V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N, in the Summertime.

I stole the title for this entry from a Connie Francis song. It is that wonderful time of year for me - my family and I are leaving for the Outer Banks of North Carolina late tonight. I can smell the salty air and the breeze coming off the Atlantic as I write this. It truly is my second home. I long to spend many lazy days sitting by the ocean, watching my children build sand castles along the shore. A place for me to relax my overworked mind and body.

The burn out caused from too many nights figuring out story plots and dialogue for my characters has made me long for the Outer Banks even more than usual. As I type, I feel the tension across my back caused from many hours in this chair - not even an ergonomically designed chair - which was stolen from the dining room. Don't all writers start off the same way - a wing and a prayer and limited office supplies.

But the burn out was well worth it. The Sisterhood, my joint writing project with my older sister, is nearly done. And while I breathed a sigh of relief when I could feel the closeness of its end, I realize we still have a lot left to do. There is sending it out to readers for feedback, at least three rounds of edits, devising a marketing plan, and most importantly, finding an agent to pick up our labor of love and get in sold.

So while I would typically use my vacation time to write my little old heart out, away from the tasks of everyday life, I'm taking a much needed break from my pen and paper, and bringing reading material instead. There are months worth of trade journals to catch up on, a book I want to finish, and even an extra book if I get to it. And in case I'm feeling creative I've brought along my cross-stitching, which I haven't touched in well over a year and a half.

I'll end here; the beaches of the Outer Banks are calling me and I feel I must go, or be lost forever in a ocean of exhaustion.