August 2025: Plot Twists and Life Turns

Hey everyone!

You know how when you’re reading a good story, you can usually guess where the characters will end up, but the fun is in watching how they get there?

The best stories take you on unexpected detours—just when you think you know what’s coming next, the author throws in a twist that changes everything.

Well, life has been serving us those kinds of plot twists lately, and while they’re entertaining in books, they’re not nearly as entertaining when you’re living them. Let us explain…

What We’re Doing

When Mother Nature Edits Your Day

Angie spends most of the year juggling two jobs—writing and teaching—in a very go-go-go experience. Summer brings the welcome shift to writer and relaxer/traveller. That slower rhythm lets her brain do its creative thing, look at the world, and find the place where ideas grow.

Travel doesn’t always cooperate, though. This summer was mostly calm until one beach day when a series of unusually huge waves washed up on shore. Water moves fast—really fast. Books were ruined, her journal and sketchbook floated away, and her waterproof phone case vanished forever. (The irony wasn’t lost on her.)

Looking at that pile of wet, muddy possessions shifted her perspective on what matters and what doesn’t. Those waves became a reminder that even perfect days have their disruptions, and these moments are just practice for handling life’s bigger challenges.

Summer Rewrites

David had planned a low-key summer. He would take his sister Judy to the cabin and spend time there, and he and his wife Kate would do a few overnight camping trips in between.

Judy was “better” but still got tired easily, and they would accommodate that. Family members had talked about it being her lake summer, a chance to enjoy that familiar place at her own pace.

But then that didn’t happen. Wildfires burned down the places we were going to camp, and Judy spent most of the summer in hospitals, and David spent it with her.

Sometimes life doesn’t just change your plans—it can be devastating. But you still have to find a path forward.

The Writing Between the Lines

And the writing of Book 5? We should have been done by now. In fact, we should have had it at the editors. It’s not a complete mess—we have three-fifths done, have our plan, and know where we’re going. The timeline has just been pushed back a lot.

After everything, David still has a book to write. We’re still heading toward that ending we’ve known for almost ten years—we still know the final word we’re aiming for. We have our plan for getting there; we have to write it. It will happen, just much later than initially planned.

Does it change things? Yes. Sisters will be more heavily on our minds—what they mean, and how important they can be in the lives of our characters. The story hasn’t changed, but recent events have definitely changed how we view things.

We hope that our plan will remain intact, even if everything else has shifted around it.

Right now, we’re taking things one day at a time. We know we’ll keep writing and keep moving forward, but for now, we’re just here in this moment.

Until next time, happy reading!

Angie & David

Since writing this, David’s sister has passed. Judy, you will be missed.