Monday Motivation

It's hard to be motivated when the air conditioner is broken and at this very moment I was supposed to have been in Hawaii, but I'll put on a good, but sweaty, face and try. My most exciting news is a film production company is interested in my novel, Half-Baked. I sent them the manuscript about a week ago. I don't expect much to happen. I have a friend who's been in "talks" about a film adaptation of his book for as long as I've known him (about 13 years.) Every once in a while, he goes to Hollywood. It's flattering, but also a tad scary because I signed a contract that basically said if they produce a film resembling my book I can't sue them. My daughter and I have been making book trailers. They're pretty fun. Here's the one we made for Half-Baked. (The book Pictureland Entertainment is interested in.) BUY THE BOOK HERE Our family is doing well. I introduced my husband to the library ap and he now listens to audiobooks even when he's rutting around in the yard. We finally got a bid on landscaping our backyard. I'm excited. In July, our family participated in an "I will walk 1000 mile" challenge my oldest son coordinated for us. We had a spreadsheet and recorded our daily walks or runs. Friday night, we ended it with a couple of victory laps around the lake. I didn't think I'd be much use because of my wonky knee, but--hooray--my knee is mostly better and I was able to make a good show. This month we're doing a squat challenge. It's been 20 weeks since our world shut down. We know 4 families who are renting out their houses and moving out of state just so their kids can attend school. I ache for these moms who are trying to homeschool (especially the single, working moms!) and keep kids sane while under house arrest. I couldn't have done it. We love having our two youngest daughters at home with us, and we're grateful most of our children and grandchildren live nearby. All in all, we're richly blessed--even though it's toasty. To stay cool, we go to the beach. A few weeks ago, we took the boat out in Newport Harbor. We tried fishing--without luck--but ended up giving our bait to a friendly seal who followed us for as long as our bait lasted. We also saw a pod of dolphins and a lot of waterfront mansions. I pray this letter finds you all healthy, happy, and with good books on your shelves.