progressive rock

What’s Making Me Happy: December 2018 and January 2019

/ saraletourneau / 18 Comments

Winter in Massachusetts means that, as a resident, you often get some… interesting weather. Two Sundays ago, we had a storm that started as snow, then changed to rain and later to sleet / freezing rain. Then our high temperatures for the next two days were in the single digits Fahrenheit, with wind chills below 0. (Plus, all the snow and rain that had fallen? It froze.) By that Thursday, it was precipitating like crazy again – except it was pouring rain, because the temps had warmed up to over 50 deg F (10 deg C). šŸ˜®

And then, on other days, it’s still cold but at least nice enough for moments like the banner image. šŸ™‚ So where was I when I took this photo? And what joys from the past 2 months did I decide to share today? Let’s get right to it! Continue reading →

The Music Tag (A Blog Hop)

/ saraletourneau / 20 Comments

Iā€™m not gonna lie ā€“ I was SO excited when Victoria Grace HowellĀ nominated me for this blog tag (thank you, Tori!) that this was my reaction.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But music isĀ one of my many loves in life, along with writing, books, and tea. So if youā€™re a music fan as well, fair warning: This post features YouTube videos. It also features links to more YouTube videos. I tried not to go overboardā€¦ but you still might be here a while. šŸ˜‰

First, like any blog tag, letā€™s start withā€¦

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The Creativity Corner: Spring 2018

/ saraletourneau / 28 Comments

Iā€™m having a hard time finding the right word to describe this past spring. ā€œRollercoasterā€ would be… appropriate, but exaggerated? April was turbulent in terms of stress and emotions, and the beginning of May was busy mostly because of vacation. But for the most part, May and June were much calmer. And regardless of what was going on, I continued making progress on different creative projects… except for one.

Yeah. Unfortunately I lost some momentum (and confidence) with Draft #1 of my new manuscript. But I shouldnā€™t focus so much on the one hiccup, because the highlights (including a certain cookbook that is now out in the world!!) were fantastic. In fact, letā€™s kick off this post withā€¦

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The Creativity Corner: Winter 2018

/ saraletourneau / 26 Comments

Happy Spring, everyone! Who else is looking forward to the weather getting warmer, the flowers to start blooming, and the world to soon turn green and lush and vibrant again? šŸ˜€

OK, maybe I was being overexuberant. But spring is my favorite season, after all, and after a super-productive winter on the creative front, Iā€™m looking forward to carrying that momentum into the next season. Plus, I have exciting news to share on two of my writing projects! (No, the current manuscript isnā€™t done yet, but itā€™s getting there. *wink*) So, without further ado, letā€™s dive into this edition of the Creativity Corner.

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The Creativity Corner: Autumn 2017 (Plus, I’m on Hiatus for the Holidays)

/ saraletourneau / 36 Comments

I guess I should start this post by wishing you a Happy Winter Solstice… But I’m not a fan of winter. šŸ˜‰ Either way, it’s hard to believe that another season has passed, and what an inspiring and productive autumn it was, creatively speaking. The funny thing is, when I was writing the end-of-summer Creativity Corner, I was already looking ahead to fall… and I realized that October and early November would be the best time to get as much writing done as possible before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What a fantastic decision that turned out to be – because I’mĀ stunnedĀ at how much I accomplished since then!Ā I’ll get into all of that shortly. And as always, feel free to share what you’ve been reading and writing (or revising, editing, etc.) this past season in your comments.
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What’s Making Me Happy: September 2017

/ saraletourneau / 29 Comments

I love September. Firstly, it’s my birthday month. šŸ™‚ But secondly, September is a gorgeous time of year in Massachusetts. Maybe that explains why this month was a balance of indoor activities (the new WIP, reorganization / decluttering projects) and outdoor fun. There were a couple lows (ongoing anxiety, plus a dishwasher leak), but in short September was joyful and productive, with much to be thankful for.

In fact, it was such a good month, I had such a hard time narrowing down my list of joys for this Happy post. But that’s not such a bad thing, right? In the end, I settled on five that best represent the sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences that made my heart sing. And as always, feel free to share your joys of the past month in your comments!

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The Creativity Corner: Summer 2017

/ saraletourneau / 29 Comments

Summer ends tomorrow, and what a busy season it’s been. Traveling, sightseeing, getting a head cold (OK, that wasn’t fun, but it did happen), and through it all I managed to get a lot of writing and reading done. So despite the busyness, it was a productive and satisfying summer. šŸ™‚

Without further ado, let’s launch into the Creativity Corner for a recap of what I’ve been writing and reading, and other related happenings, since the end-of-spring edition in June.
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What’s Making Me Happy: August 2017

/ saraletourneau / 16 Comments

As I write this, I’m battling a cold (which should be gone by the time this goes live), so I can barely grope for words to summarize my August. Except for “awesome.” Yes. I still dealt with lingering anxiety in my offline life, but as the month comes to a close, I’m utterly delighted with what happened and what I accomplished during that time.

So, yes, it was an awesome August. Say that alliteration ten times fast. šŸ˜‰

Since today is the last day of August, it’s also time to share some of the joys of the past month. I’m taking a slightly different approach this time, too. Instead of mostly material items, I included two accomplishments (or, rather, “to-do list” items that I completed) and one experience. And feel free to share your August joys in your comments. I always love hearing what’s made you happy, too!

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What’s Making Me Happy: June 2017

/ saraletourneau / 39 Comments

June was a weird month. It was busy for the usual reasons (work, writing, two weekend trips to Cape Cod), but nothing out of the ordinary happened, either. Which is fine, actually. It’s nice to have extended downtime between busy spells, and since I’m heading back to NYC in August, I’m taking advantage of it as much as I can.Ā Oh, and I finally finished my GoFundMe photo album of my Iceland trip!

The only downside to June? The increasing heat and humidity. Ugh. I like summer, but not when it’s 90+ and muggy. Makes me ever more grateful that my condo has air conditioning… and now I feel like I’m rambling. (*blushes*)

So, yes, it’s happiness-celebrating time again. I’m linking up once again with blogger / writer friend Leanne Sowul to share my joys during the month of June. (Her post is scheduled for Friday, but you can still check out her blog here.) As always, feel free to share the things that brought a smile to your face in your comments on this post!

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The Creativity Corner: Spring 2017

/ saraletourneau / 34 Comments

Can you believe that summer is here? šŸ˜® It still feels like I was in Iceland last week. How on Earth has time zipped by so quickly??

Since a new season has begun, it’s time for an update on the past season’s creative happenings. And after a winter where I struggled with anxiety for a few weeks and my confidence in my writing hit rock-bottom,Ā I’m happy to say that spring was a more productive, inspiring, and emotionally healthy season. It wasn’t free of bumps, but I’m moving forward and focused on new projects.

New projects?? What aboutĀ The Keeper’s Curse? Or the novella? Yeah… I’ll explain what’s happening with them, too. But first…
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