't necessary. I find that my hair is softer, fuller and not as frizzy if I skip a day. Or two. Now before my break, I washed my hair at least once every day. I curled it, hairsprayed it, mutilated it. Now it's healthier!

2. Shaving my legs everyday isn't necessary either.

3. I really don't need 20 pairs of jeans, 50 T-shirts, a million sweatshirts. My wardrobe working from home consisted of boxers, Ts, sweatshirts, pajama bottoms and sometimes, very seldomly, jeans. Granted I won't get away with this at the new job,but I now know how to curb spending.

4. I do, in fact, need 30 pairs of shoes.

5. Yogurt really isn't that fantastic. I don't know what the fuss is all about. I had time for breakfast so I used it wisely and made yummy things. If you think about what yogurt really is, you wouldn't be so eager to rush to the supermarket and partake in the 10 for $10 specials they advertise weekly. Blech!

6. Naps are great at any age.

7. My soul mate really is my dog. Both of us will experience withdrawal symptoms without the other next month. I will race home everyday to snuggle with her and apologize for having to leave her.

8. Patio inspired tales are a real thing. Drinking hot tea or coffee out in the porch every day is inspirational. I even eat dinner out there several times. Peaceful and quiet. Except for the cicadas, squirrels and chipmunks.

9. Nerf darts are worthless. I now inderstand why tween and teen boys feel the need to have BB guns.

10. Facebook.

11. I'm going to miss the free life. I have writer friends who are retired and write all day. We send each other words, photos, memes of encouragement and I will miss our smartphone comraderie.

If you ever get the chance to work from home, DO! I'm calmer, easier to get along with and happier. At first I was worried about staying on task, but I managed my time wisely and efficiently. I really need to win the lottery or find a rich aunt who sends me $ every month. I'm not greedy. I just need the bills paid so that I can write full time again.

So last night I managed to sit relatively still for about an hour and ten minutes outside with the night bugs and bats to watch the meteor shower. By the way, have a lot of bats here. Two flew about five feet from my face. I tucked my hair up in a bun after that happened. I'm the girl who gets bugs, animals, leaves, etc. stuck in her hair. A bat would send me into cardiac arrest. My wonderful friends on the cape were ooohing and aaaahing at the meteor shower sending me texts on how many and the direction they were headed. I saw one. It was big and brilliant and I whooped with delight. Then I grabbed Mols and we went to bed. The mosquitoes were awful last night, even in the dark. I have a bottle of bug spray that sits on my table outside because I need it everyday. Those bloodsuckers are after me. It was still a nice night and a good excuse to be one with nature and the infinite sky.

I have only two more scenes to write in Taste and then it's off to the readers. I'm so excited! I actually cried writing one of my scenes today. I hope the rest of the literary world enjoys it as much as I do. It's different for me and it's a realistic story. I like writing about every day people. We make the world go round. Not every relationship has a lot of drama. Sometimes it's all about a single decision. My life has been pretty even and a single decision changed mine.

I like busy weekends. They keep me out of trouble. Tonight I'm supposed to go to a birthday party at a casino here in town. Translation - I will lose a lot of money. Tomorrow night I am a guest at a Like Me Lighthouse fundraiser - Band Together and there will be some incredible talent there - musicians, writers, artists and just really cool people. Then Sunday I have another birthday party to attend. During all of this, I am trying to finish book #3 - Taste. It's not due until the end of the month, but I want to get it to beta readers for feedback. I've never used beta readers before so it should be interesting. I hope my tender ego can handle any brutal honesty. And I want that. I learned from my editors that sometimes it helps to cry, breakdown and then do it over after they've bled all over the manuscript. It actually turns out better.