A Funny Coincidence

We just got a new car! My husband's business partner made the arrangements and we drove over to pick it up. I thought we were getting a Grand Marquis. We arrived at night, and the car was sleek and long and silver. We got in and looked at it----grey leather.....luxurious....not brand new---but almost! And then my son said, "Its a Crown Victoria!" Well, blow me down!
My son said, "Mommy, it's meant to be that you have this car." I think so too. I'm one of the few people in this world obsessed with Queen Victoria and her dependents. I bought two grey stuffed animals---for the back of the car. Guess what I named them? Victoria and Albert...
Anyway---its odd how the small things in life can bring us such happiness. The car isn't perfect, but I love it to death. It rides like a dream and after all these years I have a tape deck that works and, mind you, a CD player. Finally, I can listen to my tapes from church and from Joyce Meyer---I've collected so many over the years. I feel like a Queen. I also feel very safe in it...and there's three seat bealts in the back for my son and his friends.
It's early Saturday morning. I'm sitting in bed with my laptop with CNN on in the background. My boxers---Hunter and Rocco, are beside me on the bed, snoring. My husband is in the living room with the kids. I think he snuck out there to watch TV. My son and his friends had a little sleepover in the living room. All the kids are sleeping on the couch, including my husband, who is sleeping sitting up. He's a great Daddy, but he has a hard time giving up his couch and his cable TV.
Later in the day we are taking all the children to Toys-R-Us. As I have said in the past, its wonderful to see the happiness in a child's face----knowing that you are helping to build happy memories that they will carry with them forever. My home has always been one of the fun places to come for a sleep over (or so they say). It's a lot of work and disruption but it's worth it.
Onto writing....I'm dabbling in a little Regency piece that I might send off for possible publication. I haven't decided yet for sure. My UK critique partner is done with her new novel!---the first rough draft! I'm still working on the critique and soon she is going to start on the revisions---in part based on my suggestions. Usually what I do is work on it every weekend and then send it to her so she has in on Monday mornings. I try and do a chapter a week. That seems to work well for me.
We have both come to the realization, happily, that we work very well together. Our styles seem to mesh so well. I sent her 2 pages of the Regency story and... back it came with several suggestions to make it better. Without thinking about it too much and too hard, I incorporated her suggestions into the narrative---it was a trust thing. I was amazed at how perfect it seemed to be afterward. I sent her an email to point out how nice the finished scene seemed to be. She also felt it had come out pretty nicely. The fun thing was, though, we weren't even trying that hard.
We aren't sure if we should meet, at least right now. Our working relationship seems to be so productive--that we wonder if meeting would somehow spoil it. We don't want to mess with a formula that seems to be working so well.
Last week I found out that she only lives 30 minutes from Windsor Castle in England. Oh, what luck! I'm not sure what we are going to do with that new found discovery, if anything, but if I need any in particular concerning Windsor---the seat of the English Monarchy, I'm sure she can help me out.
The American Christian Fiction Writers Annual conference is over---and from reading the email loop, it would appear it was really a blessing to many of the writers who went. I long to go in the future. I know its not time (for me) to go yet with a little one at home. But it something to look forward to---and its fun to hear all about it second-hand, which is almost as good. I have to decide if I can go to the October luncheon for the mid-atlantic area which will be taking place in Philadephia in October. The Ladies-In-Waiting group is, as usual, bursting with activity. These girls are a lot of fun as well as being extremely talented. I go and look at their websites---and just surf---and I get lost....between the blogs and the excerpts and their favorite links....and their email loop is always so interesting. Some of the authors write for Highland Press which is an up and coming publisher of historicals----and we are talking real historicals, which is nice.
The Historical Novel Society seems to be quieter...but each email loop contains something fascinating. These authors are serious writers. Well, all the groups have serious writers. I can't limit it just to the HNS! I enjoy their magazine which comes out (is it bi-monthly, I think?) Its packed with all the new books coming out---all the new deals the authors have made.....reviews, and more. Overall, with these three groups, I feel very lucky! I'm learning so much.
My battery is almost dead---so, I better save this post while I can....
Let me think of a little tidbit I could leave you with.....Since I mentioned Windsor---and also Victoria and Albert... did you know they spent their honeymoon there? It was a very, very short one, however. Victoria was sublimely happy on her wedding night. The happiness, love and joy she felt and expressed are quite touching...
Cheerio...!