Summer Catch Up

Well, I'm slightly horrified to notice that I have not posted anything on this blog for several weeks. There is, however, an explanation. Summer is often the time when I get caught up on life in general. There are no craft fairs or school visits to attend. This summer was no different, but it wasn't my own life I got caught up in.

For most of July, I hung out at my mom's and helped her sort through 89 years of stuff. Her house in Houston is sold, and she is moving to a retirement facility here in Arkansas to be closer to family. Downsizing was a massive task. To say that she keeps everything is an understatement. I won't beat that dead horse too much because she reads this blog (Hi, Mom!), but it was a huge undertaking that took the whole time I was there and we still probably moved more things into storage than we should have. I did keep a silly souvenir I found: a hall pass from 1983 from a random day I came home early from school because I was sick. She has moved three times since I was in high school (not including this move), so that hall pass had some staying power! It is up on the cork board in my office now.

Mom's new apartment has a waiting list, so she is living with us for a bit. The dust has settled, at least temporarily.

I did manage to get some work done on Kimba's Christmas while I was there, and I have since typed a hesitant "The End" on the manuscript. All that really means is that it's time to start revisions and editing, but that's when the fun really starts. My talented critique group is having their say on things, and my husband is chomping at the bit (or "champing" for you horse people and grammar purists) to see the story. His nagging is often what keeps me going. I'm hoping to have it ready to release in July of 2019 so it will be available for Christmas next year.

I'm happy to announce that four of my books are now available in hardcover! That publishing process has been a definite learning curve and requires different formatting than the paperback, but libraries and schools are picking up copies so it is all worth it. You can request a copy of Why Kimba Saved The World, Max's Wild Night, Dottie's Daring Day, and Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess through your own library and tell them they are available through the Ingram catalog. You can get hardcover copies for yourself through Amazon or my website. The rest of the cat book series will be coming out in hardcover over the next year. All of my books are being updated to include a vocabulary section at the back, like in Dottie's Daring Day. That back of book feature was such a hit, they are all getting an upgrade.

That's something for now. I hope you all enjoy the last gasps of summer and a lovely Labor Day Weekend.

Kimba hopes you all take lots of naps and lie in the sun as much as possible.