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…

I’ll be teaching an in-person class at Rogers Free Library on Monday, August 19th at 7:00 pm. The topic is one I love to talk about, and it’s a popular program I’ve hosted on previous webinars and discussed on panels. It’s titled ‘Editing: Soup to Nuts’ and here’s the blurb…
For many authors, the editing process is a daunting one, but 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. Let’s talk about the different parts of the editing process and how to successfully find and work with an editor. We’ll also spend time discussing the goals of a developmental edit and how to work effectively with beta readers or critique partners. Learn practical techniques that will help make the editing process efficient, effective, and satisfying!
You can register HERE. Writers friends, maybe I’ll see you there!
We’re slowly checking off musical bucket list items as we travel the country, and I finally, finally got to see Green Day! The concert was at Fenway Park. We had great seats (thank you, Ray!), the band did not disappoint, and I got a cool new t-shirt.
Since returning to RI from residency, we’ve been doing ALL THE THINGS, from concerts, to dinner dates at our old favorite hang-outs, to Block Island, to time with family and friends. So far, it’s been a wonderful whirlwind of activity, but I may need a vacation from my vacation as I am no longer in my 30’s or even my 40’s. Not sure how it happened, but apparently I’ve been alive for more than half a century. This is shocking, even to me, but true. Taking a down day at a friend’s house yesterday and just chatting and sitting by the water was just what the old body called for. I may have to build a few more days like that into the schedule.
My shipment of school books has arrived for the fall semester, and wow, it’s a big pile! I had to clean out a couple of shelves to house all my new book babies, and they all look fantastic. Our focus in the fall will be the mystery, thriller, and romance genres. Not only will we be reading and analyzing novels from those genres, but we’ll be writing our own stories. It’ll be an adventure for sure.
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” ― Paulo Coelho

So here are this week’s five things…

Over the last ten days I’ve had a whirlwind of travel, and not in the RV. First, I flew to my sister and brother-in-law’s place in Folsom to spend Mother’s Day with my parents who were there visiting. A fabulous time was had by all. We ate, we drank, we laughed, and we got to spend some really memorable quality time together. Then, I flew to Portland to help our daughter move in to her first ever apartment. That was wonderful, but needless to say, I need a vacation from that particular vacation. Finally, I flew back to Chicago to meet up with Ray, who proceeded to fly to the west coast for work the next day. When life moves at this kind of pace, I sometimes wake up in the morning with no idea where I am or what day it is! Yesterday, after driving Ray to the airport, I went to a hot yoga class, sorted and organized my work tasks, and then cuddled up on the recliner with a good book for a reset. Hopefully, this will be a productive and less hectic week, and I will at least remember where I am when I open my eyes in the morning!
While I was in Sacramento, I tagged along with my sis and bro-in-law to a Pearl Jam concert, and wow, it did not disappoint. I’d been listening to a compendium of their work from the last several decades, and I downloaded their new album, Dark Matter, to get familiar with the new stuff. On the plane from Sac to Portland, the guy next to me noticed my concert t-shirt and was all excited because he’d just seen them as well. We chatted and laughed like swooning teens, which we obviously were not.
“Music is the soundtrack of your life.” - Dick Clark
Although Ray and I have been camped outside Chicago for almost two weeks, we haven’t been able to do much here due to our individual travel, but we did get to spend one day together in the city with Ray’s cousin at a Cubs game. The last time we visited Wrigley Field, our oldest had just finished boot camp, and he had around six hours of liberty to spend with us. After taking him out to dinner, we opted to hang out at a baseball game for the afternoon. He was in his dress whites, and I behaved like a nervous mama worrying about potential mustard and beer spills! We still laugh about it. As we watched the game this past weekend, I couldn’t help but reflect on all that’s happened between then and now. COVID shut the world down. Ray had a serious medical issue that rocked our world. Our son in the Navy deployed for seven months. He got married. Our youngest two children left for college. We sold our home of twenty years and bought an RV. One of my college roommates died. Ray and I crossed the country and traveled up and down both coasts. I wrote more books and applied to graduate school. Honestly, I never could have predicted or imagined most of these things. When I reflect on it all, I’m reminded that each moment is precious, worry is pointless because we can’t even fathom all the things we might worry about, and love and family transcend time and distance. Okay, I’m officially finished waxing poetic!
Dallas Fan Expo is right around the corner. I’ll be there June 7-9 signing books at booth A307. You can also catch me moderating a panel titled, “A Hero, an Antihero, and a Villain Walk into a Bar…” The program schedule will be coming soon. If you’re in the area, stop in and say hello!

Five Things - August 12, 2024

Five Things - May 20, 2024