Back at it.

Yesterday was the downtown street fair, also referred to by my cousin Melanie as "Cousin Day." In this city, you will run into everyone with whom you are acquainted at the street fair.

I volunteered in the morning, then had a lovely lunch with my cousin Valerie. I witnessed a man drop his gyro on the street.

"Please don't. Please don't. Please don't eat that... oh no. Just what are you willing to ingest from the surface of the pavement? Granted, we're talking gyro, but COME ON.

My other-side-of-the-family-cousin Melanie met up with us and we ambled about the booths.

When Valerie went her own way, Melanie and I scoured each tent for Cinnabon Popcorn. Other friends we'd seen were eating this divine-sounding confection, and we finally found it at a tent marked Pride of Dakota.

Now, all I want is Cinnabon Popcorn. Getcha some at any Pride of Dakota event this holiday season, when you shop locally!

Also, I have to order some books! I've got signings and plans coming up, and things are rockin'!

More later...xoxo

And a-one, and a-TWO!

Barnes & Noble bought it! Barnes & Noble ordered Nowhere, Everywhere AND reordered Something About Sophia!

Is this happening?

THEN, the swank museum near my hometown invited me for a booksigning, since now I have two books out.

Would that I could be more poetic about it at this moment in time, but the fact of the matter is, I'm really very happy and excited, and probably a little exhausted, too.

Some solid sleep might be a nice replacement for coffee.

May you be as blessed as I feel today.

#barnesandnoble #somethingaboutsophia #nowhereeverywhere #northdakota #historicalfiction

And here we are again!

It's like a dream, really. Today I signed and sold my second book. So many dear friends and family came out, and several complete strangers in the mall bought Nowhere, Everywhere. I scarce can wrap my mind around this. They say if you can believe your dreams, they aren't big enough.

Book Three in the series is started, but it won't be released until my next book is finished. I hope that isn't too confusing, but I made a commitment to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Association, and I have to finish what I was doing...

#outofmyhead 

We sure can't do it alone.

Why would we even try?

I mean, granted, the late nights of writing? Those have to be done alone. Someone brings me treats every once in a while. Someone shows up to take me to dinner or bring me coffee. These are the perks of having people in your life whom you love and who love you in return. They also want to make sure I am still alive.

My main character was broken-hearted, and took off on a train on an adventure, just to see what's out there. Nothing would ever change for her if she'd stayed where she was. She took a chance. She was a smart girl, too, don't get me wrong. She didn't go off lounging in speakeasies all the way up and down the coast or anything.

It is a story about independence and community, about friends who become family, and about growing up.

Tonight, I am brave enough to check the amazon rank. Gratefulness overtakes me and I can barely breathe. I am one blessed lady. Something About Sophia is sitting at #63,000 of more than a million books. I don't have numbers on Nowhere, Everywhere yet.

If this all disappeared tomorrow, it would have been enough.

#nowhereeverywhere #northdakota #historicalfiction

Nowhere, Everywhere

And.

For four years, I thought this book would be entitled Nowhere "and" Everywhere: A Good Place to be From."

It turns out, that gets to be a little wordy in an elevator speech over sushi. Let's just ditch the colon and add a comma. After all, we all like the comma. We're hoping this book brings me a comma.

Comma, comma, comma, comma, comma, come heal me, yeah...

ANNND... I am furiously tap-tap-tapping away again, because, somehow, I can't stop. I have more thoughts than you'd think. It's not really just that. The true story is that I started a project fourteen and three-quarters years ago, and I should be able to finish it by my fifteenth brainaversary. I've had a lot of encouragement through the years. We've got a lot going on.

#historicalfiction #gertie #northdakota #somethingaboutsophia #sherememberstrilogy

Scrawling...

...like a madwoman.

I am writing as much as possible. For one publication or another. For the Independence Day newspaper, and the local magazine that comes out monthly. I write emails and envelopes at work. I write Facebook statuses and text messages. I've been trying to write grocery lists, to eat more fruits and vegetables, but let's face it, the Bountiful Baskets are available, and that's making our lives easier.

Right now, I'm writing emails to my Operations Manager because my second book isn't quite ready...

Oh, hey, guys? I'm starting a publishing company. Are y'all ready for this? I am registering...

Sunflower Press of North Dakota.

It will be beautiful. And I wanted you to know first. It's taking us a little time, because we're swamped, and we have jobs, but it's coming. The important thing is this: Gertie's story is coming. She is fifty years ahead of Sophia, and she will knock your socks off.

You won't have to wait long.

#nowhereeverywhere #northdakota #historicalfiction

Counting on it.

Quiet now, I can still hear the clinking of the seaglass,
Guitar strings winking in my face.
Oceans of blue, green and gold have passed,
My window as the road and the radio met my days.
Airwaves, airlines, and all of the rest...
I have been so blessed.
I have been so blessed. #outofmyhead