Still August

 Now that it's the second week of school, life has returned to a more normal pattern.  No more feeling like I was living in frat house where everybody was up all night. While I enjoyed some of the serendipity days where we took off on day trips, a regular schedule feels good.

After the year feeling like it rushed by, August seems to be lingering.  That's okay.   I like having a slow down of time for a change.  I am trying to get as much of the Molly book written by the end of the month when I have to let the next Crochet and Crumpet book move ahead of it.  

The area in Indiana where it takes place was on my mind this week.  There was a terrible storm with tornadoes that did a lot of damage in the area.   The storm did a lot of damage in Chicago.  There were tornadoes there as well.  The whole summer has been difficult there.  I get a local online newspaper from Chicago and I read how so many summer festivals were ruined by weather.  At one point, it rained for seven days straight.   

The next Crochet and Crumpet book takes place in the fall around Halloween.  It will be the first fall weather with falling leaves that  Annie Sara and Gray experience since they both  have only lived in Southern California.  I am looking forward to working on it and immersing myself in all the fall colors and crisper weather.  I had called the book, Falling Leaves as in tea leaves and tree leaves, but I need another title.  This publisher isn't into punny titles, so maybe I'll go for something like Murder Among the Falling Leaves.

Back to real life, Kitten's eye is not completely back to normal, but it seems better. Everything else about her seems normal so we are still letting things be.  

I'm still working on the crocheted wave pattern blanket.  I feel like I should call it the blanket that keeps me calm.   I have no problem unraveling when I make a mistake since it is all about the physical working with the yarn and hook as opposed to finishing the project. 

Writing About Experienced Adventure

I did some writing this week. What a surprise! But I also had an experience that I might want to include in a story someday—or not. It was scary, and writing about it probably won’t be easy.

What is it? Well, some of you might consider me silly. Others might relate to me. But here it is: I rode on a roller coaster.

I hadn’t ridden on one in years, but this time some family members were with me and couldn’t wait, so I joined them. It’s a new roller coaster, but I won’t say which or where since I wouldn’t want anyone involved with it to think I’m insulting it. And I do suspect they’d be glad to hear how scared I was, since scaring riders was probably part of the design.

Well, I got on it, and when we started off I was nervous immediately and closed my eyes. I’m glad now that I did since they stayed closed through much of the fortunately not very long trip.

Yes, I could get into more detail here, but I think I’ll just lock the experience inside me and hopefully find a way to include it in a story someday!

Anything scary you’d like to write about?

Danger Looms

 

DANGER LOOMS  is finally all together and ready for the August 25, release.  I am not so ready.   I have to update my website and do what I can to get the word out.

At the moment my thoughts are elsewhere.  I noticed that our cat's pupils are not the same.  At first, I thought it was just a difference in the light hitting them, but when it continued for a couple of days, I looked online.  There is a name for it that I can't remember at the moment and is a symptom of something else and it was advised to take her to the vet.  The world has changed since all we had to do was show up during office hours to be seen that day.  Now, we had to make an appointment and wait several days.  

I can tell that she isn't her usual self and my stomach is in a knot of worry.  There is always a helpless feeling when a pet isn't well.  The best we have been able to do is give her cuddles when she wants them.  I am hoping that I am over worrying and that after the vet visit, I will feel a sense of relief that she is going to be okay.  But in the meantime, it has taken over my  thoughts.

Her name is Kona, but she has always been called Kitten.  She is the first cat that I have know as an actual kitten.  She was a gift to Jakey's mom from one of her students.  They couldn't keep her because they found out they were allergic.  She joined a cat household of Spyderman and Buttercup.  She was there when Jakey came home from the hospital and has always been part of his backdrop--first at their house and then around seven years ago when all the cats moved here.  The other two always had health issues, but Kitten seemed blessed with no problems other than not wanting me to cut her claws.  

And now she is the only one left.  I have gone through all kinds of cat and dog ailments.  It is always so hard.  I am sure I will better after the vet visit--whatever the news.  Not knowing is the hardest.

Over the years we have had 13 dogs and cats who have come to live here in numerous ways.  When they're not well never gets easy to deal with.  Fingers crossed, it's good news.

Success of Sorts

I did it! I finally turned in the revised draft of K-9 Property Justice, the second book in my K-9 Crime Solvers series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. But as I noted, it’s a success of sorts since, though I addressed the concerns my editor had, hopefully well, I didn’t find a way to shorten the revised manuscript yet. Hopefully, as she reads it, she’ll have some ideas that I can utilize to shorten it. 

But meanwhile, I’ll be starting to write the third book in the series. Plus, I hope to see my editor soon, since I’m planning a trip to New York in the not too distant future.

 I’ve got some additional ideas for what to work on after this series. It’ll be fun to discuss them—and also just to see that editor. I’ve been with her for quite a while, and I really look forward to seeing her. And we might also be joined by someone else important in my career. 

Meanwhile, it was National Spoil Your Dog Day earlier this week. Of course we did something extra to spoil them that day—but we’re always spoiling them!