The Apple Fire
Things have been a bit more exciting than I like around here. We live fairly close to the Apple Fire. And as most people in California have to do on occasion, we were ready to evacuate. Luckily we did not have to, and the fire only destroyed one house. It’s still burning up in the mountains with no homes threatened at this point. The air quality is pretty smoky, however. On social media, I said it smelled like a campfire gone wrong, which is a line from my romantic suspense starring firefighters, Flash Point.
It made me think about why I wrote Flash Point, book 2 in my Hometown Heroes series. Fires are a way of life in much of the Southwest. I’ve had to evacuate a handful of times and have spent many nights watching the news coverage of a local fire. I have incredible respect for the men and women that fight these fires from the ground and air to protect lives and property. These fires take on lives of their own and create their own weather. They can change on a dime, and many firefighters have lost their lives due to changing conditions. They certainly deserve all our credit, thoughts, and prayers.
Apple Fire 2020
And if you were paying attention to the headline, you’ll notice that I mentioned surgery. Yes, I’m having my right hip replaced in a little over a week. The left hip will also have to be replaced sometime this fall as well. I have something called avascular necrosis of both femoral heads. What that means, as I understand it, is that the blood supply died off to the hip socket and caused the bone to die. I’m just looking forward to walking and sleeping without pain! I’ll take any thoughts and prayers you want to send my way. And for my college-aged daughter who will have the bulk of my care.
Productivity and Encouragement
This past spring, I did a series of Facebook Lives where I gave a productivity encouragement tip. I’ll share three of them with you here.
- Listen to your self-talk and write it down. Would you talk to anyone else that way?
- Create an alter ego who knows what to do. You’d be surprised how well this works.
- Create a new normal for now. Any changes you make don’t have to be (and likely won’t be) permanent. Just do what works for now.
Reviews
If you have read any of my books, please leave a review. Reviews are lifeblood for authors. It helps them get noticed, and makes it easier for authors to participate in certain marketing programs, and helps other readers find them. So please leave reviews for your favorite books on Amazon and Goodreads (below my signature you can find links to follow me on those sites). And if you share my books on social media, tag me and I’ll repost it. Those are some of my favorite kinds of posts.
“Knowledge is the compound interest of curiosity.” James Clear
Poet Yahia Lababidi on the power of listening: “A good listener is one who helps us overhear ourselves.”
