The Crochet Cure

 It's always something.  The pixels in my computer screen were dying.  Already one corner was dark and another corner flickered on and off.  I was assured getting a new screen was an easy fix.  Except it isn't.

The whole screen is lit up now, but there is a box with a 60 in it sitting in the top left corner that covers things I need to access.  The cursor has no effect on the box. I can't work on my manuscript with the box there because it covers functions I need.

My screensaver is much nicer on the new screen, but the type ia Word document is not.  It seems fainter and harder to see. So now I'm waiting for help from my son who installed the screen.

I had already gone through dealing with signing into a Zoom meeting.  I decided to use my phone which proved to be a nightmare.  I was required to type in my address before I could sign into the meeting.  But every time I tried, the box disappeared.  I gave up and tried using a Mac laptop.  The touch pad or whatever it's called is a real pain.  I was finally able to do the address thing, but when I  clicked on submit, it offered me the definition of submit.  I finally figured out if I clicked near but not on the wrod submit, it did submit the address.

But back to the new screen for my PC desktop.  I can only type my blog entry because I don't need whatever is behind the box with the 60 in it.

As soon as I finish this, I'm going directly to what I call therapeutic crochet.  It is going to be part of the Molly book I'm working on.  It is meant as a relief from stress, so easy pattern with lots of markers to keep track of stitches.  Yarn that is easy to see the stitches.  No challenges like counting stitches or fighting with trying to attach safety eyes to an amigurumi  animal. Just row after row of soothing simple stitches.  I really need that now.

Secrets, Sort Of

I was out of town during the timing of my last two posts here. Could you tell? I thought of them in advance and scheduled them to appear, so hopefully not. 

I’m home now, and back to working harder on my latest series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, my K-9 Crime Solvers series. I’m still editing the second in the series but it’s coming along well. And number three is circling my mind.

 And where was I? On a family trip to Alaska. Did it give me ideas for more stories to tell? Of course! I’ve had series set in Alaska before but it’s a very inspirational place—although I didn’t see as much wildlife this time as I’d hoped for. Even so… yes, my mind is percolating.

Getting Out There

 I am at the end of going through the proof pages of DANGER LOOMS.  Then I will type up a list of corrections for my editor to make and the next stop will be the release at the end of August.  I have been spending too much home or out with family members and I need some fresh company.  Something where I am just me.

Before the the pandemic, I had my gym and knit and crochet group that meet at JoAnn's.  By the time the time everything opened up, the gym had gone out of business and  the knit and crochet group didn't start up again.  Then JoAnn's closed.  Between that and everything being remote on Zoom, I forgot about something where we actually meet in person.

Convenient as it is to do so much without leaving the house, it doesn't offer the same mental refresh that going somewhere and being with a group is.  

But now I know that I really need it.  Ideally, I want  a yarn group.  Just like what I write about, the people would visit while they work on their projects.  It would hopefully offer just the supportive company I crave.

So, the search begins.  The funny thing is that when I did a search for yarn groups in Tarzana, my books came up. 

A Writer's Mind Is Never Done

 Yes, I’m still working on my latest series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense, my K-9 Crime Solvers series. The first one will come out this December: K-9 Evidence. There will be at least two more in the series. And yes, unsurprisingly they include dogs—K-9s! 

Will there be more in that series? Too soon to tell. But just in case there aren’t, or even if there are, my mind is at work, as usual, determining ideas to follow up on for future stories, whether related or unrelated. 

Will they contain dogs? Definitely, as long as that works for the publisher! Including dogs is me—and my writing. Will they be romantic suspense stories, or mysteries? Not sure yet, but those are my norms, so they’ll most likely be one or the other. 

Hmm… Just got another doggy idea! Need to start working on it!