I have been Celebrating Life in multiple ways this weekend as I ventured out into the world one baby step at a time by attending a Thistle Dew Writers’ Retreat for the first time since COVID rocked our world.
It seems fitting that this was the weekend I took a daring leap into being social again, with my two-week mark following my second covid vaccine coinciding with the two-year anniversary of TEN BUCKS AND A WISH.
Thistle Dew is where I spent the weekend preparing for that release, back in 2019. Thistle Dew is also where I Tarot-plotted LOVE IN THE FOREST, and is the birth place of my characters Brooke and Josh. I spent the weekend getting to know them through Tarot and from there the book was born.
This weekend, I spent time here in the Brass Room preparing for the JUNE 2nd release of LOVE IN THE FOREST. The rest of the time I spent fine-tuning LIFE IS FOR LIVING.
It was difficult to continue blogging through 2020, with the Pandemic raising concerns, alarm, disputes, and disparities everywhere I turned. I wanted my blog to be a happy place, but every time I tried to write, COVID and POLITICS clouded my positivity.
So instead, I wrote LIFE IS FOR LIVING. This is a saying that has paved my journey since the first time I had cancer back in 1986. When I worked at the Mercury back in the early 2000s, I wrote a column by that name. This blog used to be called Life is for Living.
This past week, David and I met with a throat surgeon following another CT Scan of my neck that provided possible evidence of cancer yet again. He did his own tests and determined that the lymph nodes were not cancerous. My gynecologist did my first three-month follow up since my January 4th hysterectomy resulting from Uterine Cancer. He gave me a clean bill of health.
Life. LIFE IS FOR LIVING.
So yes, there are multiple reasons to be celebrating this weekend.
I’m Cancer-free.
LOVE IN THE FOREST—coming out on June 2nd.
TWO-YEAR Anniversary of my first published romance TEN BUCKS AND A WISH!
Another book (LIFE IS FOR LIVING) on deck, about to be sent to my Soul Mate Publishing.
Another book being plotted—more on Jake and Liza’s story later.
Me and my loved ones made it through 2020 COVID-Free.
This retreat also celebrated a great friend and author who passed this year, Denise Como. We remembered Denise with a candle, a toast, and recollections of her sassy wit, and forthright way of expressing her opinions. Denise lives on through her daughter, Gina, her loved ones, and through her writing. Check out Sophia Roslyn on amazon.com and keep our beloved Denise alive.
Most importantly, the very best reason to be celebrating is all the love that surrounds me. All the genuine people who are in my life, who love and respect me, and truly wish the best for me. All the people who gauge their own merit by their own successes, not by the failures of my journey.
Thistle Dew is a magical place where dreams are born, friendships are cemented, and goals are attained. When not playing home to writers, Thistle Dew welcomes to their door all strangers who have yet to become friends.
It’s a place of healing and love, with Andrea and Walt welcoming all with open hearts, comfy beds, and lots of nooks and crannies to explore and escape in.
Thank you everyone who has taken this ride with me. It’s been a fantastic journey, and it’s not over yet.
Continue to stay safe, follow COVID guidelines, but remember that Life is for Living. So, live it and love it!
Janina Grey 