Five Things - October 21, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. Save the date! I’ll be in RI for the Annual Rhode Island Author Expo on Saturday, December 7, 2024. In addition to signing all my titles, including the HORIZON trilogy and my Maggie Clare romantic suspense series, I’ll be moderating a panel titled ‘Pathways to Publishing’ and hosting a Kaffeeklatsch discussion on the pros and cons of using a pen name, aptly titled ‘What’s in a Name?’ I know it seems early, but the holiday season will be here before we know it. I hope to see you there!

2. We’re spending our last few days in Albuquerque. So far, we’ve enjoyed the balloon festival, had dinner at a fantastic farm to table restaurant that we found last time we were here, enjoyed another great meal in a fancy place in Old Town, and practice yoga at some amazing studios. Our next stop is the Petrified Forest in Arizona. We haven’t been to a National Park in a while, and we’re both excited to experience this one. I’ll post pics on my Instagram!

3. So the balloons… Instead of braving the crowds, traffic, and crazy parking, we woke up at the crack of dawn and went to a local brewery. They opened their doors and patio at sunrise, so we took Daisy dog, our travel mugs, and watched the balloons float across the morning sky from a barstool. It was really cool, and we didn’t even remember it was happening until we arrived. Just another reason to love New Mexico!

4. In school, we’re studying mysteries and thrillers, and I’m currently working on a mystery story! Mystery is a genre that intimidates me, quite honestly. While I have incorporated many thriller elements into my own romantic suspense novels, and I've written suspense-heavy science fiction, mystery is a bit of a different animal. So, I've been eager to dig into the reading materials for this module in hopes for inspiration. Well, inspiration is happening, due in large part to better understanding the mechanics of how to make a mystery work. I'll still be stressed until I work out the exact plot and resolution for my own story, but I'm getting there!

5. Vote, my friends. It’s a privilege many in this world still don’t have. “Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world.” - Roald Dahl

Five Things - September 23, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. We’ve been in South Carolina for a few days spending quality time with family. Highlights from the week include many, many laughs around the dinner table, excellent barbeque, and a great day watching Clemson football. Growing up in New England, we just don’t do college football like this. The energy and atmosphere, and the sea of orange in a stadium that seats over 80,000 people, was something to behold. They also won by a lot, so that was fun!

2. We’re heading to Nashville next, and I can’t wait to experience it. After some repairs on the RV, we’ll have another full week to explore. I’m making my list of things to do, but if anyone has suggestions…

3. I have to read a novel per week for school. I love that I can curl up with a cup of tea and a good book and call it homework!

4. I’m writing this on Sunday night because tomorrow is a travel day, so it’s actually the autumnal equinox. I often use this day to remind readers that I wrote a book titled EQUINOX, which is actually the third book in my HORIZON science fiction trilogy. If you haven’t checked it out, there’s no time like the present, or the equinox, or whatever! Here’s a LINK just in case.

5. "It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" – Winnie the Pooh

Five Things - June 17, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. First off, wishing a happy thirtieth birthday to our beautiful daughter-in-law, Leslie! We couldn’t have chosen a better partner for our son, or a kinder, lovelier person to join our family. Two days after her birthday, our third son, R.J. turns twenty-two. A while back I wrote a birthday post for him which you can read HERE, and all those sentiments still apply. He’s an amazing kid who is turning into an amazing adult, and we are so proud.

2. A few reflections from Dallas Fan Expo… I’ve been signing books at these sorts of events for about seven years now, and I definitely feel all those seven years, mostly in my lower back! The weekend was exhausting, but it was also invigorating and inspiring to meet people who share a love of science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture. It was also fantastic to hang out with my bestie writer pals for an entire weekend. We filled the room for our panel, met dozens of aspiring writers and gamers, ate incredible bbq, and laughed until our faces hurt. All in all, it was another successful adventure, and we look forward to Chicago Fan Expo next year.

3. Ray and I just spent a fun couple of weeks in Ohio. Yes, that’s correct, Ohio. Ray has cousins there we love to see, and we both used the convenient and easy John Glenn Columbus International Airport for travel. Even if this weren’t the case, this is one of those times when, because we are in our RV and we can’t always stay in the big, metropolitan areas, we have to find these cute little towns to drop anchor. Delaware, Ohio was just adorable, and the surrounding towns of Westerville and Dublin equally as charming. A good time was had by all!

4. Yesterday, we visited Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia. It was pretty cool to be standing in a place we all read about in our history books. With both feet in West Virginia, and while overlooking the exact spot where the Shenandoah River meets the Potomac, you can throw a stone and hit Maryland on one side of the water and Virginia on the other. It’s a truly magical spot.

