writing updates

What I’m Working On – September 8, 2022

I had an exciting thing happen to me this week. I hiked just over half a mile up and down and on the side of steep hills. To some of you, this doesn’t sound like a big deal. For me, it totally is.

For the last ten years, I’ve had a debilitating ankle tendon pain that stopped me from hiking. (I’ve seen 13 health practitioners about it and tried all their suggestions – except surgery.) There was a small window of time where I hiked around Colorado with no pain, but eventually the pain grew so bad I was limited to roads and flat dirt trails. Uneven terrain triggered a burning sensation so intense that I’d have to stop immediately, drop to the ground and wait 15-20 minutes before I could continue. A few times I’d hike with my forearm crutches, but it’s not as relaxing because I’m more focused on where to put my crutches than on seeing the beauty around me. Standing for longer than fifteen minutes is excruciating.

I read a book titled: “Fixing You: Foot and Ankle Pain” by Rick Olderman after having a terrible meeting with a chiropractor who told me I needed to treat the symptoms of my ankle tendon, take some enzymes, wear orthotics, and accept that my ankle will never get better. The only reason I didn’t believe this chiropractor was because I had seen one that had helped me immensely before we moved from Eau Claire, WI area.

The author Rick Olderman is a physical therapist who specializes in helping people heal from chronic pain. The book is short and reminds me of reading the anatomy chapters from my biology books in high school. He goes into a lot of detail about his observations working with a variety of injuries and pain points. I figured I had nothing to lose and approached the book with an open mind.

The most surprising thing I learned was that I lock my knee when standing and walking, which caused discomfort in my ankle. I also walked with a 100% heel strike (a normal heel strike should be around 50-75%). While I waited for the support tape to arrive for the exercises he advises, I focused on walking with less heel strike and keeping a bent knee. Those two things got me to where I hiked the half-mile trail with no pain. I think I could’ve gone further, but my husband worries about me overdoing things (rightly so) and advised we celebrate the small win.

This week the support tape arrived, so I’m rehabbing my foot. I hope to rebuild the strength so that I can hike anywhere and workout without worrying about triggering severe pain in my foot.

The one advantage with my ankle issue is that I have time to write and create art.

Writing Update

I’m still writing my romance novel. It’s fun to see the twists and turns it’s taking. I’m excited to get it finished because I have a few ideas for other stories bouncing around in my mind.

I also started a short story for a market that invited me to send them something. I expect to have it finished by tomorrow.

The novel that’s finished is just about ready to publish. I need to make the cover and assemble the book.

Other than that, I plan to enjoy the warm weather we’re having before the temps plummet. The high temps here are below 70 degrees. The other day I dug out a sweatshirt because it didn’t get above 60. It’s a little strange coming from the high desert in Idaho where they still have temps in the 80s.

Have a great weekend.

What I’m Working On – September 1, 2022

Caribou Falls a short hike from Highway 61 along the Northshore of MN. (35 ft high)

Between writing, art, reading, juggling work items, and exploring our new area, I listen to a wide variety of podcasts. This week I listened to two interviews (by different podcast hosts) that talked about the importance of play when we create art. Both of the artists (one a sculptor, the other a comedian) talked about how a sense of play made them feel happier and stoked their creative fires. It also helped them view the world in a more positive light.

I’ve heard this idea before, but the reminder was timed perfectly. I fell into super-serious mode and forgot that writing and painting are fun. I got wrapped up in trying to find just the right words, colors, or techniques instead of letting playfulness be my guide.

Since today is the first day of the month, I want to approach my writing and paintings with a sense of play for the month to see what happens. Maybe I’ll think of a paper and dice game that I can create to go with it.

What am I playing with this week?

My romance novel. It took a few turns that I’m exploring. I’m enjoying the characters. I’m guessing I’m about 75% done with the draft. If I play well (haha), I think I can have it finished by the end of next week.

My fantasy novel came back from my copy editor. It’s awaiting my attention. I plan to have the edits and cover designed by next week.

That’s it for the writing updates. As usual, I plan to continue to play tourist along the Northshore of Minnesota. There’s so much to see and do.

Enjoy your week. I hope you get time to play.

What I’m Working on July 13, 2022

I can’t believe that it’s the middle of July. We’re settled into our new place and make frequent visits to Lake Superior. It’s so beautiful. I think that’s something I repeat to my husband nearly every time we drive somewhere.

The biggest surprise about living here is that it’s much cooler by the lake. There were a few days when the temps reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit at our house. When we went down to the lake, it was 50. The best part about the temperature difference is that tourists don’t stay long at the beach because they’re wearing summer clothes. That means we get the beach to ourselves, albeit a cold one.

Reestablishing a routine after a big move takes time and I’m finally getting my groove. I’m continuing to write my romance story. I expect the draft to be done by the end of the month.

My third novel in the Rockton Treasure Hunting series, Abandoned City, is almost up for sale everywhere. There were a few tech problems yesterday that caused the upload to fail. I’m optimistic that today the tech gremlins are busy elsewhere so that I can release it.

Watch for my announcement on my blog when it’s ready to buy. You can also subscribe to my newsletter.

I hope everyone is having an enjoyable summer by taking advantage of the sunny days when they arrive.

What I’m Working On

It’s the first week of October and Christmas tunes are playing in my studio. What I love most about the music (besides it putting me in a festive mood) is it makes me feel like I’ve won a battle with my husband. For over twenty years we’ve argued (good-naturedly) about when it’s okay to play Christmas music and when it isn’t. He says December (maybe after Thanksgiving). I say when the mood strikes.

For the first five years of our marriage, my husband actually hid my Christmas CDs until the day after Thanksgiving. He lost ground when I ripped all the CDs to my computer and had a song ready to play as soon as it snowed, which in Wisconsin often happened late October or early November.

So why am I playing Christmas music on a sixty-degree day in Idaho at the beginning of October? I needed to set the mood for my Christmas Short Story Collection. Technically, Christmas music has played since September because it’s when I started writing my Christmas stories.

My Christmas collection will be five Christmas short stories. The first three are written. I will finish the fourth one this week.

I’m having fun writing Christmas stories. My brain is already playing with other ideas on future collections. I will release this collection during the first week of November.

Stay tuned!