Endings and Beginnings by Maggie Lynch

As RTG stops their posting after 14 years of being in the blog space, my heart weeps a little because it has been a part of my blog viewing for all that time. Some of the authors on RTG have become a friend, others are simply admire what they do. The good news is I know that all these authors can be found elsewhere. On their own websites, on other peoples’ blogs, on substack, and a myriad of other places. I know I will be catching many of them in other places.

For myself, the past five years have been the story of endings and beginnings, definitely in that order. As I’ve aged, I am more aware of endings because more loved ones have died, and many people I don’t know personally but who have impacted my life (musicians, actors, artists, political leaders, and many others) have passed. Though I do grieve those losses and think about days gone by and how my life used to be, I also actively look for new beginnings. If I can’t wake up and expect a new beginning each day, I will find it near impossible to get out of bed.

Beginnings can be small: new buds on my rhododendron bushes, a change in weather, the smell of a new coffee flavor in the morning, an email from someone I’ve lost touch with, a phone call from a grandchild. All of these are beginnings—a chance for me to decide what kind of day I’m  willing to work toward. How am I going to pace myself to take in the endings that will undoubtedly happen during the day and celebrate the beginnings? 

Beginnings can also be major changes in my life. Two years ago, I came out of retirement from academia to take on a part-time contract with a community college system in order tro support some financial needs of family members with health issues. I never thought I would return to academia. When I retired in 2015, I was committed to my “new beginning” as a full-time writer. I’ve enjoyed it and as I’ve been spending less time as a writer and more time in academia again, I’ve really missed that freedom. At the end of this academic contract, I will return to my writing life full-time in January 2026.

So, another ending and another new beginning. Though I’ve been a full-time writer before, so much has changed in the business, the technology, the competition, the readers and how they consume stories (print, ebook, audiobook, video). What I have learned during this period of less fiction writing is that I need to write regularly for my own mental health. I need to tell my stories. It is how I process the world—both past and present experiences. When I don’t have that time I suffer, my mental health suffers, my ability to stay on task in anything I’m doing suffers. I’m not my best self. I need the quiet time, the dreaming time, the time to create a world where justice is served, love wins the day, and people working together thrive.

The above picture is one of my favorites of all time, as a reminder of beautiful endings and new beginnings. I took this at Middle Beach Lodge in Tofino, BC (the west coast of Vancouver Island) in the early 2000s. My husband and I were on a one-week vacation trip and traveled all over the Island learning about indigenous culture, the arts, and stayed several days at the lodge. It was heaven. The picture is not color corrected at all. That is truly how it looked. I particularly loved the single red/purple line coming up the beach as if it was reaching toward the future. 

I hope all of you are also reaching to the future, finding a way to sustain yourself in difficult times. Don’t give up on your dreams as they are the essence of creativity. Always nourish that spark in some way—whether it is only once a week or once a month. Do not let that light go out.

I very much appreciate all of you who have followed me on RTG year after year. If you want to continue to follow me, learn what’s coming next with my books and future writing goals, below is a listing of the places you can find me. I hope to hear from you on one or more of these places.

Website: https://maggielynch.com

Substack: https://maggielynchauthor.substack.com/  Substack is now where my newsletter resides.  I try to post once per week with news about messy moments and heroic choices in life, in books, and in both the big and little things we do to survive and thrive.

BlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/maggielynch.bsky.social  This has replaced Twitter X for me.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/maggiewrites

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcvaylynch

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maggielynchauthor/

BookBub: https://bookbub.com/authors/maggie-lynch-875a4b99-667e-4237-bce1-25962e622286

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4947977.Maggie_Lynch

Dust Jacket Author Interviews: https://www.dustjacketauthors.com/

Head in the Clouds - Where do you get your inspiration? ............................ by Delsora Lowe

 Being a writer can be tough sometimes.

Not because of the work that goes into every piece we write, whether it is a short blog, a poem, or an entire novel. But because our imagination NEVER stops.

Too many ideas. Not enough time in the universe to make all those words sing and deliver a message.

Not long ago, I drove by a sign that indicated a consignment shop. I immediately wrote a 5-minute short story in my head, as I drove. I have since drafted out one I will eventually send to Woman’s World, after I edit it a zillion times.

