I met an editing deadline yesterday. Actually I was almost two weeks early, but that other deadline for my Shaker 5 book is looming out there so I wanted to get the edits done as fast as possible. That way I can get going again on the Shaker book. I reread what I’ve already written or most of it today. Not bad, but I’m needing a brain surge to tell me what happens next. I like my characters, so that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll whisper their plans for the rest of the story in my ear tonight while I sleep.
The book I finished editing is the one set in 1855 in Louisville. It’s got lots of romance and some suspense and good helping of history. I think you readers will like my hero. He’s very handsome and very in love with the heroine. We’ve struggled a little with the title for this one. I came up with Words of Fire. I still like that, but the publishers wanted something that sounded more romantic since this story teems with romance. So we’ve settled on Words Spoken True. What do you think? Does it make you think romance? They tell me the ideas for the cover are going to be fabulous. Anyway, I got the editor’s suggested edits finished. Now I can get back to figuring out how to sneak a little romance into my Shaker village, Harmony Hill. Not exactly the easiest place to have a romance since the Shakers did not believe in romance at all.
But as a reward for getting the edits done and since we had a beautiful, sunshiny Sunday and I had to do something to take my mind off UK losing that ballgame, I decided to take a wildflower walk. I really didn’t think that many of the wildflowers would be blooming since it had been so chilly all last week, but when I got over to Panther Rock where the wildflowers abound, they were blooming all over. There were the Dutchman’s Breeches in the picture above. Those flowers do great over there and they are my mom’s favorites. I don’t normally pick wildflowers, but since there are scads of these and Mom loves them so much, I always pick a bloom to bring to show her. It’s a good thing to see her smile.
But besides the Dutchman’s Breeches, there were Woods Poppy, Twin Leaf, Bloodroot, Anemone, Spring Beauty, Yellow Trout Lilly, Sweet William, and others I need to look up in the flower book. I try to remember all the names, but I lose a few from year to year. It’s such a treat for me to go see the flowers and I have the bonus of the sun glinting off the creek water as it flows past me. Today I had even more bonuses. I found a nest of some kind of animal in a hollow tree. Not sure what. And I didn’t linger because I was afraid my dogs would come investigate and think the little creatures were supper. They could have easily gotten to them. Then I saw a huge crawdad. And a dozen wild turkeys. It was flower and wildlife day. I took pictures, but they never turn out as good as it looks when I’m right there in the middle of it all.
I’ll have to go back in a week or so and see what else is blooming out. I’m sure to hit a knotty spot in my book and need to walk a while to give my brain time to figure it out. Writing isn’t only done when your fingers are on the keyboard.
Do you like wildflowers? Well, here’s wishing you “May all your weeds be wildflowers.” Tell me about the wildflowers you love or how you reward yourself for getting something done.