Q: What are two of Tara’s favorite things.
If I was running the world, I would add weather holidays to the agenda. The first fine day of spring, the first real rain of summer, the first frost of fall, and the first storm that you can really bundle up and enjoy not being in. Add this to my other platform points: More ponies, no days hotter than 75, and a negotiated treaty where spiders stay outdoors. A perfect society.
This was an unusual week. I started out the week determined to push on finishing the edit on book 3. And then things started to happen.
Monday: The first proof of the audiobook version of Paw Prints in the Ledger came back. So, I spent the day “reading” my book. I have to pause and admire my narrator, Stacey Lind. She nailed it. Killed it. Made it wonderful. There is no amount of hyperbole to express the magnitude of her awesomeness with this book. I read a lot of audiobooks and when I was listening, I honestly felt like this was one of the better ones. Yes, there is some dorky text; that’s my fault. But somehow, when she read it, it sounded GOOD!
Due to the requirements of proofing, etc. the audiobook will probably come out a week or two after the print/digital version. But it will be worth it!
Also on Monday, the cover of Book 2 came out. Meet Ruff Justice!
I LOVE IT!!!
The book will be coming out around February 2026. This time I hope to have the audiobook done at the same time as the other versions.
Tuesday my friend, Sandra Pearce, drove over and we went painting at Little Whale Cove, just to the south of Depoe Bay.
That was a no-writing day.
Here are my sketches and works.
Wednesday, I worked at the Pacific Artists Co-Op Gallery, which had slow day. Some lookers, few buyers. I met several nice people though. That’s fun.
While working I received a surprising notice that my piece “Strive” was juried into the Northwest Watercolor Society Annual International Open Exhibition.
This was a real surprise to me. I entered “Gifts” and “Whimbrel Wander”, which is a piece I like a lot but haven’t received much “love” from; it was rejected from the International Society of Experimental Artists. But you are allowed to enter three pieces, so I selected “Strive” thinking… you never know. I really don’t!
Thursday, I wrote for a while, then when to my regular Qi Gong class. As I was doing one of the poses (Cloudy Hands? Heron Over Water? Swimming Dragon?) a thought drifted across my mind, and I figured out a plot hole. Maybe there is something to this meditation thing?
Also, as I’m using this as a catch-up post, I have some paintings I haven’t shown yet. They have sort of appeared and I’m not sure from where.
Both of these are experimental and neither turned out perfectly. I’m still looking them over as there are some things I like. I feel like there is something there, but I haven’t found it yet.
Which brings us to today. I would like to report I worked more on book 3, but I wrote an article for the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) then tackled this post.
I’m hopeful next week will bring more progress. But I’ve figured out the biggest plot hole, and that’s something!
Tomorrow, I will register for the Watercolor Society of Oregon Fall Conference (still no word there). I debated about going, but in the end the line-up looked great and I’ll see a few friends.
Also tomorrow, I am going to try to enter “Paw Prints in the Ledger” into the DWAA annual writing competition.