Summer Break

As is usually the case for me, this summer is full of travel and family, which is wonderful but not conducive to writing. For once, though, the summer break arrived at a perfect time, right after I reached The End and was ready to stop thinking about my novel for a while. I'm in the middle of several weeks of quality time with numerous family members, and I've been thoroughly appreciating it all.

I had this idea my vacation might involve some downtime that I would devote to a bit of writing or at least creative thinking, but that turned out to be a ridiculous theory. I also expected to tear through numerous books while traveling, but that's another prediction that never pans out. My family visits have been all about family, and it's been great.

Eventually it will be time to get back into writing mode, resume novel planning, and figure out what I'm doing next. And that's going to be great, too. But for now, I'm really enjoying the break, and the fact that my family tree is so sprawling and full of awesome people.

Good Stuff Out There:

→ At Literary Hub, Naomi Jackson writes about the experience of selecting the perfect painting to represent the character and culture of her debut novel: "People told me not to get attached to the idea of using Sheena Rose's artwork on the cover of my book. Publishing companies have big art departments and are unlikely to use work by an artist of my choosing for the cover, they warned me. Still, I proceeded, hopeful as ever. And to my delighted surprise, my publisher was on board with this piece as the cover, a feeling of elation only surpassed by the moment, three months later, when Sheena graciously granted permission to use her piece on the cover."