A Letter from Camp

Hi! Can't believe it's the last week of Camp NaNoWriMo! Friday I reached my 50K mark in my new novel, "Speaking of Witch . . ." and I'm pressing ahead, searching desperately for a PLOT!Have to say I'm having a fun time with this one. After all, it's summer camp. I remember one summer I decided to read everything Jane Austen ever wrote - now that was a slow slog (but I recovered). And a few summers ago I set myself the task of writing 200 haiku poems. Another year the goal was everything Dickens. Now THAT was a long season.Check out this year's progress at CampNaNoWriMo!

CAMP NANOWRIMO!

For some reason the National Novel Writing Month people decided that one novel per year isn't enough for me to write. So for the first time ever they are challenging the world to write a 50K word novel in the month of July! And since I can't pass up the opportunity to write a novel in one month, I'm pounding away on my new novel "Speaking of Witch . . ." (spelling intentional) - Check Camp NaNoWriMo to track my progress and read an excerpt of the novel. Of course it involves the ghost of Lord Byron and a Wiccan priestess who is determined to expose his lordship as a geeky fraud who used a body double to do all of his swashbuckling and womanizing for him. Obviously pretty heavy reading. :)

So if you don't hear a whole lot from me this month . . .

Solstice?

I have pulled this sunny summer photo from my archives to remind myself that we are on the cusp of Solstice. Woke this morning to dark and gloomy rain. The garden is at least three weeks behind schedule, we have had so few warm days. There are less than six pea plants listlessly twining up their strings. They have not begun to bloom. I'll be lucky to get any peas at all this year. Perhaps I should prepare to learn how to garden on a glacier while making friends with the neighborhood polar bears. Climate change is taking its toll on my garden, though yesterday I noticed hundreds of darling golden honey bees on my climbing hydrangea. Happy to see they aren't extinct just yet!

I have launched into revisions on my novel High Tide and Low Expectations. An excellent rainy day pursuit. This novel is a cozy mystery set in Westport, Washington. Lots of pirates and smugglers, rusty crab pots and irate seagulls.

It's the story of Cora Jane Dooley, ex-wife of a serial killer the media had dubbed "The Boise Butcher". She's on the coast living in her RV, seeking an uncomplicated retirement far from the eyes of the tabloids. Oops! Here comes murder and mayhem . . . and she is compelled to become involved in order to clear herself from suspicion. All in all a perfect rainy day project. I'll keep you posted on how it's goin'.

Red House Blues

I've finished the fifth rewrite of my novel, Red House Blues! Now the fun part - having a cover designed, getting the proofreading and editing sorted out, getting it published - etc, etc. I will be publishing through Creatspace probably by the end of summer.

Many of you know that I've been participating in National Novel Writing Month for the past five years. I figured it was about bloody time I got one of those stories out into the world! This particular novel was sparked by a conjunction of deadly incidents surrounding one particularly nasty old house in the Central District of downtown Seattle. (No, that's not the house in the picture but that structure is only blocks from the house in question. The meeting hall pictured has its own fascinating history - it was one of the first places Jimmy Hendrix played. It's reputed to be haunted, by the way.)

It's a supernatural/mystery/thriller combo plate of a book that I have had huge fun writing. The story centers on Suzan Pike, a young widow who goes in search of her murdered husband's lost notebooks and in the process stirs up a mindless and voracious evil. As soon as it's up on Amazon.com I'll let everyone know!

Oh yes, the cheese! A former plant care client of mine, Kurt Dammier, has been in the local news lately ever since his mac and cheese made Oprah's top ten favorite things list. His company, Beecher's Handmade Cheese is well worth checking out. For years I urged him to come up with a gluten free version and I'm happy to report that it's in the works! His restaurant already offers it if you call ahead. Thanks Kurt!

COUPON CLASS AND CHEESE

Okay, I'm ready to admit it, I've become addicted to couponing! Last night I took a two-hour class at the Burien Community Center on how to more effectively feed my addiction (and thus my belly). The place was packed with eager cheapskates like me. Instructors were a mother and daughter team from the neighborhood who write a couponing blog. It's a sign of these hard times that we are all pinching pennies. But it's more than that. It's FUN!!! Every week the "junk mail" contains free money! Who knew?

My garage pantry is exploding!

My wonderful sister-in-law has been doing this for years and is a genius when it comes to getting things for pennies on the dollar. She is a true inspiration to this rank beginner. She has actually used bags of chocolate candy as packing peanuts when mailing more fragile goodies to us. Blows my mind! One time she shipped some homemade jams inside a giant box filled with tuna packs. We're still happily eating tuna-mac practically every week.

Which brings me to the subject of cheese . . . (to be continued. Have to get to yoga class.)

Shimmer Contemplating Sun

Shimmer warms his nose in a rare sunbeam, perhaps fearing that given the kind of spring we have been experiencing it may be the first and last indulgence of its type this year.

He teaches me to grab fleeting pleasures with both hands (paws in his case). This morning, having nothing scheduled, I sit in my semi-cozy chair revising a novel. In the living room Mom is finishing her breakfast while catching the news. Shadow is outside completing her early morning prowl of the garden. Later, if I can manage to get motivated, I will do the laundry and perhaps make a pot of spaghetti for lunch. What the heck. Perhaps the sun will break free once more from its cloud prison. I'm optimistic. Can't think of anything more nourishing.