I used to have a hang-up(s) about yoga. I never thought I would be one of those people. In my head, people who did yoga filled out to a caricature of expensive cloths, expensive classes; naturally skinny people that go to yoga and then brunch. I never begrudged them the brunch--I will never begrudge anyone brunch, brunch is great. It’s probably easy to tell the hang-up were mostly my own insecurities in that yoga seemed like a black box. I wasn’t flexible. There were so many kinds, and I’m not a huge fan of group classes to start. It’s also fair the craze that swept the nature originally likes to call back to roots of a practice that is part of a Hindu religion. What I’ve found on the score shows mostly what we practice here in the U.S. is only loosely based on what is practiced in the religions--but, still a name is a name is a name.

All that to say, I didn’t get it. I didn’t want to get it. Then I hurt my knee and was worried about the high-impact running causes on the joints. The physical therapist had cleared me but I still was slowing working my way back up to doing any exercise besides walking. Then I went and watched the Chicago Marathon. Definitely, an endorphin rush, and I wasn’t even the one running. So I decided I’d get back into this running thing. Then the pandemic happened. Chicago, rightfully so, closed down the lakefront trails, the parks, people were encouraged to stay indoors. Then it rained. I needed to do something and I figured yoga would be a low impact way to trick myself into doing something and I could work my way up to other stuff. Whew, boy.

I started on youtube and found a playlist with thirty days of yoga (yogawithadrienne to give credit where credit is due). It took me two months of listening to my body and working my way through moves that were unfamiliar to me and yet also shapes I had done in other ways. Then I continued it. Another thirty days of daily yoga practice. Now yoga in some fashion, energetic, or  stretching, 15 minutes and up is something I like to do every day, and with a few exceptions, I’ve met it. I think I’ve been able to stick with this practice, even with everything in my life and in the world, in that it continues in the soft vein and I’m also seeing results. Not just in ways I thought, liked increased flexibility, but also in less wrist and back pain. The amount of actual muscle tone is also a surprise. When this is all over, I’m still not sure I’m quite over my block about in-person class, but I think it’s skills and an activity that I want to continue.

Hope wherever you are that you have been able to find new ideas, practices, activities to help your well-being!

One of my first courses in earning my degree at library school brought up ethical conundrums a librarian may face. Having never really considered this before, I was surprised by the many different ways librarians are challenged. From the books, and other media, to possible restrictions on sites that may be accessed by computers, all are ways to either help or create barriers to community.

I recently thought back to those as I am fact-checking my current historical fiction. Needless to say my search history would not give anyone pause, but it was interesting to reflect that before the internet my searches--some already frustrating--may have been even more so. My searches have led me as far as afield as when tea, and what kinds, would have been available in Britain during the 1810s--which lead me down some rabbit holes and I now know more about the Opium Wars and how that interacts with the larger history of trade. I now know more about gin, champagne, and bourbon as well. Those led to more interesting results.

But what my searching has shown me, is there are a lot of really passionate people in this area. A lot of the culture, clothing, housing, has come from blogs in addition to other sources. A lot of digital archives of census records and museum archives has helped provide detail and depth in ways that surprised me. The internet has helped make a lot of passion projects reality. In thinking back to my librarian training days, I am reminded that the ability to access information is a privilege hard-won whether that information is on the popular form of decorating or on accurate maps.

My wonderful readers, I have updated my Coming Soon page here on the blog!
Mainly because the muse is the director, and I can only sort of quietly nudge her back into the lanes I thought were mapped out.
To that end, the third and fourth books in the Ravanna Series are drafted. The third, Bone Marrow, is more or less complete--yet I am struggling with moving it forward. When I wrote the story the plot went in a particular direction. Those books in general are written in an odd way, and it did so sort of wild. I am struggling what to do with it. Until, I get it planned out, there can be no third or fourth book. So they are planned. They will continue--just without any definitive time.

The second book in the New World has a title, and I really thought I would start writing that second book immediately. That’s what I did with the Ravanna Series--in fact I really wrote straight through books 1-3. That has not happened so for now there’s a title, I am excited for that universe--just not right now.

So the big news actually, is the next book is (tentatively because this year has been a mess) scheduled to release May 2021. I’m pretty confident where I’m at with it and hope to stick to my guns. That means watch this space for the cover reveal and teasers and count down! The book, Middle Ground, is a historical romance. I can’t wait to hear about what you think of Eveline and her story!

In general, I’ve been sticking to one book published every two years. A part of me would like to go faster, but then my brain tends to decide it doesn’t what to write, and also kind of would like to talk to other people. As always the book writing, editing, formatting, proofreading, cover designing, all happens around everything else.

More details soon!