The Messenger is about to be published!!! This event has been hovering on the horizon for so long I am having trouble believing the time is here. At the beginning of the movie, The Kite Runner, I remember the author opening a box of his books that just arrived. Taking a book out of the box, holding it in his hands. I tried to imagine at the time how that would feel. And I thought, “Some day…”

Well that day is almost here. I am sure my husband is relieved. He has proofread the book so many time he could probably recite it by heart. He claims to have enjoyed each reading–now that’s true love. I really have been blessed by having such great support from all my family and friends. I can’t thank them enough.

I look forward to the launch and hope to make new friends and meet many more book lovers on the tour. My next novel is well underway so I will be juggling my commitments as well as having the time of my life.

Taking an early retirement (not entirely voluntary) was a huge adjustment. Writing a book has been a lifetime dream. I have always done some creative writing on the side, but assured myself that a fulltime job sabotaged my ability to pen a novel…a likely excuse.

It probably all comes down to “grit” (love that word!) If you really want something bad enough, you make it happen. I hope my writing entertains. I hope it sells. But if it doesn’t, I will still keep writing. When I can’t sleep at night (a curse of aging) stories  loop through my head as I noodle out plot twists. I am able to entertain myself, which is not so bad. 

I had just completed THE MESSENGER when the uprising occurred in Egypt. I visited there in 1980, and the pyramids, tombs, and temples remain the most awe inspiring monuments I have ever beheld. The descendants of that amazing civilization are rising up. Will it be a true “Arab spring?” I have no idea but I  fervently hope that is the case.

When I think of history, I picture the ocean. Wave upon wave washes ashore and then recedes. We are like the little Sandpipers that skitter in their wake, picking at the debris left behind. For me, this image always generates a sense of order and renewal.