​Summer is coming to end. Where I live in the deepest of the deep south, it won't start cooling down for at least two months, but autumn makes her presence known in other ways. The kids are back at school. A few leaves are dropping in the backyard. The days are getting shorter. 

The seasons seem to pass like pages in a book written to be skimmed, not deeply read. In my mid-50s, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to slow it down. This is the way it is, I guess.  Summer 2022's page has almost flipped. 

While a great deal of this summer was spent with family and friends, I tried to get some writing and photography in, too.  What did I get done this summer? 

On the fiction front, the final installation in the Chronicles of Fu Xi has a title - "Time of the Spear". For those who follow the books, you might know that is a term from the first novel.  I've been busy diagramming the novel and working on character development models and subtext. Since this is the last novel in the series, I have to get everything tied up neatly. That requires a lot of work.  It would be bad leaving a character hanging or a plot hole. 

 I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with early morning and late evening writing sessions. 

If you love epic novels, world-building fantasy, history or mythology, I invite you to explore my novels. A great place to start is The Golden Princess. It comes in paperback, e-book and audiobook (which is awesome!) Its a short novel, and a great introduction to my writing, and the greater world I've created through my novels. You can discover all my novels on my author page. 

On the photography front, my next book project is well underway. I'm reluctant to go into any detail on what its about other than to say its simultaneously contemporary and based on Alabama history. I've amassed about 50 good images and the basic outline of the narrative. 

​What I also did a lot of this summer was ride my motorcycle. Equipped with a tail bag optimized for camera gear, it has become my magic carpet and primary means of transportation when I'm taking photographs.  It seems I've put a lot of miles on my bike.  According to people who know about motorcycles, I've put on more miles than usual on my Harley. The bike gives my photography an added level of adventure and I love riding it. No regrets. As soon as it gets out of the shop for a busted back tire, I'll put more miles on it. 

Friends crack jokes and wonder if my new bike is a manifestation of some sort of mid-life crisis. If a woman of a certain age gets a boob job, a makeover and a new wardrobe, it's "You go, girl!" If a man of a certain age gets a new sports car, its "Bob must be having a mid-life crisis."  Bobs just want to have fun. 

When you're young, you have no money but lots of energy and time. Once you have time and money, you're old and have no energy. I'm at a place in my life I have have a little more of everything except hair. It's not a crisis, it's just opportunity and time coming together. Why wouldn't one take advantage of life's opportunities and live a little? 

Speaking of opportunities, I'm looking forward to a fall and winter filled with photography, writing and maybe just a little riding on the side. I also hope to be attending several art and book festivals as the weather cools down. Please visit my events calendar to get up to speed on book signings, galleries and speaking engagements. 

It's my hope I have two new books in 2024 - a novel and a photography book. Keep checking back for updates. Thanks for stopping by. 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the Piney Woods Art Festival in Enterprise, Alabama this weekend, especially those who dropped by my booth. The positive response to "Abandoned Wiregrass," as well as my prints and framed art, was overwhelming. I would especially like to thank the Coffee County Arts Alliance for hosting the event and allowing me to attend. Piney Woods has been a vital part of the community fabric in Enterprise for as long as I can remember. This was my first year participating, and I will be sure to return. 

My photo "Winter Chairs" was honored with Best In Show. This kinda blows me away, because there were some SERIOUSLY talented artists at the event. I am honored and grateful. 

It was great to see many friends drop by the booth, including old friends from college I have not seen in many years. I received an unexpected surprise when, in the festival's closing hour,  I heard a voice say "That's my shack!"  Sure enough, it was the gentleman who owns the cabin featured on the cover of Abandoned Wiregrass.  I had not seen Mr. Waters since the day I took that image. We had a great time catching up and talking about the shack's history, and other places around the local area that might be good candidates for future photos. 

I'm not sure when or where my next event will be, as the local art festival scene slows down in the summer. I'll be taking the  opportunity to keep writing my fiction novels, as well as riding the roads (on my motorcycle, of course!) looking for my next photograph.

Keep checking back for updates!

#pineywoodsartfestival #artfestival #photography #awardwinning

I keep on a blogging schedule about as well as I keep on a diet, and some weeks are better than others. This was a good week because I got the post written and out on a Monday. Yeah. My diet? Not so much. 

Its been a good week, no, a GREAT WEEK! Why? because it just was, that's why. I felt good this week, and feeling good is good enough (can anyone name the movie that line comes from?) I spent this week working hard on my day job, working on an article for a local newsletter, and working on this website. 

Some of you might have noticed some recent changes to my website. I've tried to make it more informative and user friendly. These are a few of the changes:

1. A list of upcoming and recent events, such as book signings and speaking engagements.

2. Portfolios of my photography. 

3. Newspaper & web articles, reviews and places you can purchase "Abandoned Wiregrass." 

When I start making the big bucks, I'll hire someone to make me a snazzy e-commerce website, but until then I'll be running the Weebly free version. 
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That's all I have for now. Have fun exploring the new features on the website. See ya next week. 

Tip of the week: Don't listen to sleeping music using Spotify. Your preference algorithms will never be the same.