STory Within a Story

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but when I find a show I like, I tend to buy the DVD of a season. I did it when I discovered Monk and again recently when I realized I liked Castle. In case anyone doesn’t know the story line of Castle. He’s a mystery writer who tags along with a female homicide detective and there’s an undercurrent of sparks between them.

It's like a treat to be able to watch an episode when I need a break. One of the things I like about getting DVD’s of TV shows is the bonus material. In Castle’s case there is a featurette of Nathan Fillion the actor who plays Castle tagging along with a real mystery writer. It was fantasy on top of fantasy compared to my life. The mystery writer he tagged along with was Stephen J. Cannell. Let’s say my working conditions are barely on the same planet as his. His spacious office and separate library made me drool.

One interesting note about Cannell that I got when I heard him speak at Left Coast last month is that he writes for five hours every day, seven days a week. He said it was a carry over from his old TV writing days when he had to churn out scripts. Of course, some of that five hours probably takes place on the private jet that was in the background of his photo in the Left Coast program.

The Castle character lives pretty well, too - in a gigantic fabulous apartment in New York. He never seems worried about deadlines or has writers block or for that matter seems to write very much. He’s too busy hanging out at murder scenes wearing his bullet proof vest emblazoned with WRITER across the back. Though his book mentioned on the show actually came out and lists the author as Richard Castle.

Castle often wears a scarf and I was thinking of a bizarre plot where my fictional sleuth Molly Pink is a big fan of the fictional mystery writer and sends him a crocheted scarf.

The one downside of being a mystery writer watching a show about a mystery writer is that I can usually pick out whodunnit when the character first appears in the show.

Who’s your favorite TV detective?

RWC Retreat

The airplane arrived from Chicago. The passengers came into the terminal at LAX. I could almost hear them sigh with pleasure as they looked at the blue sky and warm sunlight streaming through the windows.

I got on the same plane and it flew right back to Chicago. It was cold, dark and late when I arrived, but I sighed with pleasure all the same. I guess it is just the appeal to being somewhere else.

I was supposed to have company while I was here, but there was a change in plans and I have a week alone. I have turned this time into my own personal retreat - just reading, writing and crocheting with some walks thrown in and well, a little cleaning, too. The company is showing up later.

So what am I reading? Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii by Lee Goldberg. I picked it up last month at Left Coast Crime in Kona. Lee was the toastmaster of the event and when he signed my book I found out he was also a former Tarzanian. It’s a fun read and even though it takes place in Kauai and I was on the big island, it still reminds me of my trip. When I finish, I have seven rooms with overflowing bookcases full of choices.

I didn’t bring clothes, just a suitcase full of yarn. The one thing not conveniently located around here is a yarn store or a Michael’s or Joann’s. I always bring yarn, crochet tools, and crochet books to leave here, which means I have now yarn stashes in two locations. Anyone who knits or crochets will get the importance of that.

I plan to make several of the pouch purses featured in the fourth crochet mystery, which I think might be called A Twisted Yarn. I also want to play. I’m always in a hurry and product oriented. I wanted to try stitches and combinations of them for an idea I have for the project in book number 5.

And the writing. Well, there’s book number 5 and something else I’m working on, too. Along with all the yarn, I brought some yellow legal pads. I like to start with them. For some reason I never have blank page anxiety when I handwrite, the way I do when I look at a blank screen with a winking cursor.

To finish off the retreat, I have lots of coffee and loads of local good food. Am I in heaven, or what?

What is your dream getaway?