Weekend Getaway

Years ago, my husband and I decided to take our son on a weekend getaway.  We opened a map, closed our eyes and touched our finger to the paper:  Aiken, South Carolina was our destination. 
We pulled out of Beaufort, SC and headed in a northwesterly direction.  The beauty of this trip is that we choose to travel the backroads.  We went through little towns that seemed lost in time.  We ate at little diners where comfort foods are a specialty.  We stopped at roadside stands and bought pumpkins and goards.  We fell in love with visiting small town America. 

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I was born to city life.  Hardly.  I can remember when my home town didn't even have a traffic light.  But that trip...and seeing those little towns through the eyes of a visitor, awakened in me the love of living in and visiting small towns. 


I thought about my home town and those I have visited over the years...a little memory, a dash of imagination and wa-la...Parson's Cove was born.  Parson's Cove is my kind of town.  It's full of wonderful...and not so wonderful people.  But it is a place that feels like home.  So, come on down.  I'll be at Salty Dog's Pizza - the last table - saving a seat for you!

An exerpt from my novel: 

      The delicious aromas of garlic and fresh herbs hung in the cold night air.  Jenna’s stomach growled reminding her she had missed lunch.  She hoped the pizza would taste as good as it smelled.  As she pushed open the door, Jenna glanced around the café.  It wasn’t what anyone would call high-brow.  The black and white checkered flooring showed signs of wear.  Tables covered with red plastic cloths lined the walls; each adorned with a small ceramic Santa.   An old tinseled tree stood in the corner; its lights flashing merrily.  
                                                                                                                                     -DS McKnight

It's Saturday.  The sun is shining, birds are singing and I am sitting in front of my computer.  Not exactly the perfect way to spend my day...but uninterrupted writing time is a rarity. 

I can't help but feel a little melancholy this morning.  I know its crazy but I have spent so much time in my fictional town with my fictional characters that the thought of finishing their story is somewhat depressing.  I can't imagine my life without them.  I know their secrets; their joys and their heartaches.

Even now, as I sit here typing, I hear their voices calling to me....and I will answer.  They have a story that needs to be finished and peace that needs to be found.  As Sarah, one of my favorite characters stated:

“I am tired, Chase - tired of living a partial life; tired of being tied to a past that is long gone and a future that will never be.”

So I journey back to Parson's Cove...to Sarah...and the others who are waiting patiently to finish telling me their story.

                                                                                                                            -DS McKnight

The end is getting closer....
I have written over 62,000 words.
Approximately 13,000 more to go -
and my novel is complete!

Sometimes you just want to get away.  That was the case last weekend.  Bryan (my son) and I left 2012, drove to Morehead City, NC and stopped in the 1950's at El's Drive In.  There's nothing fancy about the place...no paved parking lot, no high tech speaker system - just waitresses who come out to your car and take your order.

The hamburgers, complete with slaw and chili, were amazing and well worth the ride.  But to be honest, I think I enjoyed Bryan's company most of all.  It's not everyday that a parent gets to spend an afternoon with a child...with no interruptions (no texting, no facebook) Joy!

I took pictures and hoped to post them....and that brings me to my misadventure.....

I tried to download the pics from my camera - and I have successfully done this before - but not this time.  Unfortunately for me, I guess there was a short in the USB cable.  I managed to fry my laptop as well as my camera.  :(

Writing my first novel has been nothing short of an adventure....an extended adventure.  It has been two years now and still not done.  The writing and rewriting have been quite a challenge.  Especially since my job requires me to sit at a desk, in front of a computer - all day long.  Needless to say, there are days that I am completely brain dead and finding the brain power to visit my characters and tell their stories is next to impossible.

So I thought I would use my blog as therapy....a place where I can vent....a place where I can update my progress....and my misadventures....