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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Celebrating - Half-days and works in progress

I am posting this early because I will be traveling tomorrow and won't have time to do things properly.

Today I am celebrating taking a  half day's vacation and driving down to visit my mother. My father died this past summer and Monday would have been their 63rd anniversary.  I thought she would like company (we try to be with her as much as we can).  But aside from that, she's a lot of fun and has been a wonderful mother who, though I love and respect her as my mother, has turned into a friend I enjoy 'hanging with', as the American slang goes. 

So I have taken a half day and will be driving down through the New York and New Jersey countryside (stopping at stands that sell beautiful 'Beefsteak' tomatoes and fresh corn), and then on to Mom's house.  I'll be setting up her computer (she actually got one!) and showing her some good things on it - like Facebook, where her grandchildren are posting.

She's very bright (I'd say brilliant) and is a quick learner with a devastating, subtle wit.  It should be fun.


Kadesh - wretched cover!
I'm also celebrating my WIP, called 'Kadesh'.  That is the name of a famous battle that led to the first international treaty in recorded history.  The story is about four brothers who go to war with their father - but while there is the battle itself, it isn't a war story.  Rather, it is about the family itself.  There are several (historical) female characters who are engaging.  It's the sequel to my recent one,  Mourningtide, taking up fifteen years after.

My new cover for Kadesh!  A Wrap!
The reason I'm celebrating is that I haven't touched the thing since November.  I've been going through, reading the chapters, adjusting the timeline, and thinking, "Actually, this is pretty good!"

I wrote it during the 2012 NaNoWriMo and made the requisite words, then got busy.  It's good, but it needs a lot of work, both in composing and in editing.  I'm having fun.  Now if I could just come up with a better cover...  Perhaps this one?  It does capture the personality and attitude of one of the major characters, the Crown Prince.




This blog hop is the brainchild of VikLit, who thought it a good and enjoyable (and beneficial!) thing to pause regularly and not only count our blessings, but celebrate them.  Why not join?

14 comments:

  1. Love the new cover! Congrats on going back to this piece.

    Have fun with your mom--sounds like it will be a lovely weekend! :)

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    1. Thank you, Lara! I'm thinking of doing a theme along these lines. Maybe I could feature Yosemite Sam somewhere.. Have a great weekend!

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  2. Hi Diana .. how wonderful your mother is still so full of beans and wanting to learn - I think if we'd had children my mother would have loved FB and Skype - but she had to settle for the internet! Still she did use the computer - and would have loved to have blogged I think. During her illness she was happy to know the blog kept me mentally engaged ...

    My thoughts re your father .. we share similar lives at the moment - memories of a parent recently lost ..

    Enjoy your visit - it sounds like you will and then all that delicious fresh veggie and fruit .. have a happy time - cheers Hilary

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    1. Good morning, HIlary -
      Interestingly, I was at a meeting yesterday and got into a chat with one fellow who, it turned out, knew of my father. "He's your FATHER? He was one of a few who actually set up the justice system for that division in 1967! Wow! It's a small world!" I hadn't known. A very nice bouquet! Enjoy your weekend!

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  3. I LOVE that you're going to spend some time with your mother. It actually brought tears to my eyes. I'm sure she (and the rest of your family) misses your father every day, but milestone days are always harder. It's good that you'll be there with her.

    Your WIP sounds terrific, and I'm sure you'll find a happy medium cover somewhere past the warrior and this side of Daffy Duck.

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    1. Thanks, Susan -
      We had a good time, and Mom said, "I'm fortunate. I have a lot of happy memories..."

      I'm thinking Porky Pig in armor for the cover...

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  4. You sound like a good daughter. Spending time with your mother because you want to and not because you have to. Enjoy your half day off and your mom.

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    1. Thank you so much, Nana Prah. She is a wonderful mother - spending time with her is a reward, I think!

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  5. Hurray for mothers everywhere. Mine is 83 and is demon for the internet. She can't understand those of her contemporaries who refuse to get online: 'They're missing out on so much,' she says. And who doesn't love a half-day on Friday: Poet's day (Push Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday).

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    1. Give my regards to your mother! Poet's day? I like it!

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  6. I hope you have a good time with your mother, these milestones are difficult and your company will help her I'm sure.

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    1. It was a good time with smiles and laughter and reminiscing. Mom's a lot of fun.

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  7. It's really awesome that you are going to spend time with your mom, I'm sure it means the world to her. And then setting up computer stuff for her? Bonus! lol

    Yay for reading your WIP and liking it! Have fun with revisions and such ;)

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    1. She was excited to see that I could sit with it on my lap (hint: laptop, Mom!). "Does it do THAT? Oh!"

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