In A Bookish, Quilty Mood

A slimmed down version of Jodi Godfrey's Alexandria Quilt design; we'll see what I end up with hehehe. I usually don't write end-of-month posts, but due to my NANOWRIMO participation, albeit limited, I felt it necessary to jot down a few sentences. And give a little outline of what lies ahead for the rest of 2022. Let's start with National Novel Writing Month; I started a draft that might end up in my books not currently under construction folder. Or maybe A Rose Blissful is merely waiting for a less crowded time of the year to flourish. We'll see what 2023 has in store for that plot, but I did learn that November is no longer the best time of year for me to write, birthdays and holidays making for a busy month. But I managed A LOT of revisions, lol, and am mostly on track to release the last book in my current series. And I made some good headway on what I am hoping to write next, in the context of editing the prequel to a manageable size. Manage figures heavil...

  Christmas Eve 2021; I would love to have that much rain in the gauge by the end of this week!   The first day of winter is still a few weeks away but throughout November we have experienced a steep decline in the amount of sunlight. While I'm very grateful for Pacific Standard Time, our treeline inhibits what light remains; by two thirty p.m. the sun has dipped below the treetops, a little filtering through breaks in the forest around three thirty and by five twenty it's dark even on a clear evening. Our few days in Reno seem to have exacerbated the lessening daylight upon our return home, and another trip for next weekend to visit our eldest will further accelerate winter's arrival when we get back. A bright and unfortunately dry October provided many warm afternoons to sit on the patio and bask in the warmth, which I did just about every chance that presented itself. I did so because I KNEW what was lurking ahead, not that we've had much rain this month, but the dar...

The latest from a growing collection of Lavender Quilt blocks. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! My husband and I have traveled to Nevada to spend the holiday with our son. We're not having a traditional meal, but I realized recently that it's been several years since we shared the holiday with a plethora of kin, and doing something differently is kind of our style. We will be having pie for dessert, kind of a fave of my better half, and I'll treat myself not only with gluten but some accompanying dairy in the ice cream. It's a holiday, time to splurge a little. :) I'm also going to splurge in retail, lol; I'm ordering a Mandolin quilt kit from Tales of Cloth ; Jodi Godfrey has several amazing EPP quilt kits on offer for this weekend, and while I've just finished a Mandolin quilt, another beckons strongly. And I've decided to make 2023 a year of slow stitching, concentrating not only on getting a Mandolin quilt underway, but to focus mainly on paper piecing. ...

My heart aches for what has happened in Colorado Springs; another attack on LGBTQ Americans, another mass shooting. Another example of extremism within this nation that seems unable to wrench itself from gun violence and intolerance. The question of why is complicated, also in my opinion frighteningly simple; people are fearful and at times they choose to assume a mantle of power to combat their insecurities. Weapons of instantaneous destruction are readily available. And another community is shattered. Slogans are rife, social media full of condolences and some backbiting. But what doesn't change is how fragile are human beings, ripped apart by bullets and loathing. Murdered by rifles and prejudice. In a week where we as citizens of the United States are to give thanks, a dark cloud hovers, and perhaps the most important element regarding our gratitude is our lives. Freedom and liberty are bandied about but not all experience that sensation. This is one nation, allegedly under God...

Writing that first novel, November 2006. While I bailed on National Novel Writing Month this year, I am wholly grateful to it for sending me on my authorial way. But even more so, I am extremely thankful for the one who brought it to my attention, my eldest child who in the autumn of 2006 was seventeen and knew me far better than I realized. That young woman will celebrate her birthday soon, and here we are, sixteen years later, and yes, I'm still noveling. Currently I'm in the last third of That Which Can Be Remembered , what's next on the publication docket, revisions that have turned up two typos, oops! I've excised about fifty-plus unnecessary words, just niggly stuff but imperative to releasing the best version of said novel. In doing so, I'm brought back to this time in 2006, my daughter having directed me to NANO in late September or early October of that year. I don't recall from where I came up with the plot for that first book, but I do remember plenty...

This morning's sunrise approaches, reminding me to embrace where I am right this minute. Despite setting aside one story, others remain, lol. One is definitely a work in progress, although it is completed and has recently been through yet another wringer, which all drafts require. But I am nearing the end of possessing That Which Can Be Remembered ( TWCBR ), both as a series and book. And in reading it now, a few weeks away from its release, I am enjoying the story and the sense of closure, which admittedly is a good feeling, having just jettisoned 20K for the hinterlands. Especially since TWCBR comes from a similar start; I gave up on those characters twice before finally committing to their story, dude! It was painful, aggravating, at times depressing. I so wanted to explore their hurts and triumphs, yet it took a good year before I could reclaim that book. When I did, I wrote like Past Me, pounding out a chapter daily, sometimes more, hehehe. A four-part series was trimmed to ...

