Well, I'm back and breathing.

 Hello, beautiful readers!
 

2023 has been, well, difficult. My beloved stepmother died in March, finally free from her dementia. I traveled to Ireland (hooray!) in May, where I promptly picked up pneumonia (boo). I spend all of June healing from that infection. I'm waiting (and waiting and waiting) to get to a surgeon to schedule my first of two needed knee replacements. I got Covid at end of August, and now, in the beginning of October, I have a cold.

So, a whole lot got put by the wayside, including you. While I've had this time to reflect, I realized that I want to make life more fun. And I thought - who doesn't like getting snail mail? I'm thinking of creating a proper, old-fashioned mail newsletter. Do you dig the idea? It would come out twice a year, interspersed with any small updates, probably sent on postcards. Tell me if you would like this!

Second, I wanted to update you on my writing. :) I'm working on two co-authored books. The first is with my long-term collaborator, Shea MacLeod, and is the fourth book in our fabulous Dream Factory series. My new co-author, April Aasheim, creates incredibly witchy novels, especially the Dark Root Series. We are working on a new series that follows her Dark Root Ancestry series. Wow! I'm so excited to work with such brilliant women.

Lastly, I'm brainstorming on a brand new book that will incorporate steampunk with my love of Middle Eastern history. It's still in the idea phase, so no firm updates yet.


Let me know if you would like to have a pretty newsletter show up in your meat-space mailbox.

Hello, Melbourne!

I am already in love with Melbourne on the first day. Here are some pictures to show you this very cool city.

The Charming Man and I are spending a few days in the Central Businesses District before moving on to the conference hotel. This is what we have seen.

An adorable sculpture in the Statte Library of Victoria. 

This has to be the perfect comics crossover.

Prawns on tomato sauce. 

Travel pictures!

Crater Lake, Oregon

We had cocktails at the Grand Californian at Disneyland!

I've had a busy spring, including some fantastic trips down the West Coast.  Here are some pics!

The Guardians of the Galaxy ride. So  much fun!

Oregon wine country

Curious: Auguste Rodin Exhibit

Curiosity is a huge part of caring for your emotional well-being. Cultivating an interest in the world keeps depression and anxiety at bay and gives you tools for dealing with stress.

Obviously, I need to walk my walk as well as talk my talk! So I went to the Auguste Rodin exhibit at the Portland Art Museum.

Detail of one of the Burghers of Calais

 Looking at the visual arts doesn't usually translate well into words, especially for an artist as physical as Rodin. Much of his work revolves around motion, turbulence, and character. 

The exhibit demonstrated his fascination with hands, balance,  pressure, and the human body. I'll step back and let the images speak for themselves!

Hand of God

Fallen Caryatid Carrying an Urn

Aphrodite

Angels

Self-Care: Retreats

The Forest Grove Grand Lodge.

A retreat is a form of radical self-care. It's not always (or usually) possible. If you are in financial tough times, I recommend getting a cheap notebook and scoping some time during your lunch break to empty your brain into it.

You get some time away from your normal schedule and develop your ability to see the trends and patterns that are good for you.


 Back in November of 2016, I took a two-day retreat to clarify my life and my writing. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a local chain of brew-pubs and hotels called McMenamins.

Buy it HERE.

I went to the Forest Grove Grand Lodge. Here I had several hours to journal, soak, think, and write. (Yeah, and take lots of pictures of the awesome artwork.) I finished my upcoming novella, Keeping It Up (to be released in January 2017), a sequel to Vamping It Up.

Retreats are perfect for refreshing your intelligent, sexy, and curious selves. (If I may be so immodest, allow me to recommend Vamping It Up as a great retreat book!) 

Ok, back on track.

If you can, find a place that is really pretty.

Explore your environment.

You get some time away from your normal schedule and develop your ability to see the trends and patterns that are good for you.





What feeds your head and your soul the best? Written words? Visual Art? Music? Scent? I like to check out art books from the library and read them for a mini-retreat if I don't have time for a proper get-away. 

Isn't this the perfect place to dream?

Gorgeous view out those windows.

McMenamins' locations are known for their whimsical art.

Serious Whimsy.

This was on the ceiling of my room.

A little face to watch over my fire alarm.

My room number: I was almost James Bond.

Welcome back!

Me, confused and irritated.

Hello, again! I've taken the last few months for a complete re-working of my blog direction. Since I started this blog in 2009 (wow! SEVEN YEARS of blogging), I've been scattershot, talking about what catches my eye for the moment.

I found myself getting irritated with that approach. I wanted to be more focused, more dynamic. I looked through my life and saw some themes that I want to explore.

Beauty is everywhere.

I believe that self-care, self-love, and beauty are necessities. I want my blog to reflect strategies and thoughts on how to bring more of these into our lives.

Audre Lord, spelling it out for us.

I want everyone to be able to create the literary life they want. I think we should be able to have a live that is harmonious between our make-a-living day and our dreams, especially for women. Double especially for women of color.

This will be a space for the curious, the sex-positive, and the explorer.

Lucy, the mother of us all.

Let's play!