Dear Friends and Readers,
No, I’m not a crab or a lobster, I am just one poor sweltering Southern person. And August has been a truly brutal month, weather wise. Yesterday lightning struck east of my place, but the white light was so brilliant that I was momentarily blinded. Ugh. Dangerous storms from the over-heated earth, and now the tropics are also producing potential hurricanes. Keep fingers crossed for everyone!
I am finishing the first draft of DOGGONE BONES. I hope you will like the story when it’s published in May 2025. I’ve had a great time writing the story and I hope to be finished by the time this newsletter comes out. Of course there will be plenty of edits, I’m sure. My niece is reading over it now to give me some help.
It’s been a hot hot summer of writing and taking care of very sick animals. My little refuge is suffering. Scooter is so old and I worry about her all the time. Castor and Izzy have diabetes and other issues, but this month the horses have just been panting in the barn under fans. I hose them but the heat is unrelenting. My big dogs are also getting old. And so am I. I’m sorry to be singing the same old, sad song!
I’m buying some new furniture and trying to throw away stuff that I don’t need. Why is that so hard? I start looking in boxes and I find things that I haven’t seen in 30 years but suddenly they are so important. No, they aren’t. I just have to toss them without looking, I think. Sentimental attachment doesn’t work for me any longer. But I just hate all of this. I do. If I throw away something valuable, I’ll just cry later!
This isn’t a long newsletter. Just to let you know I’m alive and still working. Ha ha ha. I’m planning some book signings for October—the release of BLUE CHRISTMAS BONES. And I have a lovely Kirkus Review—here!
Please share my newsletter with friends, if you’d like. They can sign up at www.carolynhaines.com/subscribe— I am very tired of FB and all of that. I still post animals needing homes and environmental articles, but I feel more and more used by that platform. I really enjoy keeping in touch with old friends, but so much of what pops up is not helpful. Are any of you feeling that way?
Guys, stay cool. Pray that the hurricanes bypass us this year (and everyone else). And keep reading. I’m diving into a YA horror/thriller as soon as I finish DOGGONE BONES. I hope it is scary!
Until next month—take a listen to this song from my childhood, and yes, it still makes me cry. Puff the Magic Dragon.
Carolyn and the Critters!
