This is Cowgirl (and my friend N., who has the most awesome rabbit ring). I’ve been seeing a lot of this cute puppy lately with my new F&D gig, and I’m completely smitten with her. She’s so sweet, so gentle, so soft, so well-behaved… she follows me around and harumphs when I don’t leave her enough space, and in general just makes me smile.

Which is good, because at the moment, STRESS is my middle name. It’s down to the last few weeks before my book deadline, and I’m still wrangling chefs and measuring recipe amounts and writing, writing, writing. I’ve been consistent in working on it daily, but along with working at F&D and a possible (probable) new gig starting soon, my brain is stretched like taffy!

I know now that the last month of book writing is always like this – even though I know I will finish on time, it’s stressful and I worry a lot, and I want to do things right and I want to like my writing and my work (which is often the hardest part), and I still want to have a life, and some days writing feels like drilling holes in my skull. But the knowledge of this doesn’t make it any easier.

Thankfully, I have a great editor who motivates me and takes care of me, and a great photographer who is battling right there along with me. Come May 1st, you’ll probably find the two of us celebrating ALL DAY with multiple adult beverages and maybe a cake.

So! I may not be here as much as I’d like to this month, but just know that it will all be over soon and I’ll have written another book! It’s worth it, in the end.♥