Tiffany Painter

It was a busy morning as I went around changing calendars and clocks. A new month and a switch back to standard time. In two days the election takes place and we will see what other transformations may happen. That’s a lot of change in a short amount of time, but new beginnings bring motivation to look inward for areas of self-improvement. I’m not going to suggest resolutions on the January First scale. With two months left of this year, it’s the time to revisit those goals set last January or decide how you want to wrap up things for 2026. I have some wins and some not-so-much. My writing efforts are on an upswing and I am writing most days. I still don’t have an exact time locked in, but I’m okay with that. Most writer friends like to write first thing in the morning, but that is not for me. Rather than writing before everything else, I still like getting everything else out of the way and writing as my reward. I can think about writing and stories while tending to chores and am ready to go in the afternoon. It works for me, so I call that a win. My healthy habits are more iffy. Zephyr has been in the mountains without me for the last couple of days and I realize my daily dog walks with him are not enough exercise. I push myself much harder on the treadmill and need to add a few sessions of harder walking with incline a couple times a week. I also need to cut out junk food more regularly and not keep sliding off track. I’m good for a few days and then really bad for several days. There needs to be more consistent balance, especially during these next two months. The peanut M&Ms need to be evicted – maybe after Tuesday…

As I write this, I realize the writing and M&Ms may go together. Not sure the M&Ms can go after all. I’ve been filling a small snack-size dish with my favorite treat for a writing snack. What if that’s the trick for my successful writing days. It’s not worth the risk to banish the M&Ms. If they go, they may take the words with them. The only solution is to add more exercise. It’s all about balance. Time to pick up the weights again.

Reading News: My favorite thing is still reading. I am in a good place to reach all my reading goals by the end of the year. I have completed 44 middle grade books out of the 52 I want to read this year. For my nonfiction reading, I have read 9 out of 12 books made up of craft, historical, essays, poetry, or bios. The total read so far is 90 books out of 100.

Kid Lit

Heartland by Jilianne Hoffman – A duel timeline and mother-daughter relationship book about the struggles facing a sixth-generation Iowa farm.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (audio) – A delightful story of a young girl on an adventure to help her family. the main story is filled with epic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon.

The Forbidden Room (The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents #2) by Nicki Pau Preto (audio) – I liked the first one better, but the author was able to pick things up in the second half.

A Boy Called Hero by Marie Miranda Cruz – This is a fun time traveling adventurer about a twelve-year-old boy named Hero who goes back to 1892 where he meets his great, great, great grandfather. He learns a little about the resistance against Spain in the Philippines.

Adult

Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty – I love all of her books and found this book to be worth the wait. The story takes place ten years after the first book, Big Little Lies.

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth (audio) – There are two types of people nobody expects to be murders: little girls and old ladies. This story is told from both of their POVs.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Kline – I read this for the One Book program in Broomfield. I tried the audio before and couldn’t get into it. Reading the actual book helped me get through the slow beginning. The second half made it all worth it.

If Not You by Ellen O’Clover – I first read Ellen when she wrote YA. This book definitely takes her fully into adult romance. It was a good read once I accepted it was not YA.

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett (audio) – A roadtrip with an old man with a heart condition, his newly found cat who can predict when someone’s about to die, two recently orphaned children, and an estranged daughter who is avoiding her own problems. What could go wrong?

10/4

panther on the move
quietly stalking its prey
patiently waiting

10/14

carefully balanced
Halloween decoration
living on the edge

10/19

little surprises
left behind after the wave
ready to be found

10/23

and so it begins
on this breezy autumn day
gentle fall to earth