Another year, more writing and family

 I just signed up again to attend the South Coast Writers Conference in Gold Beach Oregon over Valentine's weekend.  http://writing.shawguides.com/SouthCoastWritersConference
Hopefully it will be a good weekend to focus on two of the most important parts of my life, my husband and my writing.  Last year when I attended it was wonderful for my writing, and motivated me to get back in and finish a book I'd been working on for a couple years now. It wasn't a great time for focusing on my husband however, as I was there, and he was flying up to Spokane Washington with the choir students who had qualified for All-Northwest.  For Valentine's Day we sent a few texts and a picture of the view from each Motel, and mine won hands down. But even with a gorgeous hot tub deck on the beach was still me, alone.  I did write a lot that weekend.

and blogged about it here http://duffybarkley.blogspot.com/2015/02/20th-annual-south-coast-writers.html

As always, I have been reading a lot, and as it is January, I completed my book a week reading challenge on Goodreads with 64 books read.  Looking back at my list, I see that I am a very unfocused reader.  I do read a lot of young adult and middle grade fiction, fantasy, stamping, Science Fiction and try to read a lot of books by other Indie Authors because I have found that there is much gold in that pile, often overlooked. I try to write reviews because reviews of my books matter a lot to me, but I refuse to write a 1 or 2 star review.  My reasoning there is that if the book isn't for me, I'm going to stop reading once I figure that out.  There are too many wonderful books which I will never be able to read, for me to give even one day to one that doesn't entertain or educate me.  Lately I have been getting emails asking me to read and review specific books, sometimes I say yes, but I'm not usually willing to take the time unless I am fascinated by the book description, and if I don't read it completely all I give is an email explaining why the book isn't for me.

I have also read mysteries, biographies, and children's books. My favorite books this year are probably the following ten. Not in any specific Order

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Samson
The Mancy Martial Artist (my Chocolate, the addicting series I can't begin to explain why I love) by     Richard Raley
Hi, Pizza Man (Picture book with my granddaughter is so much fun) by Virginia Walter
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba
Floor 21by Jason Luthor
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
The Severed Earth by Chris Presta-Valachovic
Grave Beginnings by R.R. Virdi
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Division by Lee S. Hawke

and then the books I read by Tana French, John Scalzi,

The cover of the book I'm editing at the moment, book 3 in the Tales of Uhrlin, about a boy with Cerebral Palsy,  9 year old Duffy Barkley (now 13) and his adventures after surviving a school shooting and ending up in a portal world.

Two of the real life wonders that make being me as important as writing right now.  I love my Granddaughter, and have a grandson on the way, and I adore my brothers, my sons and that husband I've been with for 34 years

and my kid's picture books

I hope 2016 is off and giving you much to enjoy, challenges and people to love.

Completed the Goodreads Giveaway and logged into Pottermore

This summer has been a busy one, as an author, a Mom, a Harry Potter Fan.  I'm sure that I have been driving people batty with my constant chatter about my having completed my second Duffy Barkley novel, and having been involved in a book giveaway contest on Goodreads in the hopes that a few more people would hear about my book and maybe the winners would give me a good review or a like somewhere, as that seems to be better than gold in the writerly mind.

 I posted about the competition, and kept checking on it, hoping at first that I'd get even 100 people who cared enough to fill in their address and enter.  100 more people knowing about my Fantasies and even expressing interest, that could not be a bad thing.  So I was waiting and surprised when the number crept up to 300/

 Then the other waiting, and refreshing pages, and driving my friends to distraction, had to do with Pottermore, and my insistence that if it was from JK Rowling, It had to be good.

I started on Harry's July 31, birthday, spending sleepless nights, chatting on twitter with other like-minded, sleep deprived hopefuls and managed to find the magic quill that unlocked the invitation to be one in a million Beta testes on the opening of the site before it goes public in October.

But then nothing.  Just waiting for my "owl" the invite to begin, and that email kept not coming, even as I chaffed at the bit and joined the #NoOwlParty on Twitter/

 and in the wonderful, real world, where, more important than anything, I am a Mom, to a recent High School grad. and a soon to start Senior Year, son - life was moving too fast.  The kids who had been in and out of our home for years were fading out of town to colleges and jobs and life needed to hit a pause where I could say, "Hey, It's been great, and sure it's changing, but we are still together, supporting and loving you."

So I managed to throw together a long weekend up at Howard Prairie Lake with family and friends.  We swam, and told bad jokes and hiked and boated and got filthy and stank of sweat and campfire smoke, and came home filled with fresh air and light.

Angel Fire

I took this picture of the kids by campfire and lantern light and found angels hovering near-by.

Morning View from my tent

It was 40 degrees hotter, and 4,700 feet higher in elevation than where I live, and it made me puff and pant for every breath when I tried to be active, unless I was in the water.  But every aching calf muscle is so worth it.

 The way the light sifted down through the dark forest and illuminated this little infant tree was glorious!

I didn't get an owl, bringing me my invite to Hogwart's but this little Chip or Dale sure tried to get the message through to my ice chest that he was hungry.

Mt. McLoughlin over Howard Prairie Lake

Then when I finally came home, refreshed and happy and back in touch with what mattered, I found that 503 people had entered the giveaway and The ones who won were from across the United States and one in Great Britain.  So today I was glad to get 10 books sent out, to the five winners, each getting both Duffy Barkley books and my best wishes.

Been waiting on an owl to Bring me my Pottermore Welcome.

 And with the teacher's back to work, and the young adults beginning new careers and starting college I decided I would have time to pick blackberries and raid the farmer's market and bake pies

BUT my OWL Came!!!  

And Here IT IS!!

 So suddenly I had no time, staying up all night and blearily exploring pottermore.  It is a strange blend of new and interesting reads about the characters and places I love in Harry potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and very simple old school, preschool video games which remind me of 15 years ago when my kids were playing fisher price castle and pirate computer games, looking for map pieces instead of the chocolate frog cards and galleon coins I am searching for now.  I am an adult - but pottermore brings me a very childish delight as I get my Owl and my wand and

My Wand, proof I'm not a Muggle, just a Potterhead.

Got Sorted into Hufflepuff where you can find me, if you look for StarDawn199

Author of Duffy Barkley: Seek Well but currently seeking the formerly untold Ghost Plots of JK Rowling

Goodreads giveaway

Caesar, a green wing macaw

 I have not written here this last couple of weeks as I planned.  There has been a death in the family, as I write about at my other blog, Echo's Voice.

Yet I wanted to share  that I am giving away 5 sets of my Duffy Barkley Novels through Goodreads.com and I wanted you to have a chance to enter before the contest ends on August 27th

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/13266-duffy-barkley-seek-well-tales-of-uhrlin-book-2

 So I am posting the link and some of my pictures and calling that good enough this time.  The pictures are from my home area or from a trip to Guatemala that is featured in the second book, Duffy Barkley: Seek Well

Blind man's bluff in Guatemala

My brother and I in Guatemala

Smith River, CA

Jed Smith State Park

My son's puppy was wore out playing at the river

Patrick's Creek

Cold enough to take your breath, warm enough to stay in for hours

Ever Green

Sunset from my Porch

Enjoy the end of summer, and I'll be back soon.