I finally finished the revisions on my third novel today. Woohoo!!  I will drop it off for the BIG critique tomorrow.  I feel like I can start really feeling like Christmas now… maybe. It’s my first Christmas without Mom. And my first Christmas in 30 years that I haven’t sent a short Christmas letter to family and friends. I just didn’t have the heart for it this year. 

We had a lovely Thanksgiving, all the children, their mates and all the grandchildren were here plus my father, my sister and her husband and some dear friends. It was a houseful and everyone cherished the time together.

Our house is all decked out for Christmas, the cards and packages have all been sent and the shopping is mostly done.  I’ve read a couple wonderful Christmas novels and watched a few good movies. Most notably UNSTOPPABLE with Denzel Washington and THE NEXT THREE DAYS with Russel Crowe. Both were filmed in Western PA and both were riveting adrenaline rushes!

The best Christmas novel I’ve read in a few years is CHRISTMAS WITH TUCKER by Greg Kincaid. It is a prequel to last year’s Hallmark movie hit, A DOG NAMED CHRISTMAS. (That is also a very good movie.)

Our second BIG snow of the year is happening as I type. Outside it’s like a blizzard with lots of snow coming down and blowing every which way and so very cold. Our dog has to be coaxed out to do his necessary business.

I’ve been a Hot Flash Queen for a number of years now. But it is so cold today that I actually have a small electric heater under my desk blowing on my feet to keep them warm!

I hope I will soon have some good news about my next book, till then keep reading but be selective.  If you don’t like a book by page fifty, move on and read one you do like. My mother always said, “Life is to short for bad books!”

Best wishes to you all for a good year in 2011.

Ann

I’ve been hustling to catch up since our return on October 28th from a wonderful and much needed vacation to visit friends in California and then a two week cruise to Hawaii. I started each day by working out. I read several books while sitting by the pool in the sun. My favorite two were ‘Ape House’ by Sara Gruen and ‘Night Woman’ by Nancy Price. I highly recommend both of these novels to any one who might be looking for a good book to read.  I also read ‘Half the Sky’, nonfiction by Kristoff and Dunn.  A compelling book about women in developing countries who tried to turn oppression into opportunity.  A very worthwhile book.

And we watched several movies on the ship under the stars, our favorite by far was ‘Secretariat.’ We both cried and and were on the edge of our seats even though we knew he was a triple crown winner! Anyone who loves a good horse movie, this is for you!

Hawaii was very beautiful with friendly happy people. We loved the music and culture but it is so different and so far away from the main land that we didn’t feel like we were really in the USA.

Cruising is a fun way to travel first class and feel pampered everyday. There are lots of great bargains available if anyone has a hankering to give it a try. There are wonderful live entertainers onboard and there are no additional charges for shows and food.

One thing I didn’t do for the entire vacation was use my cell phone or a computer. Now I’m home again, rested and ready to buckle down and get back to my writing routine. I have made a pledge to myself to write … every day. Even though the holidays will soon be here, I will write! This year for the first time in my adult life, I’m not going to bake any Christmas cookies.  If I need a few, I’ll buy them for the ocassion. A disadvantage to cruising is that most people gain weight and I was not an exception. I am now on a strict diet, so cookies and extra goodies are not on this year’s agenda.  

We were impressed with the ship’s international crew and their level of professionalism as well as their genuine comradeship. We met passengers as well as crew from all over the world. If only politicians from all those countries could find a way to respect each other and get along like the cruise ship staff.

We left the ship’s emergency phone number with the family. Everyone was okay and proved to us they really don’t need us for much more than cheerleading services, i.e. unconditional love. And isn’t that every parent’s goal?

The weekend before we left was my high school class reunion. Everyone had a great time. It was a four day event, I attended two. An advantage at this point is that no one bothers trying to impress anyone. We all know we have a lot more class reunions behind us than we have ahead of us. Yikes, that’s a sobering thought!

Till next time…

It’s been more than two months since Mom passed. In some ways it is getting easier. I’ve been extremely busy, busy hands keep the mind focused. We’ve welcomed many house guests this summer. Somehow life goes on.

My writing has defintely been put on a back burner with everything else that’s been going on. But I’ve regitered for an excellent Writers Conference in Cincinnati and I expect to get back into a more productive writing  routine  as summer activities wind down. 

There was a time when I studied and prepared for exams regarding the Grieving Process. I knew the right things to say and what to expect but I never knew what it really felt like to grieve. Well, forty years ago my little brother was killed in an accident and that was very hard… But losing Mom and suddenly becoming the oldest woman in our large family has profoundly impacted me. 

Someone called last week and asked, “So, how are you?”

I responded, “Okay. How are you?”

 She said, “Spectacular.”

I answered, “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt spectacular.”

She asked, “What’s wrong?”

