Giving Thanks for All We Have ... by Delsora Lowe

It’s not Thanksgiving yet, but after the year and a half we’ve all endured, there is so much to be thankful for. I mourn those who got sick and passed away or have lingering issues from Covid. The grief will stay with all of us for a long, long time. But I am thankful that those who are close to me managed to stay healthy.

I am thankful for the vaccination that means I can now get out more. I still wear a mask because at this age I have underlying conditions that worsen when I am sick. So, I am also thankful that the mask kept me from developing the flu or colds last winter.

My assortment of masks, bought and made by friends.

I am thankful that I am finally able to visit with friends and family this summer. I can’t begin to tell you how much I missed hugs and in-person conversations and trips that were cancelled and my children and grandsons.

Hanging with friends one warm summer evening - note huge lobster float in the pool

I am thankful for the bounty of the farmers in the area, where I can fill up on wonderful fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat, and seafood. And decorate my deck with herbs, lettuce, and tomato seedlings, that are now growing and producing.

I am thankful for the flowers that bloom in my now overgrown garden.

NOT my messy garden, but my son's neighbor's GORGEOUS garden

I am thankful for lobster rolls from one of the food trucks that social distanced on our town mall (the rectangular green that sports a beautiful gazebo where music is played all summer, a Christmas tree that is lit up November through early January, and the area that afforded social distancing for all our farmers to set up their markets.)

I am thankful for all the surprises nature bestows on us every day.

After the storms - mushrooms blossom in the yard

I am thankful for my writing community. All of you have kept me sane, motivated, informed, and sometimes productive. Although I will admit to a great deal of lack of motivation through this last year—you all encouraged me to stay on track. And always provided tons of laughs.

What are you thankful for this summer? 

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 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/

Thanks for the Inspiration...

...even when it arrives after the book is finished!

by M.L. Buchman

Inspiration for a writer is a strange and tricky house guest. There are ways to attract it and make it a comfy place to visit, but it has a travel schedule all its own and the writer has to be prepared for that.

PREPARING FOR THE VISIT
There is only one true way to prepare, already be writing when Inspiration shows up! Easier said than done? Gene Fowler would agree:

"Writing is easy. 

All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper 

until drops of blood form on your forehead."

But it is only by writing every day that we can be prepared for the visit. That way you'll already be moving when the idea shows up. 

My romantic suspense that is releasing in just 6 days is a perfect example of that (available for pre-order now, hint, hint).

I knew the heart of this book had to occur in Australia. But it was only when I reached Australia after a whole lot of words and sweat, that I understood that the Outback was both the metaphor and the curative for my hero's and heroine's hearts. And that it was only by passing beyond Australia that they could finally shed their shields and find each other.

Inspiration waited at a cozy pub down the road until after I'd written that whole section. What it did do, was it gave me the final scene, the Happy Ever After that tied up the neat knot.

WHEN INSPIRATION HITS

There you are, innocently writing along when WHAP! Inspiration hits...and you feel like such a dork! My Dead Chef foodie thriller, released Nov 5th, definitely had that issue.

I had set off to write about murder in live-broadcast television kitchens, world-trotting adventure, and global political threats, when Inspiration popped up and insisted that it was set at a small, exclusive Scottish Castle Hotel that I'd never been to.

Inverlochy Castle Hotel, Fort William, Scotland

I had a sneaking suspicion that the Muse Calliope (of epic poetry) had been replaced by Thalia, the Muse of Comedy and they were both down in that cozy pub laughing at me. How in the world was I supposed to set a grand epic thriller in a remote Scottish castle? Well, thankfully, after 30-odd novels, I've learned to not second guess these peripatetic visits. Inspiration knew exactly what it was doing, even if it wasn't bothering to inform me (after all, I'm only the writer...c'mon ladies, please?). Ultimately the castle, the Rolls Royce, and even the chess set all became essential elements of the crisis. 

WHEN INSPIRATION SHOWS UP...FINALLY!

The ultimate joke Inspiration occasionally pays is putting in an appearance...after the book is finished!

Just last week I released my Night Stalker's Christmas novel.

I was working on the final copyedits to the final proof, when one of the military blogs I follow wrote an article about "Steel Beach Day." It is a day of relaxation on Navy ships serving far from home. It includes barbeques, sports, even beer. 

Panicked, I read the article and a dozen others references. I was worried because the key scene, the Happy Ever After in Christmas at Steel Beach, is a "Steel Beach" scene. I deeply feared that the Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, had visited my doorstep. 

Imagine my huge relief when I discovered that all unknowing, I had gotten it right. Inspiration had arrived after I finished the story, and it had still come out okay. 

GIVING THANKS

...is the most powerful tool I know. I feel gratitude for my life as a writer, for the stories I get to tell, that my fans seem to enjoy them. 

And what I've learned? Giving thanks ahead of time is the very best Inspiration attractor there is!

Hoping you have a World's worth of Thanks to give every day!

M. L. BUCHMAN

M. L. Buchman has over 30 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and Booklist “Top 10 of the Year.” He has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world. He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.