In tonight’s marco polo conversation, my sister lamented about the Summer coming to an end and hasn’t gotten any writing done before returning to her teaching job in a couple of weeks.

“Same!” I agreed. “I started getting all my notes together and then got busy with house stuff and didn’t do any actual writing.”

Considering for a minute, as I studied my face on the screen: “My hair is ready for the book launch, though. Didn’t write a word, but my hair is ready.”

“’I didn’t write one word, but my hair is ready.’ is such an accurate description of life as a writer.”

“Twenty minutes?” I challenged. “Send each other what we write?”

So goes the story of how you are being treated to an update. (Is treated the right word?)

Toward the end of June, I took Jessica to marathon appointment day. Moving to a new area means that Jessica’s therapy appointments are a little longer than usual, as they do their evaluations and write their goal plans. On this day, the schedule showed three hours at the clinic. I planned ahead and brought the file that held three and a half years’ worth of notes for my next book. I took a picture for Instagram and did something similar the day after. And the day after that.

I almost made it to #daynine before I was consumed with writing copy for a Go Fund Me campaign to try to get Jessica to the Once Upon A Time convention in San Francisco. After that? Nothing.

Until now.

The transition back to California has been hard. Has been bad. Has been rough. For our entire family. We are finally all back in therapy and are so grateful to have our heart support close. Panic attacks and mental breakdowns are abating and we are finally starting to truly settle.

This means I’m able to sit down and make some plans to continue my Instagram writing project as it seems to hold that elusive and magical motivation to make measurable progress on my next project, which is currently planned to be a “sequel” or companion piece to Guide Her Home. (I mentioned previously that I also shared about cats and knitting on Instagram, and find I need to expand that list to food, weightloss stuff, game nights, and general shenanigans.)

I will continue to share progress on my Next Big Thing and hope to have substantial progress made and news to share by the end of the year.