The Power Outage, the Edits, and the Holiday

The Power Outage

As last week’s storms rolled through my neighborhood, one storm took out 1/3 of our mature pear tree (we’re waiting for the tree guy to visit to see if we can save the pear tree - please oh please), lots of little branches from the ash tree, knocked out our power, and revealed all kinds of issues we need to take care of ASAP. Like the fact that our gutters were clogged (no longer), that the broken spring on the garage door made it impossible to use during an outage--leaving cars stranded inside (also now fixed), and the fact that we need to get a battery-operated backup sump pump (still need to do). Poor Mr. W was bailing water for hours.

But one gift from the power outage was the quality family time we were able to spend together. There’s nothing quite like playing flashlight hangman! We had a blast and spent a lot of time laughing. So, if another storm comes through, I actually wouldn’t mind the power going out again—as long as we have that back-up sump pump in place!

Hangman by flashlight

The Edits 

I’m working on the editorial edits of IT TAKES A WITCH. I’ve also seen the cover—will share as soon as I can. I love it. :) The edits are my first using the track changes program on word, so it’s taking a little getting used to... but as I go through the manuscript, I’m remembering how much I love this book. I can’t wait to share it with all of you.

The Holiday

Both Mr. W and I come from military families—our dads, our grandfathers, our great-grandfathers...lots of history there and some good stories that will be passed down through generations.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Memorial Day, and a big thank you to all the members of the armed forces who keep our country safe!

This is a picture (circa 1981) of me with my great-grandfather, who served in World War I. I’m in my Girl Scout uniform and wearing his service hat—I think it was Veteran’s Day, and I’d just come from marching in the local parade. We're kind of cute, aren't we? :)

***
Today, Darcy Merriweather, the main character of It Takes a Witch is blogging at Killer Characters. I hope you'll come on over and say hi.

The Breakfast, the Good News, and the Big Mistake

The Breakfast

Last week Baby Girl had to be at school an hour early to take a test, which meant that son # 2 would have to get to school an hour early as well, because it makes no sense whatsoever to drop BG off, then go home and get son #2 and drive him back (half hour round trip). SO...I thought this would be the perfect time to spend a little quality time with son #2 who has just four days left of high school and less than two weeks till graduation. We dropped off BG at school and went to breakfast. It was so nice that I wished I thought of doing this kind of thing with the kids a long time ago. I’m going to have to implement it with BG as she heads into her junior year (sob)—though soon enough she’ll be driving me around. This is an interesting time in my life. Kids flying the coop left and right. And though I’m so excited to see where they go in life, what they become, and the families they’ll have...my life is changing drastically. I’m trying to go with the flow, but I’ll be honest—I also want to grab onto them and hold tight.

The Good News

Hooray! All three Lucy Valentine books are going to be published in Turkey! How cool is that? I cannot wait to see how the foreign editions turn out (Germany and Indonesia are also pubbing Truly, Madly), and to see the covers, too. Fun! I received an email a couple of weeks ago from the woman who’s doing the German translation of Truly, Madly. She had a question about a certain passage in the book, and it made me realize just how wonky the English language can be—especially with dialogue. I couldn’t help but think what a great job she has, though. Something Baby Girl is very interested in pursuing someday—I think she’d do a great job with it, too. She loves languages... (But trying not to think of her being off on her own [see above]—OHHHMMM.)

The Big Mistake

Last week son #2 had a couple of track meets (two more this week, too). One of my favorite things (besides watching him run) at these meets is the concession stand. I love soft pretzels and nachos and snow cones and all the assorted junk food that comes along with these kinds of events. Well, last Friday I ordered the nachos. Absolutely delicious. The chips were fresh, the cheese hot. Then...an hour after eating them my stomach started to ache. And ache some more. Ugh. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Not fun. I might never eat nachos again... But if the meets this week have snow cones, I’m all over that. You’d think I’d learn my lesson, but noooo—we’re talking snow cones! Some stomach aches are just worth it.

*What’s your favorite concession food? And what’re you reading now?*


Currently reading: Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

The Wow, the Goosebumps, and the Picture of the Day

The Wow

I’m so thrilled to say that Absolutely, Positively is featured in the current issue (June 6) of First for women magazine (available at grocery checkouts + newsstands everywhere). It’s on the “6 paperbacks were reading now” page and was recommended by senior food editor, Krista Winston. Please considering picking up a copy—it’s the one with Mariska Hargitay on the cover—to take a peek. Part of the Krista's recommendation: "It was so jam-packed with endearing characters and suspense that I didn't want to set it down for a minute!"

Thanks, Krista. And thanks, First!


The Goose Bumps

This weird thing happens to me every time I sneeze. I get goose bumps. It happens just about every time, including when Wendy Watson and I were rooming together in Pittsburgh (not surprising considering how darn sick I was). I thought it was just one of those random weird things that only happen to me (and son #2), until Wendy hopped right on Google and went looking for an explanation for this strange reaction. For some reason it never occurred to me to look for a reason for it. LOL. Just thought I was...strange. Apparently there are lots of us out there who get goose bumps when we sneeze. The going theory is that the gust of air from sneezing cools something in the brain that shouldn’t be cooled and tricks the brain into thinking the body is cold which then triggers goose bumps—something the body uses to temporarily warm itself. Fascinating, no? Still strange, but fascinating nonetheless.

