A WEEK OF R&R ON THE OUTER BANKS

Before the bottom fell out and Jon's dad began his final decline this summer, we'd made plans to visit North Carolina's Outer Banks in September. So, even though a flooded basement, aging cats, and stacks of reading demanded our attention, we drove off on Saturday morning, September 19 for a week of R&R "down south."

T'was a good decision. We shared a huge house right on the ocean with our lifelong friends Ray and Phyllis and our son Joel and his wife Phaedra from Portland, OR. The weather was perfect--70s and 80s most days and 90 plus on Thursday when we went to Ocracoke Island for a day of fishing. Where does the time go when you're on vacation? I can't tell you. I simply floated from one lovely activity to the next and spent lots of time on the deck gazing at the ocean.

We ate fish every night--had a bluefish feast on Thursday compliments of Jon, Ray and Phaedra who pulled them in. We played cards and Scrabble, took walks on the beach, swam in the warm September ocean and shopped for stuff we didn't need. We watched the sun rise, drank endless cups of coffee and lots and lots of wine, plus one vodka and tonic.

Jon brought partials and spent an entire afternoon reading. Not me. I didn't read a thing.

Now I'm knee-deep in partials and manuscripts and we're back on track. A good thing too. I think summer's finally over. Tomorrow is October 1. On Saturday I fly out to Boise, ID to help my sister-in-law who just had an ankle replacement. But, I'll be working while I'm there and Jon will keep the office running.

Yes, we're more behind than ever, but we're reinvigorated from our vacation and pursuing work with a new vengeance.

CHARGE OF THE WRITE BRIGADE

Just a brief note to tell you that an interview with me is running on the new authors' site, "Charge of the Write Brigade."

Take a look at this site--kind of cool.

JON'S ADVENTURE

As you all know from my recent whining, it's been a difficult summer. And, just when things were beginning to calm down, Jon went out to sweep off the patio on Friday after a nasty windstorm.

He came into the office a few minutes later, complaining of terrible dizziness. He was sweating profusely and pale as a ghost. I was terrified that we were in the midst of a stroke or some kind of cardiac event. Our doc instructed us to get him to the hospital ASAP. An ambulance ride ensued, followed by 8 hours in the ER, every medical test know to man, and a shot of Valium to stop the vertigo. A "questionable" smudge on the cat scan required that he be admitted that night and on Saturday he had an MRI. By this time Jon was feeling fine--no dizziness at all.

After checking out all the tests (except for the MRI) our doc at the hospital assured us that it was most likely a BPV attack--benign positional vertigo, which is often caused by a virus in the ear canal. Yesterday the MRI results confirmed the doc's diagnosis and Jon came home with a prescription for an anti-vertigo medicine in case of another bout.

Result is, as I've always thought, Jon is healthy as a horse and now all the tests confirm it. But, what a scare it was for awhile. The coincidence in this whole matter is that our son Joel in Portland, OR accompanied a friend to the hospital on Thursday with exactly the same symptoms and the same tests and final diagnosis.

Anyone out there feeling dizzy? Oh, and by the way, two weeks ago we had a major water leak in the office, so now the back room is in total disarray, waiting for a new floor to be installed.

I vow that this will be the last of the "poor us" missives. It's time to get back to work!

A TOUGH SUMMER

Jon's mom at age 95 is learning how to be a widow. She will stay in Chicago for the foreseeable future, though we encourage her to come here. She may be 95 but she's of pretty sound mind and will do what she pleases, thank you very much.

Jon spent the last week in Chicago finalizing his dad's papers and helping his mom with assorted tasks. Now what? The death of a parent, even one who is 97, leaves a hole in our lives.

Our apologies to all of you who have partials and manuscripts with us. We beg your indulgence as we put things back together and move forward.

I've been keeping up with emailed queries and had a lovely batch to peruse this week. I'm so impressed with most of what we're getting. "Lee" and the abused woman composer are seldom seen any more, so that's made life easier!

It's cool and rainy in Pennsylvania today. Hope you are all enjoying these last few days of summer!

