Spring is here...well, almost!

Spring is in the air in Southern California. Two weekends ago, we gave the house a good once over, putting away the winter blankets and cleaning out the dust bunnies. Last week, we enjoying fresh squeezed OJ from our orange tree, while planting beautiful rose bushes and a lemon tree as the sun blazed down warming to 80F.

These are the rose bushes that I bought.



Marilyn Monroe roses



Ronald Reagan roses

It feels good to have the house fresh and clean, the new greenery planted, which brings me around to writing. I get the same feeling when I’ve finished a chapter. Not the first draft, or the second, but when I know that I can’t move words around and make it much better. Of course, there could always be small changes, but overall, to look at a chapter, breath in deep and realize it’s clean and fresh is a great accomplishment. The last few weeks, with the help of my great critique partners, I’ve been slogging away at my WIP. Fitting the words together like a jigsaw puzzle, trying to find the cleanest way to present my characters and their feelings. It’s refreshing, and I plan to do just that, sweep the bad words away this weekend while I enjoy my clean house, new flowers and beautiful sunshine.