I write this week’s blog from the Pin Oak Lodge situated in the scenic Natchez Trace State Park. I’m here along with 41 other Music City romance writers on a retreat to rejuvenate our writing souls.

So far, I’ve been chatting nonstop with my roomie and one of my favorite people in the world, fellow writer Victoria Austin (whose mother once thought I was the Craig’s List Killer), getting to know my MCRW chapter mates through a hilarious guess-who-answered-this-question game, and taking a fabulous three hour Voice Immersion workshop from the incredibly talented and inspiring Barbara Samuel.

At last night’s dinner, just when I thought my dog-free hotel bed coupled with the Bella Andre book I’m reading sounded heavenly a panel of our chapter’s published authors assembled. As I listened to each of them answer all of our questions, it struck me that it was ridiculous how much joy I was getting out of the moment – talking shop, learning new and different ways of thinking, and even realizing questions I needed to be asking that I hadn’t even considered. The same thought struck me as we entered hour three of today’s workshop which included writing exercises intended for us to dig deep. It was tough but rewarding to stretch myself on some of the more uncomfortable ones, and really cool to learn some things about myself and my writing.

All through my late twenties and early thirties, my husband, being an incredibly talented musician, always pushed me to search for what I wanted to do with my life outside of our relationship and family – he always wanted me to have something for myself, as he had his music. I’m not sure how it happened, or when exactly it happened, but writing has become that passion for me. Not only do I love doing it, but I love talking about it, and I love hearing other writers talk about their writing. We’re all so different, and I rarely walk away from a conversation having not learned something.