Recently, I visited my son who lives about forty-five minutes away. He lives just outside a small village. I emerged from the car to a greeting from a black cow mooing. Moooo. Moooo.

And then the other cows answered back. Moooo. Next door is a big white barn, and my son’s house is surrounded by farmland. We often see wild turkeys or deer, and once a bear. Another time, while eating dinner, a fox strolled through the back yard, right past the window by the dining room table. Today, as we drove back to his house, a red-tailed hawk flew right over the car. And as I left about ten minutes later, that same (I assume) hawk flew back over my car in the opposite direction.

I know there is a story in there somewhere with all this wildlife­ and domestic animal neighbors, including my grand-dog Yaz who loves to greet his human grammy—even if it is a short piece for my weekly local writers’ group or an idea for a children’s book.

Snuggling in - my disguise - so no one knows I'm sitting on the couch,

As I cruised past the tiny nearby village, there are many rural roads that arrow off the two-lane main road. Some leading to one house and some to a small complex of houses. I love the names of the roads. They always trigger ideas. One is Turkey Trot Lane, and another little lane is named Pumpkin Way. Story ideas immediately swam through the creative side of my brain, as I repeated over and over Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way on my drive home. I didn’t want to forget any story ideas swimming through my head, since I couldn’t stop and make notes.

For a split second I envisioned a trilogy—each book title and theme based around these two street names, plus other fun names of streets that arrow off along that same stretch of road. My brain didn't have enough bandwidth to memorize more than two street names.

Now I’ve jotted notes and hopped on the computer to record thoughts before they disappear. Conjuring up story ideas that happen around Halloween and Thanksgiving, and even into the month of December.

Will Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way be locations in one story? Or will each be the title of a stand-alone story? It is hard to say. Until my fingers do the walking across the keyboard, who knows where the musings living in my mind will take me.

But let me remind you that a book I wrote several years ago (The Inn on Gooseneck Lane) and,  published by The Wild Rose Press in 2022, is titled and based around a street sign (Gooseneck Lane.) I passed the tiny lane in the middle of nowhere, while cruising a back road in Vermont.

I played with story ideas in my head for the next few hours, driving back to Maine.

So, who knows what stories the next two street signs will lead to as I write.

The creative murmurings that leave my brain as story ideas, are usually channeled through my fingers. Many times, as I reread what I wrote, I am as surprised at what ends up on the page as a potential reader will be.

So, if you are looking for signs or inspiration, don’t forget those street names that may be inspiration and turn into one more story—whether it is a short story, a novella, a novel, an essay, or a poem.

And if you are in the car and can’t write down your idea, repeat the inspirational phrase (or street sign) over and over until you can pull to the side of the road and write down your idea. Yes, it works!

 

Whether you are a writer or enjoy artistic hobbies, 

where do you get your ideas?

 

Holiday Hitchhiker

Amazon (also in print)

Books2Read

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

Amazon (also in print)

                    Barnes & Noble (also in print)

                     Apple Books (also in print)

 ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025.

Photo Attributions:
Imagination: https://clipart-library.com/imagination-cliparts.html
Thinking: thinking face icon yellow PNG file 9687643 PNG
Dog on Couch, Neighborhood, Cows, Road Sign: Photos taken by author

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Shopping: A Blast or Dreaded? … by Delsora Lowe

I’ll start off by saying, in general, I do not enjoy shopping. As a teen, I loved wondering stores with my friends to dream about new outfits. I had a clothing allowance, so I had to be frugal. That meant sewing many of my outfits. But truthfully, I can’t remember a most hated experience while shopping. Unless you want to count the day I was pickpocketed, as a teen, while shopping for fabric to make an outfit. I still had fun, since I loved envisioning new outfits and matching a pattern to new fabrics. And, I didn’t realize someone had stolen from me until I got home. As an adult, I avoid at all costs shopping just for fun. And now when I shop, lesson learned: I clutch my purse tight in front of me.

Having said that, I do love shopping for anything to do with food. This is where I differ from most people I know, who HATE grocery shopping. Maybe loving to shop for food is because I used to work food service, where besides hostessing and waitressing, I also cooked in restaurants, in a fraternity, and as a caterer. Shopping for food means that I am bringing to life my creative recipe ideas.

