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     Murder… They Wrote is now published by Whiskey Creek Press....

     Directions of Love, my new anthology with Sherry Derr-Wille, Luanna Rugh, and Christie Shary is with Whiskey Creek for a Valentine’s Day 2010 publication date....

     Work has begun on An Aspen Grove Christmas, our next anthology....

     Larry and I are over halfway through Murder in Paradise, the sequel to Murder… They Wrote....

     Murder… They Wrote has received a fabulous first review....

    Snowflake Secrets, our first anthology, was an Eric Hoffer Award finalist, Dream Realm Awards finalist, “Sonata’s Story” by Christie Shary was an EPPIE finalist for novella, and we recently received three fabulous new reviews: from Chris Speakman at Chris Chat http://bit.ly/..12ORc5, Camellia at Long & Short Reviews http://bit.ly/..1MWQ6r, and Danielle Drake at Rebeccas Reads http://bit.ly/ARram....

    I’m working as a Technical Writer, so I get to WRITE all day – and get paid for it!....

     We held an Arts Festival in ....San Juan Capistrano...., and our good friend Marilyn Meredith came. We got to spend the weekend with her and her husband, Hap. Any time we can be with these two wonderful people, is a good time indeed.....

    We had a book launch party for Murder… They Wrote at our house – with out the books. But the party was fun anyway and a great chance to see friends.....

   And Christmas is coming!....

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Altogether, a pretty great time!....

Abide

 

That’s my new word: Abide. It’s been coming at me from all directions. Some of your may know that “Be Still” has haunted me for the past eight years. (Read about the beginning of the story on our website www.lornalarry.com.)

 

At first it was a 2x4 across the head reminding me that I wasn’t in charge and really had no control of much of what happened to me. The last onslaught of “Be Still” was a month ago when I went to visit daughter Kim in Texas for a long weekend. It came at me from ALL directions – spoken, through music, and through people I met there. But this time, instead of feeling like a hammer blow, it felt more like confirmation that I was actually doing it and had been for some time.

 

Now it’s “Abide.” The dictionary defines it as follows:

1.

to remain; continue; stay

 

2.

to have one's abode; dwell; reside

 

3.

to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.

 

I think the message for me is that I am to continue to be still and trust that the very best will happen, regardless of the current “reality.”

 

So today, the first day of my unemployment, I followed that old philosophy “begin as you wish to end.” I have put off exercising and getting in better shape. I made lots of excuses: I was too stressed, I didn’t have time, etc.

 

Today I arose, showered and headed over to Lindora. I had already signed up and done the prep work. Today is Day 1. I am committed, financially and psychologically, to work at getting the excess weight off. Not so that I will look better, although I expect that will happen as well. But I’ve felt sluggish which only exaggerates the mild depression I’ve felt ever since the announcement of the failure of my former employer, Downey Savings, in November.

 

Second on the agenda was a trip to the marina for a walk. Kim and I used to do this every Saturday morning. It was our time to talk and at the same time enjoy this beautiful place we live. I’ve rarely done it since she moved to Texas four years ago. That activity belonged to the two of us. But now it’s time.

 

The morning was gray and overcast with just a hint of mist. Perfect walking weather. I plugged my headphones into my iPod, and strode out, listening to my favorite music. I have nearly 8000 “favorites” loaded on the iPod. Today’s random selection included religious, classical, soft rock, a show tune, new age – just what I needed.

 

I started at the coffee place and headed toward the Ocean Institute. Once there, I sat on a bench and enjoyed the antics of a baby sea lion on one of the rocks. Then I started back. The “Spirit of Dana Point” was crowded with a group of school-age kids and another group was waiting to board the “Pilgrim.” I was reminded how very lucky we are to have these magnificent tall ships in our harbor.

 

As I passed Baby Beach, an elegant great blue heron stood in the water, head stretched high as if he were posing just for me. Then he began to walk in the shallow water, ripples moving out as he stepped, his beak occasionally bobbing for morsels under the surface. Abiding.

