Wednesday, December 2, 2009

This 'n' That

The book is finished, hurrah! It was sent as a file to my publisher two days ago. Whew! I think it was probably the most difficult to write -- mostly because I couldn't figure out why it was being so reluctant to come out of my head. I like the characters, it was a good story. Maybe it wasn't thrilling enough -- no one was trying to murder my sleuth and there weren't any fistfights -- such things make the pages fly by. We'll see what my editor thinks in a few weeks.

This weekend my writers group is holding a retreat. Sometimes we go away, this time we're staying close to home. One of the two days it is being held in the Party Room of the building I live in. Our Christmas tree is up and there's a gas fireplace and a kitchen, so it'll be very nice and cozy. We start early in the morning, and everyone will get a chance to read several chapters of whatever we're working on instead of just one, the critiquing will be a little deeper, the shared meals will tie us even closer, and it will be a valuable as well as a pleasurable time. We do this twice a year. My writers group has improved my writing tremendously. All you writers out there: Do you have a group? Is it helpful to you?

For many years I collected the Fontanini Christmas pieces. It started as the basic Creche: Mary, Joseph, the Babe, an angel, a pair of shepherds. Then the Three Kings. Then: Bethelehem! The green grocer, the innkeeper, the rug seller, the goose girl, the excited old man with a lantern, street musicians, the carpenter and his apprentice, the man with a basket of cherries, the woman with a basket of olives, the baker, the children . . . I have over three hundred pieces, if you count the sheep, the ducks, and the chickens. And no room to display them. We moved into a smaller place two years ago, and even using all of the kitchen breakfast wasn't enough. I thought about selling the set on e-Bay, but got what I hope is a better idea. I'm donating it to my church. They are very interested (I don't think they realize how BIG this collection is yet), and want me to be in charge of setting it up and taking it down. So I would still get to play with it, would have room to display it, and would get to share it with people. The best of all possible worlds.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

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Betty Hechtman said...

Congrats on turning in your manuscript.

Your retreat sounds great. My critque group fell apart a few years ago and I haven't found another.

What a nice plan for your collection.

Carin said...

I just discover your books 2 weeks ago (I know... I know, a bit late)through a internet friend of mine. Maybe its because I live in the Netherlands that I never hear about you. But when I read that you write mysteries I was sold (they are my favorite to read)... and then with a needlecraft theme, Oh boy oh boy ... my greatest hobby !
So last week I orderd your first 6 books and I hope they arrive to me this week. I will let you know what I think about them after read them LOL