Friday, May 10, 2024

Lots Going on

 


 KNOT DEAD AGAIN comes out next week.  I remember when I got the book deal for the Crochet series that my agent explained all  the steps between turning in a manuscript and the book coming out.  She also explained there would be overlaps between working on one book and another.  It's gotten more so since I have been working on different series.

Right now I am thinking about the questions I received in advance of being a guest on a podcast that tapes the day KNOT DEAD AGAIN comes out. (www.thecozysleuth.com/podcast).  I always worry about going blank and having nothing to say.  I live in a household where everyone but me seems to lecture rather than have a conversation and I seem to always be listening to someone else.  It's a whole adjustment to me being the one who is talking.  It's even weirder talking to a computer screen.

At the same time, I am working on the next Molly book.  I wrote the actual first page, though I already started to rewrite it.  The first page is everything-- for me and for readers.  Once I have the first page, I seem to feel confident that the rest will come.  And if I don't capture a readers attention on that first page, I worry I will lose them.

And any day I will get the edits on CLASSY YARNS.  It's a new editor so I have no idea what to expect.  

I just finished putting together my travel arrangements for my trip to Writers Police Academy/Killer Con.  It's being held in Appleton, Wisconsin again.  Travel from Los Angeles to Appleton is never direct, so I am adding in a stay in Chicago on the way there.  I have gone to Writers Police Academy numerous times, but this time the program is different. It is supposed to start with a murder/crime scene and follow an investigation of it.  They also bring in an assortment of first responders and their equipment.  It's a chance to see everything close up and ask questions.  I am most interested in talking to the people and finding out who they are and how they deal with their job.

On top of all that, there is the elephant in the room-- the buckled floors from the hot water leak.  We are still dealing with the insurance company about getting them fixed.  I can only imagine the chaos when the work finally starts. I'm just glad the room that has my computer doesn't have wood floors and is tucked away in a corner far from where all the action will be.

4 comments:

Patty Jenkins said...

Good morning -- Wow, you do have a lot going on. What a pain that the insurance settlement is going so slowly. The Writers Police Academy sounds so interesting -- we had a friend who was an EMT in our little Texas town -- he had to deal with tragedies involving friends. He was one who came to the house the night my husband had a massive heart attack at 3 a.m. -- not a murder scene but tragic. Does your Chicago apartment set vacant or do you rent it out?

I've been having crazy problems with email -- for some reason, emails sent from a gmail account aren't coming through or if they do, it's days after being sent. My kids both use gmail but we mostly text so no real problem there. It's just very strange.

Have to put the loopy edging on a big granny square blanket today, then on to the next project. I think it will be a c2c using one of the stripe yarns -- that should give a nice pattern. Two weeks until the next Project Linus drop-off so I will be able to get it done. The coordinator asked for baby blankets but says she's been getting a lot of tiny blankets -- barely 20-inches square -- that would be useless, even for a newborn.

By the time you post next week, I'll have read "Knot Dead Again" -- looking forward to it. And glad the next Molly book is in production.

Enjoy your day --

Betty Hechtman said...

Patty, Being an EMT has to be very hard and even more so if you know the people. The condo rules for my Chicago place don't allow it to be rented out.

It's interesting that you are having a problem with gmail. I have problems with my aol account when it comes to sending big files or photos and use my gamil account which has been more dependable. I hope you get it worked out.

It's strange that people are making such tiny baby blankets. Maybe they are being made by people who are so focused on finishing something that they don't consider that it's too small.

I hope you enjoy Knot Dead Again.

chkntza said...

I'm expecting Knot Dead Again in the mail. I'm excited to read it.
The Police Academy sounds like a great place to get details for your books. All that research shines through in the details.
I had to get a gmail account for school. Now all the correspondence from this blog goes there. I don't know how to change the email address back to my aol account where all my other email goes.
I found a chart that tells what sizes afghans are supposed to be to help me know when I get to the correct size.
My friend had to replace her bedroom floor because of water damage. It didn't take too long and the result is gorgeous. Good luck with yours.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Congrats on the impending premier of KNOT DEAD AGAIN, Betty! And how fun that you're attending the Writers Police Academy again and working on your next Molly book.