A Lot to be Thankful for

I, for one, feel blessed on this upcoming Thanksgiving. I know that we all face problems but I try to look for all of the good things that are happening. Three of my last birthday cards said that I was blessed and I did not think about it until it was pointed out. Yes, I am.
Being retired, healthy and able to be with our four grandchildren has been wonderful. I am thankful for that and hope it continues.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and try to remember to count your blessings instead of the problems you face.

My book, The Wampum Exchange, is now available on smashwords in other ebook formats. There is also an in depth interview at the site about writing.
Here is the link:

Smashwords Interview: https://www.smashwords.com/interview/teacher30
Hope you enjoy it.

On Being a Grandparent

On being a grandparent today.

 Am I the only one? It took me 10 months to get up the nerve to take my granddaughter in the car for a short spin. I had so much trouble securing the harness with my arthritic fingers. The normally calm and content baby was screaming by the time I locked her in because it took me so long to complete the task. Then to add insult to injury, I couldn't open the stroller bottom. It was locked into place and it wouldn't budge open. I asked a few people if they knew how to do this and they laughed. They had the same problem. It took me fifteen minutes to open the contraption. I touched every clip, thinking something would spring it open. I was going to just take the baby seat out and lock it in the car and throw the rest of it in the trunk but the stroller bottom was too big for my trunk.
Oh, for the good old days when we held our babies in our arms in our cars and they fell asleep there. Of course, I do think that the idea of the harness is safer if your hands work well enough to lock them in.

I was much better off carrying the infant seat to the stroller and taking the baby for a walk, as long as someone else set it up for me. When I did that, My body is tilted sideways with the weight of the seat and baby but it did protect her.

The new bottles do seem to give the babies less gas and the "sleep sheep" put me to sleep very quickly, when the baby takes a nap. All of these conveniences are good. Now if my fingers were more nimble, I would be fine.

Writers' Groups   April14, 2013

Writing has taught me so much more than learning to become an author. I have met the most remarkable people who are generous with their advice as well as their praise. And, much of what these strangers have given me is confidence to continue. You see, it seems that most of us are in the same boat. We write because we want to and because we enjoy it but selling and promoting our books is the difficult part.It is ongoing and time consuming.
Today I went to a book fair at Martha Clara Vineyards hosted by the Long Island Authors Group. It was wonderful to see so many authors and talk about their motivations and books. I think that it would be a good organization to join.
My own experience with writers groups has been favorable. It is just that the East End of Long Island is far from most of the meetings. I have joined several small groups over the years. One I left when I moved here. Another that was begun out here years ago disbanded because many of the writers became ill or uninterested. Then, a writing friend that I met at one of the meetings, started one with me. We meet infrequently because of commitments but we are still going to keep going..
Sharing our work in a trusted atmosphere is a good way to get feedback necessary to continue with our writing.

Speaking of people who are generous with their help, I want to point out this site -- http://askdavid.com. 
David will be promoting my book, The Wampum Exchange, soon.

Rosemary McKinley began writing to both entertain and inspire others. Her book, 101 Glimpses of the North Fork and Islands was released in 2009 by History Press. Her short stories, essays and poems have been published online by the Visiting Nurse Association of Long Island and in Lucidity, LI Sounds, Clarity, canvasli.com, Peconic Bay Shopper, Fate Magazine, Examination Anthology, Wormwood Press, Newsday, and The Poet’s Arts.

Her Y/A historical novella, The Wampum Exchange, can be found on Amazon.com and B&N.

http://askdavid.com

Youngest Member of the Family

This is the second time I became a nanny for a grandchild. I offered to do this and I am realizing that many of my friends are doing the same for their grandchildren. Grandpa is supporting the decision and is helping out as much as he can, as well. This task requires an hour and a half drive and a 2 day stay for about eight months. Is it all worth it? Yes, it is.
As far as my writing goes, it will still be there. I do have a project in the works but I have put it on the back burner for now. Many have told me that I am making a sacrifice. Yet every time I hold this infant, I am thrilled that I have the time, health and will to do this. We are bonding as we walk to and from my friend's  home. We also have fun reading books and playing together. Of course at this age I am reading and the baby is looking at the pictures and smiling at the attention. I can say with conviction that it is all worth it. I will look back at the time I spent with her as a cherished part of my life as a grandmother. 

Good News
With what is going on in the world, we all like to hear good news. Well here is some good writing news.

Whispering Angel Books has accepted two of my poems: Tabula Rasa(clean slate) and Child of My Child
 in their anthology, Littlest Blessings. It was released in September.

Also I have re-released my Y/A historical fiction novella, The Wampum Exchange. It is available as a print book on Amazon.com, B& N and other sites. It has a new cover.

Grandma was offered a job.
A funny thing happened to me while I was promoting my book, The Wampum Exchange. I did a book signing at Harbes Family Farms in Mattituck, Long Island. My novella centers on life in 1650, Southold, New York. I came in costume and talked about how people farmed and made almost everything they needed. I showed drawings of homes, shells and wampum.
Daniel, a twelve-year-old boy, has a chance meeting with a Native American youngster and their lives change in an interesting way. We learn how farming for both communities was so important and how different they lived in other ways.
The owner read my book and offered me a job as a Long Island historian, explaining to school children how people lived back then. It has been both fun and rewarding working with children again. The Living History Corn Maze offers a short history of four famous people who lived here on the East End of the Island.
What a great way to learn history!