I replied softly, “Well, my mother died only a few weeks ago.” (This was something the caller was well aware of.)

She said, “Well, when you wake up tomorrow, just tell yourself you are going to have a happy day.”

 I hesitated and then answered, “Sure, I’ll try that.”

The caller probably meant well…but grieving takes time. I’m sure we greivers can become an aggravating annoyance but please be patient with us. Losing  a loved one to cancer is a long goodby and we all recover from our grief at our own pace. Yes, life goes on and I’m trying.

Mom has been gone for four weeks today. The emotional numbness is somewhat less than it was intially but I still feel like I’m operating on automatic in a thick fog. 

I ocassionally find myself starting to pick up the phone to tell her something or ask her advise. Yes, even grandmothers like to talk to their mothers!

I found a small poster in a gift shop last week:

My mother didn’t

Tell me whow to live…

She showed me.

The writer of those wise words must have known my mom!

We often discussed books together when she was still able to read books. Sometimes I’d  complain to her about a book I was forcing myself to read for a Book Club. Near the end of her long illness she looked at me one day with that mischievious Irish twinkle in her eyes and said, “You know life is too short to waste on bad books!”

I’ve thought about that comment quite often since she’s been gone. I think it can be applied to many aspects of life. Maybe we should prioritize our lives and do only the things we’d want to do if we knew we had a short time to live.

After all our allotted time is relevant and in the whole scheme of things, none of us will be here long enough to waste the precious gift of time.

My mother bravely battled cancer for the last twenty two months. She passed away four days ago. Even though I knew it was coming, I feel numb. Like my world will never be the same. It’s hard to fathom never being able to call my mother again. To never buy her another birthday gift or Mother’s Day card. Is a person ever really ready for the final good bye?

I was fortunate to have had a mother who devoted her life to her family. She was well known for her wit, loyalty and keen intelligence. She had a knack for making everyone of her six surviving children, 21 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren feel like they were her favorite. Probably  because they all were!

Family dynamics are incredibly interesting.  Mom managed to mend a few family rifts from her sickbed. She had a gift of wisdom that was uncanny. Even though she is gone, she’ll always be with us. I told her a few weeks ago, “You will live as long as any of us who know and love you live.”

She was 84 years young. She always hated tatoos. But when her great granddaughter proudly showed her the new tattoo on her back, “Live, Love and Laugh–Texas Grandma” - inside a heart with red roses around it. (Texas Grandma was the nickname her grandchildren have called her for many years.) Mom beamed and said, “Did you see that beautiful tattoo? It has my name on it!”

I replied, “Mom we don’t need to tattoo your name on our bodies, you’ll be in our hearts forever.”

The daffodils are in bloom with their cheerful yellows here and there in nearly every garden we pass. Hallelujah! Sure, we had snow two nights ago but the hearty early spring flowers were not fazed. And it all melted before noon.

Oh gawd, speaking of yellow…as I sit here typing, my dog started to make that gagging heaving sound he sometimes does. It’s never good when that happens. I turned around to find him spitting, (I hate to call it vomit), a bright yellow liquid all over the carpets, etc.

Well, I’m back from that distraction, all is cleaned up again. My new novel is coming along, I’m finally finding blocks of time to work on it. And it’s a fun story to write. I hope when at last it is finished, people will find it an equally enjoyable story to read.

I had the pleasure and honor of treating novelist Lenore Hart, (author of Waterwoman, Becky, etc.), to lunch the day after her One Book Bradford event on April 1. She’s an inspiring and delightful person. Before we knew it, 2.5 hours had slipped by! For me it was like an Oasis of joy on what’s been a tumultuous time in my life with my mother’s declining health as well as aunts and uncles who have also become seriously ill.

 I continue to read lots of books and we usually watch movies every week. Nothing jumps out as particularly memorable as I write, just entertaining. And, hey, entertaining is not a bad thing! Last night we went to see Date Night. We laughed till tears trickled down our cheeks. We were thoroughly entertained and I got to eat lots of popcorn. I love popcorn at the movies!

Well, I have a good Lee Smith novel to finish tonight and some leftover popcorn from last night’s movie. Till next time. Keep reading and I hope your dog doesn’t get sick!

Another snow storm is expected this afternoon but we take it in our stride in northwestern Pennsylvania. Besides  it’s not so hard to accept more snow since spring is less than a month away.  And we are definitley ready for spring.

 We were fortunate to go south for ten days earlier this month but the weather at Hilton Head, S.C. was only a little warmer than home. At least we didn’t have any snow to shovel while we were there! And we were able to visit several family members on the way south as well as on the way home.

While there we watched several really good movies: The Hurt Locker, Crazy Heart, Dear John  and the Edge of Darkness.

