Dawn of a Kernel for a New Book

As you can imagine since my stroke I have been purchasing books and reading articles and blogs about strokes and recovery. Makes sense right? The subject is on my mind every waking minute right now. Rather than stew in self pity, I'm searching for alternatives for ways to accomplish life's little thing often taken for granted.

Reading is one of the few pleasures available to me. While I wait and work for recovery. Although spelling and and all but basic grammar are lost to me right now a book has formed in my mind. Everything I have read has been so serious. Adaptation, recovery and living are serious business after a stroke...heart attacks are much easier to recover from and I speak from personal experience. It struck me that after a stroke you rarely laugh at the dumb things you do. I do mean dumb. You no longer take simple tasks for granted but count them as achievements. Some of them are pretty hilarious when looking in hindsight.

I've often felt there is not enough laughter in the world and when facing a life altering event laughter is needed more than at anytime in your life so I started writing.

The book is titled "Don't Get Your Panties in a Wad." I've even designed the cover. Want to see?

There is in my searching nothing like it on the market. Forget about a year to release. I'm only typing fifty words three times a week. It's a far cry from what I used to do. My days of 10+K words daily are over for the time being. But it is progress and I'm at 700 words shooting for 75,000. It is geared for the one million stroke survivors globally each year. There is a time and place for tears and grief. What's left is the healing power of laughter.

Look for snippets here along this journey.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

A Dozen Hours Later

Yesterday, I posted about hurdles I was jumping for a couple of weeks now. Today, I'm accomplishing something. Yea Me! And thank you to my sister-in-law, Mary. Nope, the grass hasn't been cut, but will do this later when it's not 90+ degrees outside. Nope, the hedges haven't been clipped. Nope, the roof hasn't been swept and assorted other issues. I've still got a pesky clogged drain which is slower than molasses up north in the winter time. I'll be doing an all-call to my kids and their husband's soon to eliminate these other problems which have plagued me. So kids be warned...Momma is calling.

So what's the news, you wonder. I finished critiquing eight chapters in Thomas Wilson's new novel "No Rules of Engagement."  I've completed the three chapter edit for AM. Keller's newest romance, "The Emerald's Secret." Both should be e-published this fall. I've also completed edits on three more authors' works in progress.

I've also written 1,000 new words and completed another chapter in Zombie Apocalypse! I'm dancing the Snoopy dance of happiness. My deviant mind has twisted my characters to the breaking point. Egos, time crunch, race to find a cure, people dropping dead and coming back to life, and even did a zombie point of view.  Do zombies have a mind to have a point of view? Well, at least one of them does in my book. I figured there at least had to be the will to rage or/and feed, and why attack other people? I answered this question this morning. <Wicked, evil laughter!>The last is chilling and I haven't seen it done before so I figured why-not. At this rate this novella may become a short novel. My synapses have fired on all cylinders. It has been an amazing morning.

No church services to perform today, so I actually was able to sit at my computer. My fingers flew across the keys only stopping three times in six hours to medicate my hubby, fix him some lunch, and answer the phone. I feel energized being able to do what my heart desired.

My biggest challenge in writing Zombie hasn't been the story line, the characters, the plot, nor the subplots...it's been time. I've gone full tilt for ten days now almost nonstop with little breaks to sleep. It seemed like there was always someone I had to meet, somewhere I had to be, or something I had to do and the list kept getting longer. Now, I realize today is only a small reprieve, because tomorrow will bring its own set of issues, but for right now...I'm lovin' it.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.

Another Week of Hurdles

Well, I've been hard at it in everything but writing again this week. My father in law and husband's care has had me jumping through hoops and leaping over hurdles. I feel like I have run a marathon and at the same time standing still.

I've put out fires (figuratively), juggled care, and handled family issues to the point where there is no energy left to create. I've put everything else on a back burner which are now scorching all dishes. I am now eight chapters behind in editing others, four chapters behind in two novels, and basically, I understand these are all my own timetable.

Breathe, Jo, breathe! Have a nurse's aide fired, breathe. Discuss diet and nutrition with food servers, breathe. Discuss options and quality of life of loved ones, breathe even though you are making life altering decisions. Perform a wedding, smile and breathe. Perform a christening, smile and breathe. Listen to jokes from my grandchildren, laugh and try to breathe. Keep everyone updated, grimace and breathe. Counsel drug addicts, breathe. Out of school for a month, sigh of relief and breathe.

I'd had such plans for my time off from studying. The grass was going to mowed, hedges trimmed, the roof swept, and write. I am now into my second week of four and none is done. I've written about new 500 words in Zombie Apocalypse which the rough draft should be finished, edited six chapters, and made no marketing effort on the two books I do have on the shelf (read zero sales). Have not published my first of five children's books. Have not launched my e-publishing company. A whole long list of have-nots. Breathe, Jo, breathe.

So what have I done in the past few weeks? I've brought smiles to others, reinforced love and care. While I may not get rich doing this in a material sense... the rewards are limitless. God had more richer plans for me than I had for myself. While I scurried between place to place, I found peace and strength to do what needed to be done. Some of the most difficult decisions I've made in my life have been accomplished this week. Not that I wanted to make these decisions, but they brought better understanding and compassion to the forefront. Whether it's a life beginning or ending, or even somewhere in the middle...God is still in control.

As always, keep writing and loving the Lord.