The Picture of the Day

Toddling

taken by Mr. W

Love this time of year and all the goslings around. They're too cute for words.

The Big Laugh and the New Website

The Big Laugh

Let’s just say I’m easily amused, but rarely do I laugh so hard I have tears in my eyes. Well, at the Festival of Mystery, a conversation I had with a reader had me crying with laughter. Something about it just struck me as absurdly funny, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

The scene: Festival of Mystery. Huge crowds. A first-timer to the festival stops in front of me, browses my books. I give a little talk about them, explaining what they’re about, blah, blah, and she decides to buy one (YAY!).

Her: Which one should I start with?
Me: Well, I like to start at the beginning of the series...
Her: Oh, me too. It’s a job hazard.
Me: Are you a librarian?
(wait for it...)
Her: No, I’m a mental health professional.

I started laughing, she started laughing, then Wendy Watson (who was sitting next to me) started laughing. LOL. Still cracks me up. She chose Truly, Madly, and I really hope she likes it.

The New Website

My heatherwebber.com website has a new look! Have you seen it? I love it. I was originally going to go with a mystical starry design, but it didn’t feel right. So, I chose from the heart. I love dandelions (the puffy ones), and am especially fond of “blue” dandelions. Here’s the inspiration for my Blue Dandelion Press:

Taken by Mr. W

Anyway, check it out. What do you think? www.heatherwebber.com

The Conference, the Festival, and the Inheritance

The Conference

Me and Louise Penny
Photo by Avery Aames

Despite being sick (sinus + ear infection), I had a blast at the Malice Domestic conference. So fun catching up with old friends, making new ones, and hanging out with people who love books as much as I do. I was up for an Agatha award this year (the wonderful Louise Penny won), so it was always nice to get random congrats in the elevator, and I can’t tell you how much it means when people go out of their way to tell me how much they love my books. There is no better motivator to keep me writing! I was able to meet with my agent and my new editor, spend some quality time with Wendy Watson, Dru Ann, and Aimee (three of my favorite people), buy a little glass bowl for my collection from one of the Malice dealers, and generally soak up a wonderful atmosphere. If you love mysteries, this is truly a conference you should consider attending. So worth it. A big thank you to the Malice board and all the volunteers who make it possible.


The Festival

Me and Wendy
Photo by Alan Orloff

The Festival of Mystery is one of my absolute favorite events every year. It’s sponsored by Mystery Lover’s Bookshop in Oakmont, PA (free shipping on orders over $10!) and is held in a huge hall. About 40-50 authors attend, and book lovers come in droves. I’ve been going so many years that I’m starting to recognize some of the locals. This year was really special for me.

First, longtime loyal reader Judi from Ohio came and brought my first three books ever –hard to find historical romances—for me to sign. These are kind of the forgotten books, and it was just so nice that she went out of her way to track them down. Then, a mom and two teen daughters made a return appearance from last year. They are the sweetest (hi Kiki and Alice!). The whole family read and loved Truly, Madly and one of the girls even wrote a book report on it. It doesn’t get much better as an author than that. Then I met Liz and Casey and Mandy, who are teachers in the area. They came to meet me. How cool is that? They’re aspiring writers, too, and I can see the passion they have for books. An absolute joy to meet them. Then of course, there’s Lisa D. Next year I’ve wheedled a promise from her to meet for dinner the night before the event. She’s just the nicest person ever (and shares a love of Little Debbies). And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everyone who attends (hi Paula, Superfan Jen, and Doreen!) is so supportive, warm and welcoming to all the authors. Warm and fuzzies all around. And a huge thanks to Mary Alice, Richard, and the entire staff of MLB for putting together such a wonderful event.


The Inheritance

Baby Girl has been going through some medical testing, trying to find a diagnosis for symptoms that have been plaguing her for years. Finally we got an answer last Friday. I have to tell you, I almost cried right there in the doc’s office. From relief. You know how sometimes you just know something’s wrong but the docs just can’t figure it out? And they think you’re nuts for continuing to push for testing (the test she had done on Friday was at our suggestion, not his), and they kind of give you THAT look? It was so nice to finally have the diagnosis so now she can get better. And it was a little vindicating, too. Kind of an I-told-you-so moment (though Baby Girl says I’m not allowed to say that to the doc—she’s a better person than I am.)

Long story short, she has a condition that requires her to be on a strict sugar-free, gluten- free diet for the foreseeable future. It’s not a fun diet in any way, will be a learning curve for all of us, but hopefully she will start feeling better. And that's what truly counts.

The inheritance comes in the form of her Easter basket. I get everything left in it. (Silver lining? LOL.) Unfortunately, she’s already eaten all the pink jelly beans. Drat.

Moral of this story: You MUST be your own medical advocate and do not give up if you know something is wrong. That and sneak some pink jelly beans before they’re all gone. Just sayin’.

~~~

Currently reading: Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (started it as an audio book for my road trip and then bought it for my Kindle so I could finish it).

The Picture of the Day

Taken by Mr. Webber

What do you think he's saying?