It's been an interesting year filled with a new position, travel, and mapping a journey of that beautiful thing we call life.  

Definition: journey – the unpredictable adventure between where you've been and where you're going. 

Let’s start with where I’ve been this year, from Montana to Montreal.  

The No Guns No Horses writer's retreat in Montana with three other writers was an experience for the books. The breathtaking scenery of North Dakota and Montana and its rich history inspired me greatly. Although I accomplished little writing during this journey, there was ample brainstorming and collaboration on stories in the making. I'm looking forward to the finished products of everyone's work in progress. Besides the camaraderie and discussions about writing, the trip's highlight was the visit to Brown Ranch, home of Chase Hill Outfitters. We were privileged to tour the ranch with the owner, which was a breathtakingly beautiful experience. I could take another thousand photos, but it still wouldn't be enough to capture what I witnessed. My writing comrades and I deserve a t-shirt that says, "I Survived the Ride up Chase Hill." It was a rule-breaking adventure that gave us bragging rights for surviving it. Oh, the stories we could tell but won't. Again, thanks to the Brown family for their exceptional hospitality; this Canadian writing police officer appreciated it.  

Next, it was off to Montreal, Quebec, for something that nourished my soul beyond writing: time with my son. There's something profound about exploring unfamiliar parts of the world with someone you love. The city buzzed with a jazz festival and Montreal Comic Con (which explained the unusually dressed people walking around; big thanks to Darth Vader for the photo op), but my favorite aspect of Montreal was its history, the architecture of the old buildings, and the brick-paved streets. Walking along Rue St. Paul and through Old Montreal made me feel as if I had left Canada and entered a different country at another time. We continued to immerse ourselves in history with the Old Montreal: Ghost Walk of the Haunted City tour, featuring tales of murder and death recited by our guide, who claimed to be 300 years old. The tour was humorous and entertaining, with just enough scare factor, which suited me perfectly. During our strolls through the city, we enjoyed musicians performing in the city square or parks, delivering performances worthy of a world stage. I love their dedication. We concluded the weekend with a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of the city, and then it was back to the north for me and back to training for my son.  

I’ll finish with where I’m going. I spent the rest of the summer preparing for a sergeant promotion. I succeeded and started a new position, and I am excited to lead a team of professionals in serving the communities we patrol. I also look forward to my days off because, during this time, I will move Out of the Blue forward in the writing process.  

My plans for 2025 include policing and writing, followed by more policing and writing, with plenty of family time in between. If you don’t see me around, no worries; I’ll be happily behind a keyboard, immersed in a tale of romance and adventure. Until next time, happy new year!

The first line of my first novel, Out of the Storm, is "The one thing that can never be stopped is time." This has personal meaning for me because my husband would tell me this when I was training to be a police officer and engaging in not so favourable activities,  such as 10 km runs. His point was, the time will pass, so will the training, and you will get through it. As much as it pains me to say, he was right. 

There are moments we just need to get through, moments we wish would last a lifetime, and survival needs to be the balance. Time doesn't change, how we spend out time is what matters. 

So, "Carpe diem", seize the day, whatever that looks like for you. As for me? I'm publishing this blog, getting my writing life back on track, and jumping into the romance world of Out of the Blue.