Tis June, tis merry smiling June

Time moves far too fast for my comfort. ¡Así es la vejez!

It’s been a busy year. In no order of importance: I finished the novel, we took our first trip by air since the 2019 Pandemic, we attended NO KINGS rallies, I had YAG surgery, two friends fought with brain cancer; one thriving and one not so good. An old friend and his wife heroically drove some 1500 miles to visit us for two days. In between, all the stuff involved in living day to day as graciously as possible.

My novel is in the hands of readers who’ve never read it before. Well, except one who hasn’t seen it in a long while. After their useful feedback, there will likely be tiny edits before sending to my mentor to read one last time. Then, a final-final edit, if needed, before querying. Such a process, ay?

It’s a tremendous relief to be on the other side of writing, re-writing, re-writing the novel. Yet there’s some sadness about it. Not the kind of sadness that comes from saying good-bye to characters you’ve spent a lot of time with. But, the finish is like a final good-bye to my best friend, Leigh. She died a year ago last February.

Over the decades, Leigh and Michael have been my first and last readers. We three met in a playwriting workshop and we became fans and friends. Michael is still here, and he has the current edits in his hands. That is some comfort. His faithfulness as a friend and creative compadre is precious.

More posts coming soon.
Honest.

‘Tis June, ‘tis merry smiling June;
‘Tis blushing summer now:
The rose is red—the bloom is dead—
The fruit is on the bough.

Eliza Cook, poet, 1818-1889

Read the complete poem, A Summer Sketch, here.
In her time, Eliza was an extraordinary woman. Read more about her here.