Rae McDaniel's Blog

Come join me on my first live show TODAY AT NOON! I have vintage and new jewelry, small electronics, stickers, iron-ons and much more! ...

I just wanted to post a quick update. I'm not feeling well, so there will be no podcast this week.

Due to lack of sleep, I'll just be working on fine-tuning and writing, allowing me to focus on producing a better podcast.

I hope you all are doing well!

By the way...are you registered to vote? You can check here: https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote

From the above site, you can check your voter registration status, register to vote, and find your polling place! It's more important than ever to make your vote count!

Thanks.

Rae

After a website redesign, I'm back at it, posting about our outdoor adventures, various social topics,

and my books.

I hope you like the new site! Some elements are a work in progress, but my store page is up!

You can find a link to all my books on my links page. Just navigate to the page you want, and it will open for you!

More pictures and posts are coming soon. In the meantime, enjoy this video of a recent hike to Green Peaks Waterfall! One of my faves!

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I'll be making another post soon! I also plan to update my podcast, Lavender Lines and Lowdowns in the next week or two

Thanks for your unending patience!

Rae

I'm thrilled to share with you the cover of my upcoming book: Crimson and Amber, Coffee and Emeralds, Book 2! Release is set for later this month! Get book one here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JJ582XT #Amwriting #Audible #Bookreviews #Cover Reveal #Lesbian Fiction #Lesbian #Romance Novel #Lesbian Writers #Lesfic #LGBT #LGBT Fiction #LGBT Novels #LGBT #Publisher #LGBT Romance Novel #LGBT Writers #Lgbtq Publishers #New Book #Wedding #Writing #Writingcommunity #Audiobook #Couples #Finding Joy #Hiking #Love #Nature Therapy #PNW Hiking #Pride #Trail Therapy #Writing #Pride2019

We did a lovely hike to Blue Pool this past weekend. It was a perfect day, sunny with big puffy white clouds in the sky. We ate our lunch and took in nature as we usually do. I came home with clarity and made some significant progress on the final draft of book two of the Coffee and Emeralds series. With this progress arises a need for establishing a group of people to be my "launch team." If you are interested in receiving an advance copy of book two (may not be final version), please contact me at rae@raemcdaniel.com, via the contact form of this site, or send me a message via Facebook or Twitter. Thank you for being a part of this journey. I look forward to bringing you the next phase of Sarah and Jo's story!

Today, I thought I would give you a small taste of book two, tentatively titled Crimson and Amber, of the Coffee and Emeralds series. It's just a little taste

Another wondrous weekend spent outside enjoying nature with the one I love. It was a long hike through the trees and the tiny off the grid community of Jawbone Flats, Oregon to Opal Pools. We sat and ate lunch at the spot pictured above and enjoyed the warmth of the day and the feeling of renewal such a day gives. Whenever I take on something that may challenge me, I try to learn from it and grow as a person. It makes me a better partner, a better mother, and a better human. What did I take from this weekend's experience? I think I learned a little about myself. I also gained a new understanding of my partner. Her journey in life has been different than mine. All of us are different, and it's good to find ways that we are the same. It brings us closer. It helps us learn and grow together. Although we all go through life differently, we can almost always find common ground about something. Shared experiences bring joy and laughter, but also struggles and the triumph over them. I couldn't be luckier than to have these experiences with her. To be alongside her with her personal triumphs and share mine with her. I know my readers expect me to write about Into the Emerald or my other forthcoming books, but I feel it's my job to bring you something positive as well as natures beauty in my blog. I hope you enjoy your week and find some beauty of your own. Thank you as always for reading and please, comment below or send me a message. I read and answer all messages (except for spam). Rae

