Personal Corner:
Has anyone encountered strange occurrences that shouldn’t happen all at once? June was the month of vehicles.
Oddly enough, my car’s A/C went out just as the A/C on my hubby’s truck did. We put my car into the shop first and drove his truck around.
Now, if this was winter, no big deal. But this was Tulsa in the sultry summer heat. So, no fun driving with the windows down, hoping the wind picks up, as the sun’s heat punishes you mercilessly. We did this for over two weeks.
I was relieved to pick up my car especially feeling the cool temps from the A/C, even despite getting hit with a nearly $2000 repair bill. Yikes. Well, as I drove the car home from the shop, my Check Tires light came on. No kidding!
The next day, I took it to Firestone where I had bought the tires. Guess what? I didn’t have the tire key. And they didn’t have a compatible one either. Another day without A/C since we’re having to drive Robert’s truck.
I bought a tire key from the dealership the next day, but when I took it back to Firestone, they were booked. So, more driving Robert’s hot truck.
On the third day of needing the tire fixed, Firestone removed the nail in the tire for free. Yea!
Do you want better news? When Robert was driving his truck to the repair shop the day after my tire was fixed, the A/C suddenly came on. It was like a miracle from God. Boy, I was relieved we avoided that repair bill.
What was the life lesson we learned?
Life requires resilience and perspective. After all, this was only our vehicles. And thank goodness we could get the A/C fixed. Some people drive cars without A/C and others live in houses without electricity. So we only experienced a mild inconvenience.
I applied these lessons in writing. While I pound on the keyboard of my laptop hour after hour, day after day, year after year, life goes on. I’m passionate about my stories, but God gives me meaning, not my art.
And with resilience, I can endure through the inner critic, negative feedback, and arduous editing sessions. Because through the journey, I’ve become humbled, realizing I need God, community, and mentors. It takes a village to write a story, just ask any author. And it takes a willingness to face critique and realize this art requires practice, not perfection. (I’m struggling better with that.)
And love. If I didn’t love telling stories, I wouldn’t pursue this career. Trust me! It’s too hard to tinker with it as a hobby.
How about you? What life lessons have you discovered recently?
Christmas at Sonshine Barn
I met my deadline! It felt good to submit the first five chapters to the beta readers this past Friday. I wish I could just sit back and relax at the pool, but I can’t. I got the remaining chapters to work on- adding questions for beta readers and making sure it’s grammatically correct and clear. As of today, I’m on Chapter 14 of 25, so only 9 more to go!
Thanks to all who volunteered to serve as beta readers! I’m looking forward to your feedback.
If you’re curious, here’s a behind-the-scenes summary of my writing process.
I write early in the morning before my husband gets up. I prefer the solitude when I write. But I’m not a writer who’s revved up once I sit at the desk. I need to prepare my mind:
- Pray. Need time to get quiet and prepared for the day.
- Write the same three goals in a journal.
- Read a Psalm or Proverb and a poem from a poetry anthology.
Then I write for at least two hours.
I also have a photo of Garrett, the protagonist, hanging near my laptop. I found this image in a Land’s End catalog. Boy, it happily surprised me this model was exactly what I envisioned. I often looked at this image, as if to consult with Garrett about how he’d act or how he’d say something. Amazing how this has inspired me! (Only reason why I’m not showing you this picture is, I want you to create your own impression of him.)
Voila, there’s my routine.
Marry for Love:
My husband and I are driving to Michigan tomorrow to attend my niece’s wedding on Saturday. On our seventeen-hour drive, we’re visiting Owosso, Michigan (for those in Oklahoma, it’s not Owasso with an “a”). This is the setting for Marry for Love, and my grandma’s hometown. Their farm is technically in the agrarian Easton County, but it’s too small to be incorporated as a city.
Here’s the highlights of where we want to visit:
- Five-points, where my grandpa’s childhood farm is.
- Allen Road where Grandma’s childhood farm is.
- Downtown Owosso where Candyland restaurant was, the restaurant where Grandma worked.
- Where Fedders was, the factory where my grandparents worked.
Look for pictures in next month’s newsletter.
Note: the picture in this section is of Curwood Castle in Owosso. It’s on the bank of the Shiawassee River that runs through the city. Famous author James Oliver Curwood had this built as a writing studio and office (not bad place to write, huh?) but in his will, he bestowed it to the city where it serves as a museum.
Giveaway
This month, I’m giving away a $50 gift card to Amazon. No questions to answer; everyone is eligible for the random drawing. This is my generosity for reaching a writing goal. Blessings to everyone!
Featured Image of car by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.
image of Curwood Castle by JoannaPoe – Own work, CC BY 3.0.