A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

  “Ever True to Thee” This past week, Mike and I returned to our roots. Our high school roots: George D. Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida. Chamberlain (CHS) celebrated its seventieth anniversary. And did it right. We were a bit wary before the event. A few years ago, in the pressure to be “politically correct,” our school changed its mascot. What had been the Chamberlain Chiefs with a Native American Indian Chief as the mascot, became The Storm.  Now I ask you, how do you dress as a storm? That was our question from the start. What could ever serve as your mascot? Still… celebrating seventy years of being a positive part of the educational landscape in this Florida city is pretty cool. We bought our tickets and made our plans.  Parking was where it always was when we were kids. The stadium, though updated, was in the right place. We headed to the gym for our dinner and gathering. Wow. First, let me say the gym, though likely the same size, appeared to be a bit sm...

  The Launch I grew up in the “Space Age”… but this post is about a different kind of launch.  One week from today, on October 21, 2026, I will officially launch my latest novel,  Corners and Straight Edges . It feels like Christmas.  The book is already available on Amazon and through my publisher, Mt. Ziion Ridge Press. So why launch? A book launch is a celebration.  Crafting a novel requires intense labor. Some may be able to crank out eighty thousand words or more in short order. I’m not one of them.  I spend months researching, crafting the story, revising some, more, or most of it until I get it to a place I like. Then I spend intense amounts of time editing, rewriting, and editing some more. I DO NOT USE AI .  This is my story. My craft. My words.  So, when a publisher reads it, likes it, and offers me a contract, it is a pretty big deal. You can ask Mike. I squeal and dance around and giggle like a schoolgirl. Then I wait. The publisher ha...

  Vette Fest Year 2 My second Vette Fest was great. (If you missed the first one, I’ll put a link at the bottom.) Mike and I enjoy our little red corvette. Mike is a “car guy” and I guess I’m becoming a “car girl.” Of sorts.  I know how to drive a stick shift. Of course I’ve been doing that a long time. My dad had a rule. I couldn’t start dating until I knew how to drive a standard transmission.  Of course that doesn’t matter with our Vette. It’s an automatic. I know a few cars by their appearance…you know, body style, lights, special features. Of course, Mike knows much more than I do. So, although I have a smattering of knowledge, I also know I have a lot to learn.  Not a Vette, But Fun! And although it was “Vette Fest” featuring Corvettes, there were other cars there, too. Some of the “oldies” celebrated their glory days. The picture here is of 1955 Chevy with a tray of food on the side. Drive-in restaurants were great places to eat and meet up with friends “...

  Doing a RE-Think Re-imagine When I received the email showing me the cover for my latest novel,  Corners and Straight Edges , I was happy. It captured a caring teacher working with a group of first graders.  Perfect.  Teaching is not for the faint of heart. It goes well beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic. In the story, first grade teacher, Katharine Gilmore balances teaching with the needs of her husband and teenaged son as well as caring for her aging mother, Mimi. It is her mother’s advice that guides her through tough situations. “Life is like a puzzle,” Mimi tells her. “Find the corners and straight edges first and everything else will fall into place.” Hence the title of the book. And the next project. I took the picture of the book cover and ordered a jigsaw puzzle made of it. Five hundred…yes… 5-0-0 pieces…later, I had the book cover taking up a third of our dining room table. Now I had to figure out what to do with it.  I decided to use a puz...

  Ten Questions Ten Questions to Ask (and answer) when you don’t know what to write about. 1)     How’s the weather? The heat is on….it may be looking like autumn somewhere with mornings starting to cool and kids standing at bus stops. But here? In Florida? It is hot! H-O-T.    2)     What’s for dinner? Leftovers or “make-overs.” It’s simply too hot to cook. See number one.   3)     What’s on television? Uh... the same thing that was on yesterday. Lots of political ads and old westerns. I think I’ll take the old westerns. At least in the westerns I can tell who the bad guys are…most of the time.   4)     What’s the cat up to? At the moment, Tilisthtyeing to he[pme tutoppe. Translation: Tiki is trying to help me type. She jumped down off my lap now… neotjw sheh ois bck.   5)     Have you seen today’s news? Yep. Pretty much an illustration of my morning Bible reading in Exodus 20 on wh...

  Times of conflict, Times of Peace So, you want to play some Football? Ever feel conflicted? You know…you wish you could have everything turn out right for all sides? But of course, that can’t always happen. When I’m reading a book or writing one, I can become so invested in my characters, I want the story to end “happily ever after” for everyone. For all the “good guys” anyway. And I secretly harbor the notion that the villains in my stories learn from their mistakes and change their evil ways. Of course that’s not always true to life. After church this past Sunday, Mike I and tuned into an NFL game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Ohio playing against the Cincinnati Bengals. I remember going door to door in my college years at the University of South Florida gaining signatures for Tampa to get an NFL team. I remember living through those first few years of losing game after game. It was tough.  When Tom and I moved to Cincinnati, we were still Buccaneer fans. At least for the f...