5. Today we arrived in South Jersey, so we’re officially back on the East Coast! We’ll be darting up through New England later this week and then hanging out in little Rhody from mid-July until after Labor Day. We’re really looking forward to spending time with family and friends in the next few weeks! Happy almost summer everyone!

Five Things - March 11, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. In addition, at the end of the blog, I’ll keep a running itinerary of our travel plans. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. We hit a pretty good snow squall driving out of New Mexico, and I have to admit, that was not on my bingo card for March! I grew up driving in the snow, though, so I was not intimidated, and the RV handles really well in most weather conditions. The only thing that ever makes me nervous while driving is wind, and the little spring squall wasn’t all that windy. Despite the unseasonable wintery weather, we really love New Mexico. This second pass through was shorter than the first, but still magical. We woke up every morning to hot air balloons drifting across the blue sky, had dinner at a great farm to table restaurant, and I got to practice at a terrific yoga studio. New Mexico still gets high marks in all categories!

2. Last week we traveled from Vegas to Winslow, Arizona, through Albuquerque, New Mexico, to land here in Austin, Texas for SXSW. It was a lot of driving, but also a lot of fun. I got to check off Meteor Crater from my bucket list, and Ray and I stood on the corner of Winslow, Arizona, and it was such a fine sight to see! Back to Meteor Crater… I’ve seen it from the sky, but to stand at the edge and imagine the moment of impact, the incredible amount of energy that must have been exchanged, was awe-inspiring, and, from a geological time perspective, the impact happened like a minute ago! Really, really cool stuff.

3. We’re here in Austin for SXSW because Noah, kid #2, is performing stand-up comedy at the festival. We’re super excited for him and really proud, despite the fact that sometimes we are the focus of his jokes.

4. This week, my alter-ego, Maggie Clare, will write the final chapter of another book. At the end of any project, I always feel a profound moment of relief that I can actually still do this thing. And by this thing, I mean tell a story start to finish, complete with a plot and characters and everything. You’d think by now, I’d be confident in that ability, but not so. With every book, I have a moment somewhere in the middle where I feel like I’ve lost the plot and I question why I ever thought I could write in the first place. When I finally hit the end, all that insecurity disappears, at least temporarily, and I’m inspired to keep going.

5. U2 at the Sphere was amazing. Bono is a legend. That is all.

Our itinerary, subject to change:

March 10 - 17: Austin, TX

March 18 - April 5: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

April 5 - 12: Fredericksburg, TX

April 12 - 19: Hot Springs, AK

April 19 - 24: Ozarks, AK

April 24 - 28: Topeka, KS

April 24 - May 12: Kansas City, MO

May 8 - 23: Chicago, IL

May 23 -28: Wisconsin Dells, WI

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

Five Things - October 9, 2023

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. In addition, at the end of the blog, I’ll keep a running itinerary of our travel plans. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. Summer and fall are now officially my favorite seasons, and with our mobile lifestyle, we can alternate between the two all year long! In addition to the perfect weather, both reflect my perfect wardrobe. Who can argue that sandals and sundresses or bathing suits and beach cover-ups aren’t the easiest and cutest attire? Similarly, a good flannel and cute boots just say fall flair! But honestly, I’ve always known that I’m affected by the lack of sunlight, so it make sense for us to follow the sun.

2. I don’t like to shop. You probably don’t believe that based on the above rant about clothes, but my wardrobe is now completely updated to match my favorite seasons thanks to a visit from my BFF and some additional on-line purchases. There’s only so much room in our tiny home, so my closets are now filled with clothes and shoes that fit me well, I actually like, and I feel good wearing. This is surprisingly satisfying!

3. I flew home this past weekend for a family visit and to attend a friend’s significant birthday. The only thing I miss about pulling up roots in RI is the easy ability to be with my family and community. It was so nice to catch up with everyone, and you can’t beat an old-school Italian Sunday dinner and card game at my parents’ house!

4. One of the unexpected things about living on the road is the quirky little towns we find that we’d otherwise never get to visit. Sometimes we’re aiming for a bigger city, but there’s no suitable campground, so we’ll find a place as close as we can get. Currently, we’ve set up camp in Petaluma, about an hour north of San Francisco, and it is just the most adorable town. We’ve had dinner on the river walk, wandered through the artsy downtown, and taken some fantastic yoga classes. Our National Park tour continued with a visit to the magical Muir Woods, and we drove back and forth over the Golden Gate Bridge a couple of times just for fun. So far, northern California has not disappointed!

5. I’ll be teaching two webinar classes in the month of October for the ARIA Writing Academy via Zoom. They’re only 90 minutes and very reasonably priced (only $35) for as much information as I can pack into the time slot. So, if you or anyone you know have interest, please follow the links below to register.