 

Throughout the morning, I repeated the mantra Kim and I always said at some point during our walks together: “People spend lots o money to enjoy this place, and we get to live here!”

 

So I am feeling blessed beyond measure. Today truly is a gift, and I was especially conscious of this.

 

Today is your gift as well. So be blessed, and abide in it.

Win a free PDF e-book copy of Seasons of Love published by Whiskey Creek Press!

Additional prizes: Two each of the custom bookmarks for this book. There’s a different one for each season. Spring, Autumn and Winter are hand-crocheted by Sherry Derr-Wille and Summer is a printed ribbon with sunflowers.

That’s eight additional prizes besides the e-book!

To enter, send an email to 4snowflakes@cox.net. Put “Seasons of Love” in the Subject line.

We’ll draw the winners on Easter Saturday, April 11. The first novella in the anthology, Spring’s Fling by Sherry Derr-Wille, is all about the Easter Bunny.

Here’s a summary of the book, now available in ebook and paperback from Whiskey
Creek Press....

Spring's Fling by Sherry Derr-Wille:

When Spring Morrison asks the Easter Bunny for a perfect man, she has no idea that her mother will use the opportunity to play matchmaker with Wade Parker. Does mother know best?

Summer's Challenge by Luanna Rugh:
Summer Woods is starting a new life with a new identity. Can Nathan Lockhart protect her from her past while he’s falling in love with her?

Autumn's Blessing by ..Christie Shary..:
Young and pregnant widow Deidre feels her life is over until she becomes the patient of Dr. Jeremy Saunders. Can he help her let go of the hurts and burdens that weigh her down and embrace a new life?

Winter's Song by Lorna Collins:
To Dan Jensen, life seems hopeless. But when he gets railroaded into performing in a Christmas musical, a lovely young woman named Amy Roberts provides more than musical assistance. She brings hope and the promise of new life.

Memorial Day is a day to remember all those who have gone before. We remember family members who served in the military, friends who died in Vietnam, other friends who returned but were never the same physically or mentally, those currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today is a day for giving thanks for all the blessings living in the United States affords us. And it is a day to feel the loss of those no longer with us.

Earlier this year we lost Virgil Thomas who was Larry's best man. He was also his college buddy and surfing pal. For over twenty-five years he disappeared from our lives. We tried to locate him for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary but were unable to find him. Just before we left for Japan, Lorna hired an investigator in one last attempt to find him. Success! Virg arrived on Larry's birthday in 1998 as a surprise. That was the best gift he'll ever receive. The three of us spent all evening and into the wee hours of the following morning reminiscing. He stayed the night and left after breakfast the next morning. We stayed in touch during our time in Japan, and Virg visited us several times in the intervening years. We stopped by to see him as well, even though we lived several hundred miles apart. Then, just before Christmas, we learned that he had terminal cancer. It was with great sadness that we were informed of his death on January 2 of this year. We were delighted when his widow chose a photo from that memorable birthday weekend in 1998 for his obituary page. Why does he come to mind today? Because he was one of those who went to Vietnam and were never quite the same when he returned. He did have a life filled with the kinds of activities he loved: building and racing cars and boats. From the comments of those who knew him, he was a good friend to all. We are grateful today that he returned from the jungles of Vietnam and returned to our lives. Although he is now gone, we have precious memories of our last few meetings.

Luanna and Len Rugh's book, Promises Kept, should be published at the end of the summer. Keep an eye out for it. You'll learn a great deal about the experience of being in that miserable war, of recovering from devastating wounds received there, and finally making a life – not the life they expected, but one filled with friends and family, joy and love.

Memorial Day is about remembering. And we do remember. We do.

Lorna's new book, an anthology called Snowflake Secrets, has been moved up for publication from May to February! What a nice Valentine's Day gift! This was her brainchild, but three other authors contributed novellas to the project. Christie Shary and Luanna Rugh, both fellow members of Lagunita Writers Group, and Sherry Derr-Wille wrote terrific novellas to bring the book to life. It's "chick lit." and filled with romance, fantasy and inspiration. Whiskey Creek Press decided that a winter book should be published in the winter. It's been really hectic trying to get everything done within the speeded-up timeframe, but we're nearly there!

