The Case of the Triplicate Sus/zanne Williamses!

Prepare to be confused! It turns out there are three childrens' writers out there with very similar names:
Suzanne Williams (http:/www.suzanne-williams.com)
Suzanne Morgan Williams (http:/www.suzannemorganwilliams.com)
and me (http:/ww.susanwilliamsbeckhorn.com or http:/www.susanwilliamsbooks.com)

Have fun sorting us out! We are all fabulous writers (of course!) and very different personalities. Unfortunately we live in far flung parts of the country, but I have a feeling that the fates will bring us together some day! You can tell us apart by calling us Suzanne, Suzy, and Susan respectively! Does that help?

I hated my name when I was a kid because I couldn't say it! I had a wicked lisp. It was embarassing to introduce myself as Thuthy Williamth. I wish I knew how to find my speech therapist to thank her!

I've been finding that if I roll out of bed in the morning and stagger to my desk (where my angel of a husband brings me a cup of coffee) I can get an hour or so in on my WIP (work in progress)before breakfast. I am not so tempted to check email and I think my brain is still partly in a creative, dream-state mode. Then whatever happens the rest of the day, at least I have that much to feel good about.

Spring Fever!

Here's a picture of Shadow Dancer, "Shady" being a naughty girl one morning a few weeks ago. She had snuck out under my very poorly maintained electric fence. (It's not even plugged in at the moment!) She is snacking on sunflower seed from my stone birdfeeder made by artisit and friend, Toni Moon. The kitten, Cole Porter, is watching her, maybe thinking a big, black condor has landed!

Now all the snow is gone, except for a few patches in the woods. I took Katy out for a long ride on Saturday. Even though I made her walk most of the way, with only a couple of short gallops, she jigged with excitemnet and came back soaked. Spring Fever! I had to spend a long time rubbing her dry in the sun. Didn't dare hose her in case it got cold again.

Yesterday, we worked clearing brush and dead trees in the yard, and making a fire so that we can grow morel mushrooms on the sterilized spot. Don't ask me how to grow them, I'm leaving that up to Fred. I have enough to do trying to grow novels! I also raked up a bunch of old leaves from the barbeque area for safety and for garden mulch. Went to bed with a backache, but it felt great to be able to work outside again.

Friday Afternoon

And it's been a busy week: Last Saturday I did a talk about writing and researching Wind Rider, followed by a booksigning as part of the opening of The Horse exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. I got to meet one of my idols, researcher and curator Sandra Olsen, who was kind enough to introduce me and bring some way cool artifacts: replicas of a Botai culture pot and woman's woven hemp dress, a pair of Kazak boots, a riding whip made from a saiga antelope foot, and a horse hair rope. We sold lots of books and the exhibit, on loan from NYC was fabulous.

Missy Spring, my younger daughter (23 and just graduated from college), moved out to begin life as an adult on Tuesday. A little tearful watching the purple Honda go down the driveway, but so proud of the young woman she has become.

Wednesday, I did a talk for a teen writer's group at the Naples Library--just wish we'd had more time! What a beautiful library, nice group of talented kids, and great teacher they have in writer, Angela Cannon-Crothers.

Yesterday, met with my critique group in the morning and went to RACWI (Rochester Area Children's Writers and Illustrators) in the p.m. Much sinful burning of petroleum en route, but I listened to Three Cups of Tea and saw seven swans in a cornfield north of Dansville. They had black legs and beaks and the juveniles were quite gray. I'm thinking either tundra of trumpeter swans, either of which is pretty exciting, especially for this amature.

Today revised a couple of chapters, read brand new articles in NY Times and Science on Sandra's research on early horse domestication. The dogs have been driven wild by a woodchuck in the yard. Lot's of barking. Spring Fever!

This evening is a celebration of twenty years since the nuke-dump fight here in the souther tier. I'll bring my guitar, maybe sing my new "The Earth Child's Song."