Getting Away by Susan Sands

Dear friends,

I spent a few days in Fripp Island, South Carolina, with my friend, Cindy, recently. After being locked down for so long. It felt like breathing fresh air for the first time in months.

We kayaked to a tiny deserted island where the driftwood lay like a boneyard. Heavenly and haunted. Huge dead trees stuck in the wet sand, bleached white by the sun. We didn't encounter another human while we were there. The weather was perfect, and we walked for what seemed like miles on the hard-packed low-tide sand. Can you see it?

On our third day, my friend, who lives on the island, took us out in her boat to another nearby island. This one requires leaving before low tide, so there's enough water in the canal to not hit sand bars. We went to Bull Point, aka, Shell Island, where there are huge shells everywhere. I mean, enormous unbroken, conch shells and many other varieties so plentiful it's hard to imagine. We encountered countless giant horseshoe crab shells where the animals sadly become regularly stranded by the tide. My friend, Cindy, had asked me if there were wild pigs on Fripp Island on our way down. I'd laughed that off. I really had no idea. But sure enough, we passed a wild pig carcass while on our adventure.

We soaked up the sun, put our toes in the sand, and caught some unbelievable sunsets. The place is a wildlife sanctuary, so the deer and birds are everywhere.

We ate our weight in fresh seafood, which is my absolute favorite. I was able to bring home an embarrassing amount of fresh, peeled shrimp for future cooking adventures.

Fripp Island is a tranquil and beautiful place, and we were so thankful for a place to stay with my friend, Jessica. We turned up the high school music and sang badly on the way home. Now, I'm hunkered down working on my edits for Noel, Alabama.

I can't wait to share my new cover!! Check my social media for more information!!

Stay safe! Stay well! Love to all!!

Susan Sands

Susan Sands: Writing in My Mind

I would love to say I've been super-productive these last weeks with my writing. But sadly, life has

Fripp Island, South Carolina

wrestled me to the ground and taken control in a way that hasn't left time for the muse, no matter how much I want to put words on the page. By the time I settle in for the evening, I tend to stare cross-eyed at the screen and begin to nod off.

Life, as in losing three hundred pages of edits due to "an unfortunate data loss" as describe by both Apple tech support and Microsoft Word for Mac tech support when referring to the corrupted file that was supposed to be autosaved instead. Life, as in getting fifteen years of stuff stuffed away to make my house "show-ready" for selling. Life, as in heading back to Louisiana and packing up my parents for their second move in three months. This time, they are moving to Georgia to be near me because my dad's Alzheimer's has become an aggressive beast that my mother can't begin to handle on her own, three states away, with no backup. Life, as in family vacation in South Carolina that has been planned, paid for, and highly anticipated for months. The day I return, my parents will arrive from Louisiana permanently.

So, the writing hasn't happened. But the ideas have been coming fast and furious. I've made notes on my phone when I'm not near my computer. I've plotted a whole new series in my head while I've been packing, traveling, and playing on the beach with my family. The fingers might be away from the keyboard, but my brain somehow has found its way to progress despite all the obstacles. I guess even when we shut down the flow of words on paper, they still manage to find an outlet, like a stubborn little flower that sprouts up through a crack in the cement. And I've had some pretty hot, dry cement to contend with lately, y'all.

Hopefully, by the time I get back in front of my computer, I'll be able to write like the wind. It shouldn't be long now.

I hope everyone is having a lovely summer!

Susan Sands