It’s been a strange time; one of transition and fear, prayer and tested trust. My mother has been repeatedly ill, a combination of heart and lung ailments—some recent and some long standing—and I’ve made a number of trips to Alabama . . . and the ER. I’m now as familiar with Decatur General Hospital as I once was Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital. But Rachel is stable and reasonably healthy these days, while I feel as if I’m watching my mother’s descent in to that infamous good night.

Earlier this week, I headed home again, only this time I skipped Interstate 65 and drove Highway 31 almost all the way home. Once the major thoroughfare from Decatur to Nashville, it’s now one of the “blue roads” – those 2-lane beauties that meander with the land (as pointed out in the movie Cars) instead of cutting through it.

It is some of the most beautiful country in the world. In spring, the trees are laced with dark and light greens, and wildflowers line the side of the roads, their pinks, whites, purples, and blues waving wildly with each passing car. The weather alternated between sun-backed storm clouds (giving a whole new meaning to the term “blue road”) and brightly lit, rolling fields.

I pass through a half dozen unincorporated towns, maneuvering through curves and hills like a child at play. The land around Nashville undulates like the ocean far from shore, so that even the open horse fields rise and fall like great swells of verdant seas.

It also brought back memories of the first time I rode this stretch of highway, almost fifty years ago. It was Summer 1964, and we were on the way from Alabama to Nashville to see the Grand Ole Opry. I was a kid, but almost every mile driven in that unair-conditioned 1964 Impala is etched in my mind. It was good to look back, remember the way my parents used to be, what we were as a family.

This year, I turn 53; my mother will be 84 in June. We don’t look much alike; I carry too many of my dad’s Welsh genes. But there is kinship in our spirits, in our experiences, in our faith, in our love.

Life is not simple or easy for me right now—not financially, emotionally, or spiritually. But in caring for my mom and making her a priority, I’m reminded, almost daily, that remembering what has gone before can make us strong, bind us together, help us face the future.

So here’s to remembering Highway 31 in 1964 during the year we turn 53 and 84. And God’s staying power.

I truly appreciate all the folks who’ve emailed and commented here about my absence or my books. THANK YOU! More than you can know.

It has been an odd month. I hit the ground fast and hard trying to stir up a few editorial jobs to make ends meet, and was bombarded with almost more than I can handle. Then the line edits for FIELD OF DANGER hit, and are due on June 1. Rachel graduated from school.

And I headed for the Blue Ridge conference. When I returned home yesterday, I was almost blind from exhaustion. I’ve talked to others who are as tired. FABULOUS conference, which is why we’re all tired. I’ve put a few of the pictures up on my Facebook page . . . others are coming.

Two tidbits. I’ve started some of the blog interviews for CARLY, which I’ll post here as they appear. Second, my contest is definitely ongoing. I’ll be drawing a second winner toward the end of June. The prizes listed on my website are still current, plus I’ll have another book or two to add in. Please feel free to enter by posting here, or sending an email from the website.

Y’all are AWESOME! Thank you.

I will be posting more in the coming days. I’m still finding my feet and a schedule for working at home, and I’ve been a bit distracted by a garage sale and handling the details of being laid off.

In the meantime, please visit the CRAFTIE Ladies . . . and if you’re in the Huntsville, Alabama area this weekend, please come see me at the Heart of Dixie Reader’s Luncheon (and book signing). I’ll be celebrating my birthday, as well as the launch of The Taking of Carly Bradford (which I’ll be signing). It’ll be a blast.

Thank you all.

Don’t get me wrong – publishers still do a lot, especially for established authors. But most new authors will get little help (or marketing budget) from their publisher. You can learn a LOT about promotion from the Web, and there are a lot of sites that can help you.

What they cannot help with, however, is the gumption it takes to meet the public, to sit behind a table or stand behind a podium and greet the folks coming to see you. Or walking by you.

Or ignoring you.

That one is hard – not as hard as the folks who challenge what you say in a speech or a class, or the ones who want to know why YOU’VE been published and they haven’t. But it’s still not easy to smile and nod as they walk on to another author’s books.

Yet there are other pluses to such group signings.

At the RWA Literacy signing in San Francisco, I was one of more than 400 authors signing. Still, I managed to sell 4 or 5 books (that’s about 1 per hour), and met two great folks, Jess Riley and Narelle Atkins (who may find herself being asked to play tour guide if I ever make it to Australia!).

Also in July, I participated in a round-table discussion about professional organizations at the Franklin, Tennessee, Barnes & Noble. Rae Ann Parker, who was part of the conversation, did a great job describing that evening.

September was quiet, but then I was off to New Jersey for the NJRW’s Put Your Heart in a Book conference. Another large group signing there resulted in only a few books sold, but I got to meet Maya Rodale, which was a huge pleasure. I’ve been reading her The Heir and the Spare, a delicious regency. My session on secondary characters was also taped (my first!) and I’ll be ordering a copy for me – and to use in promotion.

In November, I had the group signing with the Music City Romance Writers at Sherlock’s Books in Lebanon, TN, where I got to meet Jennifer Ray of the Wild on Books review site, and had a great chat with Annie Solomon. Jennifer also did a great job of covering the signing, which included 11 authors, headlined by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Even more fun can be seen at Jody Wallace’s report on the signing, which included lunch and a lot of pampering. Sherlock’s LOVES local authors and hosts signings almost every weekend.

Next comes December, and in addition to having five proposals out (plus one contest entry), I’m going to be at two signings – another one with the MCRW December 6 (in Jackson) and one at the Barnes & Noble in Hendersonville, TN with the Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, most of whom are members of the American Christian Fiction Writers. (Check the MTCW site for a flyer on the event.)

Notice how many groups and bookstores are in this post? How many links? That’s a hint. If you’re a new author, get involved. Word of mouth moves faster, and promotional opportunities come more often and with less effort, when you’re networking. Groups are vital – and so are bookstores.

It doesn’t take a lot of time, and it’s well worth the outcome. One book per hour is only the beginning

I’m speaking on secondary characters, one of my favorite topics. Especially since my own usually try to take control.

I love to travel and speak to both women’s and writers’ conferences – I just wish I could do more, and I hope that side of my career picks up more next year. In the meantime, I hope to meet more amazing folks.

And write. And edit. Both of which I’m way behind on. But, y’know, even if I was caught up with the current projects, I’d STILL be behind because the next book is just out there waiting . . . lurking . . .

The passion to write. It’s what keeps us going.

More from NJ.
-r

Here’s the piece that the Today show did on the convention. A couple of notes…except for the interviews, most of the group shots were taken at only ONE event – the Literacy Signing. RWA does this every year. Authors and publishers donate books for a signing that’s open to the public, and all proceeds go toward the literacy effort. This year, the donation to ProLiteracy Worldwide reached $58,000.

I participated, but the readers flocked mostly to the big names. Still . . . I got to meet a lot of folks and talked to a fan from Australia. That pretty much made the evening worth my time.