Such Tales I Have To Tell You
Just a second. Let me catch my breath...
For a moment there I considered letting that stand as my post. That one line. Because WOW. Life.
I am continually amazed by the way it creeps in and stirs my pot. Remember the three witches in Macbeth? Double double, toil and trouble. Yeah...they've been busy.
I have SO MUCH to be thankful for; SO MANY reasons to be happy; ONE MILLION excuses to sing. But I also have a loooooong list of things that have been hard, ways I have been stretched, things I was unprepared for, things I've done wrong—at work, as a parent, in publishing.
But maybe the wrong doesn't matter so much if what you end up with is the right.
This whole writing journey has been (and continues to be) a learning process. I am, by no stretch of the imagination, an expert. I'm just a bumbling fool who's too stubborn to give up.
And I believe one of my greatest strengths is that I'm not too scared to ask for help.
Like when I blabbed in a blog post about how I wished someone would gift me a spot by the lake where I could quietly work on my KAJILLION projects.
Guess where I am right now?
At this very moment I'm sitting on an old plaid couch beside a roaring fire, sipping my third cup of tea, while beyond the window to my left, the waters of Lake Huron lap against the shore. It's like someone wrapped up perfection and then dropped me in the middle of it. I am deliriously happy and all those things—those roadblocks that jettied up in my path over the last few weeks—they're inconsequential.
Because here is just here. And that's a gift for which I don't even know how to articulate my gratitude. I will share more later in a very important PSA: The Right Way to do a Writer's Retreat (stay tuned!).
For now I shall deliver the point-form update on ALL THE THINGS.1. My books were held hostage in the US so I missed my soft launch. I blame Donald Trump. He didn't even say sorry.
2. When they finally arrived, opening that box was like a thousand angels singing; but also like that moment in the movie when you're not yet sure if it'll be a happy ending.
3. I whine-tweeted about how boring it is to fill out paperwork for the Library and Archives Canada (though, how cool is it that I'm doing that?!?!) and they replied to me, saying how fun it should be— Ha! (Also, my books are now part of Canada's official BIG TIME Library—that's amazing!)
4. There was a Canada Post "incident" that had me returning home with all my book mailing, repackaging, and going back to the Post Office to try again.
5. The women who work at the Durham Post Office are amazing and kind and super helpful. The "incident" was that I am an idiot.
6. The fourth issue of Blank Spaces is coming out in June. If you want a copy, order before the pre-order sale ends on Monday night.
7. My launch party is booked for June 23. Details will be coming to you soon BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL INVITED!
8. The Church in the Wildwood now has its own website. Because, you know, I need more things to manage. Truth is, I think it will actually make things a little simpler for me, keeping all Wildwood things together instead of trying to fit them in here—things are feeling a little crowded at alannarusnak.com
9. If you haven't yet bought a copy of my book, would you consider it? I'd love to put one in your hands.
10. And now it's eleven p.m. and I need to go add some updates to the Wildwood site so you'll have some interesting things to see and read when you click this link.
I'll leave you with this: a photo of the sky, taken tonight from the shores of Lake Huron, just steps from the back door of this cozy little cottage I'm staying in.
You're welcome.