Remember my French guy? The one whose story I planned to finish? After that post, I got busy. I found a historical thread to tie into the contemporary story. I polished my 124 pages, worked in the new thread, and expanded the manuscript to 141 pages. It was a great story. I loved the characters, the direction I was going with it, and the historical thread I’d added. For the first time, my French guy had traction and a driving purpose.
And then the electricity went off. I used to always e-mail myself the pages I wrote each day. But somewhere along the way, I’d gotten out of the habit. I’d saved my document, but somehow it was gone. Back to the 124 pages I’d started with. I searched my documents, thinking I’d changed the title and couldn’t remember where I’d filed it. I searched recent documents. I searched unique words in the new pages. Nothing. Poof, it was gone. And I was sick at heart.
I lost interest. The rest of the month, I had company, then I got the
nasty sinus crud. I recovered just in time to rework a proposal I’d submitted for an interested editor and prepare for Thanksgiving. My 
cousin moved here and I spent time with her. Then I helped put together the Christmas float for our church in the local parade. We won first place. I helped tear down the float and spent a week getting ready to host a Christmas party at my house for my local writers’ group. An ice storm threatened the party and only four braved the weather, but we exchanged Christmas socks and had fun. I look like I’m hiding behind the tree, but I was making sure everyone got in the picture.
Somewhere in all the madness, I did rewrite the first scene again and slip in the historical thread. I’m planning to get back into the story this week and I will e-mail myself whatever I wrote each day. Maybe several times a day just to be safe. I’m not procrastinating this time, it’s just such a busy time of year. We have our church potluck coming up and we’re taking my dad out for a birthday supper. There’s Christmas
shopping to be done, several rounds of upcoming family gatherings, and right after Christmas we’re going to visit our Texas family. Despite all the activity and events, I’ll be at my computer whenever I have a chance. And I will finish this poor guy’s story.
So what’s happening in your world? What Christmas
festivities, plans, and yummy food are you planning? I’m cleaning out my shelves, so I have copies of Rodeo Queen and Rodeo Family – books 4 and 6 from a series I wrote for the now defunct Heartsong Presents line. And since it’s Christmas, I’ll throw in A Texas Holiday Reunion, book 3 in my Texas Cowboys series. 3 books for one winner. Merry Christmas!
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Busy time of the year! Thanks for the book giveaway! I’m trying to clean my shelves and storage area, too, hoping for some white elephant parties :)
I am praying for you to be able to complete your story, sounds like it will be worth it!
Hi Shannon! Best wishes during this busy time of year. Still have to put up the tree and mail Christmas cards. Been working on 12 days of Christmas surprises for my sons and their families. Merry Christmas and best wishes.
Hi Shannon, your world sounds busy? We had our school graduation tonight, it was lovely and emotional to watch our seniors receive their graduation certificates and reflect on their school journey. Now, just a few more days till holidays begin- yay.
Blessings ?
Hey MJSH. Maybe being confined to the house in the cold months makes us want to declutter. We got rid of so much stuff during our remodel last year, so I’m much less cluttered than I used to be. But we still have lots of shelves in our laundry/storage room that need to be emptied.
Thanks Paula Marie. I so appreciate your prayers.
Hi Renate. I have three trees up this year. One in the living room, one in the family room, and a small one in my office. You’re a better woman than I. I gave up on sending Christmas cards at least five years ago. The 12 days of Christmas surprises sounds fun.
Wow Wemble, our school graduations are always in May. Our son is a junior this year. I’ll be a blubbery mess this time next year.
Christmas is always a busy time at my house since we host several christmas dinners,party with my daughter and her friends and things with church, never a slow/dull moment lol. Praying you can finish your book without more problems.
We already had our Ladies Christmas Party at Church. I still have Christmas cards to do. We are retired so I mostly read and review books. Hopefully we can get the kids together for Christmas. Thanksgiving saw all but my daughter’s brood. Her hubby got a new job so it means a big move.
We are going to A Christmas Tuba concert the day before Christmas then probably a Christmas Eve service. I don’t have any firm food plans yet. Christmas will be at my parents, so I only need to prepare a side and a dessert. Mashed potatoes are usually my thing, so I’ll probably make that and apple crisp for dessert.
How fun to work on a float! I wrote a book where the characters did that. :)
Have a Merry Christmas.
Sounds like you’ll need a long winters nap come January, Shelia. Thanks for the prayers.
My hat’s off to you, Paula. I gave up on Christmas cards.
