…but whether about retirement or the writers’ life, I’m not certain.
I.
When I was a kid, I used to tease my grandfather for wearing plaid pants together with a striped shirt. He was of the generation of old people that dressed more formally – he still wore a fedora to go out in the early ‘70s – so even just around the house he’d wear slacks and a button down shirt, but if he wasn’t going anywhere he didn’t worry which slacks and shirt he’d picked to wear together.
Last night we ate outside on the deck as we often do; it’s chilly this time of year, but comfortable enough with warm clothes and a propane heater, and we get to watch the sunset. I was wearing a lightweight loose sweater and leggings, so I added one of my fleece-lined flannel shirts. (They are snuggly and our house is chilly, so I love them and have several. ) I grabbed it in a hurry when dinner was ready and didn’t realize exactly what I was wearing until bedtime when I went to get undressed.
So, this is for you, Grandpop Lou.
II.
These are my fingernails this morning. It’s a magnetic polish I bought for Halloween; you get blobs of purple or iridescent green depending where you place a magnet when the polish is wet. I put I on three or four ago to experiment.
Nail polish never lasts me that long! It’s not because I do less with my hands in retirement. I was working at a desk job; if anything I’m typing more now that I’m working on a novel. I think it’s because I’m not bored; I used to pick at my polish as soon as I noticed the least imperfection. It’s easier to ignore them now.
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My first reading!
Wednesday night I had my first reading as an author! When I published my first book, the publisher flew me out to Rhode Island to seek to a group of CEOs there that bring authors out every month. I’ve also presented on my book’s topics within companies I…
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Two photos that say a lot…
…but whether about retirement or the writers’ life, I’m not certain. I. When I was a kid, I used to tease my grandfather for wearing plaid pants together with a striped shirt. He was of the generation of old people that dressed more formally – he still wore…
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The midlife fantasy formula
So, there’s a subgenre that’s been proliferating like mad lately: Midlife Women’s Fantasy. I read it because there are so many things I love in it. Myths and magical houses are often incorporated. It makes me angry because the beginnings are generally so formulaic and stereotypical. And then…
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Breaking the rules
When I was writing and editing AHiP, I read a lot of advice from writing communities on places like Reddit and Quora. Some of it was extremely helpful, especially in detailing how to work with Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark, and in whether and why I might…
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Why switch to fiction?
Mostly, to see if I could. So there I was, newly retired but too young to sit around, with 35 years of engineering and one nonfiction book behind me. I’m happy enough to spend time reading, rowing, knitting and all the rest of it, but I know how…
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Why did I write my first book?
Frustration (and opportunity) By the time I wrote my first book, I’d been a Quality Manager in a few different industries: aerospace, internet, semiconductor. We’d decided it was time to go back to the US after 6 years overseas, and there wasn’t a place for me in the…