It's Take My Readers to Work Day

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!

There are no words to express how much I've missed all of you.

Thanks to all who visited while I've been typing my fingers to the bone. Special thanks to those who visited every month and those who commented. You're all some kind of awesome!

I know I said I was going to start work on refreshing this blog. Hasn't happened yet, but it will. I could chat for a while, but I don't know where to start.

So I'm going to show you where I've been.

Almost every single day. For hours.

And I'm still there, working diligently. But I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm beyond grateful. I embarked on this trilogy journey without having a clue. It's been the most amazing writing adventure yet, and I've loved every second. Even when I was pulling out my hair, strand by strand.

I'm also sharing space today with the wonderful C. Lee McKenzie

Thanks again for stopping by.

I'll be around to visit you over the next week or so. For real!

So this has been my journey every day.

First the long, harrowing commute:

Then the traffic jams:


A stop for coffee:

And then straight to work, through the dining room:

You'll notice there's no door from this way or this way:

Which means the two loud-mouthed hair-shedding canines sweet little furbabies have unfettered access to the windows only a step away from my desk. And every delivery truck, bike rider, jogger, squirrel, bird, and cat that comes along.

I hardly notice them barking anymore, except when I'm deep in the story, and they make me jump.

I do love them. Who could resist these sweet faces:


Next month I'll show you my desk. And my trilogy notebooks. And maybe more. I'll see you back here on Monday, June 6.


Now that I'm finally done, I get to participate in the cover reveal for C. Lee McKenzie's new book, SIGN OF THE GREEN DRAGON.


When a wall of their cave hideout crumbles, three boys discover a skeleton, clutching a treasure map. They set off to trace the story of an old murder, but stumble into a modern crime, and confront ancient Chinese dragons.


Want to Read Link: 
Goodreads 


C. Lee McKenzie is a 4 & 5 star reviewed author. Her greatest passion is writing for young readers. Sign of the Green Dragon is her third Middle Grade novel. Alligators Overhead and the sequel, The Great Time Lock Disaster were her first two. She has traditionally published four young adult novels: Sliding on the Edge, The Princess of Las Pulgas, Double Negative and Sudden Secrets.



Comments

Christine Rains said…
Welcome back! Your work space is wonderful. But, oh, the traffic! :) Yay for Lee!
Bish Denham said…
I love your commute! And I can see your furbabies can stay right next you, ready to you with any plot issues.

Glad to see you back.
Robin said…
Thanks for sharing your commute with us. Those stairs look like they might be tricky. So BE CAREFUL.

Good to see you back, Carol:)
Carol Kilgore said…
Christine - The traffic is horrible, LOL! It's treat to be back!

Bish - They're a huge help [eye roll] :)

Robin - They're only tricky if there's a dog underfoot. Doesn't happen except in thunderstorms. Otherwise they go first.
cleemckenzie said…
I knew you'd come back! But with that kind of commute, I can see why work calls to you every day and you can get some writing done!

Thanks for the post about my cover. I appreciate your adding it to your return post!
Mason Canyon said…
Welcome back, Carol. You have been missed. I love the traffic jam you had with your commute. :-) Just gotta love those fur babies.

Congrats to C. Lee. I love that cover. It makes me think of a fascinating adventure just waiting behind that cover.
Carol Kilgore said…
Lee - It's my pleasure! Love sharing the work of other authors.

Mason - Traffic jams up there a few times every day. I need to talk to somebody about widening the road :)
Welcome back. You have been badly missed.
Love that I am seeing C Lee McKenzie's cover across the blogosphere.
Liza said…
Welcome back. I enjoyed visiting your "office."
Carol Kilgore said…
EC - I missed everyone, too!

Liza - Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the trip :)
Luanne G. Smith said…
You've been hard at work! Good for you. Now do you mind passing the motivation stick my way please? I've been very, very lazy lately.
I like the area you work in but those stairs I would most likely fall down them
Carol Kilgore said…
LG - I need to keep my motivation stick, but see if you can find one on Amazon, LOL. Sometimes lazy is good :)

Jo-Anne - The stairs aren't as steep as they appear in that photo. I tried to make them look scary.
Melissa said…
Welcome back!
You and I came out of hiding about the same time. ;)

Congratulations, Lee! :D
Carol Kilgore said…
Melissa - Wow! And we both live in Texas. Hmmm. . . .
Gotta love those kinds of traffic jams! ;)
And a big congrats to Lee!!!!!
L. Diane Wolfe said…
My commute looks similar, excepting I'm tripping over one black cat.
H. R. Sinclair said…
Aw, those little traffic jammers are so cute! I see they like to nap by your office too.

