A Dog, Two Good Angels, & A Brilliant Sunset
The SHORT Summer Pink Dandelion Issue
In This Issue:
Art: Penelope by Shelley
A Short Note with Sunset Photo from Guam
Writing & Publishing News
A Short Note from Shelley
Dear Friend & Loyal Reader:
While I usually write a long essay, I’m giving us a break this month.
It seems as if the weeks are flying by this summer. Living here in Guam, I miss the lake, fireflies, s’mores, boat rides, kayaking, loons calling, days on my favorite Maine beach, cucumber sandwiches, and most of all my friends & family. However, we will be visiting Maine this fall, and I’m looking forward to cozy sweaters, coffee with friends, autumn foliage walks, campfires, and apple picking.
But let’s not rush the season. Summer is too precious to squander.
Here on Guam, we are heading into “rainy” season, but the sun comes out most days, the air is warm, the palm trees sway in the breeze, and we enjoy glorious sunsets like the photo above. Almost every evening, Craig and I head out to the balcony to watch the sky change colors. The clouds are endlessly fascinating. We talk about the shapes like when we were kids. Remember lying on your back and watching the clouds? Simple pleasures really are the best.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know what TRULY brings you pleasure. I’ve realized this month that I’ve been “barking up the wrong tree” in several areas of my life, so it’s time for some pivots. Maybe you can relate.
Cozy & Boho
I’ve been obsessed the last couple of weeks with a YouTube channel called Little Boho Cottage which is all about cozy, bohemian, vintage, maximalist decor in a tiny 500 square foot cottage in upstate New York. The creator, Kate, has such a positive outlook, plus there’s little Charlie the Chihuahua and visits to thrift stores and walks in the woods. I’m really enjoying it.
For years I’ve idealized the idea of “minimalism,” but to be honest I never really loved the aesthetic of minimalist style. Keeping stuff out of landfills? Yes. Having stark white walls and one plant in a beige pot? No. I’ve always loved shopping at Goodwill and consignment shops. I love color and pattern. I love vintage china plates and cups, old linens, and floral paintings in gold frames. Buying items second-hand actually does keep stuff out of landfills.
I’ve collected a lot of art prints over the years, but one of my failings is not getting the art framed and hung on the walls. Most of my art is stored in my Maine house, but I decided I wanted to give my Guam apartment the cozy boho treatment and went looking for some thrift/consignment stores on the island.
It was a bust. Google pointed me toward one, but when we got there, it didn’t exist. Another was a small clothing-only shop in the mall. The other wasn’t open that day (a Saturday!) I still have the Salvation Army store to check out, but this was discouraging. However, I just heard about a couple of “swap meets” happening on island in the next couple of weeks, so wish me luck!
Since I’m still experimenting with art, perhaps I’ll end up making my own art. If I can find some frames.
My Color Palette
Because my hair is a natural dark, dark brown, I always thought my seasonal colors were “winter.” A few little hints the past few years made me question everything about my color palette. One hint was the turquoise jacket in my author photo. Whenever I wear it, I get compliments. It’s not a winter color. I bought this orange dress on a whim for a beach resort vacation last year and just now realized the color looks good on me.
Again, not a winter color. Then I remembered my favorite sweater is a medium green, not emerald. And a golden-khaki sweater looked good on me. And a warm gray turtleneck. And the medium blue denim dress I picked up last year. Hmmm.
A little research later, and I realized I actually look better in warm autumn colors! Gold, not silver, jewelry (I already knew that, but I didn’t want to admit it because I love silver jewelry.)
Why do we sometimes get something in our heads about the “right” thing and refuse to acknowledge the signs that we are actually on the “wrong” track?
There’s Nothing Shameful About a Pivot
It’s okay to admit when we’ve made a wrong turn. Life is about learning and growing, not stagnating, and certainly not “doubling down” when signs are pointing to a mistake. It’s okay to have made a wrong choice. We are human. We can change our minds, our positions, our behaviors, our tastes, and what we support.
And we shouldn’t scold or shame other people for being wrong and realizing it later than we’d hoped, either. Refusing to budge out of over-concern about consistency, or shaming people for changing, is a trap that not only makes us stagnant but also enables an often unhealthy status quo.
