Brandy Woldstad

My husband and I moved to the Northshore of Minnesota. Most of the boxes are emptied, but I still have to hang artwork and find homes for items. I’m not a fan of cluttered areas, so the piles are bothering me. We’ve been here a week and still don’t have Internet. Thank goodness for the data on my phone.  

We live in a quiet neighborhood where white-tailed deer wander down the middle of the streets in the evening. I’m glad the speed limit is 25mph for the sake of drivers and the deer. I find them funny, but I’m sure the people who love to garden aren’t huge fans of them. When we walk our dogs, there’s always deer watching us go by, often standing near someone’s flower bed or garden. 

The songbirds chatter almost non-stop. I love hearing them, and it was something that I didn’t hear often enough in Idaho. The other unusual sight is watching the seagulls hop along the sidewalks, calling out to their friends.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the northshore of Minnesota, we’re near Lake Superior. This section of the lake has cliffs and rocky shores. The lake reminds me of the ocean with its vastness; it’s not as blue as the Pacific and not as blue-gray as the Atlantic. Our first week here it rained everyday, and the weather is much cooler than in central Idaho. I’m definitely going to miss the mild winters. 

The other thing the Northshore is known for, besides the rocky shores of Lake Superior, are all the waterfalls. Gooseberry Falls in Gooseberry Falls State Park and High Falls in Tettegouche State Park are among the most popular. There are many other waterfalls and hiking trails abound. And, if you’re a lighthouse lover, Split Rock Lighthouse is a beautiful historical lighthouse to tour.

Now for my writing update. 

I started a romance story in Idaho while I packed up our previous house. Writing is a nice break from the joys of filling boxes. I didn’t bother to work on it during our trek across the country, but resumed working on it today. I’m a little distracted by the newness and sounds of my neighborhood, so it’s taking me a little longer to find my groove.

My most recent novel, Artful Magic, is with my copyeditor. I’m expecting it back mid-June. 

The third novel in my Rockton Treasure Hunting series will be published at the end of the May. I have some final tweaks to do for the cover.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Happy Halloween! The adorable little kids in costumes made me smile this evening.

Also, happy day before NanoWriMo. November is the month when writers challenge themselves to write a novel in one month. I don’t plan to take part this year, but have done so in the past. The best thing I learned from NanoWriMo was that when I made a writing project important to me, I could make the time needed to get the draft finished despite the holidays. If you’re a writer struggling to carve out time to write, this could be helpful. There is one that runs during June (CampNanoWriMo) if November isn’t possible.

Last week, I created the book cover for my Christmas collection. I love how it turned out. My stories are almost edited and I’m on target for the release of the collection next week. The stories are a mixture of friendships, romance, and nostalgia.

I also continued to write my third Rockton Treasure novel. It took a few surprising twists. I’m having fun with it.

My ghost short story collection hit a slight delay and will go out this week.

My second Rockton Treasure novel just returned from my copyeditor. Once I make the suggested adjustments and create the cover, it will be published. If you’d like to be notified of when it’s ready, please sign-up for my newsletter.

Thank you for your support. I hope you have a great week.