It’s been a while since I posted about writing related stuff. Mostly, because I’ve been busy doing the words rather than writing about doing the words. I’ve hit that sweet spot in between manuscripts and I have a moment to come up out of the cult bunker take an inventory of what’s what.

The past ten to twelve months have been very productive. Typically, my pace is about a book a year. But, for whatever reason, the planets aligned and I was able to draft and edit three novel length manuscripts and a short story. That explains why I’ve been a bit absent on social media–that and the release of Bury The Past and the world’s nearly almost shortest 6 stop book tour that followed.

The folks at Book Passage had a #NotMyCat section set up at the Bury The Past book signing.

I hit that sweet spot–that uncomfortable period after I finish a project, novel, short story, or screenplay, where I’m supposed to catch my breath. When I’m in the middle of my own madness, all hunched up over the keyboard, throwing crumpled up post it notes at the crappy words on the monitor, I’m only concerned with getting that next scene down.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Pexels.com

It’s time to breathe. And yeah, it’s smack dab in the middle of allergy season. So, I’ve got that going for me.

I’m going to force myself to hit pause and enjoy the break. I usually tend to dive into he next new thing and off I go. This time, I’m taking advantage of the sweet spot just for a couple of weeks–I know I’ll be itching to get back into another story by then. I have two outlined and properly fermenting in a jar like hipster kombucha, ready to process.

Then it will be back into writing and conference season. ThrillerFest, Bouchercon, and Book Passage Mystery Writer’s Conference are coming up and I’m looking forward to meeting up with my writer buddies (it may be at the hotel bar–don’t judge), meeting precious readers, and finding new authors who make me want to work harder.

A visual representation of what research and outlines feel like

I consider myself a relative newcomer in this strange world of writing and publishing with three novels out there in the world. I’ve found that the winds of fortune shift and today’s hot trend is tomorrow’s cliche. Worth isn’t judged on sales numbers, reviews,  and award nominations. A writer perseveres in spite of them and it’s that extra motivation to push oneself a little more that defines their worth. I’m happy to be part of this tribe who support one another when times get tough and celebrate the small victories as they come. It all comes with doing the work—and there’s always a pile of it on the horizon.

So, I’m going to enjoy my little time on the literary beach and relax. A little pollen-infested yard work, walk the dog and chill–if #NotMyCat will allow it.