Murder Ink

 

 

MURDER INK is officially out.  There was some confusion because I think it was released in the UK first and the release date got moved around because of the pandemic.  I have really enjoyed the exchanges with my editor Carl Smith.  I’ve been hearing first hand what it’s like in London. I really liked writing about Chicago.  Maybe because my publisher is in the UK, I felt more of a need to describe the setting.


I made my two deadlines.  I sent the edits of WRITING A WRONG off into cyberspace to the UK.  There was a bittersweet feeling sending it off even though I will have another chance to make changes when I get the copy edit back.

The other deadline was to proof read the first pass pages of ONE FOR THE HOOKS.  I was only able to make small changes like taking out an unneeded comma or changing a few words here or there.  When I sent it off, it was the final good bye to the manuscript.  It’s already available on Amazon for pre-order.  It was relief to manage the deadline, but also a sad feeling at closing the door on it.  Well, in print anyway.  It’s what happens after the book ends that’s been on my mind.  Not to giveaway the ending, Molly has a lot to deal with.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on getting my website updated. It was much more of a production this time because a new section had to be set up for the Writer for Hire series.  It’s p and public now, but there are still problems with the contact me pages.  In short, it’s working for junk messages, but not when I send a test message.  I don’t want to post anything about the changes until I’m sure the contact me page works.

After a couple of months of doom and gloom, things are looking more hopeful here. We had some rain and everything greened up. I always forget about the  willy nilly planted bulbs in my yard until they make an appearance.  The paper whites are blooming with their interesting fragrance.  It’s kind of like the pink jasmine – the fragrance is sweet, but almost too intense.  The daffodils are still green stalks, but the promise of the yellow flowers is there.  Interesting that the ones they sell in the store have no fragrance, but the ones that grow in my yard do have a faint pleasant scent.  There are a few hyacinths that haven’t made any appearance yet, but spring is in the air.

The days are already getting longer.  Restaurants have re-opened for outdoor dining. It is nice to see people in the tents and outdoor patios that were so forlorn looking.  The lines at Trader Joe’s are gone and toilet paper and paper towels are plentiful at Costco.  The number of hospitalizations in L.A. County go down every day. The roll out of the vaccines seems to be improving.  I expect it to be quicker when I go for my second shot.

Time to feel optimistic!