CURRENTLY BLOG HOP - SUMMER 2016 - DREAMS, INSPIRATION of a writerly life

My writerly pals and I are sharing breezy summer hopes and dreams in the C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y Blog Hop - Summer 2016.  Please have a read and enjoy.  Then check out the other #Gr8Blogs listed at the end of this post for more  C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y inspiration.

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CURRENTLY Loving
Growing up on the New England coast and swimming since I could walk, I am in heaven when the outdoor pool opens for the season!  

​Besides keeping in shape, swimming laps is major stress relief.  My mind takes a holiday gliding through the water.  Sometimes, story ideas pop into my head.  The trick is to remember them when I get out of the pool, and write them down without dripping all over my trusty notepad. 
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via GIPHY

CURRENTLY Reading
Usually, I read a couple books at once, but sometimes my library reserves become available at the same time, and I hit the jackpot.

Trio of summertime reads

The Martian, by And Weir
...Super fun (though I skip over detailed, tech parts, like nailhead sizes, potato types, and such), and I love Matt Damon in the film. How did it win the Oscar in a comedy category?!?

Cinder, by Melissa Mayer
...Fresh and creative, Cinder is the first of Mayer's awesome fractured fairy tale/syfy mash-up series, The Lunar Chronicles.  ​I'm hooked. Just call me a lunar-tic.

Cinder is a poor, lonely orphan, who also happens to be a cyborg. There's  a mean stepmother, evil queen, and handsome prince, just like the original fairy tale.  Cinder is a perfect audiobook for exercising --- wanting to hear the next chapter keeps me going longer.   

Seraphina, by Robert Beatty
...Nah, I'm not bias because Seraphina is set in Asheville's Vanderbilt mansion, one of my fave places in North Carolina AND written by another NC author.  (Well, maybe a little bit bias.)  

​This middle grade tale featuring plucky female protagonist Seraphina, Chief Rat Catcher at the mansion, is NOT for sensitive young readers.  More like a Stephen King for kids, the book has downright scary encounters with other-wordly creatures, but it's a rompin' stomping' good yarn with a bit of 19th-century history thrown in.

​CURRENTLY Watching
I quasi-watch season 6 of Game of Thrones, fast-forwarding past scenes of excess violence and skin.  Sometimes deleting entire episodes.

I devoured all Martin's books. But since the TV series show progressed beyond his published tome, I have no idea what will happen to the characters.  

​Can't wait to see how showrunners pull the plot together as the series winds down.

via GIPHY

​Hey, how about that unexpected Jon Snow come back?  And poor Hodor <sniff-sniff>.

CURRENTLY Thinking About
My WIP is constantly on my mind these days.  

A fluke tech glitch wiped out my entire manuscript and  its cloud backup Yep, months of research and writing all gone.  Zip. Zilch. Zero. I spent weeks re-writing lost chapters and popping aspirin. 

I learned my lesson - now quadruple backing-up and printing daily work (though I hate killing trees).  I hope this loss never happens to you. Please, please please make multiple back ups of all that's dear to you.

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CURRENTLY Anticipating
Spouse and I are motoring four hours west to the Blue Ridge mountains later this summer to celebrate his milestone birthday.  

​We love staying in edgy Asheville.  This artsy, outdoorsy community is a magnificent escape from summer's heat and humidity in our NC flatlands.  Can’t wait to explore trails, eateries, and creative places.  Just breathe that mountain air .... ahhhhhh!

Edgy Asheville: street scenes, storefront

​CURRENTLY Making Me Happy
This fall, I will be a great-auntie TWICE!  Both boys....One in September and the other in November.  You know I will be looking for sales on all things blue.  
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via GIPHY

​CURRENTLY Seeing in My Camera Lens

A Taste of the South
Pepsi
Readers know the city of New Bern, NC,  as the setting for Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember.  (You can even take a W2R walking tour in New Bern of sites mentioned in his novel.)  

However, cola lovers know New Bern as the birthplace of Pepsi. You can still visit the corner drugstore where the pharmacist created the soft drink in the 1890s.

New Bern - Corner Pharmacy: Birthplace of Pepsi-Cola

Gardens
​Please enjoy a taste of my summertime North Carolina garden, too.

Cat's summer garden

'Cue
​Gotta have eastern North Carolina-style Barbecue for a true taste of the south for your mouth. Serve it up on a bun of fried hush puppies with a side of Brunswick Stew and sweet tea. 

Carolina 'Cue

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Thanks for stopping by!  ​

Now it's your turn: 
What are you CURRENTLY up to this summer? Big plans?  Keeping it low with a stay-cation?  Adding books on your to-read list?  Please share in the comment section

btw, Bloggers.... why not join us on the Currently - Summer 2016 Blog Hop!  Just add your family-friendly Currently link below in the comment section.  We’ll visit your blog and give you some blog love.  And if you use #Gr8Blogs, we'll support you when you post Currently in cyberspace.

#Bloghop □□□□What's on your list of #Summer Happy❓Check out ours & hop along‼️ ➡️ https://t.co/a7FTbtFkXd #Gr8Blogs pic.twitter.com/rAJn7EYOdh

— Cat Michaels (@CatMichaelsBook) June 20, 2016

For more fun with the C*U*R*R*E*N*T*L*Y Blog Hop - Summer 2016 Blog Hop, please visit these #Gr8Blogs next.... 
 
Auden Johnson,
Dark Treasury

Corrina Holyoake, 
Venturing Into the Unknown

Julie Gorges,
Baby-Boomer Bliss

Jd Holiday,
​Jd's Writers Blog

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