Birthdays

Hello, friends!

It’s been a while. Quite a long while. Which, I think is probably a good sign for a writer. When you see long gaps between blog postings, a lot of times it means that the writer has been hard at work on their next project.

For me, the past few months have been a mix of work and play. Earlier this month, I celebrated my 25^th birthday. I had family and friends who made the day so special. I went kayaking, drank sangria, and watched some of my favorite movies. It was a wonderful time.

It’s crazy to suddenly be in my mid-twenties. Time goes so quickly! When I started my first real post-college job at the newspaper where I work, I was 22. I can hardly believe I’ve been in that industry for so long. And because people are always coming and going at my work place, it makes me feel extra old-timer-ish lately.

Birthdays are always a good time for reflection, and also for resolutions. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately. Sometimes it’s easy to look at your life, and have a feeling like you’re stuck and that you’re going nowhere. But if you break it down, you begin to realize that you’re not stuck. You’re always moving, even if it doesn’t look like it. I heard an analogy once that life is often like being on a ship crossing the ocean. You look out and see the view everyday, and you think to yourself "I’m not making any progress. The view looks the same." But this isn’t true. You’re moving, even if you can’t see the immediate progress. And then one day, you spot land in the distance, and you realize you’ve been on an epic journey the entire time.

When I break down the last few years of my life, I feel like I can see the subtle changes in the ocean view. It’s progress, even if it’s not always so easy to see.

As I look ahead now, I am so excited for my career as an author. Things are in the works, and I feel that the next year of my life is going to be very significant. I think by next July, I will see land.

I can’t tell you all the details yet because it’s not set in stone, but I am hard at work on a new series of books called The Cherry Mojito Mysteries. It’s a paranormal mystery series centering around a bartender who can see how and when someone is going to die. I’m also working on another project under a pen name, so I don’t have a solid ETA on the new series yet, but it will for sure be out before Christmas. I will post more updates as we get closer to publication.

I have a great feeling about the upcoming year. I think it’s going to be a spectacular one!

Cherry Mojito

Just wanted to share a photo of the Cherry Mojitos I made this weekend. LOVED this drink! The recipe is from Kathy Casey's Northwest Table cookbook. This drink is so good, I'm basing my next series on it. You might think that's crazy, but try it sometime, and see what inspires you!

Saturday Morning Thoughts

Alright, since the main blog page has been stuck on the Cucumber Lemongrass Basil liqueur photo for the last two weeks, I thought it was high time I put in a blog entry!

The last two weeks have been a series of ups and downs. Ups with some major breakthroughs in the second Drowning in the Dark book, some good reviews, some good weekends with early summer beers and good friends. Downs with some mediocre reviews of Drowning in the Dark, struggling to finish my second editing run through of the second book, and feelings of being trapped and my youth disappearing into my 9-5 job. I’m turning 24 next month, and lately I’ve been overcome with the thought that I’m getting so old! Stupid, I know. Everybody tells me it’s a stupid thought, that I’m in my prime, etc. etc. But sometimes, it feels like things are going by fast. Very, very fast.

Anyway, it’s probably best not to think so much about things you can’t control. Best to just take things one day at a time. Reviews are like that too -- things that are out of my control. Sometimes that’s hard though, and hard not to take the mediocre ones personally. But, it’s good to have some perspective with it. It’s another person’s opinion, coming from a completely different angle. The only thing I can do is make sure I put my best into the book, which I feel that I’ve done, and will continue to do with the sequels and other series. And as long as I know that, I’m good.

One of the benefits of the reviews, though, is that I’m learning more about the audience and market, which is always helpful. Some reviewers have had some very excellent insight into the book, which will definitely help me with my future ones!

Anyways, those are some of my thoughts on a Saturday morning after a couple of bumpy weeks. But thankfully, I’ve got the entire weekend ahead of me to enjoy. Today I’m making Cherry Mojitos from Cathy Kasey’s Northwest Table cookbook, which is pretty amazing. Everything I’ve made from that book is just dynamite, and I’m sure the Cherry Mojitos will be too. I’ll post some photos of them later today or tomorrow. Also, this weekend marks the official end to the four-week infusion process of the liqueurs, which means I get to strain and bottle them finally. And drink them too! I hope they’ve been worth the wait!