Where have you been, Tapper?!

I totally dropped the ball and haven't written in weeks.

I am so sorry.

I am still alive. I am not facing any major crisis. (Halloween doesn't count as a crisis, does it? Because I think putting together costumes and being invited to 6 separate halloween parties might be somewhere in the crisis spectrum. What a crazy two weeks I've been living!)

The truth is that I don't want to tell you why I haven't been writing because it sounds really stupid.

But that is nothing new on this blog, is it?

All of my writing energy has been going elsewhere. A few weeks ago I picked up a manuscript for a book that I gave up on a year ago. I literally dusted it off and thought, Okay, girl. Let's do this. Good, bad or ugly. We will whip this story into shape. You are not going to abandon this project.

Somewhere between halloween parties and endless stops at stores to get one more thing for a costume or a class party or a halloween craft, I've been typing. And reading and typing. And pulling my hair and chewing up my lips and typing.

And I finally, finally, finished.

Don't ask me why I wracked up over 46,000 minutes of editing. (did you know that microsoft word keeps track of how long you spend on a document? I found it on accident when I was doing word count and I almost passed out) Don't ask me why I've written and re-written a story.

I don't really know. I wanted to see if I could do it. I wanted to present this book to the cowgirl when she turned sixteen. I kept thinking of a better way to say something and I had to try.

There is no financial pay off. There is no reclaiming those hours or days.

I did it because these three people believe I have something to say.

And when I look at those faces, and know they are proud of me for putting my shoulder to the wheel and doing my best, I am compensated.

The artist took some family pictures this month and I will post my favorites, just so you know we are really still here. Thanks for being patient with me.