I’ve never heard of a tuba concert, Kimberly. How interesting. Our church has done a float for several years. And won several times. I put it in a book too.
They are a big deal in Oregon. There is one in Portland and one in my home town as well. Tickets sell out every year. The first time we went we stood in line for hours to get in. Now they sell tickets in advance because it’s so popular. :)
Oh, losing words is hard! I can empathize! Somehow my one document of edits got corrupted. That was the only file. I lost three months worths of revising and had to return to the very first rough draft again. Fortunately, I knew where the story was going now, so revising this time was not as hard and didn’t take me as long. But yes, ever since then, I email myself every new version whenever I save.
Tonight we have a Christmas party at church to attend. I have my cards to finish, one present yet to buy, some special baking, and a Christmas party to plan for my girls class that I teach at church. This month is also full of doctor appointments to go to before the end of the year! I’ve got two more of those to go to.
Same here, Lila. I ended up back with original rough draft. But it was weeks of work rather than months. I feel your pain. But like you, I know where the story is going this time and I do still have my revised synopsis.
I haven’t even really started my gift shopping, Linda. It seems like every year I get more and more behind.
We put up our tree this year (last year we did not with a very active almost 1 year old and I was pregnant) and our new kitty has tipped it over too many times to count! We typically go to both my parents and my husbands parents on different days for Christmas. We live less than 10 miles from my parents and a mile from my husband’s, so our holiday travel is really short and sweet! We don’t really have any food traditions, but I might have to try to make some caramel covered puff corn, which I do try to do around Christmas.
I have a 12 year old house cat, Katie. He was only in the house part of the time until last year when he survived a coyote attack. He’s all recovered with only a slight limp, but he’s not allowed out at night. He hasn’t bothered the tree. I put a small one in my office this year on the shelf where he lays to look out the window. He just looked at it like it was in his way.
We live across a hayfield from my parents and 10 miles from my husband’s mom, sister, and nephew. His dad’s family is in TX. We go to my Dad’s family gathering and my husband’s family gathering for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, we go to my mom’s family gathering and host my husband’s family at our house. And this year, since Christmas is early on the school break calendar, we’re going to TX after Christmas. The caramel puffed corn sounds yummy.
I am so happy he survived the coyote attack! Poor thing! We have a kitty because my 12 year old cat, Tinker, disappeared this summer from what we think was coyotes. :( I miss him terribly and my 8, soon to be 9 year old, misses him terribly too. Our other 12 year old cat, Batman, misses Tinker and hates the new kitty. Even last night the coyotes started me at 2:30 am from all their yipping.
Thank you so much for the chance. My kitty is laying on my feet as I write this. Merry Christmas ??
Christmas will be crazy for us this year! We will hopefully be moving into our new home. So we decided to celebrate Christmas in January instead!
I thought he was gone, Katie. He was missing for 8 days. I’d worried, then finally grieved and mourned. On the 8th day, my husband found him our shed, which has a cat door. His left back leg was badly broken and full of infection. His right hip muscle was torn. I don’t know how he made it home. But the vet fixed him up. He limps from the bad hip, his broken leg doesn’t bend right so he sticks his foot out to the side when he sits. Our son says it’s his lucky fin – like Finding Nemo. And he can’t jump like he could. But he can climb trees. He goes on several jaunts during the day, but stays in a lot by choice and we keep him in at night.
My cat sits on a shelf in the window or a chair in my office. I call him my muse.
Wow, I can’t imagine adding a move to the Christmas craziness, Susan. January sounds like a good plan.
I just read your personal blog and commented on it.
I would love to win the two older books if you split the prize. I already have the other one. If not, just leave me out.
Sorry, I budgeted postage for one winner, Linda. But you’ll be in for the monthly Amazon card giveaway. Thanks for commenting anyway.
It must be devastating to lose your words! I am not tech savvy and when I was in school I was terrified that would happen.
It’s the first time that it’s happened and I never found them. Like it never happened.
Looking forward to a candle light service this Christmas Eve. It will be a first for me. We have a Christmas meal with our church family, with the ladies of our church, a shopping trip with the ladies of our church, and a get together with my family and his family. We play dirty Santa at the church ladies get together which is fun. I see a serious dieting for me in January.
Wow Joy, that all sounds fun. Our Christmas dinner at church is tonight.
I guess I didn’t word that very well. I meant that if I had won, would you be willing to just give two books instead of three. That’s okay. Thank you anyway.
What a story :) Merry Christmas Shannon! Blessings!