Um...Where has October gone?

I know. I know. It's only October 13. But, seriously, October 13? It seems like yesterday when I was dressing for a New Years Eve party! My mother tells me that the older you get the quicker years fly by. So I guess this means I've crossed over. Whining about how fast the year is going puts me squarely in the old person category...

Or not.

I might just be feeling tired because I've had a heck of a year. For those of you not in the publishing industry, the pressure to be part of a social network, to promote your name, to create a brand...to BECOME a brand...is enormous.

Frankly, and bluntly, until this month, I hadn't caved. I refused to try to become a brand. Then around October 1 I went a little nuts. I even emailed my editor with a thousand questions about what Harlequin did for its authors and I think I might have insulted her! LOL (And probably my poor publisher.)

But the truth is we have to blog. I'll probably have to be more creative for this little ditty I now do here only when I feel like it. I'll probably have to be punctual. Have themes. Tell you stories. Expose bigger pieces of my life.

But guess what? My life is kind of boring! LOL So who's really going to benefit from that?

Then, again, maybe my life isn't boring. I've been married a long time to the love of my life. Smartest move I ever did was marrying him. He's a wonder. He's sweet and kind, but still a guy's guy. We're raising a disabled child...who is now an adult. His problems are definitely unique. If I shared all of his traumas, you'd probably cry. You'd certainly count YOUR blessings. And you might even come away feeling lucky.

I also have a daughter. A massage therapist. She's fun and funny. Sort of quirky. Definitely her own girl. But she has her moments too. Were I to share her stories with you, she wouldn't be happy...so that's probaby not going to happen.

Then I have a son who lives with his girlfriend. They are normal late-twenty-somethings who are rather ... well, average...except for their pets. Their dog is nuts and huge. And she loves to sit on laps. If she chooses you for the evening your thighs will go numb and she will provide you with a complimentary face wash.

Lilly, cat 1, is an attack cat. Do not let your guard down around her. Lucy is sweet, with big green eyes and an adorable face...but don't sleep on her bed or she will bite you.

I suppose the fact that I'm in training to volunteer for Hospice is interesting. Everything we do is confidential so you'll hear no stories, but Hospice itself is a wonderful concept. Volunteers literally give up their time and treasure to make sure terminally ill patients are comfortable ... and their families, as well.

Then there's my 63-person immediate family. I'd have to put up a flow chart if I wanted to talk about them and have readers know who I was talking about! LOL

So I'm in a quandry. I wish I was cooler. I wish I was more interesting. But I guess over the next months or weeks as I force myself onto the internet and hopefully into everyone's life, we'll see.

Things would be a lot easier if I came with cranberies or almonds or had a sugar coating. As it is, you're only going to be getting me. No frills. No mystery prize inside the box. No 20% off if you use your credit card.

Still, ready or not, I'm about to become a brand. (Or so I hope.)

susan