We enjoyed spending time with friends who live there during the winter.  He’s a retired gynecologist/obstetrician who made this comment during a discussion one evening, ”There are no illegitimate babies, only illegitimate parents.” It was a Wow moment for me.

I’ve been busy preparing gift baskets which include a copy of “Runaway Grandma”, candy, etc. for fund raisers and speaking engagements. Next week I’ll speak to the Current Events Club and the Eastern Star ladies.  I must confess a writers natural tendency is to avoid the spotlight. I’d prefer to stay on the sidelines, watch others and then twist those observations into stories. But that doesn’t help get my books noticed and into the hands of more readers. And speaking does get a bit easier as I continue to do it…

On Feb. 23 I drove to State College and had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with my granddaughter who will graduate this summer. Then I went to WPSU radio to tape a book review of “Still Alice”, (please see last month’s blog for more info on the book), for BookMark which will air on March 3 at 4:30 p.m. and again on March 7 at 9:30 a.m. It was fun. The new WPSU studio is amazing. Patty Satalia and Cynthia Berger stopped by to say hello, I’d worked with both of them in the past on other projects.  Sarah B. Maloney was great to help me record this BookMark review. It will be archived on WPSU’s radio audio archives.

Till next time, happy reading my friends… Ann

Outside my window, the snow is blowing in wicked white-outs as I write. I am recovering from a bout with the flu, probably swine. I hope I never get that sick again!

I am behind in my Christmas preparations, probably because I’m having a hard time putting my heart into it this year. The good news is both my novels are still selling decently and I received nice royalty checks this year. The bad news is all my good intentions of fininshing my fourth novel are met with procrastinaton my part. I know how and what to write but just can’t seem to find the time to do it.

My mother’s cancer has metastisized; last month her oncologist told her she can expect about six more months to live. All my siblings, their children and grandchildren came home for Thanksgiving. Out of the blue my friend, Kay, called and offered her church to cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for all 75 of us!! Mom loved it and it was so good to all be together again, there was much laughter and plenty of tears. Mom is still as feisty as ever. And we are praying for a miracle…

Of course, I try to spend as much time with my parents as I can, despite the distance and weather. My literary agent is on the ball and working hard to find a pubisher for book # three.

Wishing all of you a blessed holiday season. Happy reading!

I intended to write this blog more frequently but the weeks have rolled by again. Life always seems to get in the way. Summer is winding down, even though the weather has heated up. Schools start next week.

Agents are still expressing interest in my third novel as I work away on my fourth novel. I bought myself a new framed sign for my desk:

“My hopes are not always Realized but I always hope.” by Ovid  

It would be impossible for me to continue writing without hope!

I’ve spent lots of time with my grandchildren the last few weeks, and that’s always time well spent.  My mother is holding her own and that is such a blessing in itself.

I auditioned for a play, with the local community theater, on a whim and with a bit of encouragement from my husband … AND I got the part! I’ve never acted before but I think it will be loads of fun. It’s “The Dixie Swim Team” written by the same writer who wrote “The Golden Girls” TV series. It is a cast of five women, I have the part of Dinah, a Bea Arthur like character. And we all have to speak our parts with a southern accent. The play will be at UPB on Oct 16, 17 and 18. Wish me luck!

I’ve read many books this summer, my favorites are:

 Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and Still Life by Louise Penny.

Book Clubs certainly keep me reading new authors and exploring genres I’d never open if not for club choices. I may not be reading quite as many books in September since I have a script to memorize…

Later,  Ann

Maybe a woman needs to be post menopausal to enjoy the weather we’ve had so far this summer, but I certainly am. Not one day over 90 and that’s great with me! And so much rain that I don’t even have to water the gardens everyday, God does a much better job anyway.

Today I feel a bit blue. Frank McCourt died yesterday. I never met him. But I so loved his writing and listening to his lovely Irish accent when he gave interviews on television or on the radio. He taught school for thirty years in the NYC area, all of his former students are fortunate indeed. If you haven’t read Angela’s Ashes, Tis and Teacher Man, I suggest you do. You are in for a real treat. He has the true gift of the Irish with the English lanquage, keen perception completely void of resentment. There are pages in Angela’s Ashes that made me laugh out loud and then cry a few paragraphs later. Very powerful. After reading it, I never looked at poor people the same way.

 Last months interested agent passed but with kindness, wishing me luck. Today I received word from another agent, (one I’d truly be thirilled if she represented my work), who wants to read the entire manuscript. I just can’t help being optimistic!

 I have three grandchildren here with me this afternoon and it’s getting noisy… so I best close this blog for today. We’re going out to dinner and then to see the new Harry Potter Movie tonight. Crafts tomorrow and then swimming on Wednesday. Thursday I have another Book Signing at the Forest Nook in Cooks Forest, PA.

Till next time… hope you all are having a great summer too.  Ann