The Squirrel Syndrome! Did I read that correctly? Miss Penny speaking. Oh, boy! This will 
be a good blog today. I love squirrels. When we go for our morning walk, I try to catch them. I want to play chase; up trees, down fences and across roads, although that’s a bit dangerous. Unfortunately, Susan keeps my leash tight so I can’t catch them… get this, they run up trees and chase each other around the tree trunk. Wow, would I like to do that? As good as any mid-way ride. And before you know it they are off in another direction and I’m confused; where did the squirrel go? Um… are you wondering what squirrels have to do with writing or reading. You have a good point, I’ll ask Susan.
The squirrel syndrome or sometimes known as the next shiny thing is about distractions. The most prevalent distractions today are the bings, peeps and buzzes from electronic devices, a message here, a text there and we feel compelled to answer, in fact, the sender now has an expectation that a reply is imminent. Like the squirrel darting from tree to fence to road, we find our minds jumping from our current occupation, which for me it is writing and breaking concentration to answer messages or deal with unrelated tasks; the result is a busy day with little to show for it. As a writer, I find this particularly disheartening and frustrating because accomplishing my writing goal depends on the number of words I write per day. The solution is simple; it is called a Do Not Disturb button. When pressed, like magic, the bings, peeps and buzzes go away, no more squirrel distractions. Try it, it works!
Writing Updates: Squirrel distractions seem to have grasped my creativity and this week. Perhaps because I have been working on the romance book cover—here’s a sneak preview—I thought about book two in the series and I have outlined a Christmas story for the Narrowboat Romance Series. That, of course, means that Sophie has taken a back seat for a while, but she’ll be back.
Books I’m Reading: Fiction – Gill Pauls’ Another Women’s Husband a time-slip novel, is turning 
out to be interesting. I’m on the fence about the believability of the protagonist’s association with Princess Diana but the Wallis Simpson story is engaging and interesting.
Nonfiction: – Nothing this week.
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The books are available at online retailers. Click the title, make your choice
The Blue Pendant Book I Anna’s Legacy Book II Sarah’s Choice Book III
The Blue Pendant Book1 Anna’s Legacy Book 2 and Sarah’s Choice Book 3. E-books and print at all online retailer
Check out the synopsis on My Books page. A great Book club read.
A gift of an e-book Ruins in Silk prequel to the trilogy. A perfect summer afternoon read. And the opportunity to sign up for Susan’s Reader’s Group.
“Her mother’s death sets a path of tragedy; betrayal, misguided love and even murder ”
Click to download your gift of a free e-book
