I can't believe that I'm on day 14 of NaNoWriMo and haven't posted since day 3! Things have been so busy around here that I just haven't made it to the blog. I have a long list of sock monkey orders to be finished in time to mail them to their new owners to give as Christmas gifts and we've been dealing with colds and a sick dog in the family. Not mine, my daughter's. I've also been taking time to play with the grandkids...nothing comes before that!
The roses are drying. I love how they look. All droopy and brown around the edges. Somehow I find roses at this stage far more intriguing than when they are in full bloom. They seem to have a story to tell, which is exactly what inspired my novel, Vintage Roses.
I'm at 21,168 for my word count, which puts me 2120 words behind my target goal for today, but I'm planning a marathon writing session this evening, so I fully expect to be caught up by tomorrow morning.
I've also completed 2 sock monkeys this past week - Scurvy Sam Sneed and Lucy Ladybug. I'm finding that alternating creative activities between writing and sock monkey making brings out the best of both arts. I'm also finding that writing really relaxes me...wahoo!
Here's another short excerpt from the book"
Outside the sun was shining bright. A soft breeze met her as she walked down the path to the lake. She found a life vest in the boathouse. She didn’t intend to wear it, but thought it wise to take it just in case.
As she rowed away from the house, she found that her aunt was right. Rosehaven was even more beautiful from this vantage point. Jill could imagine 100 years of family living there. Parties on the lawn, weddings, birthday celebrations. It didn’t seem as if anything bad could ever happen at Rosehaven.
Of course, she knew that wasn’t true. She was sure Rosehaven had seen it’s share of life and death and everything that happens in between, but somehow Jill imagined that life’s tragedies would be easier to handle if one lived at Rosehaven.
She shook off her thoughts and pulled herself back to her surroundings. The lake was gorgeous. She rowed along the east bank, keeping her eyes peeled for birds and wildlife. She wasn’t disappointed. Around one bend she saw a deer drinking from the cove. It paused to look at her for just a moment for bolting back into the woods. It was only then that Jill noticed a spotted fawn following close on its mother’s heels.
Later she saw a couple of beavers busily carrying reeds to their underwater home. One slapped his tail loudly against the surface of the water as if to warn Jill away from his domain.
Wildflowers grew in profusion along the banks while humming birds and honey bees busily gathered nectar from their colorful blossoms.
Jill secured her oars inside the boat and allowed herself to drift. She opened The Secret Garden, thinking how much it felt like she had just stepped into an enchanted place of her own.
The sun grew warmer as Jill floated. She poured herself a cup of iced lemonade from the thermos and munched on the sandwich Callie had packed for her.
Finally, the sun became too much for her. Jill slipped off her shorts and t-shirt and dove into the water. She gasped when she surfaced. She hadn’t expected the water to be that cold. She swam a few brisk laps around the boat and climbed back in again, but as she did, she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched.
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(Copyright © 2009 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
The roses are drying. I love how they look. All droopy and brown around the edges. Somehow I find roses at this stage far more intriguing than when they are in full bloom. They seem to have a story to tell, which is exactly what inspired my novel, Vintage Roses.I'm at 21,168 for my word count, which puts me 2120 words behind my target goal for today, but I'm planning a marathon writing session this evening, so I fully expect to be caught up by tomorrow morning.
I've also completed 2 sock monkeys this past week - Scurvy Sam Sneed and Lucy Ladybug. I'm finding that alternating creative activities between writing and sock monkey making brings out the best of both arts. I'm also finding that writing really relaxes me...wahoo!
Here's another short excerpt from the book"
Outside the sun was shining bright. A soft breeze met her as she walked down the path to the lake. She found a life vest in the boathouse. She didn’t intend to wear it, but thought it wise to take it just in case.
As she rowed away from the house, she found that her aunt was right. Rosehaven was even more beautiful from this vantage point. Jill could imagine 100 years of family living there. Parties on the lawn, weddings, birthday celebrations. It didn’t seem as if anything bad could ever happen at Rosehaven.
Of course, she knew that wasn’t true. She was sure Rosehaven had seen it’s share of life and death and everything that happens in between, but somehow Jill imagined that life’s tragedies would be easier to handle if one lived at Rosehaven.
She shook off her thoughts and pulled herself back to her surroundings. The lake was gorgeous. She rowed along the east bank, keeping her eyes peeled for birds and wildlife. She wasn’t disappointed. Around one bend she saw a deer drinking from the cove. It paused to look at her for just a moment for bolting back into the woods. It was only then that Jill noticed a spotted fawn following close on its mother’s heels.
Later she saw a couple of beavers busily carrying reeds to their underwater home. One slapped his tail loudly against the surface of the water as if to warn Jill away from his domain.
Wildflowers grew in profusion along the banks while humming birds and honey bees busily gathered nectar from their colorful blossoms.
Jill secured her oars inside the boat and allowed herself to drift. She opened The Secret Garden, thinking how much it felt like she had just stepped into an enchanted place of her own.
The sun grew warmer as Jill floated. She poured herself a cup of iced lemonade from the thermos and munched on the sandwich Callie had packed for her.
Finally, the sun became too much for her. Jill slipped off her shorts and t-shirt and dove into the water. She gasped when she surfaced. She hadn’t expected the water to be that cold. She swam a few brisk laps around the boat and climbed back in again, but as she did, she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched.
-------------------------------------
(Copyright © 2009 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
