Thankful Thursday for October 19, 2023

 This week I'm VERY thankful for the cooler (dare I say Fall-like?) weather. I am spoiled by my years in California's San Francisco Bay Area and I want EVERY DAY to be in the mid 70s. And I really don't think that's too much to ask for.  

I love Fall the most of all the seasons, but I do appreciate the others...although in smaller doses. But I'm thankful that it's Fall now, and I'm grateful that I live in a Pumpkin Spice world, for all the crap it sometimes gets. I'm thankful that A Sight to Dream Of is re-releasing next week IN THE MIDDLE OF Pumpkin Spice Latte season, because that's where it belongs. I'm very grateful to have learned that the PSL debuted exactly twenty years ago--because that's when A Sight to Dream Of was first released and I love the serendipity of that!

I'm thankful that I grew up in New Jersey because it's given me an appreciation for certain foods--Jersey corn and tomatoes, pizza and bagels, for example. And even though most of what I'm eating (of those particular foods) are NOT up to Jersey standards, they're close enough to spark my memories, and it's all good. Well...not the tomatoes, because no place has tomatoes like Jersey. And, actually, not the pizza because (whisper it now) Detroit style pizza might be the best. (Shhh!)

Moving on...

I am thankful that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandson this week--I'm always thankful to spend time with him because he's delightful! And I had NO IDEA that watching five-year-olds play soccer could be so mesmerizing. At that age, you can REALLY see them improving at every game or practice. It's fascinating! I'm also VERY thankful for the parents of his friends/classmates/teammates because they're lovely and welcoming and I've enjoyed spending time with them, as well. And given my introverted nature, that's really saying something!

I'm thankful that I got to Zoom with Kelly Jamieson earlier this week and drink wine and talk books for a lot of the same reasons listed in the last paragraph, ie, lovely, delightful, fun, etc.

I'm thankful that I'm currently working on THREE book projects...although I could wish the timing were better because I am NOT a multi-tasker. OTOH, life is short and uncertain so better to squeeze in a few extra books at once than to leave them unwritten. 

Which sounds terribly morbid, doesn't it?

I'm taking a course on writing and business and one of the subjects was crafting an exit strategy for when you no longer want to write. And I understand that that's a thing, but all I can think is...why would I no longer want to write?

So, I'm thankful that I get to write and I'm excited about the books I'm working on, and I'm thankful for all the readers out there for giving me a reason to keep doing it. I'm ESPECIALLY grateful for anyone who picks up A Sight to Dream Of either now (as a pre-order) or next week as a new release because visibility matters!  And if you're one of those people who read it and love it and LEAVE A REVIEW--I'm really, REALLY thankful for YOU!