I'm a little late, but Happy New Year! I hope your year has gotten off to a great start. Since I last posted, I've been going strong and I can't wait to tell you about it. So, let's jump right in!
DECEMBER 13-22, 2022
These are the dates my husband and I were on a trip celebrating our 30th Anniversary (it was June 24th). We went to the UK. We had eight wonderful days in Ireland, Scotland and England. The reason I named this post "A Journey To The Past", is because the history in these places is amazing. I walked into at least a couple places that were a thousand years old! We had so much fun looking at these places that had been built so long ago, yet were still going strong. I tell you, build with stone, if you want something to last. We also visited many museums, even a couple writers museums in Ireland and Scotland. Many of the museums were housed in these historical buildings. To say the trip was inspiring is an understatement. I appreciate my husband so much for encouraging me to do things on our trip that were especially geared towards my interests.
Although I loved Ireland and Scotland, the part that is the most exciting as far as my writing right now, is my time spent in the North Yorkshire area of England. You may remember that my novel Hope for Charity has much of its story set in North Yorkshire. Can you feel my emotion as I write this? I can't tell you how many times I ran out of space on my phone for pictures and had to make room. I took pages and pages of notes. I feel like I could write another book set in that area right now. I probably will at some point, Lord Willing.
The picture above isn't a great pic, but I wanted to show you this man on the left. My husband is on the right. The man's name is John. John saw my husband and I wandering around his small North Yorkshire town, Harrowgate. We had been spending the day searching for the oldest buildings and places in the town. Places that had been around during my novel's time period, mid 1700s. Well, John had lived in this town his whole life (he's 76) as well as his parents and grandparents. He knew the history of the town well. He took us to the oldest parts of the town and gave us the history of the area. It was AWESOME! Not only did I get to hear about a North Yorkshire town and its history from someone who lives there, but I also got to hear it in the North Yorkshire accent. AWESOME! I could have spent another week there, but alas it was time to head to London and come back home.
A couple of the pictures above are things I particularly talk about it my novel, the dress, the River Ouse and the White Hart Inn, which is now a hotel and has expanded to several places in North Yorkshire at least. I can't tell you just how excited I was to get to see them for myself. I went into the White Hart Inn and of course it's updated, but there were also many features which very well could have been restored from the 18th century. In some ways, it felt familiar because of the time I've spent in research. Getting to walk over the River Ouse was also a surreal experience. Being able to make this trip was an incredible blessing. I am truly thankful for the experience.
January 2-6,2020
A trip to San Diego, CA with my husband, was almost all business. He had to go for work and I spent my days editing, editing, editing. I love it when I get to get away and have extra time for my writing.
MOVING FORWARD
What does all of this mean for my story? I plan to continue editing while I wait to hear back from the Literary Agent, and use some of my new knowledge and perspective. I've started a planner for the 2020 year and have been learning how to make that work for me. I've talked about finding balance in life before. I'm hoping by using the planner, it will help me to find that balance. God, Family, Chores, Writing...and more, all need or want my time. Finding balance and using my time wisely is crucial if I want to give each part of my life the time it deserves.
The Lord must be a part of every aspect of my life, but there is time that I need to spend each day that is focused solely on Him, if I want to truly be in His will for the rest of life.
I hope you've enjoyed hearing a little about my trip and why I've been AWOL on here for a while. I plan to post every other week again and update my website, too. So make sure to come back and see me. Remember, I'd love to hear from you. Likes, comments, shares, subscribers and followers here and on my other social media sites are great ways to help and encourage me. I appreciate each one of you. Thank you for coming and for following me on my journey to Author and Beyond.
May the Lord God bless you and your family with faith, hope and love in Jesus' Name.
In Christ,
Sandy