and might I say ...

... I am officially back to the novel-in-progress while the query process for the first two rolls onward.

I am SO happy to be working on this book again.

abundance

Sometime yesterday afternoon the cold left and in its place came a taste of spring, and a sense of abundance. More than enough books to read, food to eat, horses to ride, cats and corgis to snuggle, pages to revise, family to enjoy, warm days to bask in the sun.

the beloved uncle

Last, but certainly not least, Apollo Moon, who showed up at our barn in early January and made it clear he had come to stay. We attempted to find his previous home - he is older and was very thin, but well-cared for and obviously an indoor cat. We were unsuccessful but in the meantime he settled himself into our big, chaotic family and is now quite a presence here.

concatenation

Happiness.


Circles. Turas. Journey, pilgrimage.





Jera. There is no way to push the river. You can't hasten the harvest.





Success is a journey not a destination -- half the fun is getting there.

-Gita Bellin

saturday

Some hours before dawn Henry Perowne, a neurosurgeon, wakes to find himself already in motion, pushing back the covers from a sitting position, and then rising to his feet.

-from Ian McEwan's Saturday



Ian McEwan's Atonement is one of my favorite novels, so when Saturday made it to the top of my reading pile this week I was eager to dive in.

His writing is elegant and controlled, with beautiful, flowing language, and yet very clear and concise.

His novel Saturday takes place in one day, which means he digs deeply into each scene, allowing Henry Perowne to do a lot of thinking and pondering. I love this kind of intimate, internally-driven writing.

I sometimes wonder if the European "audience" - when it comes to novels - is more accepting of this style of writing, which is not plot but character-driven.

I had not realized until I noticed on the bookjacket that McEwan wrote The Comfort of Strangers, which was made into a movie back in the '90's. That title is now on my reading list.

Reading Saturday is also triggering memories of Saul Bellow's Herzog and Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, both novels I own but have not read in many years ... perhaps I will connect the dots and read off on a tangent!