Girl's Day Out

Last Wednesday, I enjoyed experiencing something I've never done before...shopped from morning till the shops closed.

A couple friends of mine, who happen to also be writers, and I took the day off and toured Old Town, Spring, Texas. What a gold mine that community holds! And what fun the three of us women had turning back our personal clocks and re-living the world through the eyes of being fifteen again. We allowed ourselves to giggle, laugh out loud with our heads thrown back, and point at things we were told never to point at.

We tried on clothes, sat in antique chairs made for royalty, and tasted every type of jam, jelly, and preserves known to mankind. We drank smoothies, ate brownies, home-made fudge, and had the most wonderful lunch at an Italian cafe called Delissimo's.

What that day taught me is that being a woman is the most precious gift we have. It wasn't about spending money (although we certainly made the shopkeepers happy), it was about camaraderie, about allowing ourselves to be young girls again, to see the laughter in the other's souls.

I love my husband and am proud to say that. I am also a strong woman who isn't ashamed to admit that either. And I am a surrounded by the greatest friends in the world, even the ones who weren't with us that day, you were there...held tight in my heart--for it is there, with you, where I find the core of my strength!

Licking on my ice cream cone,
Cherri

Announcing my book debut December 2007

Fun builds for this writer as I climb through the processes of the publishing of my debut novel, THE SCENT OF MONEY, due out this December 2007.

This past Friday, the publishers of LLDreamspell, Linda Houle and Lisa Rene Smith came over to our home to do the photo shoot for THE SCENT OF MONEY. Linda and Lisa both love animals and had on a previous meeting met all my dogs. Except last time they behaved. The dogs, not Linda and Lisa, although they behaved as well!

Our dogs are nosy rascals and could not take the laughter on the other side of the wall for a minute longer. Four German shepherds and a HUGE Great Pyrenees burst through the living room door like a plug being removed from a dam, rushing Linda and Lisa with gusto! Each one of the dogs vying for their affection and fondness. Yes, my dogs are loving creatures, very social. Maybe a little too social as they climbed on these women's laps, smothering them with kisses and squeals, the way our dogs behave when they really like someone.

After Linda and Lisa left, I knew I had been in the company of two very fine women. You see, I trust my dog's intuition of character.

Observing dog's behaviors and their antics thrills me. Writing about them in murder mysteries came easy as they provide strong characters. And having Search Dogs helped with plot and setting. Why write about them? Because these honorable dogs give to the community without expecting anything in return. They are my Cadaver Dogs.

Whistling and writing and waiting for the next step--
Cherri