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 3, 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. Dallas Fan Expo is right around the corner! In fact, I’m sorting through my table swag as we speak. Since we’ve been on the road, I haven’t attended nearly as many in-person book singings or events as I have in years’ past, so I’m really looking forward to hanging out with my fellow science fiction and fantasy writer pals, meeting new fans, and otherwise soaking up the atmosphere unique to Comic Cons. I’ll be moderating a panel on Saturday at 11 am titled, “A Hero, an Antihero, and a Villain Walk into a Bar,’ where we’ll have a lively discussion on character development. If you’re in the Dallas area June 7-9, come say hello!

2. School started last week! Our first class mostly focused on reviewing the course syllabus, meeting classmates, and navigating our way around the technology we’ll be using for the following few years. Nonetheless, it’s happening! I’m really back in school, and I love it already!

3. You may have noticed I’ve stopped posting our travel schedule at the end of each blog. Lately, we’ve been taking shorter hops as we trek back east, and we’ve also had to be a little more flexible with our plans. It got to be too complicated and time consuming to update the schedule here, however, I can share our general plan along with a few of our longer stops over the coming months. We’re here in Columbus, Ohio until June 14th. We hop around New England for a bit, then spend July 2-10 in Portland, ME before setting up camp in Rhode Island for the rest of the summer. I’ll be flying out to residency in Colorado from RI at the end of July. Looks like a fun summer!

4. For the first time in our travels, I had a small melt-down when we pulled into a site. It had been raining, our plans had to change last minute due to some necessary repair work on the RV, and I’d been driving more than not for a few consecutive days. Exhaustion won out and I had a good cry in the middle of setting up. I’m pleased to report, the cry was cathartic and the feeling passed quickly.

5. We’ve seen and done some amazing things while on the road. We’ve explored National Parks, visited small towns and big cities, muddied up our Jeep off-roading, and so much more. Missing our Rhode Island community has been one of the only difficult things about our nomadic life, but we’ve also been able to spend time with family and friends around the country that we might not have had a chance to see otherwise. In Kansas City we watched a Royals game with a long time work friend, and I got to hang out with writers I’d met years ago at my very first World Con. In Wisconsin, we barbecued with friends who we’d previously known only virtually. In Ohio, we’ve been spending time with family, and Daisy dog is even having a sleep-over at a cousin’s house due to some complicated work travel for Ray and me. We’re making the most of our time, for sure, even as we miss our beloved RI community.

Five Things - October 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. 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’re in Portland, Oregon for the rest of the month, and it’s been wonderful to see our daughter on the regular. She and her friends have come here for dinner and gone out with us. She’s brought over her laundry, and I’ve made her soup. I’ve watched her sing at gigs. When we sold our home, she was the one who missed it the most. It was the only place she’d ever lived, and I have to imagine, it was pretty disconcerting to have no place to really call home when the house she grew up in now belongs to another family. But, bringing the tiny, mobile house to her for a month has really been lovely. With four kids, chances are, at any given time, we’ll have to travel to see some of them. When they spend time here with us, I think they have the feeling of home, even though we aren’t currently anchored to a plot of land.

2. I found a really amazing groom for our cats. Seriously, it’s like spa day for pets. Beatrix, the sweetest but most skittish of our kitties, left for her appointment panicking in her carrier but returned purring contentedly. Now, all the other fur babies have a date. I play right along with the ‘crazy cat lady’ label, and people certainly feel free to tease me about it, but living with pets truly makes life better. They make our tiny house a home. They have their own unique personalities. They provide us with endless entertainment. But mostly, they instinctively know when you need their small, warm bodies cuddled up next to yours, and in their own simple way, they know we need them as much as they need us. So, honestly, I’m happy to provide them with a day at the kitty spa!

3. We’ve now crossed the continental United States and driven nearly the entirety of both coasts. As I watch the landscape change, I’m in awe. The drive is an incredible part of the journey, and the land has its own personality. As we change climates and elevations, weather patterns and temperatures, I feel immensely grateful to experience the country this way.

4. One of my college roommates lived in Portland. She passed away a year ago August, leaving behind her husband and two children. I haven’t mentioned her much on here because honestly, the tragedy of it is still so raw and the loss so enormous that there are really no words. A death like hers just leaves a giant void. She was a bright light, and for those of us privileged enough to know her, the world will always feel a little dimmer.

5. Last call to register for the webinar PATHWAYS TO PUBLISHING via Zoom! It’s 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 link below to register. Here’a a description… 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:

October 9 - 30: Portland, OR

October 30 - November 12: Seattle, WA

November 12 - 19: Travel to Orange, CA

November 19 - 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 - June 19, 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. Our third son turned 21 yesterday! I’ve written about this particular kid before and how he is just the best combination of kind, sensitive, talented, and also quite driven when he puts his mind to something. Check out the POST I wrote just for him on his 18th birthday a few years ago, which I think captures him well. Also, you can follow this talented, funny kid on TikTok as he chronicles 100 days in his world, including building his drone business and cooking some amazing meals!

2. We’re still in Colorado for another few weeks and really loving it here. On the road from Granby to Denver, where we are now, we had to cross the Berthoud Pass. I’m just gonna pat myself on the back and declare total badassness (if that’s a word?). I drove the RV while towing the Jeep, because my dear husband is a much, much better passenger than me, and this was our deal so I wouldn’t end up curled under the bed crying. Wow, was it a white knuckle kind of drive, but we made it! Check out this post and video on Dangerous Roads to get a glimpse of the journey.

3. Speaking of Colorado, part of the reason we’re in Denver so long is because I’ll be signing books and moderating panels at Denver Fan Expo from June 30th - July 2nd. I’m really excited to be out and about doing bookish things. It’s a little harder to plan while we’re on the road, but we made this one happen, so if you’re in the Denver area, please come say hello!

4. Amy and I have been busy chatting it up on YouTube about our favorite writing topics. I’m currently smack in the middle of my latest manuscript, which sometimes feels like a slog. This feeling is so common among writers that we’ve affectionately called it the muddy middle, the murky middle, the messy middle - well, you get the idea! Check out our latest AUTHOR’S BUZZ VIDEO where we share our top tips for navigating the middle of the story.

5. Amy’s actually going to be here this week visiting! We are so excited to get in our girl time, do some hiking, and just be together in real life. “A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” - Lois Wyse

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

Our itinerary subject to change:

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

October 1 - November 15: Pacific Northwest TBD

November 15 - January 3, 2024: Orangeland Park, CA