Summer, that illusive season that springs forth with unbelievable vibrance, only to vanish in a flash—taking with it all my great intentions to send monthly newsletters and keep you all appraised on my writing journey. In case it’s been a while, and you’ve forgotten why this little missive popped up in your inbox, I’m stopping in to tell you a bit about my summer adventures here in the Czech Republic, and to share where I’m at with my current Works in Progress.

I did a lot of work editing Bohemian Dragon Awakening, the final installment in my Darkening Dragons Trilogy. The castle above and the rock formation below both feature in the book, so I enjoyed going out to the town of Loket to capture these images.

There were no big trips this summer, but we put our car and local region to good use. We wandered the countryside, went on copious walks (often to the four year olds chagrin), and enjoyed the process of nature slowly wreaking havoc on ancient structures. We also went to several zoos and museums, just to keep things varied.

This is Hrad Seeberg where we went for fairytale activities at the start and close of the summer. This place has the best tower library room. I could seriously live here.

The monastery in Tepla was founded in 1193. You read that right. It’s still a functioning monastery, and when we were traipsing around inside on Saturday we saw some of the monks going about their daily lives, no doubt irritated by the influx of tourists on their ancient paradise.

The pathway around the ponds in Kladska are one of our favorite places. We made the trek at least three times a week this summer.

The pink palace at Becov was a big hit with the 4 year old!

I had big editing projects in June and July, so I didn’t get as much writing time in as I might have liked, but I in August I managed to work on edits for BDA as well as a re-write of One Week In November, a YA novel I wrote back in 2015. I was inspired through a critique group to change the primary voice from first person past to first person present. It was the first time I ever tried to write a book in present tense, so I spent the first half of September wrapping up that change and I’m hoping for a November re-release.

I also worked on editing a previously unreleased short story that I’m planning to send out to all of you next month as a thank you for being part of my newsletter team. The cover was designed by my friend and fellow Mommy Writer, Kelsey Gietl. I adore how it turned out, and I’m so excited to share this little sampling of my writing style with you.

That pretty much wraps things up for now. I’d love to hear what you were all up to over the summer. Was it a busy season or a time of relaxation for you?

Until next time,

Sarah Everest