Do It Now

... I decided to take my own advice (DO IT NOW) from my comments to Sylvia Dickey Smith on Examiner.com and update this blog as well as buckle down on my other writing tasks! As I mentioned in my remarks to Sylvia, once I tipped over that magic "50" age marker, I could no longer fool myself that there's as much time ahead as behind.

Too, there's something about Autumn's arrival that gets me moving and focused again. Autumn puts me in mind of new beginnings—more than January 1 or the first day of Spring. Perhaps it has to do with September being the start of the school year. When I add it all up, between my own school-attending years and those of my children, more (much more) than half my life has been ruled by the school calendar.

So here it is, October already. Nights are shorter, days are (marginally) colder, the light outside is different. Time to begin again.

One of the things I'm preparing for is the upcoming Bouchercon convention in Indianapolis (October 15–18). I'll be in two panels:

• Thursday, October 15, 9 a.m. MEN, WOMEN AND MURDER THROUGH THE AGES (Concept Room)
• Friday, October 16, 4 p.m. THE ART OF THE WESTERN MYSTERY (The Eiteljorg Museum: off-site)

Other than that, I'll be at the Librarians' Tea, the SinC breakfast, and just wandering around in general, listening to what readers and authors are up to these days.

I encourage you to check out Sylvia's Austin Writing Examiner column and leave a comment or two; there are a lot of "over 50" authors with some interesting takes on life and writing. And I hope you can take time to enjoy the changing of the seasons, perhaps reflecting on what Autumn brings to you in way of a harvest of the soul...