Some of my favorite scenes in a Hallmark-type movie are watching a couple wander and meet at a farmer’s market. Or bumping into each other in the produce aisle reaching for the same, small cabbage that will feed one instead of a huge family. Or their hands touching over the last bunch of asparagus. But I digress, as my imagination of romantic food-related encounters crowd my mind.

My local Farmer's Market on a grassy mall in the middle of downtown

As I was saying, going to the grocery store is an adventure. My list consists of meat, seafood, veggies, bread, fruit, etc. And by that, I mean I literally write those words on my list. Because I never know what seasonal vegetable may inspire a recipe idea. Or which items at the seafood or meat counter may catch my eye and inspire dinner for that night, or lunch for tomorrow.

Love the variety of vegetables, jams, bread, meats, seafood at my local farmers market.

For that very reason, I also love going to the farmer’s market. I usually go on the early side and spend time gazing at the colorful displays of ripe red tomatoes, or dark leafy bunches of kale. I conjure up a recipe using green tomatoes, besides the usual fried green (which are delicious.) I perfuse the variety of lettuce or potato or colorful vegetables, some I have never tried before. I usually ask the farmer ideas on use, and then research the vegetable for more ideas, once I arrive home.

I feel about farmer’s markets as others feel about yard sales—discovering a prize to add to my cooking repertoire. Also, people tend to talk to each other at a food market, versus in other shopping arenas.

“The melons are so juicy this time of year.”

“Don’t those scallops look delicious, and on sale too!”

“How do you usually cook that cut of meat?” Or “I love that cut of meat. I have a great recipe for…”

“Have you tried this new flavor of the goat’s milk yogurt? It’s my new favorite.”

I love going to the farmer’s market in the fall, when the crowds of tourists have headed home, and the newly arrived students who walk from the college blocks away are discovering the magic of a farmer’s market. Bunches of fall flowers are for sale. Jellies and jams from the summer bounty of berries and fruits appear. This time of year, just as early spring does, affords me the opportunity to chat with the farmers without holding up the line. Ask questions about their product. Learn tidbits about farming. And enjoy the crisp fall air—my favorite season of the year.

Do you love or hate shopping for food? And why? There are no wrong answers. And I won’t judge if you hate the kind of shopping I love!

Check out a Fall Wedding: The Love Left Behind

Amazon

Books2Read

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) were released in late fall 2022. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, in 2024.

 

Social Media Links:

Author website: www.delsoralowe.com

Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Photos and Clip Art:

Yard Sale: Free Garage Sale Images, Download Free Garage Sale Images png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (cli: part-library.com) 
Fall and Farmers Market: photos by blog author  
Fabric Shopping: Free Fabric Cliparts, Download Free Fabric Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)

THINGS THAT GO BUMP…AND THUMP…IN THE NIGHT ... by Delsora Lowe

What me worry? All the time!

But what do I do with that worry that “bumps” me in the middle of the night? I usually read a ton of books at that wicked worry hour.

My books in good company at Sherman's Books

Obviously, scary stories are out - even in October. As an author, I have many author friends and I try to support them by reading their books. But scary books will keep me up at night, even if it’s a romance. Romance has many genre types from sweet to spicey, and includes the scarier ones, such as romantic mystery, suspense, paranormal, and thriller. The one requirement for a book to be classified as a romance is that it has a HAPPILY-EVER-AFTER ending. How the author reaches that magical ending is an open path.

Still, I do want to read some of those scarier books, only because I know the words the author writes will inspire me, even if the topic may alarm me. I still learn. So those books I read during daylight.

The other thing that keeps me awake is what a good writer friend calls her monkey mind—the one that chatters all night long about every worry that we try to slough off during the day. And when my worries are buried all day, so I can actually get other things done—well, you know what happens. I am usually wide awake with thoughts whirring through my mind. Getting back to sleep might not happen for hours. Instead, I stare out the window. Or step to the deck and take photos under the full moon. Or with the streetlight making its own magical reflections in the rain.

Rain Drops That Look Like Diamonds Under the Street Light

Hide and Seek with the Moon

So, when my mind spins in various directions, and refuses to quiet, no matter how many Belted Galway cows I count, I tend to get up, boot up the computer, and write. For many of my books, I have added extra chapters during those post, midnight magical hours.

Not only worries keep me awake, but once in a while a nightmare might intrude. And then the imagination spins in a totally wrong and scary direction. Since I am a writer of romance with no scary stuff involved, thinking about story does help. And getting up, brewing a relaxing herbal tea, and getting lost in my latest work in progress, settles me.