   The 24th was my birthday. This wasn't a "biggie," but last year was. And I didn't handle it well.
   The number was overwhelming. I kept thinking, That's old! I can't be that old!
   I've always said, "Considering the alternative, I'll take every day I get." And I still mean it. My dad died at 37, grandmother at 26, great-grandmother at 28, grandfather at 54… They either die very young or live to be quite old. I guess I'm past very young…
   We went to see Josh Groban last night as part of my birthday present. Great concert. Two moments made it more than worth the cost of the tickets.
   First, he came down to the end of the runway on the apron of the stage and sat down. Security let all the fans crowd around him. (Looked a little dangerous to me, but he has pretty respectful fans, and these might have been chosen deliberately.) Then he spotted someone holding a little blonde girl, about three-years-old. He asked if she wanted to sit on the stage with him. When she was in place, he said, "Great. You can sign all the autographs on that side." (He was autographing programs as he spoke.) His next song was a particular favorite of ours because it carries quite a bit of emotional baggage, Stephen Sondheim's Not While I'm Around. Josh sang it to the child, and it was very moving.
   He finished the concert with You're a Machine. Good song, but no closure. Then he came back and did another. For the third, he sang You Raise Me Up, another song which always makes me cry. My cheeks were soaked by the time he finished, but they were good tears.
   I'd had more of the same earlier in the day when I opened a friend's blog.
   Emily Yeskoo is the daughter of friends we met in Japan. She was diagnosed four years ago with a fatal form of muscular dystrophy and was not expected to survive two years ago. But she' still hanging on. Her mother, Lindsey, writes a blog for her to keep us all informed. http://emily.quist.ca/. We have been praying for her and the family ever since she was diagnosed.
   I had also asked our church Prayer Chain www.sjcpres.com to be in prayer for Ryanne Wheeler, the baby daughter of a fellow who works with me. She has been having seizures and is currently on medication which seems to be working.
   At lunch about a week ago, we were talking about how Ryanne was doing and someone else, who is part of the prayer group at work, asked about Emily. The light bulb went on: Both of them were being treated at the "Children's Hospital" in Toronto! So I fired off an email to Emily's and Ryanne's parents, telling them they should meet. God was pretty insistent about this one!
   Ryanne's dad has been trying for nearly two years to get a resident visa for his wife, Martina, so that she and their daughter can stay here with him. Emily's dad, is with the American Consulate in Toronto! I was reading Emily's blog for August 24 (my birthday) and came across this:
It was the very best present I received this year - and I got some great ones.
   God is at work! If you are so inclined, please add your prayers for both these girls and their families. They are most appreciated.
   So this year has already started with wonderful blessings, and the number isn't so scary any more. Onward! Forward!

Tomorrow's the big day! We're appearing at Borders in Tustin for the Grand Opening celebration. We're the opening act for Wyland!

 We'll be taking part in a panel discussion on How to Travel the World Without Being the Ugly American. Joining us will be two other Lagunita Writers authors, Christie Shary and Margie Taylor. We're excited about being able to take part in an event which should be well-attended and (hopefully) create more name recognition.

 Getting ready for this thing, however, has taken time away from writing. Our second mystery, Murder in Paradise, is only about half completed. As soon as this is over, we need to buckle down and get it finished. Our first one, Murder … They Wrote, is under consideration for publication. All fingers and toes are crossed. Both of ours!

 Len and Luanna Rugh's book, Promises Kept: From Tragedy to Triumph, has been submitted again. Lots of prayers going out for publication of that one too. Len's given over twenty years of his life to it. Lu's spent about eight. And it's a great book.

 Most of our time is spent working … and working. Can't wait for retirement!

 Wish us luck tomorrow.

