Writers Retreat at the Beach!

I just got back from a wonderful writing retreat at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Fellow Love Inspired author (LI suspense), Lynette Eason, generously hosted me and two other writers at her parents' condo. It was such a wonderful, productive getaway! In the photo on the left, I'm working in my very favorite spot, out on the balcony with the ocean as my background music. I love working at the beach and am always more productive there than anywhere. Too bad I can't buy a beach house!


Here's the great view off the balcony. Although we had some rain, it warmed up and got a little sunny for a few hours on Saturday. We even saw a few brave folks who went down to the beach in swim suits. Don't know if I could have braved it! It was still too cool for me. But sitting protected from the wind with some sun shining was perfect for writing.

The photo below cracked me up. Laptop computers everywhere!! :)



I really enjoyed meeting non-fiction writers Candy Arrington (in the above photo with me) and Linda Gilden, friends of Lynette's who also live in South Carolina. I'm always amazed at how well a group of writers can get along: Talk a few minutes. Work a few hours. Eat a snack. Ask each other brainstorming questions. Type like crazy. Eat a meal. Write. Laugh and talk. Write even more. Eat another snack. Share writing stories. Type some more in our own little writing worlds. Eat a meal together. Relax a little while. Then back to work.


It's amazing how much we can get done. And we all understand if someone totally tunes out the conversation. No expectations. Just the understanding that we're there to write like crazy as well as to enjoy the company.


All in all, a fantastic 4 days!!

Also, all photos are courtesy of Lynette. She shared them on her facebook page. :) (I still haven't gotten my photos off my phone yet.)

Missy

Sharing a Little Spring

I just love spring. It's my favorite season. And for those who may live where it's still wintry weather, I thought I'd share a little Georgia weather with you. This is one of my favorite trees. A cherry tree along the road up the street. I wish I could capture the true beauty as the sun shines on the barely-pink blossoms! I took this photo on my cell phone one day while driving down the street.

And these next two photos are of a gorgeous tree outside our church. I admire it every year. Just this morning, I was driving by and stopped to get photos on my cell phone. :) You may be able to click to enlarge the photo and see the glorious flowers.

I especially love when the blossom petals start blowing off the tree. It's like being in a pale pink snowfall!

Did I mention how much I love spring??!! :)

Missy

March Madness!

Have you been watching college basketball the past week or two? (Or maybe someone in your household has been hogging the remote??) :)

My husband has had the games on as much as he can. And it's been nice background noise as I've worked on my revisions. Tonight, though, I actually watched! We watched the Duke game (his alma mater) and also the Western Kentucky game (my alma mater) whenever they switched over to that one. Oh, what a heartbreaking loss for WKU! And what a nail biter for Duke. Quite a stressful night.

Are you a fan? Who are you pulling for?

Missy

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm so excited that my blog is green. So no one can send me a cyber-pinch today. :)

I did a little digging--accidentally--yesterday. I was digging through a drawer looking for my MS Office CD, and happened upon a copy of some genealogy research my sister had done.

My great-great-great-great grandfather, George McConnell, Sr., was born in Ireland in 1775. He came to Pennsylvania (don't have that year) and ended up settling in Virginia.

Pretty cool!

I hope you have a great St. Patty's Day!

Missy

Dinner for Five

My college freshman son came home for a few days for spring break. We loved having him here! And what was so nice for me was to be able to go out to eat and once again ask for a table for five.

Of course, the last couple of years of high school, he spent most of his time with friends. But we usually made him eat with us several times a week. :) So once he left for college, it was pretty sad when we started going out and and had to ask for a table for four on a regular basis. I guess everything is an adjustment once that oldest child first leaves home. (Did I ever tell the story about breaking down in the grocery store, crying by the freezer case, when I realized I didn't need to buy the party-size Stouffer's lasagna anymore, but needed to downsize to the family size?)

So last night we went to Cracker Barrel and I proudly asked for a five-top. :) We had such a nice time. Now I'm really looking forward to summer!

Missy

Revision Disaster (the house, not the book!)

My desk (the end of the sectional sofa) looks even worse than this photo. In fact, when I did a search for "messy desk" at istockphoto.com (where I buy all the photos I use on blogs), I couldn't find one that looked bad enough! LOL

You see, I'm in the middle of revisions. I'm working like crazy in every moment possible. And my house is falling apart! (Sorry, kids, for breakfast food for dinner again tonight!) :)

But I'm making progress! Come on over to the F.A.I.T.H. blog on Thursday and read a little about how it's going.

www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com

Missy

Blogging Mania This Week!

Well, just due to chance, I have 4 blog posts up on Thursday and Friday! Thank goodness I had most written ahead of time. :) I hope you'll join me!

Thursday:
www.writingbyfaith.blogspot.com title: Writers Reading

www.loveinspiredauthors.com title: Snow Day and Strep Throat

Thursday and Friday:
www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com title: Old Friends are New (parts 1 & 2)

I just got started on revisions for my November book, A Forever Christmas, and I won't be online much over the next couple of weeks. So please come by and say hello!

Missy