No Break

 Back east there is snow and ice.  We have wind.  It is scary watching the tall trees in the yard bending and blowing.  We have a tree trimmer scheduled, but he was booked until later in January.

DEATH AMONG THE STITCHES is out in the world and the manuscript for MURDER BY THE HOOK is with my editor.  He said I wouldn't get it back  for a couple of weeks.  So, I thought I would take a break from writing.  

I didn't take any pages to work on when we went to Disneyland to see the last of the holiday decorations.  I have to say seeing Santa in the Christmas parade seemed kind of off.  I thought it would have been better to have a big sign on his seat and say something like Gone Back to the North Pole.  

When I came home to a backed up kitchen sink and my husband having dropped a chopstick down his bathroom sink when he tried to fish out a top of something he had dropped in the drain, it was okay to dedicate the next day to dealing with the plumber and taking care of Jakey who had an extra day off from school before the end of his holiday break.

And then the plumbing stuff was taken care of and Jakey went back to school and I had some time to drink my morning coffee without feeling like I had to rush and do anything.  I started thinking about the next Yarn Retreat book.  Why not toss around some ideas. And then they began to tumble out and I scribbled down notes.  I didn't want to really start on the book until I am done with MURDER BY THE HOOK and it is ready for publication, but it seemed okay to work on a synopsis of the next Yarn Retreat book.

Then I realized that as much as I think I  want to take a break from writing, I really don't.    

I wrote the above early, but the world has turned since then. At least in the Los Angeles area.  The wind got worse and started wildfires.  There was one and then there were four.  It was worrisome enough that we had stuff packed up by the door in case we had to leave suddenly.

Yikes!

           Hi, everyone, and sorry yet again. I know I’m posting this late, but I’ve been busy finishing the first draft of my current novel.

Even more, I’ve was outside walking in some really scary wind over the past days—and watching the smoke in the sky near us from some of the L.A. fires.

            Fortunately, things were okay for us to walk the dogs this morning, though we don’t take them outside for long periods. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed that nothing comes any closer than it already is.

            Not a great way to start the year, but hey, it will hopefully improve. And yes, I’ll keep on writing.

Start the New Year

 And just like that it's 2025.  The holiday season is just about over and normalcy will arrive on Monday.  Except for Jakey, who has the day off from school.

And not a moment too soon for me.  I always thought I was the only one who had a hard time dealing with the ups and downs of the time around Christmas and New Years.  I always found it hard to give a name to  the feeling.  Somehow I always saw it as a mental image of experience I had at that low point after the holiday when it was time to go back to school. We were sitting in a local coffee shop lit by florescent lights and looking out the window at old snow that had shrunk and was flecked with dirt.  In other words the magic  of a fresh snowfall was over.  The place was about to close and there was a hollow lonely feeling to it all.

From reading posts online, I see that I am not alone.

It's actually much better now.  First of all I don't have to go back to elementary school or high school. January is not nearly as bleak in Southern California as it was in Chicago.  And, of course, not nearly as cold.  The sun is still so low in the sky that the redwood trees block it out for most of the day, but I can  still find a sunny spot for a little while in the morning.  I let the warmth and brightness pour over me as I have my coffee.  

It also helped that I spent the time going over MURDER BY THE HOOK another time since my editor said he wasn't going to look at it until next week.  I made a lot of changes and am glad that I had the chance to do it.

It feels a little like ships passing in the night as DEATH AMONG THE STITCHES  slides toward its release in a few days.  The book is out of my hands and has a life of its own now.  All I can do is wish it well and do some online stuff.  And then wait to see what happens.

Meanwhile, I have started crocheting a little cat.  It is such a different experience from making a blanket or a scarf.  It's intense and stitches have to be marked and counted.  The yarn is troublesome and splits easily.  But  the challenge is exciting.

Happy New Year!

           Hi, everyone, and sorry. I was too busy celebrating the new year to remember to post this blog on time! 

            In any case, Happy New Year everyone. Hope yours is starting out great and continues to get even better. 

Have a wonderful 2025—you, your family and your pets!