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Contrary to popular mythology, it is NOT Mexican Independence Day; it commemorates the Mexican Army's defeat of French forces on May 5, 1862, in the Battle of Puebla. But it is a great excuse for a party. And here in the Southwest, we love to party.

My favorite word is possibilities. (Okay, I stole it from Sunday in the Park with George, but I do love it.) Spring seems to be the time which most promises possibilities. Today the temperature is in the 70s with a bit of a breeze. It's a pretty typical day for this area. But the flowers are blooming and the skies are blue. I drove home topless last week. (No, it's not what you think. I had the top down on my convertible.)

There are so many possibilities in our lives right now. Our agent submitted our mystery Murder … They Wrote to a great publisher on Friday. All fingers and toes are crossed for that.

Three other gals and I are writing an anthology called Snowflake Secrets. We are all living in the parallel universe of our characters. One of the others, Sherry Derr-Wille has already completed hers! My excuse is that I have the Prologue and Epilogue as well as one of the novellas, and I'm sticking to it! The "bookends" are in their working form (that means, finished unless they need tweaking depending on the other gals' stories). My own novella is about one third finished. L.J. Rugh's is further along than mine. But Christie Shary's is at the beginning. We already have a publisher for this one thanks to Sherry. It's even scheduled for publication next May! You'll love it. The Epilogue even made Larry cry.

Of course, that may have been because it deals with the death of a mother and last week was the anniversary of my mother-in-love's death. I've posted some tributes which were given at her memorial on our website www.lornalarry.com.

The Rugh's book, Promises Kept: From Tragedy to Triumph was, as Lu says, "dejected." So we have all decided to take a break from that project for a little while. It is such a great book, it deserves to be published. And you all deserve to share it! All in good time.

So start the mariachi music, and let's celebrate this glorious day!

It's been quite a week!

On Wednesday our friend, Leonard Rugh, pushed the Sent button and his 20-year project winged its way to the publisher through the magic of email. (Our friend, Bob, thinks it's done by Menehunes.) The book, entitled Promises Kept: From Tragedy to Triumph, tells the story of his time in Vietnam, being shot in the head by an AK-47, his dire prognosis and slow recovery, the faithfulness, encouragement and support of his wife, Luanna, and the miracles they have been blessed with. Lu joined in the writing of the book after about 14 years, and her additions make it even more compelling. But the real story is that he believed for over thirty years that he had been responsible for the deaths of his entire platoon, only to discover they weren't dead!

This book is such a good story you'd find it hard to believe if it weren't true. You can link to a photo of Len and Lu on our website www.lornalarry.com. Click the link to Lagunita Writers Group. They are in the Writers Gallery.

We've spent many months meeting with them to get the original nearly 1300-page manuscript edited down to its curent 565 pages - including the front material, glossary and author bios. For all four of us, this is another truimph!

Then Luanna agreed to become the fourth writer of a Christmas anthology, Snowflake Secrets, which has been a dream of mine since last fall. EPPIE and other award winners Christie Shary and Sherrie Derr-Wille had already agreed to write two of the novellas. I'm doing the tird. We originally asked Debbie Fritter (another wonderful writer) to do the fourth, but serious surgery prevented her from the commitment. (Hope you're recovering well, Debbie!) Award-winning watercolorist and co-author of the much-praised Art of the American West, Julie Christiansen-Dull was going to take on the project, but felt she didn't have the time to commit to it. (Julie has six granddaughters with whom she wants to spend her time!) She's also a member of Lagunita Writers Group.

Now that the Vietnam epic is on its way, Luanna decided she would do the fourth novella. And she's already written more than I have! Keep an eye out for it. We have high hopes for this romance/fantasy/inspirational book!

Larry is out surfing - as usual - so I have a few minutes before we need to get back to our new mystery Murder in Paradise. This is the sequel to Murder...They Wrote, our first mystery. It's curently with Belinda Williams who is looking for a publisher for it.

So our obsession with wrting continues. we're still looking forward to the day we can retire and do it full time!

Hope you have a blessed weekend!