I can choose to be productive, when my mind is on overload…or I can turn on the reruns of the Golden Girls, seen at least a million times. Directing worry and thumps in the night into a creative endeavor is both soothing and fruitful. But…a good laugh from a sitcom works too.

Dan Zadra Quote

What do you do to ward off those things that go BUMP/THUMP/BANG in the night?

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

Amazon

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane - Kindle edition by Lowe, Delsora. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Barnes & Noble

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane by Delsora Lowe | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Apple Books

                 The Inn on Gooseneck Lane on Apple Books

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her newest novella is The Love Left Behind. Look for both a Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) later this fall.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

PHOTO CREDITS:

Author Photos and CANVA design

DanZadraQuote_Goodreads

The Power of Getting Outdoors: Breeding Creativity ... Delsora Lowe

Writing takes a special kind of creativity and tons of work. Writing means continual learning - everything from correct grammar, to researching your story topics and locations, as well as learning the tools of the trade from characterization, to correct flow of a fictional work, to dozens of other rules and implied rules of creative writing. Then one must also understand the differences in writing different genres, as well as learn the ins and outs of how to get published: whether working with a traditional publisher or learning all there is—every nut and bolt, and there are many—to self-publish a book. Then add learning all the ways to market, how to use social media and build a website, or put together a mailing list to start a newsletter, it’s enough to make one dizzy.

Hence, the excitement about the coming of spring, where getting outside on a beautiful day to take a walk is paramount.

Fresh air is good for you. Sunny days, and vitamin C, and walking the neighborhood are good for you. And there is no longer a hidden, skim of ice lying under dead leaves and pine needles to slip on.

But the best thing about getting outdoors on a beautiful sunny day, or on an overcast day that may produce a spray of moisture, is that it is good for your mental health.

And as a writer, what is good for my mental health, after a long winter, is communing with nature, clearing my head, breathing deep the scents of spring, waving hello to a neighbor, hearing the laughter (and, yes, screeches) of the kids on the playground of the school behind my house, and watching my neighbor’s yards transfigure from the deep browns and grays of winter, into the lush variety of greens that appear almost in front of my eyes. Spring shoots on new growth on trees, blades of grass fighting to appear against the weight of the brown or black soil, and those tiny shoots that are identifiable as a variety of plants that will soon cover our gardens in bright colors of every shade.

And this clearing my head and concentrating on the growth and metamorphosis around me, also helps to clear my brain, and allow the ideas to percolate just below the surface. Those creative ideas begin to push up through the packed soil of my brain, grow, and blossom into new ideas.

The power of getting outdoors, wandering at a snail’s pace or powerwalking at top speed, while watching the transformation from one season to the next clears the mind of clutter. And allows the ideas to sprout and grow.

What inspires you as the season changes from cold to warm to hot?

 

Starlight Grille

A Serenity Harbor Maine Collection

Welcome to Serenity Harbor, Maine, a small coastal town where the Starlight Grille is a favorite meeting place. This sweet, with a touch of heat, collection includes a new bonus short story and a Starlight Grille recipe.

The Legacy of Parkers Point

Two lives, one legacy—the lure of Parkers Point. One runs from … One runs toward …
Grayson Mann runs from a professional wound so deep he changes his career. Lauralee Adler runs toward a family connection, and a chance to save a family business and find her father.

Welcome Home

Coming home means second chances to open your heart, find understanding and love, and resolve the past.
Is Jim the one man who will understand and help Maurie heal from past mistakes? Will Maurie fill the space left from Jim’s long-ago loss?

Come Dance with Me

Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?
Sam’s mission to rescue Ashley from childhood fears has her running the other direction. Can what is done out of love tear apart a relationship, or forever cement a love that is true?

Moonlighting

A blast from the past, a ten-year old matchmaker with a valentine wish, an omission, and a villainous man…
a recipe for disaster? Or love against all odds?

When Tucker discovers the secret Mary Beth holds close to her heart, will love be enough to overcome broken trusts?

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Grille-Serenity-Harbor-Collection-ebook/dp/B07CN8JV2Z/

Books2Read
books2read.com/u/3yDjWe

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

PHOTO CREDITS:
Author at Work: free writing book clip art - Google Search