My Bad

Forgive me, Reader, for I have sinned. It's been two years since my last blog.

Why? Well, a lot has happened in the intervening years. My older daughter, a USMC officer, was stationed in Afghanistan (she has since returned home safely!), my younger daughter graduated from high school and begins college (out of town!) in the fall, I met a very nice man two years ago, and married him (or he married me, which is even better). I still have the day job, and was promoted to Project Manager, then the company began a massive downsize, so I'm no longer a Project Manager. The good news is, I'm still employed, which is very humbling given the state of the economy.

Oh, and one more thing - my former publisher dropped my contract. While it's true, I did cry and I was depressed for a few days (okay, months), life does go on, and so will I. I'm very luck in that I have a very supportive agent and wonderful readers and a writing circle that's like a family to me, so I continue to come up with ideas and write proposals, knowing in my heart that eventually the right manuscript will cross the right editor's desk at the right time. Because in the end, that's all getting published is (pardon my dangling participle; I meant to have that removed).

I sold my first book in 2002 and it's been a learning experience ever since, and how! The up side is, I've met some of the loveliest ladies on the planet, devoted fans who write to me and share their experiences, and keep me going by telling me how much they enjoy my stories. When I do find a new publisher, it will be in part thanks to readers who've offered me so much encouragement. Saying Thank You is hardly enough, but it's all I have, so Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Speaking of proposals, I have two that I'm working on. The first is a WWII story that takes place in 1945 San Francisco. It's more women's fiction or commercial mainstream than my other books, but I love the time period and the drama, and hope this proposal sells so I can share it with you.

The second thing I'm working on is a series of books about 5 friends who first met when they were 10 years old and formed The Forget-Me-Not Club (their favorite flower and symbolic of how they always wanted to keep in touch, no matter where life took them). The first book in what is tentatively called The Willow Bay series, deals with a woman archaeologist in search of the father who disappeared on a dig when she was only 7. I've always loved archaeology, and am having fun with this storyline. Again, I hope it sells so I can share it with you!

Well, that's all for today. I'm going to try try try to post something every few days, but life being busy as it is, I'm not sure how that will work out quite yet. Yet since I have much more to say, I'll probably find a way to hit the laptop and crank out at least a few meaningful paragraphs a week.

I hope you're having a lovely summer and keeping cool wherever you are!

Marianne