We’ve been home for about a month.  In that time there have been three wildfires in the area.  The last one was less than one half mile from our property.  My husband and I had been out shopping and we could see the smoke from I-30.  It was in the general vicinity of our property but we didn’t know how close until our son called and told us that the main road was blocked off.  Of course, we went directly home, in case we had to evacuate.  The good thing about living in an RV--we should be able to save the majority of our “stuff” including the RV.  We’d have to get it away pretty fast though.

By the time we got there, the fire was out but it did put a fear in us since this fire and the last one were only one week apart and so much closer than the first fire.  We decided to get everything put up in the RV to make it ready for pullout, like when we’re traveling so we’d be able to evacuate quicker. 

My husband has rearranged our shed.  Putting what he considers important in the bottom storage area of the RV while putting bigger items near the opening of the shed so we can load it into my truck if we do have to evacuate.

The one thing I consider fortunate—our smaller local wildfires aren’t making the news nationwide.  It keeps my parents, especially my dad, from worrying.  I swear he’s the worrier in the family, not Mom.  He gets upset with me when I’m traveling and don’t call and check in with him every night.  Of course, he doesn’t say it, instead he bugs Mom about it and she tells me.  He expects to hear from any of his kids or their families who are traveling whether it’s for work or leisure.

So, imagine what he goes through when a hurricane hits South Carolina where my sister lives, or DC where her son works.  Now, not only is he worried about tornadoes where we live but hurricanes for my sister and her son and now we’ve added earthquakes on the East Coast.  No way am I mentioning wildfires to him.

We fled from Hurricane Ike when it hit Houston.  We packed up the RV and went to San Antonio for a few days (love that city and the bagpipe player).  We didn’t have to worry about losing anything.  Dad didn’t have to worry either because we left with the advance warning.  Okay, okay, we did go RV shopping and bought the 5^th wheel we have now.

I grew up in an area where we got the occasional blizzards, thunderstorms, and floods but no earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes.  Sure, we’d get rain from the hurricanes but overall, the area I grew up in was calm. 

You’re probably wondering why we moved.  The cold and our two story house, with a full basement and attic were getting to be too much for us to handle.  The warmer winter weather and smaller RV are easier for us, less pain and more fun in our lives.

So, do you live in a different area from where you grew up?  Is the weather very different?  Did you consider the weather when you moved?

Timing is everything

I was chatting with a co-worker today about this. Our office moved to a new location and it added to his commute. But if he leaves his house 5 minutes earlier, there's no impact at all. If he leaves at his old time, then WHAM: he's stuck.

Timing is everything, isn't it? What was a tragedy yesterday is a matter of humor today. That book you wrote yesterday that no one thought would make it is now a hot commodity because it features talking animals who take over the world (hey: who would have thought zombies and Jane Austen could mix?) Timing is everything about your pitch (at National Conference) -- did the agent/editor when s/he is tired, happy, sad, or upbeat? I can go on and on, but you know it's true: getting published is a matter of luck, perseverance, luck, talent and timing. Yes, luck twice. Because it really is like getting hit by lightning, at least the first time.

Whenever I find myself swamped (as I often am. Let's face it: I work full-time. I have 5 books releasing this year, three in May/June/July. I just sold my house. I just bought a house 300 miles away. I'm out of town 3 of the next 6 weekends. I'm editing a book to submit. I'm packing. It's garden season. I'm packing) I just figure: "how will this look a year from now?" It's like dipping into my own private time capsule. Just kick back for a second, close your eyes, and think: 'what will tihs be like a year from now.'

Then I start to laugh and pick up whatever has me annoyed and tackle it. You know why I laugh (okay. Sometimes I just smile)? Because I know I won't remember this grievance in six months, much less a year. There will be a vague cloud of "man, that was tough!" but it won't weigh me down then. So why should I let it weigh me down now?

Time to pack that next box. Enough relaxing!

Oh, those bourbon slings (and arrows of outrageous fortune?)

Once again, life is handing me what might be lemons but which might also become a marvelous Bourbon Sling.

I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but my web site vanished around Christmas time. It's a long story (best told in a bar at a writing conference), but suffice it to say, I had to come up with a new hosting service, new web site, and new, well, everything. I flailed around for a few weeks, then I designed a new web site, or a web slog: a web site/blog that I can easily update. I'm rather proud of it. Check it here: http://www.jayellwilson.com.

I've got a "landing" site, a home site for my mysteries, one for my time travel books (which will be a blog about self-publishing since I'm taking the books that were returned to me and launching them myself), and a site for my paranormal thrillers (one of which got a 4-star RT review. I am STILL pumped about that!)

So there's a BIG Bourbon Sling: a new web site that will be easy to maintain. Whew.

Just when I thought it was safe to relax, I had a book release on me that I didn't plan for. Lie to Me is a cross-country blind date from hell...which turns into a little bit of heaven for Grace Jamison. It's fun, it's sexy, and it released when I least expected it! But I got a rockin' cool cover, it's out there, so hey, life is good, right?

So now I can relax, right?

Nope. My husband and I were contemplating a move to a new state. I've lived here for 20 years, and that's a LONG time for me. We thought we might move. I started to browse for new houses, etc., and WHAM, found one that might just be perfect.

So now: scramble? Prep our house for sale? Put in an offer? Move? Not move? Oh, and my husband is job-hunting and just got a short-term contract offer...in our current town. Prep the new house, let him stay here and sell the old house?

Nope. That idea fell through when we investigated a bit more. So now it's back to the drawing board--literally. We may be building a home. 

That sound you hear? It's me, screaming as Life once again piles ... maybe lemons ... on my plate.

But that's okay. I'm somewhat confident there's a bourbon sling at the end of the tunnel...