Better Late Than Never
That's probably true for most things.
The Little-Known Groundhog Day Cactus.
Apparently, there are three types of holiday cacti: the Thanksgiving Cactus (which blooms October to November), the Christmas Cactus (which blooms November to January), and the Easter Cactus (which blooms “around” Easter). Surprisingly, despite their names, holiday cacti aren’t true cacti. They are epiphytic succulents that grow in moist, shaded environments, not deserts. A classic case of mislabeling. Words matter, after all.
I have had a Christmas Cactus growing in a pot on my breezeway for several years now. It began as a cutting from one of my mother-in-law’s plants and has grown into a large, healthy specimen. It is watered and occasionally fertilized, but mostly it’s left to its own devises and continues to thrive. Weirdly, however, it always blooms on Groundhog Day and reaches its most vibrant peak around Valentine’s Day.
As far as I know, there is no official classification for the Groundhog Day Cactus (or Valentine’s Cactus, for that matter). Thus, I assume that my holiday cactus is simply a late bloomer. My plant seems content enough to do its own thing on its own time. Am I disappointed it doesn’t bloom in time for the Christmas holiday? No, of course not. I’m just happy it blooms at all. Better late than never.
The same is true of my writing. I came to writing late in life after many years of practicing law. It began as a creative outlet that I indulged in during my few moments “free time,” on lunch breaks and before or after work. It took more than a decade to finish my first book, but I kept going. Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on my tenth book.
Do I wish I had started writing when I was younger? Of course. I would have loved to have been one of those kids who constantly wrote stories and knew early on that I would someday be a published author. But that wasn’t me, that wasn’t my journey. I found writing much later in life, and I’m grateful that I found it at all. Like my holiday cactus, I’m doing my own thing in my own time. Better late than never.
What is your “better late than never” passion?
Over on my podcast . . .
I had some great guest authors visit with me last month on The Bookshop at the End of the Internet podcast. Check them out!
Episode #229 Author Lisa Diane Kastner discusses the first two books in her new paranormal fantasy series, Cure and Family Pack. In these books, we meet Luna, a young woman who has just lost her beloved brother. She traces his movements to Sweden where she discovers that her family descends from an iconic female Viking warrior known as the Birke. Luna also discovers that her brother was a shapeshifter, a lycanthrope, and that she has begun to show the same signs of transformation. Both books follow dual timelines and narratives, which allow Lisa’s love of history and research to shine through. Lisa also plans to publish anthologies of short stories written by fans of the series.
Episode #228 Author Linda Ambrus Broenniman discusses her new book, The Politzer Saga. Linda wanted to learn about her family history but never intended to write a book about it—until she learned the truth. At the age of twenty-seven, Linda found out that her father was Jewish, after being told her whole life that he was Catholic, like herself and the rest of her family. When Linda began her research, she uncovered the world of the Politzers—a cast of characters so amazing they seemed almost fictional. Linda uncovered eight generations of Politzers and learned a great deal about family, heritage, and history.
Episode #227 Author Matt Scott discusses his political thriller series, Surviving the Lion’s Den. All three books in this trilogy—Surviving the Lion’s Den, The Iranian Deception, and The Ayatollah Takedown—are available now. The series opens with a race against time. Can the main characters make it safely out of Iran in the midst of a political coup to overthrow Iran’s Supreme Leader—a coup orchestrated by the U.S. government? Inspired by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, Matt set about to write a series that would explore what it looks like to be inside Iran during a regime change. The books feature CIA operatives, Iranian insiders, international intrigue, geopolitical conflicts, and plenty of fast-paced tension.
Don’t forget to check out some of the previous episodes featuring other talented authors and their wonderful books. Here are a couple of them (selected at random from the podcast’s 200+ episode backlist):
Episode #131 Author Sally Handley discusses her latest suspense novel, Stop the Threat, in which a small town arms its teachers in an attempt to improve school security. The story follows one of the teachers and the school resource officer as they wrestle with the implications of the new gun policy, which divides the town and results in unexpected consequences. As a former public-school teacher, Sally wanted to give a voice to the various perspectives surrounding this controversial and complicated topic.
Episode #031 Author Nicole Saunders’s debut novel is titled, Disposable. It is a provocative story about surrogacy and the lengths people will go to for the perfect family. Nicole’s day job as an attorney informs this legal tale, which is meant not only to thrill and entertain but also to advocate for ideas that are close to her heart. Nicole discusses her writing journey, how she manages the discord between legal writing and creative writing, and how she aims to write stories that both advocate and entertain.
One more thing . . .
I have a new website. It’s the same address—www.staceyhoran.com—but the design and content are new (or new-ish).
I designed it myself. (No, I am not taking constructive criticism at this time. Thanks, anyway.)
The whole project was certainly a lesson in patience and humility. I am no computer programming genius, but I learned enough to get the job done. I spent over a month researching website configurations, hosting options, and so on. I devoted many hours to looking at the websites of other authors: those who write in my genre and those who don’t; those who are famous and those who aren’t; and those who have written scores of books, as well as those who have written only one. I created numerous test sites, tried various templates and combinations, only to trash it all and start over again—and again, and again. After all of that effort, I finally opted something that looks bright, clean, and straightforward. A bit of color. Easy to read. Simple to navigate. The end result is pretty okay, if I do say so myself.
I don’t know about you, but I’m never blown away by websites, never landed on one and thought it was marvelous. Websites are too utilitarian for me to really fall in love with them. They’re meant to do a job, to convey information (or whatever their specific purpose might be). Nevertheless, I know what I don’t like when I see it. And my new website is definitely one I don’t dislike. Do you know what I mean?