The hills are alive with the sound of music

2007 is almost here. So what are my plans for New Years Eve? Ab-so-lute-ly nothing. Huh! Isn’t that a line from a James Brown song?

I’m still here in my hometown of Athens, TN. Me and Guapo got tired of jogging the hilly streets, dodging traffic, getting honked at, and generally being a nuisance to the locals. So my dad recommended I check out the new regional park. I loaded up my dog and drove the couple of miles, pulled into the new park, and you’d think I’d just opened a really awesome present.

Hiking trail, I read on one sign. Walking trail, I read on another. Mountain bikes, on another. 3.1 mile loop, on this sign. Expect incline, on that sign.

I squealed, I actually squealed I was so excited. Being 7 in the morning and freezing cold, no one was there. I had the whole place to myself. Me and Guapo jumped out, buckled into our jackets (yes, my dog has a jacket), and we took off.

“The hills are alive with the sound of music….laaa, la, la, la” That song played in my head as we ran like crazy people onto the first trail. It cut through the woods, climbed some hills, went down others. There was a creek on one side and downed limbs we had to hop. We had so much fun, I swore I saw my dog grinning. We were gone for an hour before I even realized 60 whole minutes had gone by. Needless to say, we’ve been back nearly every day since.

Now I know those of you out there who live in the mountains and are reading this are probably rolling your eyes. But I’ve been living in Florida for over ten years now and although I grew up here in the hills of TN, it’s easy to forget how fun they are.

Oh, by the way…I found out my latest suspense, DESCENT INTO DANGER, is up for a CAPA award. Woohoo!

Home for the holidays

Well, hello everyone. I’m blogging from my hometown of Athens, TN today. I’m here for the holidays with my trusty dog, Guapo. Its rainy and dreary and surprisingly warm. Its been a steady 50 degrees. Its supposed to be dropping down to the 20s this weekend. So here’s hoping for snow.

I went out jogging yesterday and was fondly reminded of the hills east TN sports. Can anyone say sore muscles?

I’ll be going to Gatlinburg today. It’s a great little mountainous town and if you haven’t been you definitely need to go. I haven’t been in years, so I’m excited to see the changes.

Hey, here’s a review that I just got that was posted way back in May for DESCENT INTO DANGER. Funny how long it takes to get things:

“Greenland offers a fun read filled with bohemian characters and nature’s splendor.”
~Booklist

That’s it for now. Talliho!