Summer Fun! by Paty Jager

Summer has always been my one of my favorite times of year. When I was younger, I was always sad when the school year ended. It meant I wouldn't see my friends until my birthday in June and then again not until I went back to school in September. We lived 12 miles from town. That doesn't seem like a lot now, when I live 40 miles from town, but when I was a kid, only my parents went to town every day to work and my grandmother who lived with us would go to town once a month to get groceries. When she went to get groceries, I could go along and return library books and get more. But we weren't allowed to play with friends. And we couldn't call and just talk to them because we were on a party line. 

But in June, I could call and invite them for a sleepover on my birthday. 

The best part of summer was spending days up in the orchard, playing in the irrigation ditch that watered the trees and the garden vegetables. There was also hiking over the hill and swimming in the river at what we called the "sand bar." 

But the best part of summer was riding my horse over the hill, across the river, and up the mountain that was on one side of the canyon where we lived. I loved the solitary rides, just me and Junebug, my mare. Some days I'd saddle her up and wear jeans and boots, other days, I'd ride bareback, with my bare legs and feet dangling at her sides. When I didn't have a saddle, I'd lay back, my spine in line with hers, my head resting on her rump. She'd walk along the old log roads, and I stared up at the dapple light shining through the cottonwood leaves and boughs of the pines and firs. Those days I remember with great joy!

Other times, I would go to my solitary place on a strip of land between the Lostine River and the South Fork ditch. There under a cottonwood tree, surrounded by ferns, I'd draw and write stories, or read a book. 

There have been many days as an adult that I've wished for a few of those summer days again. I ride my gelding sporadically these days. neither one of us is young. I have to feel like saddling him and using up hours of the day that I could be writing or taking care of the business of writing. Where I live now there isn't running water near us to cool my feet or listen to the murmur as I am creative. 

Riding my gelding, Jan. 

But I do enjoy your treks this time of the year up the Steens Mountain to see the wildflowers in bloom. And I do get out on a horseback ride now and then with my daughter and grandkids. Hubby and I are trying to do more two and three-day trips with our camper to see more of Southern Oregon. 

These are wildflowers I found in Montana on a research trip.

This summer I am judging at more county fairs than I have in the past few years. So I will be traveling around eastern Oregon judging 4-H and Open Class static exhibits in August. I like doing that. I see the state and meet people. 

I hope you all have a wonderful summer! It is one of the best times of the year, as long as the weather doesn't get too crazy hot! 

You can purchase the first three Shandra Higheagle Mystery audiobooks in a box set for $0.99 through July 10th at Indie Audiobook Deals, along with other great deals from other authors! https://linktr.ee/indieaudiobookdeals

Paty

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 58 novels, 10 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and Western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the Western lifestyle, she lives it. 

Website: https://www.patyjager.net

Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Instagram - @patymjager

YouTube - @PatyJager

Facebook – Author Paty Jager

3 Things I Do Well by Paty Jager

The theme this month is "3 things I do well." 

 1) I am a good listener. I don't mind listening to people when they feel they need to talk something out or get something off their chest. Sometimes I suggest things, and sometimes I just listen, nod my head, and hope the spewing gets their emotions settled or they talk out the problem themselves. But I don't deal with conflict. If there is something that a person wants help figuring out and is willing to listen to suggestions, I'm in. But if they don't really want help and argue about what I say, then I close my mouth and don't give any advice. Life is too short to have people arguing with you about something they brought up. But don’t ask me questions about what you’ve said sometime later. While I can be in the moment during the conversation, my brain can only retain so much and while your problem was important to me when you were talking it isn’t something I will repeat to anyone because I won’t remember most of it. I’ll remember the emotion but not the words. *shrug* That’s what happens when your memory can only hold so much. 

 2) I'm a good storyteller. The trait has been with me my whole life. But as an adult, I learned how to make storytelling into writing a book. I’m still not great at grammar, sentence structure, and the things that make a good book great. However, I can keep a reader in my books until the end because I conjure up likable, relatable characters and keep them interacting and moving toward a goal at the end of the book. 

 3) I am rarely late for anything. My first pregnancy my oldest daughter came later than the doctor figured but the next two were early. ;) I don't like to be the last person to enter a room. All eyes are on you and I don't like making a scene. I usually get to a workshop or event early so I can get settled and watch everyone else come in. If I'm the speaker, I am early so the person running the event doesn't have to worry about me being late or not showing up. Even for appointments, I am at least fifteen minutes early. Or earlier if it's my first time to a place. I don't understand people who slide into an appointment with the comment, “I didn't know where you were located.” You look it up beforehand, figure out how long it will take, and then add on 30 minutes. That is my rule. It is always better to be early than late. That way you and the person you are meeting aren't frazzled when you finally meet.

3 Things I'm working at doing well

1) I am trying to learn how to better market my audiobooks. If you like to listen to Audiobooks, two of my first-in-series books are on sale at Kobo Audiobooks this month. Double Duplicity at $1.99 and Murder of Ravens at $2.99  

2) I am trying to do more YouTube videos and social media videos. I don't like having my photo taken or being in front of a camera.  But I am trying hard to get a few more videos up as it seems people on social media react to those more than the ones showing books. 

3) Not falling behind in my promoting schedule or my writing schedule. Even though I  have more travel coming up this year. I want to have books I've scheduled come out on time and be able to go on trips without feeling like I'm falling behind. 

Okay, more than you wanted to know but those are the 3 things I think I do well and 3 things I need to improve.

 

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 56 novels, 10 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it. This is what Books a Plenty Book Reviews has to say about the Gabriel Hawke series: "The blend of nature tracking, clues, and the animals makes for a fascinating mystery that is hard to put down."

Website: https://www.patyjager.net

Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm

Instagram - @patymjager

YouTube - @PatyJager

Facebook – Author Paty Jager