There are days when you just have to say, this is good. No, no, that’s not it. It’s more that there are days when you know this one is more than good. The sun is still high in the sky even at 5:00. The breeze coming off the Pacific is gentle and lovely, while the ocean temperature is a warmish 66°. You know you will dive in eventually, but for now you walk along with your feet in the surf, taking in every hue of blue you see. You exhale. You say thank you.
Authors have written extensively on how to start a novel, how to structure a storyline, shape believable characters, and build gut-gripping suspense, but none tell you how much single-mindedness, and patience and cooperation with a good team one needs to get a book to print. You can be sure, I will have quite the tell-all blog post this summer, when everything is said and done, and my forthcoming novel, Crazy String, is finally in your hands.
Until then, please send lots of rainbows emojis and kitten pics and a well of unlimited fortitude to buoy me through the final editing process. The best reward, I remind myself, is that readers such as yourself enjoy the novel. To that hopeful end, I must get back to it!
Living in California, the Pacific Ocean borders 840 miles of shoreline, and definitely runs the show, as it continuously intrigues us all. Especially our adventurous and curious grandson. So, of course we spent Monday at the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Snoop Dog’s hometown of Long Beach. The seeing part was fabulous, for there are countless, literally, sea creatures and fish and mammals and birds there. From oh so tiny to pretty big, we were entertained from start to finish, but also delighted to know that conservation is a big part of this non-profit, and that, “the Aquarium is conserving species and ecosystems, including sea turtles, abalone, giant sea bass, corals, sharks, penguins, and sea otters. Like aquariums around the world, we are working hard to save species that are being pushed to the brink of extinction by humans.” Our young guy could not have been happier to explore every inch of the place.
Nine Cent Girl 