The Magic of Music

Well, I finished with my edits. The last thing I had to do was to add the recipes, which meant I had to make them. Since I’ve had my face in front of my computer screen all week, everything has gone to hell. So, before I could bake I had to clean up the kitchen.

I can’t say I was too excited about the prospect of cleaning. My family left on a business trip and I at long last have the house to myself. As I was looking around the disaster zone my kitchen was, I thought what I needed was some music to liven things up.

I used to have a radio in the kitchen, but it’s long gone. I have an ipod that doesn’t work and I never liked it anyway. I can play stuff on my computer, but the control thing on the screen doesn’t always work. I just wanted something simple. You know, you plunk in a CD and it plays. I found an old CD player which I was thinking about giving away.

I set it up in the kitchen and hit play. It turned out there was a Cher CD still in there and suddenly the kitchen was filled with dance music. You know that scene in Risky Business when Tom Cruise starts dancing around in his underwear. Okay, I was dressed, but the rest of it was similar.

Basically I danced by way through cleaning up the kitchen. It was so much fun, the hour and half I spent went by without me even noticing. Needless to say if I hadn’t been alone it wouldn’t have worked out. I can just imagine my son’s horrified expression at me discoing around the kitchen.

I changed the CD to Josh Groban and started my baking. I had forgotten how much nicer it is to do things to music.

Cher’s back on the player which helped me dance through the after baking clean up. My kitchen smells of chocolate and I’m just waiting for the Chocolate Birthday Cake Cookie Bar to cool enough to add the Vanilla Butter Cream icing. There are already a few cookie bars missing. I had to make sure they turned out. I rate them as a definite yum.

Now, all I have to do is attach my manuscript to an email and send it over cyberspace to arrive on my editors desk right on time. And then its back to writing Silence of the Lambs Wool.

Even The Sheep Brought Umbrellas

It was a wet and woolly day at the Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair on LI's  beautiful North Fork last Sunday. Some of the animals had come prepared...with better umbrellas than I had. But it was still great fun to
visit with them-- and also with the spinners, knitters and mystery readers.

I was invited there to speak about and sign copies of The Silence of the Llamas. Tabbethia Haubold,  who raises, shows and trains llamas at the Long Island Livestock Company, heard about the book and being a real llama farmer, the title intrigued her. She's an extraordinary person,  an expert in her field, and a primary sponsor of this fiber celebration, set on the Hallockville Historic Farm.

I'd visited the festival about two years ago, while doing research for this story. Unfortunately, I didn't meet Tabbethia at the time. If I had, I probably would have gotten more of my llama facts straight.

Did you know llamas can be trained to guard sheep, perform on an agility course and are even used as therapy animals in nursing homes and hospitals? They are very easy and undemanding to care for -- much easier than dogs. Which gave me pause. Should I consider a trade-in? I know where I can get a good deal. (Only kidding guys!)  

It was interesting to return to the place where I first got my ideas and inspiration for the story -- with the finished book in hand. Sort of a full circle situation that sometimes happens in life.

The first time I visited the festival it was a perfect fall day; sunny, dry and breezy. This past Sunday, I left my house under cloudy skies hoping for the best. I was perhaps a bit optimistic in outlook and the way I was dressed-- which is either a shortcoming, or very positive trait of mine. It was raining steadily by the time I reached the fair. But the parking lot was surprising full. There were still many visitors and  a full schedule of activities -- sheep and llama shearing, herding, spinning and wool dying demonstrations.

Many hand crafted items and knitting or spinning supplies were on sale in the big barn and vendor tents. Hey, just like the opening chapter of my book. Though in the story, "Merry making soon turns to mayhem."  

As I walked about, I realized how much I'd modeled the description of Ellie and Ben Krueger's farm on the Hallockville property. It's a very scenic spot and the buildings are well preserved, with an antique store in the farm house and many interesting out buildings, where demonstrations were set up. Green fields stretch behind the farm buildings as far as the eye can see. The open spaces of this area never fail to refresh my mind and spirit -- as beautiful in the mist and rain as under a sunny sky.

When it was time to talk about the Black Sheep Knitting Mysteries, a crowd of encouraging size gathered. Frankly, I'm not sure where they came from. But there they were, huddled under the signing tent. I was happy to describe my inspiration for the story, answer questions and sign books. I met several fans who have been following the series and hopefully, won over a few new ones.

Hope to return to the Fleece & Fiber Fair next year, with a new Black Sheep Mystery, presently in the works -- A Dark and Stormy Knit. In fact, I should be working on it right now.

(Yeah, I'm being  ba-a-a-d.)

Gearing Up For my Next Story

After being happily bludgeoned by deadlines, and the necessity of promotion for new books coming out, and preparation for traveling, I now have a little downtime. 

Well, it’s not really downtime.  It just means I don’t have an invisible character playing the role of my conscience hovering behind me and insisting that I work.  Hard.  Now. 

 

Not that I’ve stopped, of course.  I have a deadline for a proposal for one of my Alpha Force Harlequin Nocturnes pending at the end of this month, but I’ve written it and am letting it sit for a day or two before I do a final edit and send it along.  I’ve several more months until the entire book is due, but it’s the one I’m working on now--and having fun with it, naturally. 

Plus, I’m giving talks and reading book excerpts and participating on panels at various and sundry local bookstores, libraries and other organizations. 

And, I’m working on some other upcoming stories plus ideas for more.   

So, am I idle just because I’m not stressed and obsessed to finish something fast?  Not hardly. 

But I do have more time to do online crossword puzzles... 

How about you--any stress in your life right now?  Do you see any light at the end of the tunnel?