Let It Snow... Please?
“Snow brings a special quality with it — the power to stop life as you know it dead in its tracks.” — Nancy Hatch Woodward
I love snow. As I sit here typing this introduction, flurries gently fall outside my living room window against a backdrop of holly trees. While the forecasted snow totals aren’t that impressive this time around, I still love watching the flakes drift to the ground. And I still have hopes for a substantial snowstorm or two at some point before winter’s end.
To read about what I love about Richmond snowfalls in particular, enjoy this article I wrote several years ago for The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
What I’m Working On
My Debut Novel: An Expected End
This Saturday, you can find me at the Barnes and Noble in Chesterfield Towne Center, signing copies of An Expected End from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. If I had an author bucket list, signing books at Barnes and Noble would be on it. Hope to see you there!
My Next Novel: Goodbye For Now
Earlier this month, I started reading back through the manuscript for Goodbye for Now, crossing out huge sections, notating sections that need to be moved, and rediscovering obstacles that seem just as daunting now as they did two years ago when I set the project aside to focus on An Expected End. Despite feeling largely overwhelmed by the hugeness of this project, I’m also excited to be working on it again.
Outdoor Writing
I recently spoke with the Visitor Experience Specialist for Virginia State Parks regarding an article about the new Wandering Waters Paddle Quest program, the paddling version of Trail Quest. (Side Note: The Littles and I have paddled one Virginia state park so far, and hiked 32 as of this past weekend. Ten more and we will have visited them all!)
A few days ago, I booked a dog-friendly pony boat tour with Daisey’s Island Cruises for another story on this year’s editorial calendar. I’ve also picked dates and reserved lodging to hike The Great Channels.
So many exciting outdoor adventures ahead!
What I’m Reading
Over winter break, I started reading Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, a book loaned to me by a student. I can’t lie to you, it’s a relatively painful read for me, but I can see why it appeals to 16- and 17-year-old girls.
Writing Community
In addition to acting as a guest on my podcast, Lisa Cooper Ellison is a motivational and inspirational fellow writer. She has helped spread the word about my book and has taken time now and again to drop a kind little email in my inbox.
Instagram: @lisacooperellison
Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/
Lisa’s newsletter: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/
I’m also thrilled to announce the launch of Lisa’s new podcast, Writing Your Resilience.
The Writing Your Resilience Podcast is for anyone who wants to use the writing process to flip the script on the stories they’ve been telling themselves, because when we tell better stories about ourselves, we live better lives.
Every Thursday, host Lisa Cooper Ellison, an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and trauma survivor diagnosed with complex PTSD, interviews writers of tough, true stories, people who've developed incredible grit, and professionals in the field of psychology and healing who've studied resilience.
Equal parts instruction, motivation, and helpful guide, Writing Your Resilience is an opportunity for you to join a community of writers and professionals doing the work that helps us cultivate our authenticity and creativity.
Links to My Latest
“Preserving the Heads of State: Abandoned presidential statues have a bright future in Williamsburg” appears in the “Explore More” column of the January/February 2024 issue of Cooperative Living Magazine.
Beer Dogs Virginia includes a full-page photo of Soda with accompanying bio, a full-page photo of Nacho with accompanying bio, and an essay I wrote about Jack, Sadie, and The Littles, entitled “Hello From Across the Rainbow Bridge.”
The Littles—and Archie!
Nacho is one relaxed dog hanging out at home on the couch.
Soda and Nacho claim their spots on the couch at a cabin where we recently spent the weekend with a friend at our 32nd Virginia state park.
Nacho and Soda enjoy a lakeside trail.
Although we’ve learned Archie is quite the traveler, he stayed home during my most recent excursion. Here he is hanging out with me when I got back home to him.
I took Archie to the vet for the first time yesterday. As we waited for the vet to come in, he gave me kisses and purred on my knee.
What I Saw Outside
Swift Creek in Pocahontas State Park on January 10 after several inches of rainfall on January 9
A view of Smith Mountain Lake on a very windy Saturday
Literary Calendar
January
January 20, 2024 | 1pm-3pm | An Expected End Reading and Signing at Chesterfield Town Center Barnes & Noble
Join me for a 10- to 15-minute reading from my debut novel, An Expected End, followed by the opportunity to purchase a copy (or copies!) and have it (them!) signed.
Love that quote about snow-- so true! I love the quiet that comes with the snow, related to its ability to stop everything. Those were some beautiful flakes yesterday, and I'm also hoping for at least one good accumulating snow (no ice, please).