On a Saturday afternoon in May my husband and I drove to Lake Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County.  Hand-in-hand we strolled the lake’s shoreline gazing at sailboats and ducks.  Pleasurable talks, pleasurable silences.  Later, we drove down picturesque country roads.  At a “T” formed where Highway 563 meets 412, we discovered OwWowCOW Creamery, an extraordinary ice cream shop.   A much-needed, most quiet adventure.

It was around this time that I read of an upcoming event sponsored by Bucks County Romance Writers.  An editor and two literary agents were taking part in a BCRW Chapter Special  Event. With memories of my peaceful lake visit still fresh, I registered.  As the deadline drew near, I dutifully sent off the first page of my manuscript.

The premise of this event is that a panel of publishing professionals, in this case Silhouette Editor Patience Smith, and Literary Agents Chasya Milgrom and Anne Hawkins, read the first pages of those attending.  Each then gives a brief review.

Another adventure awaited me, alone this time.  No, not alone.  Like my writing, my characters had been hibernating.  Today, as I drove south on Highway 412 and into the heart of Bucks County, they stirred and began to mutter.   Over a superb Chicken Waldorf salad at Catherine’s Restaurant, I skimmed old notes and added new.  Later, during the meeting, they awoke and began to speak.

Thank you, Bucks County RW, for providing this opportunity for your fellow writers.  And, thanks especially to Patience Smith, Chasya Milgrom, and Anne Hawkins, for your remarkable insight into such a diverse range of stories.  Like the May adventure, I needed this day.  I’m sure others did, too.  ∞