Monthly Archives: June 2016

The monumentally talented Lisa Ricard Claro wrote the blog I contemplated. The not so Obvious Obvious

It is a shame we don’t figure these things out earlier in life, sad that too often we don’t figure them out until it’s too late. Once I did decide to take more control of my life, I developed a mantra to chant when I was not feeling very motivated

Don’t Sit when you can Stand.

Don’t Stand when you can Walk.

Don’t Walk when you can Jog.

Don’t Jog when you can Run…some of us substitute stumbling around for Jog and Run but the main idea is:

JUST KEEP MOVING.

If nothing else, a moving target is harder to take down! And here’s proof I am moving. Not fast, not real pretty (my dog is the pretty one) but moving.

Lisa has written the small town Firefly gems, check her out at the above link!

Nothing profound here, I’m just sharing a bit of my life. When I am not writing, I am with my dogs. Heck, when I am writing I am with my dogs. When I’m working, or traveling, or doing whatever, part of my mind is on my dogs. That’s what it’s like to be a responsible dog owner.

My breed of choice since 1972 has been the Saluki, though from time to time I’ve flirted

Noble…Stately…Saluki

with other breeds. Something about their eyes, their devious minds, their loyal to a select few people selves calls to me.We do things together and at times the Salukis are what get me up in the morning and keep me moving throughout the day. In addition to devoting my not always spare hours to the dogs, I’ve also done what I could to pay back for their existence in my life by working with clubs to help put on events and protect our breeds.

Which led to me chairing the Saluki National Specialty. Again. This means managing a show dedicated to my breed. Pretty heady stuff, or pretty scary, depending on where I was in my planning. We hold the show at the Purina Event Center south of St. Louis, which

see…51

means an 18-20 hour drive.This year I was determined not to drive until my eyes crossed, something I’ve done too often in the past. My poor guardian angel! I broke the drive into 8-10 hour segments, including stops to walk the dogs and also walk myself.

We spent the first night in Area 51…okay, not quite but I was in camping spot 51 at the El Reno KOA. Seriously, see the sign? Then on to Purina,and seven days of activity before returning, this time setting up at Elk City. It can be a gypsy sort of life, going to dog

Setting up the camp in Elk City OK

shows, traveling sometimes ridiculous distances and taking over temporary domiciles. Always with the dogs.

Does this have anything to do with writing? Funny you should ask. About six hours into the first day, I knew how I was going to move Lana and Adam to the next stage of their relationship. That would be for A Question of Trust, the third Stormhaven book. In the middle of my show chair duties, I received a message from Faith, my intrepid editor at Black Opal Books, returning edits for A Question of Faith, along with a declaration of love for this story. Pretty heady stuff! Now that I’m home and sort of rested up I’m finally writing down that scene I envisioned while on the road, and getting ready to approach those edits.

In the meantime, if you haven’t read about Sydney and Devin, you might grab a copy of A Question of Honor and learn about Stormhaven.

I’ll be back sooner to share more adventures living in New Mexico with Salukis and gardening and…food!