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and here we are, at last
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Hello, friend!
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THERE WERE TIMES when I wondered if it would ever come, this glorious spring, this time of renewal, this season of buds and sprouts and blooms. For this past year has been one in which winter certainly did hang on. (And I'm saying that as a gal who loves herself some cozy cold.) Still here we are—we've made it—and has spring ever seemed so beautiful? So colorful? So insistent? She's bursting out all over in majestic pinks, purples, whites, and the glorious tender greens that hold such magic, such promise. I've resumed my morning walks (I will tell you I am a fair-weather walker, unwilling to brave lung-chilling cold or shoe-soaking rain or the summer smothering heat we experience here in the midlands of South Carolina) and even with pollen so thick I swear I can feel it coat my skin, my tongue, my lungs—I cannot help but marvel. And smile. And double-back, as I often do, for one more photograph.
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Oh, how my soul is rejoicing that it is finally spring!
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There is also the excitement as the debut of my novel approaches! That Which Binds Us officially enters the world June 10, and what a whirlwind of activity there is as my team and I plan, prepare, and dare I say it plot for this summer's book tour! Just yesterday we updated my website with new sections for EVENTS, BOOK CLUBS, MEDIA (I giggle just writing that one) and PUBLICATIONS, a section that links to literary journals and the like, where my short stories, poems and essays appear. I do hope you'll keep a particular eye on the EVENTS tab as we'll be updating it regularly with dates, times and places I'll be speaking, reading and/or in conversation with other authors. It's going to be so fun! If you're in the area, I'd love to see you.
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Oh, for this sweet time of nature's hope and promise! I'm doing my best to soak it all up, and I pray that for you, this glorious season is one that restores and fortifies you.
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I'm a regular podcast listener and there've been some fine episodes on some of my faves here lately. A round-up, if you're into such, and I hope you are:
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Books that Speak to Each Other Across the Years (This episode is a discussion about the ways your favorite childhood books influence the choice of books you read and love today, which I found fascinating.) What Should I Read Next podcast with Anne Bogel
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A Psalm for the Wild-Built, by Becky Chambers
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This right here is a suggestion to step outside your typical reading genre to find the wonders that await. I learned of this novella on a podcast; I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE BOOK'S TITLE; I decided to give it a shot. Oh my, sweet friends, what a happy (and not sappy) heart I have, having finished it. If you feel overwhelmed and in need of a good infusion of hope, this thoughtful little story might just be it.
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WINNER OF THE HUGO AWARD It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
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THE RESIDENCE on Netflix is marvelous. Uzo Aduba is a wonder as Cordelia Cupp. A brilliant, eccentric detective must solve a murder in the White House residence — where the staff and guests at a state dinner are all suspects. (more Shonda Rhimes magic!)
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MAN ON THE INSIDE on Netflix is so, so good. Starring Ted Danson, and he is perfection. A retired professor gets a new lease on life when a private investigator hires him to go undercover inside a San Francisco retirement home.
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SILO (Apple TV)—I wasn't so sure about this series then Tim and I both got totally sucked in. In a post-apocalyptic world, a community lives deep underground in a giant silo, following strict rules they believe will protect them.
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Pesto. Beans.I love them both. And this is yummy.
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most recent post on THE DAILY GRACE
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In times like these.
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It's the first time I've made the drive back to our beloved Cats Mountain since Hurricane Helene, and while so much progress has been made, the devastation is still unimaginable.
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