Updates ... I've even surprised myself.

It seemed like I had been laboring in the 70,000 word doldrums since June. Without doing much writing due to work, health issues (oh, my aching back) and other real life interruptions, it seemed I hadn't done anything put peck away at a few words here and there. Imagine my surprise when I checked my word count just now - 85,054!

Apparently I'm verbose, even when I'm not.

Writers, take heart. Even if you only type a few words and it seems like a struggle, those words have value and they add up.

Also Typing Cat gif, because it makes me laugh.

via GIPHY

It's National Novel Writing Month!

It's that time of year when all you budding novelists have a chance to actually have a perfectly good excuse to sit and write. Unlike yours truly, who has failed twice to reach the goal of 50.000 words, even though my current project is well over that. It's still not finished and not likely to be finished at the end of the month. You still have a chance to catch up and get to speed, however.

I can be your cheering section. I don't know how much advice I can give to newbies, but I can say that NaNoWriMo is a great chance to connect with other writers in your community, which can be so important. Most of the time we work in solitude, but this month, you can find locations in your area where you can talk, write, angst over plots and characters, and not do it by yourself.

Hop on over to https://nanowrimo.org/ and join. It doesn't matter if you finish, but this will be a great way to start putting your ideas on paper.

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An experimental post because I can ...

Presentation on Blogging for Writers.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Sul9l2mK9cjAtvCiVssWaDwyF6ql0lWpyNwhODWH4Co/edit#slide=id.p1

Vacation - Time to relax and proofread

Sunday, I'm leaving on vacation for a week. I probably won't be posting, but I'm taking my iPad with an e-pub to proofread the book so far. At 260pgs I guess I'm entitled to call it a book, right?

I may post pictures on my Twitter @DresdenRose, if I have time. Meanwhile, I'll be missing this guy so much!

I hope to come back rested, relaxed, refreshed and ready to write.

Looking up ...

Yes, the power and internet and cable are all functioning! Let the revisions commence. However, I will be gone for a week and won't have my laptop with me, so this week is it, and hopefully, all those chapters I have to revise to fit the current plot will work out.

Meanwhile, here's a link to my Goodreads review of Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan. Highly recommended!

Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars




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You know you are in trouble when ...

First, just let me tell you all that as a result of some sort of micro-burst during a storm on Saturday, I was without power for more than twelve hours. Then, when the power was restored, the cable and internet were still down -- and they won't be fixed until tomorrow. So, here I am with the realization that I have to fix a chapter that has major plot holes that I need to fill or correct, and I can't get into my documents because, no internet.

via GIPHY

I'm posting this from work (yes, I have the excuse of using it as an example of how to add a .gif to a blog for a presentation.)

I don't know how much writing will get done until I can get into my documents - maybe a trip to Starbucks is in order?

So, writers. Power outages are not your friend. See you soon!

Busy reading week!

I've read three great mysteries this week. Susan Elia MacNeal's Prisoner in the Castle, Vivien Chien's Dim Sum of All Fears, and Paula Munier's debut mystery A Borrowing of Bones. All worth reading!

The Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Elia MacNeal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Prisoner in the Castle is the latest addition to the excellent Maggie Hope WWII mysteries. When the book opens Maggie is being held in on an isolated Scottish island along with a number of other SOE operatives who for one reason or another are literal prisoners for numerous reasons ranging from unsuitability after training, to fear that they may break under torture, to having too much knowledge regarding the secretive and highly classified information about the D-Day landings - which is Maggie's frustrating situation.

Their "prison" is an elaborate Victorian castle/hunting lodge that is allegedly haunted by the notorious murderer who built it. When the prisoners start dying one by one, Maggie is convinced that there is a murderer among her fellow prisoners. She and and a doctor, begin investigating. What they uncover is not only a dark secret, but also a spy among spies.

This is a simple plot summary, due to the intricate and involving plot, but I can tell you that author Susan Elia MacNeal has crafted a locked-room mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie, but with her own unique flair and the wonderful Maggie Hope. It is involving, chilling, and historical. I loved it.

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A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good beginning to a series. Great plot - I was kept guessing all along as to what was happening. Mistaken identities, two great dogs, a tragic backstory for the heroine, and a handsome Maine game warden. I'm looking forward to more Mercy and Elvis mysteries. I'm afraid to say more without giving away too many details of this introductory story! If you liked Alex Kava's Creed and Maggie mysteries, you'll love this book.

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Dim Sum of All Fears by Vivien Chien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you love Cozy mysteries, Vivien Chien's Noodle Shop Mysteries are food for your reader's soul. What I loved most about this book was the way Vivien has made the Asian Plaza a small town peopled with quirky characters, stores, and, of course, Lana Lee's family restaurant.

Lana's family is front and center in this story. When her parents have to go to Taiwan to see what's up with the family matriarch, Lana and her sister are left in charge of the restaurant -- with Lana handling most of the work since her perfect sister is too busy with law school. When a new friend is found murdered, Lana can't help getting involved, even though she's promised family and her Police Detective plus one (and some) that she won't.

The setting is fun, Lana and her family and friends are engaging, and the mystery kept me reading later than I should have been! The ending is a perfect segue into the next book in the series Murder Lo Mein . Hallmark Mysteries should make these into a series. It would be fabulous!

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