Is It Hot Enough For You?

July 5, 2018 by Cathy C. Hall

So hot Libs won’t even mess with the squirrels.

I wish I could explain this opening line that one hears just about every day, twenty times a day, in the South once summer comes along. But for those of you who are NOT from the South or live here in the South, but are experiencing some pretty blistering hot weather these days, there’s a good chance you are hearing this question. So here are a couple of typical responses you can use:

He: Hot enough for you?

You: Hooeey! (Which is Southern for, “Heck, yeah!”)

She: Hot enough for you?

You: Does a wild bear poop in the woods? (The old “answer a question with a question” gambit.)

So if you were outside enjoying hot 4th of July activities, you might’ve missed my “4 for the 4th” post over at The Muffin. I decided to toss out a few short ideas I’ve been thinking about because it was too hot for ruminating on a long idea. I’d be interested if you have any thoughts to share on any or all topics.

Oh! And I also had a Cathy C. Hall interview over at writer friend, Kathryn Schleich’s website. So it’s a bit longer but if you’re stuck inside due to the heat and want something to read, it’s kinda entertaining and there may be a writing tip or two.

And finally, if you are tempted to say something smart-alecky to “Hot enough for you?” like, “Nope, I could stand a few more degrees of heat and humidity!” then please don’t blame me when you get whacked upside the head. Because when it’s hot enough, people do not care at all for smart alecks, no matter where you are.

My Favorite Thing About May

May 3, 2018 by Cathy C. Hall

2014-08-12 15.16.02 May came in with temperatures around 80 in my little corner of the world so wheeee! Bring on the heat! Bring on the flip flops, sunscreen, and sandals! Hand me a Popsicle or a long, cool beverage and then don’t bother me. I’ve got reading to do.

It’s not that I don’t read during colder temps; it’s just that I read snuggled up in bed (because duh, I’m cold) and before you know it, my eyelids are getting droopy. Bottom line, it takes me ever so long to finish a book when I do my reading late, late at night.

But when the sun’s shining and the deck’s nice and warm, I take my book (or Kindle) outside and Libs lounges about, too, watching me read. (And just so you know, I get all my writer business work done in the morning, and I write later in the afternoon, so I’m not a complete scofflaw.)

Lately, I’ve had a couple of self-pubbed books at the top of my To Be Read pile. And I thoroughly enjoyed these stories, even though they’re outside the genres I generally read. However, I do have a small bone to pick; you’ll have to zip over to The Muffin to read Self Publishing Pitfalls to get the details. And then you’ll have finished your work, too, and can join me for a lovely after-lunch read on the deck.

Wheeeee!

I Have a Really Good Excuse

March 30, 2017 by Cathy C. Hall

It started when the county chopped down my favorite half pink, half white dogwood.

It’s the end of March and I know that means it’s time to report on my month’s doings (or not doings, as the case may be). But really, I have a good excuse for this month’s slacking off. Come to think of it, I have several good excuses.

As I mentioned above, there was the whole tree cutting debacle. The county is widening a main road up the street from me and it was bad enough when they took out enough pines to build a small village of log houses. But The Special Dogwood that makes me smile every time I pass its blooming March splendor (and I pass it a lot)? How could I be expected to write through such a blatant disregard for my tree?

Then I had that SCBWI conference, and there’s a ton of stuff to get done before a conference, right? Totally legit excuse for not getting the writing going.

And then I also had a reception in Athens at the Georgia Children’s Book Awards and Conference. Not for my books; SCBWI was there to promote our regional authors, the ones who like to network and get those school visits. Also a totally legit excuse because there was also a lot of stuff to get done before the reception.

I did manage to get several books read even though I had that very bad, horrible, no good cold (also a legit excuse for lollygagging, by the way). Let’s see, I think the total read was five, so I’m still a couple of books ahead on my Goodreads goal. I had to wait two months to get Hillbilly Elegy, a memoir by J. D. Vance, but it was well worth the wait and my good read pick of the month.

I got fired up about a picture book idea after the conference and I’ve written a rough first draft so there’s that. And I managed a couple of blog posts, too. Which brings me to today’s post over at The Muffin where I talk about “When You Don’t Want To Write.”

March was…challenging, remembering how the Beneficent Mr. Hall was so great about shoring me up during the March conference craziness. But sometimes, just when you think you want to throw in the towel, someone comes along.

So a big thank you to Lovely Lisa for a long lunch. And for being there, just when I needed shoring up. I can highly recommend long, long lunches with a writer friend for those times when you need a good excuse for whatever ails you.

And here’s hoping your March was delightfully full of words and writer wisdom; I’d love to hear all about it. It also shores me up when I hear about my writer friends’ successes (and yeah, I could use some fall back good excuses, too, just in case April slaps me upside the head. The county is not nearly done).