Five Things

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that–five random musings or reflections from the previous month. I’ll also share a quote I find meaningful as a point of focus. For photos of my books, kids, pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this month’s five things, starting with the quote…

1. “The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.” - Mon Mothma, Andor, Season 2

2. It’s October already! Fall has always been my most productive writing season, and despite it feeling like summer here in SoCal, the rhythm seems to be holding. My goal is to finish the final novel in a romantic suspense series written by my alter ego, Maggie Clare. It’s definitely time to bring this series to an end, but it’s always bittersweet to leave behind a world I’ve built and the characters who inhabit it. Once this latest draft is done and dusted, I have several more unpublished manuscripts, most of which I finished while in school, and which include my thesis novel, to coax into the world. I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

3. My new favorite weekend writing habit is to bring my dog and my computer to the cafe down the street and sit for hours sipping on the bottomless mimosas they serve with brunch. There is a quote mistakenly attributed to Hemingway which says, “Write drunk, edit sober.” Regardless of its origin, I am definitely taking that advice seriously.

4. I live only about an hour from the Pacific ocean now, which is a rather intimidating ocean. I rarely feel like it’s safe to swim in it, unlike the Atlantic where I grew up, but I persist in my efforts. Saturday, I took a drive up to Carpinteria where my sister and her husband rent a beachside condo for a month at a time, twice per year. We spent a glorious day swimming, yes swimming, in the Pacific. Afterwards, we wandered into town and explored the Avocado Festival, which featured local crafts and food and booze, and lots and lots of music. So far, fall in SoCal has been pretty great.

5. A couple of weeks ago, a few friends and I got tickets to see Isabel Allende speak at the Wilshire Ebell Theater. I started reading her books when I was in my twenties, and made it through most of her extensive catalogue over the years. She is a force to be reckoned with–a brilliant, feisty woman with a wicked sense of humor whose body of work is stunning for both its historical relevance and its storytelling genius. Isabel Allende is eighty-four now, and I feel so honored to have simply been in her presence for a few special hours!

Five Things - October 7, 2024

Welcome to my blog titled ‘Five Things’ where you can expect just that - five random musings or reflections from the previous week or so. For a photo gallery of our life on the road, our pets, and miscellaneous things I find interesting, you can also follow me on Instagram @tabithalord.

So here are this week’s five things…

1. In class, we’re starting a section on mysteries and thrillers. While I’m quite comfortable writing thrillers with twisty plots and high stakes, I have to admit, I don’t know much about mysteries. I don’t really read them, and I’ve never written one. That’ll change by next month since our next creative writing assignment is a mystery, so wish me luck!

2. It’s October already! When we started this journey, I wondered if the fall would still be my most productive writing time, and I’m pleased to report that I’m writing all the time! Much of this can be attributed to school, where I have no choice but to make content, workshop it, and move on to the next thing. It’s a fast pace, but writing faster was one of my goals for 2024. I’m also trying to find a home for whatever I create in class, whether that’s a podcast, anthology, or expanding the work.

3. When I’m starting a new writing project, I’m totally stressed out until I have the infrastructure worked out in my mind. Before I know where a story is heading, including the major plot points and character arcs, I spin. For me, the heavy lifting happens in the planning. Last week, I had to write a synopsis for a novel I haven’t written yet. A synopsis, for those wondering, is a two page summary of the entire book, complete with the ending. Most writers would rather have a tooth pulled than write a synopsis. Anyway, since I loved the premise for my short story ‘Run, Harry, Run,’ which I wrote for my last workshop, I wondered if it would make a good full-length novel. Once I worked through this synopsis exercise, I decided that yes, it will, so I’m adding it to the pile of projects on my list for this school year! If you’d like to read the opening scene, you can check it out on my alter-ego’s blog post here: Short Fiction Fun!

4. We’re still in Nashville. All our repairs were finished, and we got our brand new windshield, but just as we were about to head out of town, no hot water! That should be fixed by today, and then we’ll continue our westward trek. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be in Albuquerque by Saturday.

5. “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not get bent out of shape.” – Cate Price

Monday Musings - 10-31-22

October is a month with five Mondays, so that means this post will appear on tabithalordauthor.com and msmaggieclare.com. It also happens to be Halloween, and I’ll be spending the evening alone. Ray is out of town for work, and the kids now all live on the opposite side of the country. But, instead of throwing myself a pity party, I’m going to dress my tiny dog in a cute costume and give out candy to the neighborhood younglings. Then, I’m going to pour a glass of wine and binge watch something on Netflix. It really sounds like a lovely evening!

Halloween has always been a big deal for us. Ray and I had our first date on Halloween a million years ago, and we got engaged on the spooky holiday a year later. We’ve thrown massive parties over the years, provided that ‘special’ cider for the adults in the neighborhood, and could have outfitted our own horror movie with the number of costumes in our closets.

So, it might seem a little strange, and maybe a little sad, that I’ll be spending the last Halloween in our house all by myself. Well, me and the dog. But I don’t feel sad. I feel really excited. Next year, a new family will be here making new memories and we’ll be off on a grand adventure somewhere. When I look back, it’s with a sense of completion. When I look forward, it’s with enthusiasm and excitement.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I’ll be at RI Comic Con this weekend signing books at the ARIA table #621. Stop by and say hello! Here’s my panel schedule:

World Building 101 - Friday, Nov 4, 5:30-6:15 pm - Convention Center Room 552

Science fiction and fantasy stories transport readers to new worlds, from the wondrous to the weird. Solid world building is essential to invite readers into your story and keep them immersed. How can writers construct believable worlds in unbelievable settings? How can we bring authenticity to these imaginary places? How do we develop an internal logic for our stories that is both fantastical and believable? When imagination and writing craft successfully intersect, the results can be out of this world! If you are an aspiring speculative fiction writer, this presentation is for you. 

A Hero, an Anti-Hero, and a Villain Walk into a Bar - Sat, Nov 5, 11:30-12:15 - Convention Center Room 552

Your main cast of characters should be well-developed and multi-faceted. Each one has a journey and a backstory. Let’s break down character archetypes, and explore ways to bring depth and complexity to these fictional personalities. Join this lively conversation as we examine existing pop-culture heroes, anti-heroes, and villains, and discuss ways to breathe life into our own characters.