That Was the Week That Was!
Have you ever had a week where so many nice things happened that you felt as though your head was on fire? Last week was one of those for me.
First came the release of DEATH IN THE END ZONE, a sequel to MISSED CUE featuring the same homicide detective, Caitlin O’Connor. As many of you know, up until this book, I’ve always written stand-alone novels, so this was a real departure for me. But I enjoyed returning to these characters and digging into Caitlin’s continued growth and developments in her personal life. Her investigation into a puzzling case, the deaths of two star football players left in a compromising position in the end zone of their high school football field, also allowed me to explore some issues that matter to me, including homophobia, teen sexual abuse by a supposedly trusted adult, and alcoholism.
The next big thing in my week was the college graduation of my eldest grandson Cameron! I am so incredibly proud of him and how hard he has worked to earn his degree in psychology. I confess to being biased, but I think he’s an absolutely amazing and incredibly loveable grandson, and I feel so blessed to be his grandma. 
Two days after that, I had a book signing at my local Barnes and Noble for THE BIG SWITCH: VARNEY AND CEDRIC. I was thrilled to have a wonderful turnout and actually sold out of the copies the store had ordered. 
The next day, my senior chorus, Joyous Singers, had their final public concert of the season. I love singing with this group so much. It is a joy to make music! More fun to come when we resume this fall.
The day after that, I had my final class of the semester with my creative writing student. We have worked together since she was twelve and she’s now almost sixteen. She’s incredibly gifted and is working on a novel. It’s really good! I was so touched that she wrote me a beautiful note of appreciation for my work with her. In truth, I think I learn as much from her as she does from me!
Topping off the week was an interview with Down Under Interviews, an Australian podcast. I’d been so worried because I’d had some audio issues in the last interview I’d done, but this one went smoothly production-wise and Paul Rushworth-Brown, the interviewer, was also an author, so it was a fun exchange.
After all that excitement, I’m now in New York City visiting my older son and family. It’s so good to get to spend time with my NYC grandchildren, who love books and reading as much as I do!
All in all, I’m feeling awfully grateful for these past days. Like all of us, I’ve experienced some tough times in my life, so when a bunch of nice things happen, I remind myself to savor them and remain thankful.