DEATH OF "THE GRASS MAN"

Jon's dad died yesterday at home in suburban Chicago. I can't believe he's gone. Though we never lived near the "senior Tienstra," his influence and opinions affected us each and every day. He was not an easy guy. Dictatorial and egocentric are terms that I don't use lightly, but they describe him perfectly. I gave up trying to get him to love me early on, but I think I earned his respect, despite the fact that I was a woman and a "career girl."

He was fierce, always fierce. Whether he was preparing perfect pork barbeque on the outdoor smoker he designed, fishing in his beloved Caloosahatchee River in Florida, selling insurance policies, or advising family members, it was always done his way or no way. He was tireless, working two jobs for half of his life. By day, a respected businessman, by night, "the grassman."

He taught his children the value and honor of work. He demanded perfection and when he didn't get it, he often closed the door forever.

He was tough. Perhaps it was the "small man complex" or maybe it was that he was the middle child of 12, born to Dutch immigrant parents with no time for coddling.

If you met him once, you didn't forget him. Though opinionated and outspoken, he could be charming and outgoing. When he talked to you, he talked to you. And he listened to you too. How many people do that today?

He was a man of another era. A time when men were men, women stayed home and took care of the house and the children, and good work was rewarded.

But he was the father of my husband and I'll always owe him everything for raising my Jon, an improvement by 100% on the old model. We'll miss John Franklin Tienstra and we will pay him homage each day when we talk to our fabulous children, and look into the clear, Dutch blue eyes of our grandsons.

BOOKS & GARDENS

If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need. -- Cicero

How true that is, especially now when the hummingbirds are here, the zinnias are at their best and the delphiniums are about to bloom again. I'm reading The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I won't classify it as an easy read, but one I recommend, if you have an interest in the Dominican Republic, immigrant life in Patterson, NJ, or just appreciate tight, good prose and dialogue. If you understand a smattering of Spanish, that will help.

On the personal front: Jon's dad continues to languish under 24-hour nursing care in his home in Chicago. Jon's sister is there for the next week and Jon will return next week. Meanwhile, he's manfully trying to shrink his reading pile and deal with other agency business.

I've become acquainted with Michele Acker who invited me to be interviewed on her new blog, "The Write Brigade." Michele and other authors manage this interesting site and provide valuable support and information for writers. Drop in and see how you like it. My interview with Michele will appear on September 12 and I'll visit again on the 13th and 14th to answer questions.

And, if you are interested in attending a writers conference, consider the MCCC Writers Conference to be held in November on the campus of Montgomery County Community College in (Bluebell, PA) suburban Philadelphia. It will be held November 6-7 with Maxine Hong Kingston, author of The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, delivering the keynote address. I'll sit on an agent panel on the 7th and be available for author interviews that day. It would be wonderful to meet some of you!

Back to queries, back to partials, and, if I'm lucky, a manuscript!

WHAT ELSE DO LITERARY AGENTS DO?

The Chicago-ailing-dad saga continues. We're feeling much relief today as Jon's sister stepped into the fray. She'll fly to Chicago tomorrow and spend two weeks there. Jon came home last week, sick and exhausted. He picked up some kind of bug while traveling and is just now feeling like he can work. He has a lot of catching up to do with partials and manuscripts and now can concentrate on that, knowing his parents are in good hands.

I spent almost an hour on the phone yesterday with one of our agency authors. His first book in a three-book series will be published next winter. The author has this series is well in hand and he is in the process of writing book number II. But, as he works away at this commitment, he wanted to talk about his writing career in general. This was an exciting and positive conversation on so many levels. This author is bright and dedicated and wants to make book writing his full-time career. At this point he's supporting himself and his family by writing--magazine articles, web writing, etc. His book deal with a large publisher adds to that income, but now the goal is, in his words, "a BIG book."

He had several ideas in mind, but before fleshing them out he needed to talk about them. Two of them are real winners and one just blew me away. So, like a couple of kids planning a summer performance ("I know--let's put on a SHOW!"), we talked about his great plot idea and how to make his protagonist come alive. I love this kind of collaboration because it allows my creative, frustrated author side to shine. By the time we closed our discussion both of us were bouncing off the walls with the excitement of this new project.

As a new literary agent, this was a unique experience for me and I found that I truly love this part of our work. I'm delighted that he instigated this collaboration and I look forward to helping to guide his work in months and years to come.

Happy August everyone!