Missing My Peeps! .... Delsora Lowe

Hey, folks, did you know that on May 26 we celebrate “in case you missed it day.” It’s also national blueberry cheesecake day, cherry dessert day, and the list goes on and on. I happen to love dark cherries and blueberries, and I love New York-style cheesecake, sans any toppings. But I digress…

What I really wanted to talk about was one of the May events I have missed most in the last few years. As with most writers, I lead a relatively solitary work life. I hang out at my desk and type all day or scratch out book idea notes on random scraps of paper or sit on the couch and read romance novels by my (tons of) favorite authors. And let’s not forget the Hallmark movies that I can spout the correct dialogue before the actor says a word. I admit it, the last two years have been a long, long, drawn out marathon (read that as BINGE) of romance books and movies.

Okay, I do have a life outside of writing. But sometimes it doesn’t feel like it, since now I also spend at least four weekend days a month, and several evenings a week, on ZOOM with writing groups.

Interaction—YAY. The pros are I get to attend writing chapter meetings in New Jersey and Rhode Island and near Boston, plus meet with my Maine peeps without leaving my desk. I also get to attend interactive, virtual writing craft and / or business workshops by experts in Seattle or New York City, and anywhere in between. The cons are sometimes I feel maxed out—bleary-eyed from too much screen time on top of the writing time.

And that leads me to what I have missed most. Despite the millions of ZOOM meetings, what I crave most is in-person human interaction. AND Ta-Da…four days after this blog posts, I will be at my first non-ZOOM, writer’s retreat since 2019. TWO WHOLE DAYS.

To tell you I’m excited would be an understatement. To tell you how much I miss seeing “my peeps” in person…well, there are no words. I get to hug (masks on,) and catchup on everyone’s lives, and chat over meals, and learn from live workshop presenters, and have my annual tumbler of scotch at happy hour. AND…learn.  Learn not from taped videos or on-line workshops or by reading. But learn by “talking shop,” live, in-person give-and-take. EXCITED!

Full disclosure, the most people I have been near all at once in the last two years, for any length of time, was (1) the grocery store, and (2) my daughter’s wedding. I have turned into an introvert. So, I am trying to summon up my usual extrovert personality, and hope I have the stamina to talk to forty-five people for two days straight without imploding. CAN’T WAIT!

What would you celebrate on “in case you missed it” day (month)?

 

A HUGE Happy 11^th Birthday to Romancing the Genres

The Love Left Behind

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Left-Behind-Hartford-Estate-ebook/dp/B08L5N5DS9/

 Books2Read   books2read.com/u/mglVqK

~ 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.

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/

ClipArt:
Cheesecake: cheesecakes clipart - Clip Art Library (clipart-library.com)
Romantic Couple: free clipart romantic couple - Google Search
ZOOM Meeting - Computer: Vector image of a desktop computer with word HELLO on its screen | Public domain vectors
Cheerleader: Cheerleader free cheerleading clipart clip art pictures graphics - Clipartix 
Scotch: free clipart glass of scotch - Google Search
Happy Birthday: Free Birthday Bouquet Cliparts, Download Free Birthday Bouquet Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)

Finding a Writing Path!

by Diana McCollum

 

First let me say my writing career has been on hiatus. 2019, Like many of you the pandemic stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t seem to get a grip on what I should be doing, and I let things slide and my writing went nowhere.

 

2021, still dealing with the pandemic, sanitizing like crazy, wiping down groceries with sanitizer, washing masks, and avoiding people. Then in April of 2021, my husband and I took a trip to CA to have our first visit in 18 months with family. On that trip we decided to move back to CA to be closer to family. 

We put our house up for sale May 3^rd and it sold by May 25^th .  Then back to CA to find a home to move to. So the summer was all about moving and getting settled.

 

This year 2022, we are pretty much settled. I am taking the path to publication.

 I have committed to taking writing classes from POV Authors, restarting my newsletter, blogging for Romancing the Genres and Windtree Press. I’ve blocked out time each week to write on my work in progress. I also plan on venturing out of the romance genre and writing a short murder mystery to be included in an anthology Windtree Press is producing in the fall.

I’m pulling out an unfinished MS “The Rose Witch” and intend to finish that novel this year.

 

I am excited to finally be excited to write again. My desk in clean, papers have been filed or discarded, and calendar has been filled out with dates for classes etc.

 

Most of all, I’d love to attend a conference in person. There is nothing quite like being around other authors. The excitement, the good vibes and the networking, all good.

 

Are you looking forward to in person conferences and meetings?

Happy Holidays!