July 2023 Musings

 
July 2023 Musings

Never Too Late

Happy July, friends! I hope your summer has been amazing so far! We just celebrated the 4th of July with fireworks and fun, and the rest of the summer will fly by now like the Chimney Swifts that have been soaring through the blue sky over our house and then disappearing just as quickly as they came.

Time is also racing towards the publication date of my debut YA novel Free Sings the Sea in fall of 2024. The anticipation has been so exciting, and I am living in the moment and enjoying every step of the journey. As I prepare to go through the editing rounds on my manuscript, the focus this month has been on building my author platform.

I was already a member of the writing community on Twitter, a group of supportive friends who I love and who have been supporting me daily, and I also created accounts for Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Goodreads. Those have been keeping me busy, and I have had the most fun creating edits and mood boards for FSTS. Spending more time with my characters has been a joy, and I can’t wait for you all to meet them. 

Time, in fact, is what I’ve been musing about this month. In our busy hustle and bustle lives, time is often something there is never enough of. And while it is true that the days fly by and we race to keep up with them, I find comfort in the idea that when it comes to meeting a goal or chasing after a dream, it is never too late. I thought that it might bring you comfort too.

July is my birthday month, and I will be…55! Even I can’t believe it’s true.
I have always loved writing, and many people have told me that I should be a writer. Life, however, got in the way. I was a busy homeschooling mom, and I was also dealing with complicated family issues and a difficult marriage. I didn’t know then what I know now, that getting up early and writing is good for my soul, and that no matter how chaotic life might be it whisks me away to another world and brings me peace. 

It all started, appropriately enough, one afternoon in the library. It was time for my baby son’s nap, so I paced up and down a quiet aisle with him in a sling until he fell asleep. And as I paced, the ending to what is now my women’s fiction second chance romance novel came into my mind. It was there, crystal clear and complete. I could see my main character and her children sitting around a fire, and the man that she loved lifting his hand in greeting as he walked up a beach trail.

I fumbled with one hand through my messy backpack and pulled out the first scrap of paper I could find and wrote that ending down as quickly as I could. What a good afternoon that was! Not only did I leave the library with a bag full of books and a happy, rested baby, but my first novel had been born as well.

When I got home that day, I pulled out an old spiral notebook. The next morning, I got up early and started to write. I have been up for the sunrise and writing every morning since then, and my baby boy will turn ten next month. It’s not an exaggeration to say that it changed my life. 

So the questions I have for you this month are: What is calling to you? What is your passion? Have you even thought about it lately? Because I have the best news- it is never too late! Don’t be afraid to try something new or follow a dream. It may take baby steps to get there, or you might have to make some major changes in your life to make it happen, but you will still feel better if you’re moving forward. 
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In my forthcoming book, the love interest, Free, tells Shanna, the protagonist, that the opposite of ‘moving’ is ‘stagnant’. Stagnant water is still and putrid, there is no flow or forward movement. This month, I hope your creativity flourishes and you flow freely in the direction of something that is meaningful to you. It is never too late!

       Love,
       Stac