Now

 As Linda said on Wednesday, it's hot here.  My phone said it's 100 right now and that's in the shade.  The good news is that the hot spell is supposed to end tomorrow.  It's a good time to sit at my computer, so I decided to see if I could change my picture on the blog.  The old one was from the time BLUE SCHWARTZ AND NEFERTITI'S NECKLACE was published and I needed an author photo.  

The photo was done professionally at a Romance Writers of America conference.  The most interesting thing about it was the what the photographer told me- that a comfortable pose was a bad one.  It appears that I was resting my face on my hands, but actually I wasn't--that was the comfortable part that was supposed to make it a good pose.  He did all kinds of stuff to the picture and I never thought it resembled me.

I used it for a long time, but now it's become ridiculous.  Thanks to smart phones, it's easy to take a selfie and get a new picture.

 I had never attempted to change my photo on the blog and imagined all kinds of hassles.  But surprise, surprise, it was easy.

It seemed like I had forever to write MURDER BY THE HOOK since we agreed on a September 30, deadline.  But July has melted.  The back to school stuff is everywhere and Costco has Halloween costumes.  So it's time to get serious and knock those pages out.  I have the yarn for the project, but time to get working on it.

And any day, the copy edit of DEATH AMONG THE STITCHES will show up.

Nose to the grindstone.

Good News - Maybe!

 

It’s not resolved yet, but there’s a good possibility that I will be writing another miniseries for Harlequin Romantic Suspense!   I’d come up with another idea since they didn’t want any more in my current Shelter of Secrets series because, with all the stories in it, including two yet to hit the shelves, the shelter wouldn’t have continued to be very secret.  I’m not divulging anything about the new idea except—big surprise!—it’ll involve dogs.  Fingers crossed!

 I’m planning to attend a special Harlequin 75^th Anniversary Celebration in Ontario in September. Should be fun! 

It remains hot here in LA, especially in the afternoons. Our AC is getting quite a workout. But my pups don’t seem to mind—although they get their walks in the morning before it’s too bad, and before the pavement can get particularly hot. 

Enjoy your last week of July!

 

Pixie

 Now that I'm entrenched in writing MURDER BY THE HOOK, I turned my attention to the pattern and recipe would be  included.  The idea is that both are part of  the story.  I had a vague idea of  what kind of crochet project  I wanted to include but after my experience of making the crochet tie which Adele is now wearing in the book, I decided to do something else.

The group is now going to make a granny square scarf similar to the one that a TV character wears. Adele is all a flutter that having this TV character wear a crocheted scarf is putting the craft in the spotlight it deserves.  Elisbeth in the CBS show of the same name does wear a granny square scarf and since her clothes and accessories are an important part of her character, the scarf has gotten attention.  It's similar to the  way the granny square afghan was a prominent thing in the Roseanne show and is now in the Connors.

I read that the costume person got the actual scarf used in the show from Macy's.  I have seen assorted versions showing up on crochet sites and will create my own one.  I have already gotten the yarn and am looking forward to working on it.  

I am still thinking about the recipe but it will probably be something that goes with what   grows in the area..  

Instead of having the main action take place in Ojai, I am making it all go down  in a town in the Ojai Valley called Pixie (after the mandarins that grow only  there).  That way I can move things around to suit the story.  I have been doing a lot of research about what grows there.  Along with the pixies, there are avocado groves and olive groves.  And I am adding my own touch with coffee plants.

As far as I know there aren't any there now, but there could be since coffee bushes can grown near avocado trees.  There is some coffee growing going on in California on a small scale.

I have said before how sometimes things just happen when I'm writing.  Characters show up and start talking.  I thought Barry was gone, but then the homicide detective and Molly's ex showed up in Pixie.

Moving Right Along

  

            The edits I was working on last week are completed, and I sent them along to my editor. Fortunately, all went well and she received them as I’d hoped. All’s still not perfect, but at least those edits are done, at least for now.
 
            So right now, in addition to playing with my pups, I’m doing some research for the idea I’ve been working on, though I’m still not sure where I’ll go with it. Or if I’ll go anywhere with it. But at least the research and plotting have been enjoyable so far. And of course it involves dogs, and most likely other animals too.

            It’s hot here in LA in the afternoons, but I know a lot of other places are worse. Plus, some of the tornado-like winds affected family in the Midwest. Maybe I need to figure out how to control the weather, then let my protagonists handle it in a new story!
 

            Hope you’re all doing well, no matter what your weather.