In Two Years by Susan Sands

I don't like or want to rush time. Every day is a gift and is meant to be lived to its fullest. Having said that, I look ahead some days. With the hope that the storms of today will be over by then. Maybe not in a year, but in two years?

So, if I indulge in a little fantasy today about two years from now, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, it might look a little something like this:

In two years:

We'll be settled in a new house.

All my kids will be out of college and gainfully employed.

COVID will be a cringe-y nightmare we look back on.

I won't have to wear a mask in the grocery store, or anywhere else.

I can travel.

I'll be outside more than inside.

Kids will all be back in school face-to-face and there will be laughter and learning.

Businesses won't be boarded up and cities will begin to thrive again. 

People will make strides in acceptance and happiness.

I will have a bestselling book. :-) 

These are only a few of so many fast-forwards I hope for. There are lots of bigger and more important things the world needs that aren't here on my first-world list of happy thoughts.

My wish of hope and joy for you all is a given. There will always be struggle and strife and tragedy--the bad and the good together. 

I've started writing book two of my Louisiana series. So, I'll keep you posted on that front.

Since we're not two years into the future, let's all try to live our best lives right now. Pay it forward, be kind, and try to love the ones we're with. Life is nothing if not unpredictable, so we should treasure our days.

All the best!

Susan Sands

Writing the Book Might be the Easy Part! By Susan Sands

When an author releases a new book, especially a holiday title, she has a short window to get the word

out. The publisher does a certain amount of publicity, but it's up to the author to find creative ways to reach readers, especially during a pandemic. There aren't a lot of opportunities for in-person book signings and personal appearances. Zoom isn't especially well-attended, unless you are a big bestselling author. I am not a big bestselling author. But I do have friends who are.

I'm trying to be as creative as possible and do as much as I can during the short window between release day on October 19th and December 25th to promote my new book, Noel, Alabama. Besides screaming myself hoarse on social media, I've got an online book tour scheduled, lots of shoutouts with my author friends on release day, pre-release reviewers who've read the advanced copy, a big Zoom event with some of those big author friends I mentioned on release day, hosted by FoxTale Books, my local indie bookseller. I could go on because there are plenty of other smaller events to share... 

I'm scheduled to appear on my publisher's blog and their Facebook book club and they will be posting my cover on the website and social media pages. They've been doing some pre-pub publicity stuff as well. And I know there are so many other things done leading up to pub day on the publisher's end.

I say all of this to show how much time and effort goes into finding readers for mine and any author's book. The sales window for a holiday book ends on Christmas day, so all the effort is concentrated into a few short months--weeks. Writing the book really is only part of the whole picture.

It's a lot of effort for a book. I do hope my readers enjoy it!

Have a happy October!!

Susan Sands

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

The Things I Do to Avoid Writing by Susan Sands

Most days I sit down in front of my computer screen with the very best intentions of writing like the

wind. BUT, I get sidetracked. Do you? Like any other kind of work,  some days, I do almost anything besides what I should.

And I rationalize that it's necessary. I mean, a good social media presence is a vital part of the author's brand, right? So, there's the quick run through to see what's happening in the world. A lot, most days, let me tell you. And it's important to find something cute or funny (for me anyway) to post on my timeline on FB or IG first thing. Then, there's the never-intended quick stop that can turn into a hellish black hole of Twitter. I try to look away, truly I do. Don't even get me started on the dog and cat videos.

Sometimes I have a quick look to see what books my author friends are reading and recommending, what BookBub's got on sale, and who's released a new book. Y'all, this stuff is legit and it takes time.

By this time, I might need a snack or a bathroom break. I know you're nodding because you understand what I'm saying.

I do write a lot of words. Some days more than others. But it's a process and it takes me a while to gather my courage to open that Word file and get back into the story that's been calling to me in my sleep. By the time I finally do, I'm more than ready to tackle my plot hole, my next complicated scene, or whatever the day's writing holds. Do I take breaks? Yes. But I also hold myself accountable to a word count and deadlines.

Best to all my writer friends out there, and I'm in awe of those of you who can resist the rabbit holes of excessive research and other dastardly temptations to stray from your manuscript.

Happy Writing!

Susan

Meet the Neighbors by Susan Sands

If you've read any of my blogging in the last six months or so, you'll remember that we moved into

a new townhome neighborhood. Because it was dead winter and too cold to really venture out for several months (for me), I didn't meet many new neighbors here. I'm a weird blend of introvert and curious neighbor and don't typically seek out a social life with my neighbors now that my kids are grown. I was part of a long-standing bunco group in my last neighborhood, so I had lots of friends there, but here, not so much.

I go to the mailbox, smile, and say hello. But this summer, my husband and I got into the habit of going to the community's pool on the weekends. So, we've slowly begun to meet some of the folks we now live amongst. I have to say, it's an interesting group.

The guy next door is a gastroenterologist and plays the banjo (not well) on his back deck. I know his profession, not because he told us, but because the guy on the other side of him told us. He knows this, not because the good doctor told him, but because that guy is an attorney and does background checks on all his neighbors. You know, because you gotta know who you share walls with. They are super nice though, and we found out that his wife is the daughter of a golfing buddy of my husband.

There are a handful of women at the pool who are readers and always show up with a new book. It's been fun to discuss what we are reading from our floats and loungers. The group also consists of single career women, a woman veterinarian, several empty nesters like us, and younger couples who are at the beginning of their professional careers. So far, I'm the only author in the group that I'm aware of, but writers don't always show themselves right away.

It's been fun to slowly make my way into the community. I hear there are some pretty interesting parties, but I'll settle for a little pool socializing for now. And learning second-hand about my neighbors from my other neighbors...LOL!

I wish everyone in the path of Hurricane Dorian the best. Coming from Louisiana, I'm glued to the coverage. If they tell you to get out, get out!

Have a great Labor Day!

Susan