Second day blahs

It is second-day letdown here in Dreamland. You build up to something and then suddenly -pfft! -- it's over.

Sorta like vacation, or Christmas.

Now that the book has launched, I'm not exactly looking around and saying "What's next?" I already know. Promotion. Finishing the sequel. And all the other stuff you have to do if writing is a career and not a hobby. I'm sorta on the brink right now. I actually went to my LinkedIn page and listed myself as "author."

That was a big step. Up until now, I've though of my writing as a pleasant way to waste spend my time.

But now I've decided to get serious about it. Which means spending some time everyday writing as well as promoting.

Lordy, if the book sells maybe I can afford to hire a publicist!

Yeah, right. Well, as the title says, what's the "definition of a dream?" It's having the things you dreamed of coming true. Which they have, for me.  Ten years ago I never thought I'd have an author page on Amazon.

Now I have six books listed.

Yay! but I still need to sort the laundry, make the beds, and empty the dishwasher.

It isn't all glamour,  folks.

Now here's a picture of Spooky, just because.

And more...

The book trailer was created by my talented son.

And here is another excerpt just for Definition of a Dream readers:

     A slight noise made her look down. One of the thugs had recovered consciousness and was reaching for a knife. The metal of the blade gleamed under the streetlight’s rays. As Caroline concentrated on it, her eyes narrowed, the knife skittered just beyond his grasp. He grunted, reached again, this time getting a firm hold on the handle, and stood. Nathan and Fitz, looking down the street in anticipation of help, were oblivious of the danger scant inches behind them.

     There was no time to warn them. Caroline grabbed the first thing she saw, which was Amelia’s umbrella. With one quick step she poked the man in the back with the tip.

     “Drop the knife or I will blow a hole in your chest a greyhound could leap through,” she commanded.     When the man hesitated, she gave him another, harder jab. “I mean what I say. Drop it!” The horrors she had just endured made her reckless. All she wanted was for this nightmare to end and this idiot was not going to prolong it.

     The man obeyed and the knife clattered across the cobblestones.

     “Now sit down or I’ll shoot your head off. Maybe I’ll do it anyway. It could only improve your looks.”

     “No, don’t,” the man begged, sitting rather abruptly on one of his fellow’s legs.
     Fitz laughed when he saw the situation. “She means it,” he advised. “I wouldn’t move if I were you.”

The end of summer -- not!

I see the school parking lots are full as teachers ready their classrooms for the influx of students in just two weeks. I'm not going to say "Where did the summer go?' because it hasn't.  Summer doesn't end until September 23.

My grandsons, who live in Georgia, started school yesterday -- which effectively ended their summer.

All I can say is, "Thank heaven for air conditioning!"

School used to end for the year after Memorial Day in May and not start up again until after Labor Day. I suspect the schedule had less to do with the fact that no one can learn anything when the temperatures soar into the high eighties as that the students were needed at home to help with the family farm.

The long summer also made it ideal for non-farming teens to find jobs. Employers were willing to hire on for three months, whereas today they aren't so eager to take on part-timers for a scant six weeks or so.

I had a summer job as soon as I could get my "working papers" at fourteen. We lived by an amusement park that was a mecca for local teens who wanted to earn some money. I served soft ice cream, wearing a white uniform and a hair net as required by the Board of Health.  I saved all my paychecks until September and then shopped for school clothes. What a thrill it was to pick out my own wardrobe and pay with my own hard-earned money!

But not all teens are as lucky, and for some the long summer drags on and on, with "nothing to do." So maybe it's a good idea to shorten it. I'm more and more becoming a proponent of year-long school. Family farms are a thing of the past. Jobs are scarce for adults, let alone teens. And with both parents working these days, leaving kids unsupervised all day is a recipe for trouble.

With year-round school, the start of school won't signal the "end of summer" because there would be no "start date."

I have no idea what that would do to the economy because it would also put an end to "back to school sales" in stores.

And then we would have no idea when summer was over. I guess we'd find out when the leaves started changing and we turned our air conditioners off.

Like Mother Nature intended.