Friday, August 8, 2025

The Big Rewrite

 The rewrite of SCONED TO DEATH is turning out to be more like writing for the first time.  With all that was going on when I was writing the first draft, I never really got into the story.  The stuff I wrote turned out to be redundant and all over the place.

Oddly enough, there are more distractions to deal with now, but I am more into the story.  I can tell because even when I leave the computer, the story keeps going in my head.  That leads to notes all over the place which I usually can't read.  Even when I am at the computer, surprises pop out.  

I am just at the conclusion of the middle and now things will turn toward the end.  I have it figured out how when Annie Sara confronts the killer.  Now I need to figure the logistics to put everyone in the right place at the right time. 

Just as I found out that Jakey starts school next week which changes everything.  That and husband's doctor's appointments. With fracture, he can only walk with a walker, so I have to get a wheel chair at Kaiser and roll him in.  It's lucky that I got used to how they work.  The first time, there were a lot of sudden stops when I let go of the handle which is the breaks.

Everything is in flux and I don't even know what normal is anymore. 

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

It's August

             Yes, the year is going fast. Its eighth month has arrived!

            I don’t really have anything new and exciting to report here today. I did attend a Sisters in Crime LA meeting last weekend.  I haven’t been going to a lot of writers’ meetings lately, so it was fun to see the people there and hear a really fun panel answer a lot of questions about—yes, their writing.

            And yes, unsurprisingly I am still working on my Harlequin Romantic Suspense story. I’m making progress, a good thing.

            And my dogs? Nothing particularly new there either. They’re still my adorable, snuggly babies.   

            We’re having special guests next weekend and attending some potentially fun L.A. area events with them. Looking forward to it. Maybe I’ll even get some story ideas!

Friday, August 1, 2025

You Don't Want to Watch TV With Me

 With everything going on,  I need an escape, a diversion, a way to get my mind off of stuff.  I don't drink and the only drug I take is an occasional aspirin.  I also have never drowned my sorrows in ice cream or used chocolate to lift my mood.

But there is television.  When I watch a series, it becomes like an event for me.  I like to read about it and find out where it was filmed, about the actors, and read the reviews.  There is something else and it why I watch TV alone.  I laugh at inappropriate times, like when something is too ridiculous to be taken seriously.  I also will say out loud what I think is coming next.  

Someone recommended SULLIVAN'S CROSSING on Netflix and from the first episode,  I knew I had found my perfect escape show.  I read a review of it that said the person didn't really like it, but couldn't stop watching it.  That's where I'm at.  There is so much stuff that is ridiculous, like the lead female is 13 years younger than the two men in love triangle and they are presented as if they are all contemporaries.  Another couple in the show have a twenty year age difference.  

The female lead is a neurosurgeon  who seems like a super hero.  She uses a power drill from a tool kit to save a fallen climber, delivers a baby and goes out in a hurricane to find a veteran with PTSD who is looking for his dog.

There are lots of problems and most of the episodes end on a cliffhanger.  It's nice that every other word isn't a swear word  and the characters are nice people who care about each other. 

A couple of hours of that and I'm ready to deal with everything again.  Though what's funny is that my writer's mind is always on.  I get way into all the details.

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Yes to Nature!

             This past Monday has been on my mind a lot this week. It was World Nature Conservation Day this year, apparently an annual event—all about protecting our environment and parks and forests and rivers and the wildlife who lives in all of them. These days, when I hear of an interesting celebration day, I’ll often post something about it on my Facebook page—my most active social media account. I might bore those who are my friends there and see what I post when I do it so frequently, but I hope not.  For this one, I saw a lot of good posts, but it took me a while to determine which one to share—I’m not good at creating them myself.

            And the day stirred up the story idea that’s been simmering, sometimes warmly and sometimes hot, inside my head. It’s heated up this week! But I still don’t know when I’ll get to it.

            I am still working on my Harlequin Romantic Suspense story, though—of course. My mind’s on that a lot, and so’s my computer!

            My dogs are doing well this week, demanding their usual amount of attention and seeming to be their playful and snuggling selves.