DAILY UPDATE

Ok, I am lying a little. I'm not doing the entire daily update. However, I do want to note that between yesterday and today, I've submitted to 20-30 contractual jobs (including elance) and already got three bites back.

Now, I'm not bragging. But I am noting that I have only been growing this business aggressively since Memorial Day weekend.

Today we finally made arrangements to send the children back to their childcare arrangements for 2 days per week.

I have the contracts to cover the cost, but I lack the appropriate time to devote to them. This 2 day a week reprieve will allow me to go after more of what's out there.


I have been thinking about fear and risk lately. I have this idea, one that would be more appropriately covered in my humanitarian/service blog, but I also have a wee bit of this fear of risk. But I need to mentally coach myself to look at GardenWall, look at what's been accomplished in a short time. The first time someone paid me for my writing, my jaw almost fell flat. When I interned at FAITH magazine in 2005, I recall being vaguely jealous of my boss, who had told me that she'd made $50 on a short story she wrote. Even though she was so demure about it, I recall thinking that it was an incredible accomplishment.

I feel accomplished now. I can say by the age of 30 that I set up something that I was passionate about, and that it had at least the beginnings of being successful.

Cliche, yes, but look here it is anyway: The world is an open door.

Oprah's On To Me

Hi all, and welcome back to me. They had to drag me out of the mountains of Mexico, I didn't want to leave, but I have finally made it back to my writing...Which is all behind.

Seems Oprah is on to us lately. In her most recent issue (which costs 80 pesos in Guadalajara), she covered subjects that are of great interest to us here, and to my humanitarian blog (kept at http://www.30yearstosavetheworld.blogspot.com/), too.

Walter Mosley, author of 47, a book that is a sensational introduction to slavery for young readers, tells you that This Year You Write Your Novel on page 160.

Before I left for Mexico, my novel gnawed at me, but my two biggest fears were

1) Similarity of my characters to real life

2) Lack of an ending. I didn't know the ending.

Number 2 laid itself out for me as we drove through the mountains in Michoacan, Mexico. And Mosley helped me with #1 via this highly recommended article in the current issue of O Magazine.

Happy reading!

Vacation Message!

I will be in beautiful, wonderful Mexico July 11-25. Please be sure to miss me :)