Busy, busy, busy. My mother used to quote the line “a woman’s work is never done.” Well, my life these days is more like “a writer’s work is never done.”
My first book in the Lamb’s Bay Mysteries series, Peril at the Point, is now available on Amazon. Woohoo. But I don’t have much time to sit around resting on the proverbial laurels.
Book 2, Malice at the Mansion, needed its final reading before I publish in late June, despite the fact it has been through my beta readers. Once you make suggested corrections to a manuscript, you still need an eagle eye to look it over for missed errors. It is especially helpful if you can ask someone who has never read the book to give it a last look. Bet you they will find at least one error that you overlooked – it is the nature of the beast, er, the writer – our mind fills in what we think should be there and will often skip over an error, filling in the correction automatically in your head, but not on the page.
So Book 2 went out yesterday for final reading. Great. But life doesn’t stop there. Book 3, A Winter’s Slay, needs corrections that I received from my readers. Book 4, Secrets at the Spa, is in first daft and I am halfway through cleaning it up so it can go out for proofing and readers’ comments. With Book 2 slated to come out in June, Book 3 should be out in September. Book 4 will be published after Christmas. And Book 5’s plot is percolating in my brain and needs to be written.
Phew. As I said, busy times.
But—more projects loom on the horizon. Books 1 and 2 of my Bailey Summers series: Summers in San Tomas and Summers in Wolf Falls, have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for their day in the sun. Both need some editing work before they see the light.
There are other writing projects in various stages awaiting my attention. How many hours are in the day? 24 you say? Not enough it seems.
And we haven’t even talked about promoting the work. Right now, in Canada, we are in quarantine due to the Corona virus. So book launches and readings will have to be done online for – well, we don’t know for how long, do we? There’s social media posts to contend with, website updates and Facebook. I am familiar with some of the tools available but am learning daily where I need to be promoting my book. Another task to keep this writer busy.
Then there’s all the tasks we need to get done for our daily living requirements – grocery orders, housework, cooking, getting used to doing everything online in order to stay safe and healthy. The stress that goes with all that makes days hectic at times – hectic is not a good environment for writing. Too distracting.
Thank goodness for Lamb’s Bay. When life gets a little overwhelming, I can escape there. I can walk on the beach with Hilly, my main character, and her dog, Heidi. I can stop for coffee with her at the Grab and Go. I can enjoy meeting with her friends. And when things get dull, I can vicariously take part in solving a mystery, tracking down a killer and helping her friends with the perils of daily life.
So, if you are feeling the stress of staying in these days, I invite you to come and visit Lamb’s Bay, a small town on the eastern seaboard, and meet its cast of characters. Take part in the murder mystery plots and enjoy a good read. Meet you there. I can hear the calming sound of the waves now.
