Lunch with the #Authors of #TWRP! Cape Cod #writerslife #amwriting #NaNoWriMo

Authors and President of The Wild Rose Press in Hyannis

Another wildly busy month is over...somehow October always flies by, which is a shame since as a fan of all things spooky, it's my favorite month!  Our weekends were filled with events--all fun ones, thankfully.  We had Parents' Weekend at UNH for our college kid, a 30-year-reunion at the Coast Guard Academy for my husband's class of 1989, a long girls' weekend away to Seattle with my BFFs (we all turned 50 this year and went to visit the one friend who ended up on the West Coast, since she always comes to us), a visit to a historic lighthouse and home now owned by the Coast Guard (a property that once included a small-pox hospital--book idea?), my first time seeing Sweeney Todd at a local theater, a book signing event, and Senior Night soccer game for my high school kid.

The view from our VRBO in Seattle...overlooking the harbor and Pike Place

It now seems like a long time ago, but in the middle of the month, I also had the pleasure of having lunch with the president of one of my publishers (The Wild Rose Press) and some local authors who also write for TWRP.

Last time the president of the company was here on Cape Cod was 2015, when she spoke at the Cape Cod Writer's Conference, and we had quite a group of authors together for lunch.

It's such fun to get together and talk shop with other writers, especially since writing can be such a solitary endeavor.  This month is National Novel Writing Month, which involves trying to write 50K words--nearly an entire novel--in 30 days, so I'll be quite a bit less social in November, as I work to finish the first draft of Ghost Moon, my 7th novel.

We had a wonderful meal at The Black Cat, right on the Hyannis waterfront, and I was able to catch up with a long-time author friend and meet a new one.  This event was much smaller than the last publisher lunch, seeing as how it was fall on Cape Cod as opposed to summer (and a Nor'Easter dumped wind and rain on the Cape all weekend as well).  But we had an intimate lunch filled with both work and personal topics, and lots of laughs.

Now, back to my NaNoWriMo daily word goal...wish me luck!

#Hyannis Harbor, #Books, Bingo, + Bulls ~ Busy #amwriting Month!

Connecting with Mrs. Cape Cod
and signing books for her at
Shopping & Bingo Night

My life is always a bit crazy, but things have been so unusually hectic since mid-April that I haven't had much time to post here.  But I did want to share some of the pictures from the events I've participated in, now that I have a little more time.  In May and June, I signed books at a monthly Shopping & Bingo Night which helps raise money for different charities.  I met a lot of people, including Mrs. Cape Cod (now Mrs. Massachusetts!), and I was thrilled when she purchased all 4 of my books.  I was even more excited to hear how much she loved GULL HARBOR, the first one she decided to read, the next day on social media--that's the type of thing that makes an author's day!

Woo hoo!  This is why I write, to pull people into exciting stories that keep
the pages turning and provide entertainment ...hearing things like this makes my day!

Saw this big boy as I walked across
campus at orientation - the campus at
UNH is absolutely beautiful

In June, my oldest son graduated from high school, which was a joyous occasion but also bittersweet--how can he be leaving home in the fall?  But we're proud to be sending him to the University of New Hampshire, home of the Wildcats and apparently this snapping turtle, which I came across as I was walking through campus during the 2-day orientation.

Katie, Kate, and myself at our Shanty at Hyannis Harbor

Before our trip to NH for orientation, I joined two other author friends for a 3-day book signing at the Artist Shanties at Hyannis Harbor.  We did this last year, and had such fun we decided to do it again.  We camped out at our Shanty from 11 am to 8 or 9 pm all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, chatting with locals and visitors enjoying the Harbor or returning from ferry trips to Martha's Vineyard and Hyannis. It was three long days, but we had a lot of laughs, and also connected with other local artists and crafters.

The view of Hyannis Harbor from the Shanties

While doing all this, I was also teaching my fitness classes every morning, as well as my current writing class which meets once a week.  I kept telling myself my vacation was on the horizon, if I could just make it!  Finally, it was here...my annual trip to Bethany Beach, Delaware, for a long weekend with my best friends from high school. We've been doing Girls Weekend there each summer since 2011, and it's become a wonderful tradition.  In the past, I've also signed books at the local book store while there, but this year, I decided I needed to just relax.  I'm so glad, too, because the Saturday I usually do the book signing turned out to be the new date for the 21st Dewey Beach Running of the Bulls.  A friend of one of the girls in our group actually started this event, twenty-one years ago, after a trip to Spain.  This Running of the Bulls does not involve any real animals, but rather two guys in a bull costume, escorted by a matador and lifeguards, chasing people down the beach.  Almost everyone wears a red bandanna and either a red or white shirt, although some people dress in more elaborate costumes.  A popular bar, the Starboard, sponsors the event, and it's become so popular crowds now rival any Spring Break beach bash.  The entire parking lot is shut down to make room for a stage, the bands, and of course all the partiers.  It was a crazy, fun-filled day, complete with even a fly-over by the National Guard.

Gearing up at The Starboard before chasing the bull

Now I'm home again, struggling to settle back into my routine, but glad the next few weeks are going to be much slower-paced.  I'm hoping to dive back into my unfinished manuscript for Novel #5, catch up on my reading, get some work done in the garden...and make time in between for a few naps!  

I miss my BFFs already...it was especially poignant to get together after
a few of our firstborn kids just graduated high school, and know that our
friendship is still going strong after our own high school years, 30 years ago!