Rare are the times I begin writing a book, then close up the document, not proffering a satisfying conclusion. But last night after going to bed, I realized that I needed to take a break from A Rose Blissful , from National Novel Writing Month, from something that most times brings me great pleasure but over the last couple of weeks has felt like a.... Not a burden or a big fat drag, yet not an activity enticing or soul- soothing. Yes I'm disappointed, I don't like leaving things unfinished. But better to walk away now than kick myself later for not following my heart. I honesty don't know what will happen to this story; a dear friend is reading the six chapters I have managed, and depending on her assessment, I will choose either to file it under unfinished manuscripts or.... I will give myself this break, then see what happens in December. I have two other novels requiring revising, one of which will be released next month and needs to be formatted.  Edits and formatting...

Miss Buttercup from 2017; she is definitely the basis for North the dog. Oh my my, I am up to my neck in novels! And while that's a marvelous sensation, it's also a little.... Too wonderful? Maybe. Perhaps it's like being inundated with chocolate; all things, even the great ones, in moderation. But when the muse is whirling, it's hard to put on the brakes. Yet, I am trying to maintain a semblance of patience. We loaded wood into the garage this afternoon, my hubby and I, cool weather upon us. Dishes required my attention, ahem, not sure what awaits this evening; there is always hand-sewing or some crocheting. I've enjoyed myself by making some cowls, although most of them are just a wee bit large, but will do the job, keeping my neck cozy. Crocheting is truly an indulgent pastime; no needles to thread, just pulling from a skein of yarn, proffering my simple double-crochet stitch enough thread to keep my hook busy. One of my grandmothers knitted, the other crocheted,...

The Pacific at Trinidad, California, November 2021. Taking a day off from noveling; it's my beloved's birthday, hehehe. A year ago today we went to Trinidad Head, just wandering around the beach. I'd been busy writing That Which Can Be Remembered , sewing Honeycomb Stars quilts for my grandsons. Funny how twelve months later it could be said not much has changed. Yet a lot goes on behind the scenes, as in any life, what I choose to set here, what remains tucked away. Memories, tragedies, small sorrows; all intermingle despite where they fall in the timeline. I used the Moonlight collection by Wishwell for this Honeycomb Stars quilt; November 2021. Yet it's so easy to scroll through a photo app, bringing up this day last year, two years past, three, four.... What ages ago took pulling down photo albums or flipping through boxes of snapshots is no more than asking one's device for shots from this or that day. I can peruse my published novels by merely tapping on a boo...

What to say about this baby quilt that I haven't already mentioned.... It's beautiful, hehehe, and large enough for a little one to crawl around on initially, then cuddle with later. Lapsized for sharing, it's backed with flannel for extra warmth and snuggliness. Above and below the sloths are fabrics from the Earth Views collection. I do adore those sloths! Dotted with animals and nature, I also used some of my Karen Nyberg prints from her Earth Views collection. Various Kona solids in green tie together the beauty of Bonnie Christine's Wild Forgotten fabrics, a woodland theme I was happy to expound upon. Yet for how lovely is this quilt, it will be my last, unless I am utterly compelled beyond reasonable boundaries. Which means while I won't say, "I will NEVER make another quilt like this again," I am fairly certain this is my final Honeycomb Stars blanket. The effect is truly marvelous, but the creating wasn't a similarly fantastic experience. Yet t...

A Mandolin quilt, perhaps one of my fave EPP patterns! NANO 2022 is underway; I've amassed over 3,300 words, a little above the recommended daily 1,500 words to hit that awesome 50K goal. Which isn't truly novel-length, but certainly a good amount for any writer to strive toward. The writing itself is...nothing to be ashamed of. It's..fine, and for now fine is fine with me. What has surprised me was the run-up; I had forgotten how magical the last couple of weeks in October are, waiting for November first to arrive! Autumn in full swing, although sunny and dry, conjured memories of past years when I was itching to create something new, be it in characters, a realm, or merely the sense of a season that lived in the San Francisco Bay Area was so anticipated, summer this long slog of endless sun and heat, bleh. A Humboldt summer is very different, lol, yet I was thrilled for the notion of change. I've decided to approach this novel as perhaps a stream of consciousness sort...