by Iona Morrison | Dec 26, 2013
The door closes, the last piece of paper is picked up, and the dishes are all done. Another Christmas day comes to a close and I’m feeling happy but exhausted. I never want to take these days for granite. I treasure each one that I get. The laughter, the noise of children playing, mixes with new memories being made. It is something to be savored long after the day is done.
Tomorrow with it’s new cares will come soon enough. It’s here that I want to linger, in the afterglow of special moments when my family is all gathered. So I close my eyes and in my heart I a raise a glass in toast, Here’s to slowing down, being a family if only for a moment, and enjoying it before the rush of life crowds in again.
by Iona Morrison | Dec 10, 2013
I really don’t talk to myself – hmm-unless of course you count talking to all the people I’ve created in my mind. I say that with a smile. I want the characters of my books to feel like real people and the best way for that to happen is to have talks with them to see what’s on their minds. Writing a character driven book that shows not tells may sound easy but it’s not.
For me old habits die hard. I’ve been telling people what to do since I was old enough to talk. What can I say I was a strong willed child. As a matter of fact I was kicked out of kindergarten which did bode well for me. So the desire to tell the reader everything runs deep inside me.
I’m grateful for my mentor Mary, and her trusty read marks. She doesn’t let me get away with anything. Book one was a massive overhaul with too many red marks to count, lots of head hopping to correct, and rewrites. Now I’m not saying I’ve got it down by book three let’s just say with Mary’s help I’m improving and hope to be a stronger writer with time.
It’s worth it to me this learning process and curtailing of my every detail nature because I do love to write. I love to read and I want to love the books that I write. Which I can say – I do.
by Iona Morrison | Nov 27, 2013
Thank you! It’s such a small statement that at times we totally overlook how powerful it can be in any language. Gracias, toda raba, merci , danke, and grazie to mention a few ways it’s said around the world. A simple expression which conveys our gratitude and whole lot more I think
A thank you received not only makes a day seem brighter but encourages you to keep on trying. Your action was noticed and your effort was recognized. Who doesn’t want to feel good about what they are doing?
So when we take one day a year to be thankful I think we should make great use of the time. We should say thank you for all the good we have experienced in life and even for the not so good because combined they have helped to shape us. We should also take the time to thank those we love for being who they are and doing what they do. Life is short and we should thank them often.
I’m grateful for family and friends; for laughter, love and children’s giggles; for the beauty in our world and for taste buds that let me taste the flavors of a great meal; for music, art, and the amazing creations of people and most of all for being alive and experiencing love and the wonder of it all.
Happy Thanksgiving!
by Iona Morrison | Nov 5, 2013
I finished book two and I queried my editor. It is now safely in her hands along with my first book. The wait continues! Waiting isn’t the easiest thing in the world for me. But here I am tapping my foot under the desk while trying with very little luck, mind you, not to think daily about the two books. I only wish it were, out of sight, out of mind.
My thoughts are of the garden variety really, like you must have been insane to do this, or what were you thinking. I’m excited and at the same time I’m slightly mental. But, I’ll keep waiting because that’s what you do. You query and you wait to hear. They ask for a few chapters and you wait to hear. A request for the Manuscript arrives, it’s sent, and you wait to hear. They like it, a contract is signed, and you wait for edits, a galley, and a release date. I’m sure there must be something important about all of the waiting but as of yet I’m not sure exactly what it is. So I keep writing like a mad woman hearing voices in her head and book three is underway. I was told a few days ago I should have a time – line for book one soon, and you’ve got it by now, I’m waiting to hear.
by Iona Morrison | Oct 17, 2013
Joann Macy said, “The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.”
It seems we spend endless amounts of time trying to keep our heart from breaking. But, life has a way of sneaking up on us with events that do just that. When all the dust settles, and you put the pieces back together, at some point you realize that you’re maybe a little stronger than you thought; compassion runs a little deeper inside of you and you care for those who are going through hard times just a little more. Basically we learn to be human.
Recently my cousin lost her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter in a massive rock slide here in Colorado. The family had gone out for a hike on a beautiful fall day. And then it happened, a rock slide the size of a football field over took them. One of the daughters was pushed to safety although still injured while five of them perished in a moment. My cousin’s family along with two nephews. With the news of the loss my heart broke open and grief poured in; grief for my cousin, a mother and grandmother who lost so much; for a son who had stayed home and 13 year old daughter who must now live without their parents and a sibling; for extended family and for more than a thousand people who attended their service who will now live without their friends.
It’s at times like this we are reminded that life is precious and of what is important. We face our on mortality and are reminded that it’s not about what you have but what you do with your life. Yes, I can see it now, “the heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.”
by Iona Morrison | Oct 2, 2013
Life rarely gives you a perfect script. As a matter of fact it’s often messy and not what we expect. It can be contrary to our best laid plans and often mocks our optimism. Life gets interrupted! The urgent takes the place of the important. But here, at my computer, I can for a moment have it my way. Stories can end the way I say.
I can imagine people in my world the way I would like to see them. I can have happy endings, kind people, and good that triumphs over evil; moonlight runs, ocean views and heroes or heroines who save the day; true love that last a life time, people who rise above their hardships, and people who win in the end. I can make up towns to live in, villains who will not succeed and the most unlikely person will rise above the rest. It’s my world for the time that I sit here writing. Yes, I know I can’t stay here and yes, I know nothing in life may have changed, that is nothing but me.
Somehow I walk away with the belief there is still so much beauty in the world around me. So many great stories of ordinary people still to be told. Those stories tell me that one life can make a difference even if it’s only to me; they remind me that every life is valuable and cannot be replaced by another. So I breathe in and I breathe out. I walk putting one foot in front of the other even if I have no where to go. I believe life is still beautiful and I’m thankful to be alive.
