Reddit reviews The Girl in the Jitterbug Dress: WWII Historical & Contemporary Romance (Volume 1)

I could totally relate. I wrote this in response to Rik's blog post and have written several blog posts about my experiences since moving to a small town south of Austin:

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I too, took a break from dancing weekly, (kids, move across country, knee surgery). As I get older, it's harder to feel relevant.

To fill the void when I couldn't dance, I wrote about it. I wrote one novel, THE GIRL IN THE JITTERBUG DRESS, and then couldn't stop (writing several more with dance as a central character/theme), along with a blog about vintage and everything 1920s-1950s.

Because I couldn't dance, I tried to capture those feelings of when I first learned, and the thrill of a skirt wrapping around a warm thigh on a crowded dance floor. The excitement when you follow a lead you've never danced with before and get most of it right. I lived vicariously through my words.

Since my knee surgery, I've gained a lot of weight and am afraid to go out to well-known dance venues. I'm afraid of being ignored. Afraid of not being like the characters I write about. 

I'm trying to find my way back to the dance floor. I don't want to just write about it. We've started a small group of dancers in my little town. They only know the fat/old Tam, not the girl in the jitterbug dress I used to be.  

Starting a scene is different than coming back to an old one or even integrating into a new one. I  moved from SoCal to Texas eight years ago and barely ventured out.  I hope starting small will lend me the confidence to go out to the bigger venues again, but for now, I take beginner steps.