Motivation What motivates you? Is it a person, a place or a moment? For me it can be many things. A simple smile from the one I love, a beautiful sunset, music, laughter. I was inspired after this weekend, but not just to write. I spent hours outside doing yard work that was long over due. It’s therapeutic. Spring is everywhere and Summer is not far away. I’m looking towards that with great enthusiasm. I crave the sun and what it brings. I did manage to get quite a bit of editing done on the first draft of the second Coffee and Emeralds book. I’m not promising May, but within the next 90 days it will be live. I’m excited to get it to you. Have you read book one? If not, head here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JJ582XT If you have read it, would you be kind enough to leave an honest review at the same link? Or leave a review on Goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42... Thank you! Please comment below and let me know what motivates you! I really want to know! The roads we travel I spent the weekend doing things I don't usually do. In other words, rather than hiking or walking or spending time outside, I did other things. With all the rain and the snow recently, we've had some flooding here in Oregon. Nothing that directly affected me, but many people were trapped and had significant property damage. To my knowledge, there was no loss of human life, but animals were lost, crops were damaged or lost, and many people will be suffering hardships for some time. Roads were closed due to flooding, businesses were closed and/or underwater and workers could not get to work. This last Friday was the first decent sunny day we had all week, and people were out and about, enjoying it. I talked to and met many people who despite the week were optimistic and happy to be out. It's impressive and reassuring to me how people will come together to help one another when things like this happen. It brings us closer. It makes us human. Now if we could just be like this all the time... As for what I did this past weekend? I spent time with people that are important to me. We participated in the time-honored tradition of a Spring yard sale, I cooked, I baked, and I ate, I saw a movie with my SO. It was a fun and more relaxed weekend for both of us. My SO's family got some excellent news last week. I am overjoyed for them and so lucky to have them in my life. Physically we are always on a road going somewhere. Mentally, we do the same thing albeit there are many more roads. Some we take, some we avoid and some we regret. I'm on a great trail right now. Are you on a great road right now? Don't forget to look back and see where you've been. You can't always go back, but you can ALWAYS move forward. That's it for me this week. Not a single book plug this time. Enjoy your road this week... Evolving Storyline Our lives are ever evolving storylines. Just like a book, but not as dramatic. Or maybe some lives are more dramatic? I certainly see that in the world around me. Even when our lives are going well, sometimes we focus on the dramatic and forget to stop and enjoy what is good and right. You know the old saying: "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade?" I agree with that statement, but what do we do when life gives us peace, happiness, love or chocolate? My advice to you is that when life gives you something good, remember to enjoy it. In other words, when life gives you chocolate, EAT IT UP! Dwell on THAT! The images posted are from the Wooden Shoe and Tulip festival in Woodburn, Oregon this past weekend. It was overcast and threatening to rain (it didn't), and the flowers were beautiful. There were probably several hundred people present doing the same thing we were doing, enjoying the beauty and the day. My partner and I strolled around people watching and taking many pictures. Shortly after we arrived, in one of the first fields we went to, we witnessed a young woman proposing to her girlfriend in a field of tulips while two of their friends took video and pictures of the event. She said yes by the way. The festival had hot air balloons that you could go in. They went up and down to allow you to see the whole landscape, and it looked fun. I was content to stay on the ground and enjoy the view from close up. It had rained for several days before so the ground was wet and muddy in some areas and some of the flowers were spent. We kept waiting for the sun to come out a little more so that more of the flowers would open up, but the overcast skies were against us. I didn't care too much about that. It was still a great day, with beautiful scenery and great company. My great company had to get all muddy when my car got stuck in the mud as we were leaving. Luckily, she's strong like bull and pushed me enough so I could get it free. When she got back into the car, I thanked her as she was trying unsucessfully to get all the mud off of her shoes before putting them in the car. I just laughed. I can clean the car. It's not a big deal. Her big concern was getting the mud off of them before going to her mom's on Easter. That would have been bad. I know this post is a little longer than most, so I will close with a reminder to you to slow down and enjoy what you have. Enjoy your life. Try not to dwell on the negativity that is out there. Focus on the good, not the drama. Live. Laugh. Remember to breathe. Get the mud off of your shoes...

I spent the weekend doing things I don't usually do. In other words, rather than hiking or walking or spending time outside, I did other things. With all the rain and the snow recently, we've had some flooding here in Oregon. Nothing that directly affected me, but many people were trapped and had significant property damage. To my knowledge, there was no loss of human life, but animals were lost, crops were damaged or lost, and many people will be suffering hardships for some time. Roads were closed due to flooding, businesses were closed and/or underwater and workers could not get to work. This last Friday was the first decent sunny day we had all week, and people were out and about, enjoying it. I talked to and met many people who despite the week were optimistic and happy to be out. It's impressive and reassuring to me how people will come together to help one another when things like this happen. It brings us closer. It makes us human. Now if we could just be like this all the time... As for what I did this past weekend? I spent time with people that are important to me. We participated in the time-honored tradition of a Spring yard sale, I cooked, I baked, and I ate, I saw a movie with my SO. It was a fun and more relaxed weekend for both of us. My SO's family got some excellent news last week. I am overjoyed for them and so lucky to have them in my life. Physically we are always on a road going somewhere. Mentally, we do the same thing albeit there are many more roads. Some we take, some we avoid and some we regret. I'm on a great trail right now. Are you on a great road right now? Don't forget to look back and see where you've been. You can't always go back, but you can ALWAYS move forward. That's it for me this week. Not a single book plug this time. Enjoy your road this week...

I am thrilled to announce my newest book in development: Out from the Under: Book one of Bearers and Nobles. This is a dystopian young adult sci-fi story featuring lesbians as the main characters. I'm excited about this series and can't wait to share more about it with you! Now for an update: I'm working hard on book two of the Coffee and Emeralds series. I'm not completely happy with my progress and will likely be pushing back the release date. I want it to be the best it can possibly be before release and I know I'm not there yet. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the first big edit. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you regarding Out from the Under. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Bring 'em on! Please comment below. Hope your weekend has been great! It's raining here in Oregon, but things are green, and flowers are popping up and blooming all over the place. Weekends are my favorite time of the week. No matter what I spend the time doing, it's always a good weekend. Could have something to do with the company I keep.