Where to Start?
So much to share, where to start? We had a great trip to Scotland, and I want to tell youse all about it. 🙂 I’m sure I will as the experiences seep into and out of my soul. We were traveling with my sister and brother-in-law and, later, my cousin and her husband. Y’all probably know me well enough to know this was my favorite part, being with people I love. The one thing I will share: I went swimming in the North Atlantic! “Swimming” is a gross overstatement. I ran in. Got over my head. Dunked under. Flailed around a bit. My body screamed, GET OUT OF HERE! I ran back on shore. It was cold, y’all. Cold, cold.
I brought home a congested chest (not from the swimming, I promise–the retreat was a hotbed of coughing and hacking.) I spent three days in bed. Then dragged myself up and drove to Atlanta for the Decatur Book Festival.
Y’all, this was an incredible festival (and remember I’m from New Orleans and have NOTHING for Atlanta because they got the dirty bird Falcons.) Such high energy, people so happy to be there. And huge. They kept talking about how it had shrunk post-COVID, but coming in where I did, it spread across downtown Decatur. My panel was great, talking about using ancestors in your fiction. This is a topic people really lock in on. Aaannnd I sold books. Plus, I got to go to dinner with a woman I had met in Scotland (I know, the whole world is a small place.)
Now, I’m preparing for the Eudora Welty Symposium mid-month. Where to start? I’m gonna do a separate post on why this means so much to me. Just know it goes alllllll the way back to high school.
How are y’all doing? I hope everyone is okay. Let me know how it’s going with you.
Decatur Book Festival, eudora welty, Eudora Welty Symposium, Visiting Scotland
Luanne
Sounds like a great time except for the illness.
Ellen Morris Prewitt
Our group truly fell in love with Scotland and the people. They were angels, rescuing us from minor difficulties over and over again. And the land! Just so gorgeous.
Marie A Bailey
Aside from your illness, what a wonderful experience! Even though you give just broad strokes of your activities, reading about your North Atlantic “swimming” was hilarious 😆 I can feel your joy through this post. A lot of that joy seemingly from being with people you love and being amongst other writers.
Ellen Morris Prewitt
It was so funny, the swimming! And exhilarating. The woman I went with actually swam…for about 5 minutes. She’d been working up from 1 minute to 2 to 3…in Massachusetts waters. We looked it up and that day the water in the Gulf was 81 degrees! She and I were pumped the whole walk back to the hotel.
Marie A Bailey
😂