It’s t-minus ONE MONTH (minus another couple of days because my hold on linear time is tenuous) until
The Grump Whisperer lands in a bookstore/library near you! I’m excited, anxious, proud, worried, and also sometimes I completely forget that I have a book coming out, because that’s just how it is inside my brain.
Meanwhile, the other day it was my birthday. Now, this wasn’t a BIG birthday, not a nice round number. That was last year—yep, the big 50. I’m 51 this year, and it’s such an interesting shift in perspective. But I won’t spoil it for you if you’re not there yet!
The big thing I struggle with as I get older is the urgent feeling that I’m running out of time. But... is it ever really too late? I didn’t even publish my first book until I was 48! I have so many things I want to do, so many past activities and loves I want to get back to. Is it ever too late to, for example, write a book? Or take ballet lessons after 30+ years away?
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My foot, the first day back at it.
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Turns out, no. Sure, my foot hurts and my balance is terrible. But I’m also stronger and more flexible that I was when I last danced. And I appreciate it so much more now that there’s no pressure—no mean teacher, no ambitions of being a professional, nothing except… my desire to dance.
What other past loves am I craving a reunion with? Horseback riding, of course! I started riding when I was nine, and kept going off and on through my 20s. Then I had a kid, and life changed. And then I blinked and suddenly it was 20 years later, and I’d barely sat on a horse!
Folks, I don’t want to blink again and another 20 years of no riding has gone by. At the same time, my life is just bananapants right now, and doing another thing, no matter how fun, sounds horrible. How do we balance the passage of time with the fact that it’s really never too late? Does it matter if I’m 51, 52, or 60 when I finally get back to riding? Not really. There’s time. But also… time loves to slip by faster than we can even imagine.
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Me riding Schimmer, the horse I leased in my late 20s, circa 2002.
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Anyhoo, what is this stuff I’m so busy doing? Well, for the purposes of this newsletter, the big thing is that I’m writing the next book in the Morning Song Farm series! The follow up to The Grump Whisperer is (as of this moment) titled The Hero Renovation, and stars one minor Grump character plus a brand new hero. There’s a buttoned-up/free spirit vibe. There’s an extremely bitchy mare. There’s a PUPPY! And, there may be a little surprise at the end. A very cute surprise. Stay tuned for more!
If you haven’t yet pre-ordered The Grump Whisperer, and you’d like to read it, please consider heading to my website for all the buy links you could ever want. Pre-ordering books is the best way, along with writing reviews, for a reader to support authors. If you want more of my books, then I need my current books to sell. Thanks!!
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And if you haven’t read my first two books, might I interest you in Too Much Man and Too Hot to Touch? Yes, they are hockey romances, but the hockey is VERY light, and they both contain the same level of banter, sexiness, and found family that you’ll also find in The Grump Whisperer.
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Mailing address:
Katy James
P.O. Box 2121
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Visit my website!
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