   KICK YOUR SCENE INTO ACTION - Wednesday, October 17 at 7 pm EST. As writers, we often visualize our action scenes as if they were on the big screen. But how do we translate the heart pounding, edge-of-the-seat, adrenaline rush that we get from watching a scene to the pages of our books? Whether you’re crafting a fight scene or a spaceship battle, these tips will help bring intensity to your scene and keep your readers turning the pages. New and experienced writers welcome! Click HERE for more info.

   PATHWAYS TO PUBLISHING - Wednesday, October 25 at 7 pm EST. There’s more than one way to bring your book baby to life! Publishing has evolved in the modern era offering authors many options. With innovative platforms such as Inkitt and Wattpad, and indie, hybrid, and traditional models thriving, writers have many opportunities to see their work in print. And, don’t forget the audio and digital markets! Register for an informative program and lively discussion on the what, why, and how of modern publishing. Click HERE for more info.

Our itinerary subject to change…

September 5 - October 1: Santa Barbara, CA

October 1 - 9: San Francisco, CA

October 9 - 30: Portland, OR

October 30 - November 12: Seattle, WA

November 12 - 19: Travel to Orange, CA

November 19 - January 3: Orange, CA

January 3, 2024: Orangeland Park, CA

January 3 - 14: Oceanside, CA

January 19 - February 2: San Diego, CA

February 2 - 16: Palm Springs, CA

February 16 - March 1: Las Vegas, NV

March 1 - March 5: Meteor Crater, AZ

March 5 - 15: Albuquerque, NM

March 15 - 17: Amarillo, TX

March 17 - 24: Oklahoma City, OK

March 24 - April 5: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX

April 5 - 12: Fredericksburg, TX

April 12 - 19: Hot Springs, AK

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

Five Things - May 1, 2023

Welcome to my blog titled “Five Things” where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. In addition, at the end of the blog, I’ll keep a running itinerary of our travel plans. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. I can’t believe it’s May 1st! Last summer, when we came up with this crazy idea to sell everything and tour the country, we mapped out tentative plans for nearly an entire year. I wondered then if spring would feel like spring in different parts of the country, and I didn’t just mean the weather. In the springtime, I’ve always felt a sense of personal renewal as the flowers bloomed and the leaves turned green. I felt like I was coming out of hibernation right alongside the natural world, blinking at the sun, stretching my brain, and waking up. Next to fall, spring has always been my most productive time, and I definitely feel that renewed sense of energy and creativity while on the road. Hopefully, that will continue to hold true.

2. “There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” — Rachel Carson

3. A few highlights from Texas… It’s, well, big, and we’ve only seen a fraction of it this go around. We’ve spent most of our time in and around Austin, mostly because we love the city. There’s so much to do here including enjoying fantastic food, music, and of course the BATS. I love the bats. They shoot out at dusk looking for tasty snacks, and they eat between 10 and 20 thousand pounds of insects every night. Thank you, bats! Flexibility remains key as we encounter things like Texas storms. When large hail, severe thunderstorms, and tornadoes were predicted, we drove about 120 miles west to keep well out of the way. The drive turned out to be beautiful. We’ve made a note to spend time in Texas wine country on our next visit. There were miles and miles of vineyards and tasting rooms, and after that, ranch land as far as we could see. The words that came to mind as we made our way through the countryside were vast and rugged. We’ll definitely be back.

4. I’m buying new cowboy boots tomorrow, because when in Texas!

5. A final reminder that I’m teaching another Zoom webinar for the ARIA Writing Academy titled ‘Editing: Soup to Nuts’ on Thursday, May 11th at 7 pm EST. A well edited manuscript can mean the difference between a book that’s ready for the world and a document that sits in a drawer collecting dust. If you’re ready to tackle your edits, check out this class. Here’s a link to the full course description and registration: ARIA Writing Academy.

“Not all those who wander are lost.” - J.R.R. Tolkien

Our itinerary, subject to change:

May 1-5: Austin, TX

May 5-8: San Angelo, TX

May 8-15: Carlsbad, NM

May 15-22: Albuquerque, NM

May 22-29: Santa Fe, NM

May 29 - June 2: Alamosa, CO

June 2-10: Colorado Springs, CO

June 10-18: Granby, CO

June 18 - July 5: Central City, CO

July 5-9: Vernal, UT

July 9-15: Salt Lake, UT

July 15-22: West Yellowstone, MT

July 22 - August 5: Jackson, WY

August 5-10: Rock Springs, WY

August 10-18: Hurricane, UT

August 18-27: Coachella, CA

August 27 - September 5: Temecula, CA

September 5 - October 1: Santa Barbara, CA