I decided to take a break from writing this summer and spend some time with family as well as take a few trips, and I have to say, this has been one of the best summers ever.
In the middle of June I traveled to southern California to visit family, swim, boogie board, and generally just relax after a busy season of writing and revising. It was such a great week! A bunch of us went out to see How to Train Your Dragon Part 2. There were so many of us we took up an entire row!
A few weeks later at the end of June I traveled to Las Vegas to attend ALA’s Annual Summer Conference and I finally got to meet some of the lovely gals from my publisher, Running Press Teens. This picture was taken at the Paris hotel inside the Mon Ami restaurant. Directly across from us were the Bellagio Fountains. It was an amazing sight!
The next day I participated in a speed networking event between authors and librarians (I hoped they liked me!) and got to do my first signing for The Opal Crown on the conference floor. It was a book lover’s heaven.
A few weeks later my family and some of our friends headed to Lake Tahoe for more swimming, paddle boarding, parasailing, and an evening with Shakespeare on the Lake. Tahoe is one of my favorite places in this world, and the best part of the whole trip was watching the sunset over the lake.
And finally, we did our part to help conserve water during California’s severe drought by making our “Brown Grass is Sexy,” signs. Okay, actually my husband has been helping the kids make signs to promote conservation and teach them about business at the same time (they made and sold quite a few). I didn’t actually do any of the work, but it was fun to watch! And yes, our front lawn is now a brownish gold color. After all, Gold is the new Green, right?
This has been one of the best, and busiest summers I’ve ever had. I think I need to go back to work now just so I can slow down! I’ve also set a list of goals for the fall. At the top of the list is doing marketing for The Opal Crown, which releases on October 28th, and playing around with a new book idea I have. I always feel a renewed sense of energy around this time of year (Or maybe it’s just relief that the kids are going back to school and I can stop being their activities director!) and I plan to take advantage of it. To do list here I come!
What about you? Have you set any goals for the fall, or are you still in summer mode?
