Denver-area event

I'm going to be participating in this new event, speaking and signing my books. It will be held in Parker next month. It's going to be a fun event, and if you're in the area I hope to see you there.

The Evolution of my Writing Space

I've been talking about my new office, and lest you think I'm putting on airs let me tell you that I've paid my dues as far as writing spaces go.

When I decided to commit myself to really making a run at publication my darling husband set up a desk in the basement. Old desk, old PC, but it was under one of the few heat vents in our unfinished basement. The desk is piled with junk now, but you can see the calendar pages I taped to the concrete wall to make it more cheerful. When I was working there I kept a jacket and scarf nearby because it got pretty chilly down there in the cool months.
My daughter Liz says the random images on the wall looks like the scene in the movie when the cops finally track down the address of the mass murderer. Once a writer friend asked to see my writing space. When I took her down to the basement her comment was, "Wow. You must really want to write to do it down here." So true.

Then I got a laptop, and I no longer was relegated to the dim, cold basement. I would write in my living room sitting on a chair or this loveseat with a lap desk.

Most of my writing was done on the loveseat with a dog sitting beside me -- and sometimes inching her way on to my lap.


One year during the holidays I mixed things up and sat in a rocking chair to write.

See my laptop on the footstool in front of the chair? It was pleasant to sit next to the Christmas tree and enjoy the holiday fragrance.

On occasion I throw an old piece of particle board and an old suitcase over the bars of my treadmill to create my treadmill desk. Yes, writing in the basement. Again. At times.
When the weather permits, I work outside. This is a photo of an autumn day. I guess I'm stubborn about working outside -- even when it gets cool. I had two throws and a jack to keep me warm.
This year my outdoor office expanded when I got this Adirondack chair for Mother's Day. It is very comfortable.


Drum roll, please . . .

And now I've got a whole room to myself!

It's still a work in progress. I have more decorating to do, and I need to haul some of my books into the bookshelf. And look, it's a room without purple. (I've been on a purple kick for a few years now.) The walls are blue, it's the only blue in the house, but I want to feel like I'm riding a cloud in the sky. To compensate for the lack of royal purple, I selected gold, another shade of royalty. :)

I finally decided on a quote to use over the couch. It says, "You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club." ~Jack London.


I trust God will bless me lots and lots of words while I work in this office. It's wonderful to finally have a place for all my stuff.

And now, back to writing!!!

You gotta love this . . .

. . . especially if you're a writer or book lover. It's a library parking garage in Kansas City.


And check out this one, it's the Cardiff (UK) Central Library temporary building.

Redecorating!!

I'm excited about the project I'm working on now. No -- it's not a book (although I am writing a book).

As my DH (darling husband) says, "You haven't lost a daughter, you've gained a study." Ahhh, yes. That wise man knows how to ease my mama's heartache from the loss of my sweet girl going off and getting married. I'm getting a fresh, new, only-Megan's study.

This past weekend we bought furniture and scheduled new carpet installation. Yesterday I bought paint, a pretty pale blue. I'm also going to paint the ceiling blue. I want to feel like I'm riding on a cloud while I write.

I decided that instead of putting a picture over the couch I would put a quote or saying on the wall. I had planned on stenciling it, but I saw this product.

It's called Once upon a Wall, and it's vinyl letters you can put on the wall that looks like a stencil.

I've done some research, and have chosen a few writers' quotes to rotate, depending on my mood.

Which do you like best?

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
~Anton Chekhov

There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.
~W. Somerset Maugham

Fiction is a lie, and good fiction is the truth inside the lie.
~Stephen King

You can't wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.
~Jack London

I've been busy

Sorry to be so neglectful of my blog. I've been gloriously busy. For the past several months we were planning my daughter's wedding. So much effort went into a day that passed much too quickly. The happy day was October 4th.

Please enjoy the photos and share our joy.

We were thrilled that friends and relatives traveled from NY to spend this time with us. They arrived on Friday morning, and we had al fresco lunch in my backyard.

We rented a 15-passenger van and packed it. My daughter Liz looks so happy to be joining the family onboard, doesn't she?

Here's the rehearsal. Kathleen and Scott were practicing their first kiss.

The rehearsal dinner was so much fun. Here's the happy couple with their grandparents.

I love this photo. Kathleen's bridesmaids were fussing with her gown, but she was intent on getting to her groom.

It had been windy in the afternoon, and my husband Carl and Pastor Jack prayed for the wind to calm. When Kathleen appeared, a gust of wind lifted her vail. She was quick to grab it and continue on to Scott.

As soon as her feet hit the grass, the winds died and were quiet for the ceremony.

It was a wonderful, sweet time. Here's a photo of the bride and her sister and cousin Jen.

AG (Aunt Grace) with Scott.

All the pretty girls.