The Golden Hour of August
Hey there, lovely readers!
I hope this finds you relaxing by the pool/seaside in the waning sunshine or maybe taking a few stolen minutes before your day gets going. (My apologies to those of you living in the southern hemisphere, where it's the middle of winter. I lived in South America for several years, so I get it😉)
I took a few literal (and one metaphorical) vacations this summer, but now I'm inching back into my full-time writing schedule as August reaches the mid-point. August is a strange month, isn't it? Half sun-soaked fun, half planning-ahead energy. There's also something about late summer that always makes me a bit melancholy in the best possible way. Maybe it's the quality of light, that golden, honey-thick sunshine that slants through windows slightly more muted than it did in July. Or maybe it's the way the evenings stretch just a little longer, holding onto warmth even as the shadows grow deeper. There's a bittersweetness to August that feels like a held breath. Summer isn't over, but you can feel it gathering its skirts, getting ready to curtsy and take its leave.
It reminds me of being a kid and that particular Sunday feeling in late August when you could taste September in the air and feel time moving in a way that was both exciting and a little sad. New notebooks and fresh starts were coming, but so was the end of lazy afternoons and bare feet and the particular freedom that only summer can give.
As a writer, I'm always chasing those feelings. That ability to capture not just what happened, but what it felt like when it was happening. The weight of a moment when you know something is ending, even if something new is about to begin.
A Little Writing Update
I've been thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves, and the ones we're brave enough to share with the world. I hesitated to share this, in the interest of sharing a peek into the behind-the-scenes of being a writer, I'll tell you that I've made a major shift mid-stream. Any of you who have been to my website lately might have noticed that my travel writer series disappeared. After two long years, three major revisions, and several rounds with my editor, I just couldn't convince the story to cooperate and blossom into what I'd envisioned for years. So, that little curmudgeon is on the shelf until the blessed solution of how to make the story work strikes me. It's not my favorite course of action, and not a place I ever expected to be.
Not all is lost though! In the meantime, I'm finishing up a standalone women's fiction romance titled A Part of Him. Mercifully, this story is falling into place beautifully and should be finished by the end of September, with a planned December release. I can't wait to share it with you!
As soon as APOH is finished, I'll be starting on the (very) long-awaited sequel to Little Lost Things, book 2 in my Arms of Grace series. Many of you have been asking for it, and I'm more than happy and excited to oblige! I'll share the title and release date as it draws closer.
A Bit of Publishing News
Speaking of Arms of Grace, I'm thrilled to announce that Podium Entertainment, my incredible audiobook publisher, has picked up the series and is in the process of producing the first book as I write this. They've signed an amazingly talented narrator for the project, and I'm eagerly awaiting hearing the finished products! I'll update you with all the details as soon as Podium passes them on to me.
I have one more incredible bit of news, but since this post has been such a tome, I'll save it for next time. The announcement needs its own space.
Thanks for hanging in this long. Now, it’s your turn. Please head to the comments and share your thoughts on August or on what's making you nostalgic these days. I'd love to hear what's on your heart this week.
Until next time, keep creating those beautiful, messy, human stories. And as always, happy reading!📚😊
If you enjoy my stories and want to show your appreciation or inspire me to create more, consider treating me to a new book. My work depends on the support of enthusiastic readers like you!
Beautiful picture of the fading summer- I really enjoyed reading it!