 By Laura Drake One month from today, my debut book releases. I’m thrilled! I’m excited! I’m worried. I worked fifteen years before finally landing an agent. I worried. Will no one ever want me? Will my craft never meet the bar that seems to get raised every year? How many books will I write…
 I’m sitting here in a coffee shop in Savannah. It’s just two tree-lined blocks from where my fiancé and I live in a building that’s stood since before the Civil War. And as it so happens, this coffee shop is the oldest coffee shop in the city. Seeing how this is the second oldest city…
Lovely! What’s the name of the coffee shop? Now you know whey I love visiting Old Savannah! Enjoy your writing time. 
And after reading that beautiful writing, I’m glad you’re writing! I could almost smell that coffee shop. Sigh. I have to get to Savannah someday . . . Good luck on your new ‘adventure!’ 
This is lovely. Glad you’re home! 
Sounds like the perfect place to pen the next great American novel….and by the way the words are flowing for you, I’d say you’re well on your way. I can’t wait to sit there beside you one day soon for a nice long visit!  by Darcy Crowder Please help us celebrate our anniversary by visiting Brenda Novak’s On-Line Auction for Diabetes Research. You will find TONS of fun and fabulous items to bid on….even a Vera Wang bag stuffed full of books from many of us here at It’s Only a Novel, including some from reviews! The…
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! A year of fun and fabulous posts  By Jean Willett Simplify is defined as making something easier or less complicated. I’ve found that when focused on my writing there comes a moment when all my spinning plates come crashing down. All those multi-tasking lists and errands are scrambled amid the shards of a life upended. Life hits all of us sooner…
“remember 3.5 disks” Heck, I remember 5.25″ disks.
LOL, I have some of those 5.25 disks as well. Only, I forgot to save something to *read* them. Unless I happen to have a paper copy of the writing on those disks…it’s gone! I have a 3.5 external drive and that’s another item to add to my list – transfer the information. Now, let’s see if that information will not be a stepchild of the high technology today. 
I loved this 
Ah, this blog sings to my soul. I believe “stuff” complicates out lives and stifles our creativity. Sarah BanBrethnach has a lovely book titled Simple Abundance. I recommend it! 
I made a similar effort this weekend. As I don’t have an office, my desk is in my bedroom, which had begun to look like a cyclone blew through it. I have a file cabinet but hadn’t filed anything since I moved to this house in 2010. This weekend, I put away all the clothes, shifted the furniture around to create a cozy writing nook, and filed or trashed the piles. The book collection will be next. The closet is too frightening to think about today. 
Jean, great post. Will you come clean out my closets?
HA! Donnell, you should have my closet doors. If you enter and shut the doors, there’s no way out. So I’ll have to tie a rope around my waist and keep my cellphone handy. Terri- oh, a writing nook is a good thing. Space to create. 
My own closets are in need of a deep clean out. Pretty hard when I am still cleaning out my parent’s stuff from their old home. I doubt I’ll ever get to the bottom of it all. Lovely post, 
The other day I decided to move my sweaters and warmer tops out of my bedroom closet (prematurely, as it turned out) and discovered that they would no longer fit back into the hall cedar closet. Those pieces are now stuffed in the sewing room closet, awaiting some sort of management. I only get away with this because I live alone, which has turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. I don’t even want to think about those nineteen boxes containing about half of my late husband’s collection of military history books (the other half is still on one wall-to-wall bookcase). And the kitchen cupboards . . . 
I’ve been working on de-cluttering my office a little at a time for the past couple of weeks. It’s amazing how freeing the process can be. The office was my first priority because the clutter was sucking up all my creativity. The guest room is next and after that it will be my closet. I find it so hard to get rid of clothes that still fit. I’m so sure ‘they’ll come back in style’. The problem is, if they do come back in style there is just enough of a style different to make my old clothes look dated anyway! 
Oh don’t I wish I could simplify. One of my goals this year was to clean out a drawer a week. Not doing so well on that one – but I have cleaned up some. And some is better than none! 
Good and timely blog, Jean. I keep making small bits of progress in clearing out the clutter and simplifying, but fail in the overall goal. I’ve been itching to get back to it. Thanks for the new way of looking at the process.
Jean, you’re so right. Somewhere around 55, I realized a fundamental truth; we don’t own things — they own us. Made the decisions much easier.  By Darcy Crowder Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Literary Fiction/Women’s Fiction Inside Cover: Between 1854 and 1929, so-called Orphan Trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose…
Sounds great! I’ve been recommended this one a few times…
I think you’ll enjoy it – fascinating read! 
Loved your review! Yes, wasn’t this just the most phenomenal story ever? I just loved it but felt soooo sorry for Vivian when she lived with the Grote family. I wanted to reach into the pages of the book, pull her out, hug her, and rescue her. My heart and soul weeped for her and the terrible living conditions and what HE did to her!! I’m keeping this one as part of my permanent collection. Cheers, 
You are absolutely correct in that you are a product of your experiences. I just loved this book and how Vivian overcame everything that she had been through.
Yes, Louise, this book has definitely won a spot on my keeper shelf. The plight of all those innocent children really moved me. I’m shocked that such a significant event in our history has been given so little attention. But I was deeply gratified to discover that they have found connections with each other and their histories.
Hi Allison. I loved how Vivian overcame, but I was troubled by that one thing she did as a young woman. As an author I don’t think it would have ever occured to me to go that direction. (trying not to give too much away 
Wonderful review! I, too, loved this book. I have to admit that I cried. 
I loved this book and it made me want to learn more about orphan trains! I would definitely read more by this author! Here’s my review of Orphan Train! |
Darcy Crowder Ann Hite Deborah Smith Haywood Smith Jean Willett Karen White Kimberly Brock Laura Drake Nicki Salcedo |
by Darcy
Oh, so true, and so well said, Laura. But it is going to be a smash hit debut! We’re all cheering you on!
Thank you, Holly! I worry….
Oh, Laura! I’m the queen of worry. And honestly, I’d be more worried about you if you didn’t worry a bit.
Laura, your writing is great; the book is great; and I don’t care what anybody else says. That’s probably why I don’t tend to worry about much.
But, yeah, in your shoes I’d probably start biting my nails. And eating chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
The truth is, though, none of the worry will make any difference. But if it spurs you on to write an even better book for the next one–it was all worth it, right?
Yes Fae, you’re right…So why doesn’t that help?
Orly, I do think you may possibly worry more than I. Sorry for you!
Laura, I feel your pain. I too am a worrier – but I think you already know that.
I’m with Fae on this; your writing is stellar. Look how far you’ve come. You’ve earned this. Worry shouldn’t play a part any longer. Striving to always improve, yes. Worry, no.