Speaking of traps. While I KNOW social media is both a trap and a mirage, lately I’ve fallen into posting and scrolling again. Not as much as previous years, but too much. There is something so seductive about the idea of using it for marketing. It seems easy. But the thing is, that’s not the best use of my time. While it’s tempting to double down on social media and try to “make it work,” the best use of my time is writing more books and stories.
So, I’m going to back off of socials once again. I’d love to find a way to share videos with all of you without overwhelming your inbox or social media feeds. I did like making my regular Friday Instagram videos. Maybe I can use Substack for that. If videos are something you’d be interested in watching, click reply and send me an email. If there’s interest, I’ll figure something out.
Meanwhile, I’m thinking of starting a regular chat on my Substack “channel.” What would you enjoy talking about? Books we’re reading? Shows we’re watching? We could all watch something fun and discuss it every week. Ask me Anything’s about writing, publishing industry, Guam life, creativity, or . . . anything and everything?
Send me an email. I’ll write back.
Cheers!
Shelley
Writing & Publishing News
I am happy to announce I’ve finished re-drafting Strawberry Moon and am working on revisions right now. I’ll be sending it out to a few beta readers, making any revisions based on that feedback, polishing, and then publishing it on KDP/Amazon. This will be my first indie/self-publishing venture, and I’m doing it this way because I think it will be easiest way to share it with you.
It’s novella-sized at about 116 pages, so a shorter read. Instead of the intertwining plots of the longer novels, it’s more tightly focused on the mystery plotline rather than Liv’s relationships.
This is the cover copy I’ve come up with. Suggestions for changes always welcome.
In this fast-paced, coastal Maine mystery novella, STRAWBERRY MOON, fashionable sleuth Olivia Lively agrees to conduct a background investigation related to a literary plagiarism lawsuit, culminating at a book launch party held at a famous writer’s coastal summer cottage. With clues stretching back to the 1980s and ‘zine culture, Liv’s investigation shines a light on wealth, privilege, and opportunity gaps in American society and ponders the question of who, if anyone, owns a story.
The story takes place between the full-length Olivia Lively mystery novels, FINAL DRAFT and NIGHT MOVES, and for readers new to the series and character, this short novella also includes the first chapters of each novel.
Mix Sex and the City’s fashion and relationship drama with Murder She Wrote’s coastal Maine setting, shake it up with a dash of Alias disguises, and you get the Olivia Lively Mysteries.
Meanwhile, I’ve continued to write for Type M for Murder every other week. You can find my latest post here. I was approached by a publicist who saw my stuff on the blog and asked if I’d read and write a review of her client’s book. I agreed and ended up analyzing the mystery elements rather than writing a reader-type review. If you are interested in what goes into planning and writing a mystery, take a peek.
As for other publishing industry news, things seem pretty grim, so I’ll spare you the details. I can only hope things brighten up a bit in the future.
Thank You for Opening & Reading this Letter
The brightest spot in my writing life these days is definitely this newsletter. I so love when I see people are opening it and reading. Knowing you are out there makes me feel like I’m not alone on this journey.
{Quick note: If you could do me a big favor and hit “reply” and say hi, I’d appreciate it. This tells the email system—and me!—that you want to keep getting my letter. You can also add me to your contact list by clicking on my name and create new contact if you haven’t already. Thank you, thank you!}
One thing I’ve realized lately is that no matter how high I soar or even if I get stuck without ever reaching the big, big goals, writing has given my life so much focus and meaning. It’s totally been worth it no matter what!
This is a huge realization forty years into this writing life.
Although I never really wanted to be famous, I DID want lots of people to enjoy reading my stories and words. There’s a conflict there, and I’m not sure, but it may have held me back early on. I’m working on being okay with whatever happens. I’m strong enough to deal with either massive acceptance or massive rejection and anything in between because . . .
My greatest achievement will be writing books that bring joy to my readers. That’s my goal. I just want you, my readers, to sink into the stories and forget about real life for awhile, and when you finish the last page I want you to sit back and go “ahhhhh.” If I can accomplish that, I’ll have succeeded.
Reading and writing have been the twin joys of my life. They sit on either shoulder like the Good Angel and the Other Good Angel.* Books are, to me, magical. I hope I can share more of that magic with YOU.
Be on the lookout for next month’s letter when I should have pre-order information for Strawberry Moon!
*The Devil’s in the phone screen, hahaha.
I can’t wait to read Strawberry Moon once it’s available—love your stuff!💗
Love your dog drawing, and the stuff about colours, Shelley.