Switching Stories

 I expected things would stay quiet for all of last week since New Years Day fell on a Thursday.  But on Friday, I got the first proof pages of SCONED TO DEATH.  It's came as  a PDF file of the typeset version of the manuscript.  It's my last chance to look at the manuscript and it's mostly for typos, or small changes.  I thought I could manage to continue working on the next  Yarn Retreat book which now has Looming in the title, but after a couple of days of trying it, I realized it was better to concentrate on SCONED TO DEATH.

The only carry over from working on the Yarn Retreat book is that I have continuted making the potholders.  It is so much better to write about something if you have actual experience.  I finished the large size one and then went back to the smaller loom.  It seemed so quick and easy after using the large loom.  I also noticed that as I keep making the potholders, it's gets easier.  It also gets faster and it's very satisfying to be able to finish something in one sitting.  It's workout for my fingers, but they seem to benefit by experience too.  Working on them has reignited my pleasure in making things.

I am half way done going through SCONED TO DEATH.  In the old days, the publisher sent me a hard copy of the proof pages and I had to write in the corrections and hope it was clear.  Now, it's all a computer file and there seems to way I can note the corrections on it, I still resort to typing up a list of corrections. First I type in the way it appears on the proof pages and then I type in the way it should be.

And then it is the final good bye and the next time I see it will be as an actual book.

And then it's back to Casey and her crew as they close in on the killer.. 

And The New Year Continues

             We’re starting its second week tomorrow. I’m still plotting the year. Well, I’m at least working on a plot or two of some new things I’m starting to write. I’ve had one idea that sneaked into my head and doesn’t seem willing to get booted out, at least not yet, so I’m beginning to do some additional plotting that hopefully will direct it somewhere deeper into my subconscious so I can actually write the first book of a new mystery series. We’ll see.

            Meanwhile, I’m watching my husband, Fred, as he repairs our patio area, since rain has gotten inside and downstairs to our main bathroom beneath it. Supposedly the rain has stopped now, although that’s what the forecast said a couple of nights ago but lied. And then the website I check indicated there would be five minutes of rain till the sun came out yesterday, but Fred scared it off—or at least it didn’t happen. I think I need to find another website I like.

            So… writing. It’s still a challenge with my broken wrist, but that’s improving a little. And my imagination is still there. I’m still pondering the new mystery idea I have, planning on researching a new Harlequin Romantic Suspense series on a trip in a few months, and looking forward to my editor’s comments on my most recent proposal so I can start writing the book. Yes, there are dogs in that one.

            And hopefully my pup Roxie will leave me alone long enough to write it instead of wanting to play all the time. Or at least when she isn’t sleeping, which does give me some time. Our other pup Cari sleeps a lot more than she plays. And they both now have representations on a special cap I bought for Fred—cute!

Looming Change

 

The holidays are definitely over.  The batteries powering the wreath wore out and there are no more colored lights brightening up the front door.  I don't really feel much of a let down this year.  But that could be because I never stopped working on the next Yarn Retreat book.  There was a twist that even I hadn't expected.

I wrote before about getting the potholder loom in Cambria, but that was only part of the story.  My first attempt at making a potholder ended in disaster as I had missed a crucial instruction about finishing it and the loops all came loose and it flipped off the loom.  I felt pretty silly about the failure since the loom is for ages 6 and up.  But maybe a six year old would have had someone read ALL the instructions.

The second potholder was a success because I did read ALL the instructions and realized what I had missed about anchoring the work while I did the cast off.

Thrilled with my success I rushed to start another potholder.  The loom had come with eouugh loops to make two potholders and since the disaster one was still a clump of messed up loops, There were more loops available in the extra bag  I bought when I got the loom. 

I began working on the potholder, but there was something different.  The loops seemed looser.  I finally looked at the bag and saw that these loops were for the Pro size loom and I had the Traditional size.  I  had noticed the larger size loom when I was in the yarn store, but didn't think to check the bag of loops to see what loom they worked.

I was left with the decision to trash the bag of loops or buy the bigger loom.  

 This is where the twist came in.  There was this aha moment when I thought of something.  The potholder loom fit into the manuscript I was working on.  The loops aren't exactly balls of yarn, but the loom means weaving which is a yarn craft.  And since Casey is dealing with a number of total novices, making the potholders was perfect for them.  I went ahead and ordered the bigger loom and more loops for the smaller one.  It came the next day and I started on a bigger version of what I had made.  But now I had a new focus.  How I would write about the characters using the looms.  Were there hints beyond the obvious about anchoring the work at the end that I could pass on.  How would my character's respond to making such a basic household item?  I even realized that the potholders were sort of a clue to who the killer is.

How funny that I didn't see the importance of the looms all along.  I was just caught up in trying a new craft. I even decided to change the title of the book to LOOMING DANGER.

It's a little late, but HAPPY NEW YEAR1  I hope everyone has an abundance of good things in the new year.  Hope is important.  i just read something from the New York Times that said hopeful people grow taller. 

 

New Year Sneaking Up

             Well, maybe the New Year isn’t sneaking up, but it’s getting close. Very close. A few hours away. And the celebration should be fun!

            So have I been writing during this year end? Somewhat, though it’s slow and my broken wrist wants to make me suffer for it. But I’m still plotting and planning and getting some things on computer pages to give my wrist a hard time back. And yes, I’m still working on using it in a story sometime, maybe.

            Anyway, my pups are beside me now, as they often are, encouraging me to continue on, which I will. It’s been an interesting year. And 2026? Well, we’ll see.

            Happy New Year to all of you!!