Being Present

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By Liz, grateful to see (most of) her deck in Connecticut

It’s release week for The Icing on the Corpse, as many of you know (so much ficingonthecorpseun, and so grateful to all of you for helping me celebrate!). My life has been a little insane lately, but I made sure this week to take a few minutes in all the insanity to enjoy the moment.

Despite the two deadlines looming over my head, the ever-present and equally insane day job, and a ongoing family situation, I chose to stop and think about what I’ve accomplished – not only with this release, but overall.

We talk a lot here about living our dream and enjoying these moments despite the craziness of everything else. Sometimes I’m better at that than others. But lately I’ve been making even more of an effort to stop, be present and, most importantly, be grateful.

I’ve had amazing support launching this book from so many places – my fellow Wickeds, here at home, and from many of the writerly friends I’ve made along the way. It’s been great fun reading the initial reviews, interacting with people who enjoyed an early copy of Finn Icingthe book and continuing to build on the momentum Stan and friends have gained.

But most importantly, just being part of this community – from my Wicked circle to all the writers I meet at yearly conferences to the readers who make this all possible – is the best part yet.

I’m grateful to all of you. Thanks for reading.

Readers, what are you taking a moment to be grateful for today?

Published by Cate Conte / Liz Mugavero

Cate Conte writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the Full Moon Mysteries. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in the Boston area with her rescue pals.

17 Thoughts

  1. I’m grateful your wrote this! I had a bit of a pity party yesterday – thanks for the great reminder to let the craziness go and to enjoy the moment.

  2. I hear you, friend. Right now I’m totally grateful that the aftermath of my shoulder surgery is nothing like the very painful recovery I had from a knee replacement two years ago. I can walk, I can type two-handed for a few minutes at a time, I can dress myself, mostly, and can otherwise get around. Also grateful for having a wonderful partner at home who sets up my sleeping recliner chair every night, arranges movies for us to watch, and makes dinners, even though he doesn’t particularly enjoy cooking. Taking a deep breath and appreciating.

  4. Seize the day, Liz! It’s been over years since I first saw my name on a book in a store, and it’s been a great ride (and I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do). One of the pluses I hadn’t thought of when I started was how wonderful it is to find a group of friends in the writers’ community. We may not see each other face to face more than one a year (if that), but the support and encouragement is important to those of us who spend a lot of our time in a corner typing away, with a cat on our lap.

  5. Like Ramona, it’s going to be 70 here today, so I am grateful for the warmth of spring (ignoring Saturday’s forecast). Congrats!

    1. We got up to 61 today, Mary, which is definitely something to be grateful for. I’m not going to ask about Saturday – not sure I want to know?

  6. With the craziness of my job at times, I always stop and remember that I have a real job with benefits again, and one that is paying me what I need. It’s something to be very thankful for.

    Hope your craziness settles down a little soon.

  8. You deserve many kudos for all you have accomplished with LOTS going on around you. We are all very proud of you. xo

  9. Yes, Liz, you have had a great on-line “presence” that is always cheerful. You show us wonderful photos of your adorable pets and fosters that bring smiles to us even on days that may not feel smile-y. Unfortunately it took the combination of fibromyalgia and RA for me to slow down and look at my ‘tudes! And nearly two years of part-time work for me to look at my fur babies, spend much more cuddle time with them, and realize that Little Bit, a feral kitten that came indoors only 4 months ago, is the first fur baby I’ve had (throughout 35 + years) that I could really watch, laugh at, and enjoy! And be SO thankful for my loooong-suffering husband and our cat family, and this time to enjoy them.

    1. Jeanie, that’s awesome. You’re right, we do need to enjoy our furry friends. Their time with us is often too short. And hope you’re feeling well!

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