Five Things - March 23, 2026

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

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

1. “War itself is, of course, a form of madness. It’s hardly a civilized pursuit. It’s amazing how we spend so much time inventing devices to kill each other and so little time working on how to achieve peace.” – Walter Cronkite

2. I turned my thesis, The Dragon Dancer of Krysh, in to my advisor today. It is officially done, finished, polished, complete! There are probably more words available, but my brain is now officially powering down for the rest of the day.

3. Okay, I’ve not quite powered down as I still have other school work to tend to, but the other stuff is of the more practical variety. For example, I’ve written a CV and resume for the first time in, well, decades, which I’ll use to apply for adjunct professor positions. I’ve also prepared my first Composition Writing course proposal, which I’ll be able to use if I get a job teaching, and I’m currently working on Creative Writing course materials. It’s been a busy but very productive semester so far!

4. My alter ego, Maggie Clare, is also busy getting ready to publish the next two books in the TSI romantic suspense series. If the steamy stuff is your jam, you can check out the first four books in the series HERE. The books have recently had a cover refresh, and one Maggie’s favorite main characters has taken over her blog. We for sure have a lot of fun on that side of the house!

5. Project Hail Mary was worth the wait and worth the hype. I’m a huge fan of the book, and, IMHO, the movie did it justice. It had just the right amount of humor and heart to go along with the super fun science fiction. Seeing it in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre, with our boys and their significant others, was also a total treat. Check out the movie. You’ll be glad you did!

Five Things - May 26, 2025

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

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

1. "If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters." - Alan K. Simpson

2. It’s graduation season around here! In the last two weeks we’ve celebrated RJ who graduated from Loyola Marymount, Nick who graduated from the MFA program at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film, and Noah’s girlfriend Anjali, who received a Masters from USC. It was a whirlwind of activity and very exciting. Congratulations to all!

3. We’re back in Orange for a couple of weeks before we launch into our summer travels. Since it’s baseball season, and we love to visit as many parks as we can, last night we went to an Angel’s game. While they lost to the Yankees, of all teams, there’s nothing like watching game on a spring night under the lights with a cold beer.

4. We also went to dinner with Nick and Leslie at this cool place called The Hobbit. There’s only one seating per evening for this five course extravaganza, and we opted in for the wine-pairing. The food and experience was outstanding! We’d tried to get reservations here the last time we were in town, but it was booked solid, so we were thrilled to finally check this off our list of things to do in the OC.

5. I can’t believe classes start up again next week! This break has gone by quickly, but I’m ready to dig into my thesis, which will be the second half of my romantasy novel titled The Dragon Dancer of Krysh! I left this manuscript at the halfway point and put the project on hold when I started school. It was my hope to use this novel as my thesis project, but it needed to be approved by a mentor willing to work with a slightly longer than usual manuscript. I’m thrilled to say I have an incredibly talented and flexible mentor, and she’s truly excited about this book. If all goes as planned, the draft will be finished by winter break!

Monday Musings 12-19-22

The New Year is quickly approaching, and it’s certainly going to be a different kind of year for us! As we transition into our life of adventure on the road, we have an opportunity to consciously create new habits around work, health, and play.

Despite the fact that I’m an avid yoga practitioner, and Ray hits the gym nearly every day, the nature of our work is more sedentary than in years past. We also really, really enjoy our cocktails! We’re both looking forward to exploring different parts of the country and adding more daily activity into our lives. We’ve even discussed implementing ‘no drink January’ as part of the new deal. We’ll see how that goes…

On the work front, I’m excited about a few projects. Dreamwalker is still on submission, so there’s really nothing I can do around that for now, but I have already started a new fantasy novel tentatively titled The Dragon Dancer of Krysh. Yes, there are dragons! Meanwhile, my alter ego, Maggie Clare, will be finishing off the TSI romantic suspense series with three more books. Yep, I’m feeling pretty ambitious!

Finally, I’m planning to share my travel journey online. It’s time to refocus my social media presence, blog spaces, and overall professional platform anyway, so this seems the perfect time. In the coming weeks, look for those updates and for some new ways to follow our journey.

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a very happy New Year!

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” - Seneca