🙂 I hope none of you have been worrying about me, since I’ve been away from the blog–I am simply putting all my energy into finishing THE MARRIAGE PACT. I LOVE this book.
Today was Weight Watchers day, but I skipped the meeting to write. I’m still following the program, however; in fact, it has become second nature to me.
We had a few inches of snow during the night, and I woke to that wonderful, soft silence I have always loved. There’s something positively magical about snow, though I freely admit I do not always feel so charitable toward this particular form of precipitation. 🙂 I’m in a good place, mood wise, this winter, and I’m so grateful.
What I’ve been reading/listening to: IN THE BLOOD, a thriller by Lisa Unger, was interesting and quite original, too–but very dark, as well. At this time of year, I have to be careful not to expose myself to too much gloom. As I write this, however, I’m listening to a biography of the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz-Sommer–still sharp at the amazing age of 108. A gifted pianist, Ms. Herz-Sommer played many, many concerts while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp–you can image what a comfort her music must have been to other prisoners. Although she and her small son came through, her mother, father and husband were all lost. As a child, she knew Franz Kafka and many other luminaries, and the book is mostly about her life after liberation, first in the then-new nation of Israel and then in London. Understandably, she doesn’t like to discuss the experience, although she confided a great deal in the author, Caroline Stoessinger. I read/listen to books like this one because I never, ever want to forget what happened.
Maybe I’ll switch over to Tim Conway’s book, WHAT’S SO FUNNY? for a few laughs, though. 🙂 I’ve been a fan of Mr. Conway’s since his first appearance on the Carol Burnett Show–hard to pick a favorite character, he created so many over the years, but Mr. T-T-Tudball would probably come up the winner. 🙂 I loved watching him and Harvey Korman try to break each other up.
I do most of my listening at night, since by then I’m usually too tired to read. There I am, with a couple of favorite rocks (rocks in my bed, or rocks in my head?) two cats and one Yorkie, filling myself with words, words, words from my trusty iPod.
Speaking of rocks–I’m as fascinated by gemstones and crystals as ever. I’ve been buying various cabochons, mostly on eBay, gluing on a bail (the little hook the chain goes through)–notably, moss agate, a favorite healing stone, tiger iron (very lucky, and I can prove it), various kinds of Jasper, and, today, a combination of iolite and sunstone, known in the gem-world as a friend of all writers and artists. 🙂 Not too difficult to figure out why I’d like that one. Obviously, I cannot wear all these necklaces myself–I like to give them away. If a friend suffers from depression and/or SAD, I give them sunstone. Is concentration a challenge (as it often is for me)? Carnelian. Serious illness? Raw emerald. When there’s a lot of negative energy in play, I suggest snowflake-obsidian–the kinder, gentler obsidian. 🙂 This stone has small white specks, hence the name. As I’ve mentioned before, pure obsidian, though definitely a positive stone, can wreak sheer havoc if not modified by the presence of rose quartz. If you’re new to gemstones–use obsidian with caution. 🙂 It’s powerful.
So that’s the Linda-chatter for today. If I don’t blog tomorrow–as I hope to do–I will definitely be here on Friday to tell you who won this week’s contest, so stay tuned.
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
