It was a difficult beginning to 2021. On New Year's Day evening, my family lost a wonderful, loving, carefree person...my sister, Regina Hood-Hawkins. We said our goodbyes and celebrated her life on January 30th. A huge piece of my heart left whenever her soul departed, but I know we'll see each other again one day.
As a result of losing one of my siblings (our parents and grandparents are gone and we're the top tier of the family now), I took some time to reflect on what I'd love to do with the remaining years (hours, seconds, ???) of my life.
I have less than 8 years until I can retire from my day job. My husband and I (along with my twin sister and her husband) have taken up hiking. We love to camp. And when I retire, my husband and I plan to RV around the US for a while. There's so much I want to do. And, of course, I will continue writing books. However, I have one more book to publish under the name of Savannah Rose (the sequel to The Magnolia Moonlight Inn) titled Belles, Books, and Cupcakes. Once the book is finished, I have decided to publish under my maiden name, Angela Hood (yes, I'm still married and will continue to be as long as he'll have me...lol).
I plan to spend more time with family...
My sister, Regina (rest in peace sweet soul). My sister, Dawn. And, myself. (Pictured above)
My brother, Marshall. My sister, Dawn. My sister, Regina. Myself. And, my twin sister, Pam. (Pictured above)
This is a picture of me, my twin sister, and Regina. (Pictured above)
I've created a new blog... https://angelahoodwrites.blogspot.com/
Angela Hood Writes will be a blog that consist of writing information, a day in the life of, and post of my upcoming new book series, the Cherry Blossom Collection. I'll blog about the entire process of creating a book series and updates on my progress and book releases. This is all still in the planning stages. I'll also blog about finding inspiration for novels, coming up with characters and titles, and even a little about weekend adventures. Believe it or not, that has a lot to do with novel ideas.
The new blog site will go live on Saturday, April 3, 2021. And, I hope you'll join me over there. Tell your friends. Invite them to follow.
With the death of my sister (at only age 57), my outlook on life has changed drastically. Yes, I have only a short time until I'm able to retire from my day job. In the meantime, I'm building my future. New books. A new blog. Learning to video and edit for (maybe) my very own YouTube channel. I am planning to spend more time with my family (despite Covid-19), and just make every spare moment of my life "matter".
So, I have big plans in the works. New platforms to create. A rigid schedule to keep. But, most importantly, fun to be had. Life is never guaranteed. We can choose to walk through it with our eyes closed and do what we think we're "supposed' to do. Or we can make a life we're proud of, enjoy, and never regret a moment. I'm 51 years old. I'll be 52 in October of this year. I can't say that I regret my life. There's things I would have done differently. But, I don't carry regret in my heart.
If you'd like to support me, walk the rest of my journey with me, or just read a little about my week, join me on Saturdays when I'll post a weekly update. Thanks to all who have stuck around reading whenever I took time to post here. All your comments were much appreciated.
Savannah Rose (Angela Hood-Ross)
