Monday, September 3, 2012

A Spoonful of Raspberries

I contemplate what to eat for breakfast.

Cereal? Nay... Oatmeal? On occasion. Yougart with fruit? I really like that. But it has to have granola in it. I need some crunch.

So that's what I'll start you off with today. Fruit. A spoonful of writerly raspberries, plump and red and juicy along with my summerly adventures sprinkled with a bit of new-found wisdom.

I'm what you would call a self-diagnosed spazz. I have lots of energy, which means I must keep busy or I'll lose what sanity I have. But even my spastic personal needs balance. This is something I learned over the summer.

As some of you know, I took July and August off from blogging, with the exclusion of a few posts to help fellow authors promote themselves and their new releases. Here's where the birth of new wisdom comes into play. Although I did write three nonfiction pieces that were published in Martial Arts Magazine, I backed off from all other writing all together. I took what I'd call a Life Sabbatical.

Living in our environments while dreaming outside our surroundings to create fantastical worlds for our stories is vital to a writer's life. I'd forgotten how to simply LIVE, thus tap into that writerly place. With four children, I've had to be scheduled up to the gills in order to tend to their needs, wants, and goals. And I've been good at it; but being so regimented has clouded that natural fervor and childlike trust in living.

For the past eight weeks, I've taken life as it comes, letting it fill me with new passions and hopes. I've attended high school boys summer soccer and ice hockey games, and U14 girls soccer games. I read a ton of YA at requests from publishers (reviews will be forthcoming), went to a water park, took long walks with my daughter, helped my youngest rollerblade, attended a wedding and lots of high school grad parties, and barbecued a ton, enjoying all I've been given. I've even been working on my official author website. It's felt like a right of passage for me, the writer. Kind of like preparing my oldest son for college. He'll be attending classes, growing and learning, just as he's done since he began kindergarten. Only now he has different convictions and purposes.

Same goes for me. Most of you are aware of my good news about receiving offers for my YA book and signing with a fabulous agent. I'm excited to be on this new road in my writing career and I'm thrilled you'll be there with me. I'll still be writing, reading, and editing, only with different convictions and purposes. Oh, and please be patient with my Writers Ally site. From time to time you'll see changes and widgets disappearing. I'll be relocating some of the information here to my new website, which I hope to launch sometimes this fall. Stay tuned for my bigger-than-a-shopping-mall giveaway beginning Monday the 10th!!

I've missed you, and I'm so glad to be regularly blogging again! Looking with high hopes to what this Fall brings me and each of you!!

23 comments:

  1. Yay! Way to take the summer off and get back into life. I must have been on the same brain wave. Oh, and I don't know if I ever told you congrats. Maybe I did on one social medium or another. I'm super excited for you and will be holding my breath until a release date is announce. (Well, maybe only figuratively holding my breath.)

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  2. Welcome back, Sheri! Sounds like you've had an all deserving break. Looking forward to next week!

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  3. You have had a very full summer! Welcome back, and I'm really excited about next week's extravaganza!

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  4. Sounds like you had a great summer.

    Hugs and chocolate,
    Shelly

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  5. Glad you're back. Sounds like you had a great summer off. I need to take one off from reading blogs and blogging one of these years.

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  6. A break to remind what it's like to really live is essential! I took two vacations with my wife this summer and the second one was was just relaxed and impromptu. Felt great.
    Glad you are back though!

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  7. SOOOOO proud of you, Sheri! And anytime you want to offload some of all that incredible energy, send it my way, would you? Maybe then I'll accomplish a fraction of what you get done.

    Sending you big hugs,

    Martina

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    1. Gosh, what a sweet and amazing comment! Honestly, I feel like I didn't do anything this summer...in a good way, but yeah.

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  8. I'm looking forward to the giveaway. Hopefully I can figure out all the links. LOL

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  9. Glad to hear what you've been up to. So happy for you and look forward to the giveaway!

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  10. Welcome back, Sheri! You are one busy lady. I'm like you, in that, I have to take time off from writing/blogging in order to replenish my muse. It always helps.
    We're glad you're back!! :D

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  11. Yay, you're back! I too marvel at your energy and zest for living. And having a kid going off to college!! That's quite a life transition.

    I'm looking forward to your new website, and your ongoing adventures with writing and publishing. Welcome back!!

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    1. It sure is a transition. I think I'm holding up rather well, though. He was ready, so that made it easier. Thanks for visiting!!

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  12. Looking forward to changes--mine and in others--and to the fall in all of its glory. I'm also looking forward to participating in your blowout giveaway celebration on Monday.

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  13. Nice to have you back, but it's SO important to break when you need to.

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  14. Thank you for the spoonful of raspberries, Sheri. As cliche as it is, stopping to smell the roses is very important. More important, though, is to savor the scent, bask in the silky petals, close your eyes and remember the first time a boy handed you a solitary rose because he liked you, or when you laid one upon the grave of a loved one. It's important to not just smell the rose, but to remember the beautiful things in life as well.

    Glad you had your rose time.

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  15. We all need a little time to live. As much as I love writing, it's just not healthy to think about it 24/7 sometimes.

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  16. Can't wait to hear more! Congrats again!

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  17. I agree. We all need time to live. I also took off from blogging, most of the summer. I am stopping by as I make my meet and greet rounds for GUTGAA. I am looking forward to your Bigger-than-a-shopping-mall giveaway . It sounds exciting.

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  18. Hey Sheri and welcome back! So glad you took some time for yourself and came back renewed. Congrats on your YA. Yaaay! Looking forward to the 10th!

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!SPLAT Your Awesomeness! I'd love to hear from you!

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