Do we really want things to change? When times are bad, we crave, wish, and pray for a change. A change for the better. But change always comes at a cost. That cost is letting go of what we know and that can be painful for many people. Perhaps it is because I am adopted and spent some time in a home of safety that stability and setting down roots is a primary need for me. Every time I moved, I swore that this would be the last move. And yet, I feel very much like a member of one of the nomadic tribes. A bit like the movie Chocolat, a 2000 romantic comedy-drama film based on the 1999 novel Chocolat by the English author, Joanne Harris. The main character Vianne Rocher, played by Juliette Binochean expert chocolatier and her six-year-old daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol), drift across Europe following the north wind. But there are some changes that must happen and when we look back at our lives, we find that some of our greatest growth as humans have come in times of change. This past w...

  If you have children you know those dreaded words “Are we there yet?” In my case, as I am home schooling, I also dread the words, “Is the food ready yet?” I use this continuing theme to help my little ones, aged 8 and 6, to work on their time telling skills. So they have to come and tell me where the big hand and the little hand are on the clock. This tactic only marginally assists me in getting some peace and I feel more like a caterer than an author.  But I have to admit I feel the same way about my third book. Whenever I see my editor has made another comment or suggestion I think, “Really, are we not done yet?” I still need to get the ISBN number and complete the cover. But I am stuck on the title and that influences all the other bits and pieces.  Then the big thing that we are currently debating is that there are two “parts” in the book that initially seem like two different stories, but that link up in the end. Someone suggested putting a break in the book “PART ...

  This past weekend we moved. It was probably not the most dramatic move we have ever made, because it was from an upstairs unit to a downstairs unit. Although my teen was extremely helpful in the move, she had a rather critical spirit about the new spot. It certainly is smaller and aesthetically. It needs some work before we can really call it home.  While we are still in sifting and sorting mode, all of our furniture is in the correct places. Most of our paintings and family photos are up and I believe that within a week, we will have found a place for most of our belongings. Moving does not mean that I can allow myself to be distracted when fulfilling my goals. Rather, I have to guard my writing and editing time as it is precious. This takes some self discipline, and I have to turn a blind eye to a few piles of things that still have to be sorted. It makes me think about two of my characters who had to move in books 1 and 2. Nadine and her entire family had to move after bo...