Taking a summertime break

According to Alan Cohen, author of more than twenty inspirational books and CDs, "There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest." "Use both," he advises, "and overlook neither."

This month I plan to pay more than lip service to rest. For the first time in more than a year, I will take a "break" from writing and marketing -- about three to four weeks -- and focus on other things.

This is a good time to take a breather. I am about halfway through the third Carson Chronicles book and at a point where more research and reflection might be beneficial. I still hope to publish the novel, set mostly in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1943 and 1944, by December.

While I am recharging my writing batteries, I will monitor the progress of my twelfth and longest audiobook. Chaz Allen, narrator of The Fire, September Sky, Mercer Street, Indiana Belle, and River Rising, is more than twenty chapters into The Memory Tree and should finish the second Carson book sometime in August or September.

I also plan to do some traveling and see at least a few more settings from previous works. Early this morning, I had the opportunity to visit Mount Shasta, a significant setting in River Rising and The Memory Tree and one of Northern California's natural wonders.

And though I did not see the time portal used by Tim and Caroline Carson, I did see stunning alpine scenery at Panther Meadows (photos). I encourage any visitors to the upper reaches of the Golden State to pay the area a visit. In July, anyway, it is beyond compare.

Best wishes to my readers and others on America's 242nd birthday. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!