If you are lucky enough to travel to the New York State Adirondack Park be sure to stop at the Adirondack Reader Book Store in Inlet. You will find an excellent selection of the latest and greatest books as well as everything Adirondack. Owner Reggie Chambers will welcome you with a smile. I would also recommend a stop at the Old Forge Hardware in the Village of Old Forge. This is an amazing store where you will find just about anything you desire, up to and including a great selection of books for all ages. I signed copies of my books at both establishments on Saturday. Both signings were as enjoyable as they were productive. And I couldn’t leave Old Forge without stoping for fudge at the Candy Cottage.

Reggie Chambers

The songbirds are gone! The warbling wren, the song sparrow, the baltimore oriole, the bluebird, the redwing blackbird, even the grey catbird. Too soon gone! For some reason I savored their songs every day this summer and will mourn their absence until spring. The barn swallows taught their young to fly today and will soon follow the others south. The young blue jays are raucaus at the feeder, scolding the young squirrels and each other. The bright colors of the gold finch are fading. The season is turning once again, and I am sad to see it happen. There was a well known auctioneer here who used ti like to say,” Time waits for no man – and very few women.” That always got a laugh from the crowd, but it is too true.

Now Available

And now the fun stuff begins.

I spent the afternoon steeped in local history as a volunteer at the Black River Canal Museum. The Black River Canal, a feeder canal for the Erie from 1850 to the early 1920s, was an amazing feat of engineering at a time when there were no engineers or machines available to help. I first learned about the Black River Canal as a child from my mother. I fell in love with the culture of the canallers and that time in history and never quite recovered from my fascination. It was a time of hard work and shorter life spans, but it was also a time of timelessness, when the days passed more slowly, more enjoyably I think. Maybe that’s why my first middle grade historical fiction, “A Punkeyville Girl”, is a story of the Black River Canal. And my second, “Hannah and the Two Sisters” follows the Black River Canal to the Erie and back.

Sometimes I do. Like if I write, “I took a walk to see the walkers along the board walk.” Or, “Don’t get up, I give up.” (No, I don’t really write that badly, but you get the point) I usually catch the obvious echos when I proof my 3rd or 4th rewrite, but now and then one gets by me. Until they come to light in the glare of a thorough critique. “You’re echoing,” my friend, Sue, told me at the last meeting. And of course she’s right! And I am amazed that I didn’t see it before. NowI see it as plain as . . . um, never mind, that’s a cliche, isn’t it?

I finished a draft of chapter 4 in my middle grade historical fiction WIP today. I could have written more if I didn’t have to contend with a power failure and a thunderstorm. Did I mention that I’m painting a snowy woodland scene of deer in the forest on a dry tree fungus? And just before dark I finally found the time to plant the most pathetic looking pansies you have ever seen. It’s not their fault. They outgrew their tiny seedling potting compartments some time ago and have been bravely clinging to life as they waited and waited for me to set them out. Tomorrow I will feed them some Miracle Grow and their former misery will be a distant memory. And, I get to cross one more thing off my to-do list. Ahhh! That feels good. Another good thing – my middle grade historical novel is still being considered for publication. And my latest chapter book, Adirondack Mouse and the Mysterious Disappearance, will be released in just a few weeks. Life is good. For me and for the pansies.

My available writing time is slowly increasing. so I feel like celebrating, not just the birthday of our country, but my freedom as well. Yesterday I finished the draft of the third chapter of my historical fiction WIP, and received a draft of the layout for Adirondack Mouse and the Mysterious Disappearance. Looks like it will be coming out on schedule – can’t wait!
I hope all writers find cause for celebrating!

Rocky (before) and Mckeever

My daughter’s dog, Rocky, is our latch-key dog. He spends the day here with Mckeever while Susan is at work. I think he looks like a Cairn Terrier, or at least he used to. Poor Rocky! He had a surprise trip to the Groom Room yesterday and he came back looking great, but I’m not sure he enjoyed the process all that much. His demeanor reminds me of the way the sheep we used to raise behaved at shearing time. You would think they would have been happy to lose all that heavy wool before the hot summer, but they most definitely did not. They seemed convinced that the shearer was the grim reaper and when he was finished it took the flock the rest of the day to figure out who was who. Here is a picture of Rocky after his grooming. The new and improved Rocky!

The New Look

What a wonderful day. I spent my morning writing the next chapter in my WIP, Corn For Liberty. I am taking Richard Peck’s advice from his SCBWI Master Class interview – no, I don’t know him personally, darn it – that the only way to write with passion is in the 1st person. He’s right that 1st person places you, the author, squarely in the scene. He says that can’t help but draw the reader in as well. The weather was grey with rain from time to time, but that only made the day better. There was still enough light to paint by in the afternoon and the sound of the rain on the roof was so relaxing. My painting of my dog, McKeever, is almost done. Just a little more detail to the grass and it will be done. I can’t believe it’s turning out so well. Now it is Friday and I’m back to my hum-drum routine. Oh well, Thursday is only 6 days away. Kind of like counting the days until Christmas, isn’t it? Or your birthday, but who wants to rush the next birthday? Not me!

I posted all the winners from the 2008 Adirondack Center for Writing’s Literary Awards on my Contests/Workshops, etc. page. My article, A Lifeline in the Night, appears in the July 2009 issue of The Word Among Us. I recently received my copy. I have received a response to my status query – my manuscript is still being considered! I have completed my first draft of the first chapter of my latest work in progress. I sent it off to my critique group for their comments this morning. Now I need to get back to my great grandfather’s story; time to edit, flesh out and revise what I have already written and get started on the rest. I am feeling so much more creative now that I have Thursdays to look forward to. I spend the rest of the week daydreaming about what I will do on my special day. And this Saturday my DAR Chapter will present a new flag to the Black River Canal Museum in Boonville.