Thank You, God and Girlfriends

Saturday morning belonged to us!

After days of 110 degree heat (or what seemed that hot) God answered my prayers and allowed the shade to linger with even a cool San Clemente ocean breeze as we ate lunch and listened to our guest speaker – Mary Patrick Kavanaugh, author of "Family Plots." To recap the day's events at our SALON FOR WOMEN WRITERS, held 11:30-3:00 yesterday, we started off with mimosas and sparkling cider, and crackers and hummus; lunch included two kinds of quiche, zucchini bread, fruit and fresh vegetables, hummus and yogurt, and brownies with raspberries, chocolate syrup, and ice cream.

There are too many people to thank! First and foremost, Barbara – for her time and effort and the use of her home for the event, Jann, Melissa, Kristen, Diane, and Noosha – for their invaluable contributions and assistance. And the guests! What a pleasure to see women from various aspects of my life – critique groups, meetup, classes, life, and Saturday Mornings • Coffee & Critique – enjoying themselves, getting acquainted, and seizing the day to network and find common interests.

Mary asked us "What would you do if you were really brave?'"

For some, abandoning routine Saturday obligations to spend a day at our Salon was a brave step toward following a dream. For others, thinking about the infinite possibilities altered perspective or tweaked imagination. Oh, the possibilities! Melissa wants a barge cruise with all of us sharing an adventure, exotic food, and common interests. Kristen is considering options for her gripping book sure to be a best seller. Ann would like to wear a scarf and go to the desert like Georgia O'Keefe and write, write, write. Pat would choose Africa and help provide medical care. I admitted I felt ready to abandon youth novels awhile to finally get around to writing "Living with Disaster." Diana is determined to get her baby boomer guide to grandparenting into toy stores and other appropriate places. And Suzanne couldn't even stay seated a minute longer when she started talking about using her creativity in her own new business venture.

Being a woman writer takes bravery. It's easy to allow family, job, social obligations, guilt, regret, housework, caregiving and just plain personal maintenance get in the way of dreams, talent, and desire. Our salon was meant to inspire and motivate sister writers. I apologize to all those women I had to turn away. We reached our capacity about ten days before the big event. Many wanted to attend and were unable to join us since space was limited. Next time.

Mary sold all the books she brought after her marvelous talk and the YouTube video. Women writers connected, made new friends, and left with gift bags that included some wonderful surprises. Checked them yet??? Get out that journal and write! Treat yourself to a facial! Remain inspired.l

I think we can say THE SALON WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!

Thank you God! Thank you, Girlfriends!