Kim Neville

When did that happen? Wish I were spending the next two months doing the above. But I’m behind in my work, so instead I’m calling on grandmas and aunties for babysitting help and putting in more writing hours than ever.

June, wow, June. It passed in a blur of exhaustion. In my last post I wrote about illness. Well, after I nursed my family back to health it was two more weeks of sick for me. I did not get much done this month.

My goal is to have The Glass Doll ready for beta readers by the end of August. I’ve got a ton of work ahead of me, but I REALLY want to finish this novel before the year is over. So, no summer for me. Good thing I got all that awesome lazy beach living out of my system last year.

It’s been a long, gooey-eyed, feverish, sleepy week. Cass came down with viral conjunctivitis (aka the dreaded pink eye) which morphed into a vile sinus infection/flu thingy, variations of which have now assaulted the rest of us. Other than the grocery store and four trips to three different medical clinics, I don’t think I’ve gone anywhere.

Lots of inside time has its advantages. I got reacquainted with my novel, for one. Finally, forward motion. Progress! I also dove back into some earlier chapters. It’s amazing how one small change in a character’s motivation can change the entire direction of a story.

And Cass made her own leap forward this week. She learned how to draw. This is the cat she made last night.

This picture fascinates me to no end. Because until yesterday, she had only ever scribbled. If you asked her, she’d draw a circle, or a line, but that’s it. And a day later, she’s making actual pictures. As I type this she’s back at the chalkboard drawing birds at a bird feeder. Kids are awesome.