I loved your advice for destressing. I'm trying it out today.
Loni Townsend said…
Welcome back! Man, that certainly looks to be a ruff, er, I mean, rough work situation. :D
Carol Kilgore said…
Lynda - Best kind ever!

Diane - I'll bet the twisty kind that gets between your legs at every step :)

Holly - Favorite nap spot! Hope my tip works for you.

Loni - Ruff! Love it :)
VR Barkowski said…
Welcome back, Carol! Those are some seriously sweet faces. With muses like that, why would you ever want to leave your desk?

Congrats to C. Lee McKenzie. Great cover!

VR Barkowski
Unknown said…
Thanks for taking us to work with you! You cracked me up about the traffic jam! I write in a room with only one door that I close. Firmly. My distractions come from goofing off on the internet. LOL See you next month!
Welcome back!
Those faces are oh-so-gorgeous...awwww.
Looks like your work space is conducive to LOADS of creativity! And I TOTALLY approve of the coffee corner...
Writer In Transit
Carol Kilgore said…
VR - Coffee. And wine!

Lexa - I would LOVE a door! But they'd probably whine outside until I opened it ♥

Michelle - I love all the light I have in here :)
Welcome back! It's awesome that you've gotten so much writing done, in spite of that grueling commute and hairy distractions. We spent five days in Tennessee visiting friends, and while we were there, I got up early every morning and got a good bit of writing done before anyone else rolled out of bed. Since we've gotten home, it hasn't been quite that productive. Too many other things keep getting in the way and demanding my attention. Guess I'm going to have to learn how to ignore them...

Seeya next month!
Carol Kilgore said…
Susan - Thanks! And good for you, too. I'm pitiful when it comes to writing on vacation, no matter my good intentions. Happy May!
Jemi Fraser said…
Lee's book is fantastic!!!! I highly recommend it :)

Love the pics - your dogs are gorgeous!
Carol Kilgore said…
Jemi - Good to know about Lee's book. I would expect nothing less from her. The doggies say thank you and send kisses :)
Anonymous said…
Lovely home and cute furbabies. I look forward to Lee's book.
Crystal Collier said…
You're back and I didn't even get here last week! I'm back too. I hope you got more words down than I did though, because you deserve to. My writing space faces a window so I won't be distracted by the things happening around me, but I don't know if I could ignore those furbabies. You must have concentration of steel!
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - The drawback is dog hair. Everywhere. All the time. It's a constant battle. Lee's book is going to be awesome!

Crystal - I've been gone so long I didn't know you were gone, too. I should make a recording that loops continually:
"Give me kisses. Don't start. Good boy. Leave it. Good job. No bark. You're so sweet. Down. You're so cute. Stay. I love you."
Mark said…
Glad you're back! And that's my kind of commute too:)
Carol Kilgore said…
Mark - Thanks! It's tough, right :)
Welcome back! You were missed :)

Congratulations to C Lee! Sounds awesome story!
Carol Kilgore said…
Romance Reader - I agree about Lee's story. It's good to be back.
Welcome back, Carol! Sorry it's always rush hour at your house! Congrats to Lee!

Julie
Carol Kilgore said…
Julie - Thanks! Very true about always rush hour here :)
DMS said…
Thanks for taking us on your commute to work. It looks like a nice one! :)

I love Lee's cover. It is SO cool!! :)
~Jess
Carol Kilgore said…
DMS - Yeah, commute's not bad :) Lee's cover rocks!
Those are some very adorable "traffic jams" :)
Carol Kilgore said…
OE - And spoiled rotten ones, too :)
Linda O'Connell said…
I love your sense of humor and writing style. Those fur babies make life a home, don't they?
Carol Kilgore said…
Linda - Thank you! I'm blushing. Fur babies are awesome ♥

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