editing etc

mainly sunny, hot, temps 30

Great day...sat again on the porch and edited. Michael beside me. Wayne cutting the grass. We really do need to consolidate the work done at the home, so that everyone doesn't come on separate days. I just really long for peace and quiet to write and edit and just be...quiet. But now it seems everyone comes on a different day. Have asked Lise if she can help with this...

Have to say, the place just shines after Lise and Wayne have been.

It was so hot today...we were just dying...but when Wayne's out there cutting grass we just don't feel we can splash around in the pool. Torturous for him, and not very private for us.

Writing a mixed bag...editing, really. Hit some patches that were pretty messy...surprisingly so. But also hit two sections that took my breath away - unexpectedly. I find if a section isn't working I need to read the scene all the way through, figure out why it's there, what I wanted to say...then re-shape it. Am winnowing it down too. down to just over 103,000 words. At this rate it might be a novella by the time I'm finished. Just kidding...I love that I now have loads of space to add if necessary. And I can think of a few scenes that need to be added.

Am loving this book though, and the themes.

Tomorrow more editing...then the 5-7 cocktail (in Quebec they're called cinq a septs) to open the Knowlton WordFest literary festival. Meeting, among others, Jim Napier there. He's a friend, and literary critic, and he and I are doing a couple of events together this weekend. He'd coming to stay overnight Friday and Saturday.

Not sure if we'll put him in the main house or the cottage. The cottage has air conditioning in the upstairs bedroom, so if it's stinking hot we'll put him there. Our guest bedroom in the main house gets sweltering.

Busy, busy weekend. But fun. Will tell you more about it in tomorrow's blog. Love to see you here for the lit fest.

Hope you're enjoying the day.

Deadly Diversions

overcast, mild, temps 18

Warmer than it seems. Cold wind through the windows last night. Had to get up to lower them a bit. Then in the middle of the night Trudy started shaking her head. Over and over. Her flapping ears woke me up, poor one. Very unusual for her. So I got up and sure enough, she had an ear infection. So, downstairs to the dog medication station. She gets so many ear infections she's used to it now. I just say, 'Trudy's ears" and she comes to me and sits down. Cleaned them out, put medicine in, gave her a 'medicine treat' - and went to bed.

Awoke to a great email from Linda Lyall, in Scotland. She designs and maintains my website. She'd been considering the blog design and realized she could now tailor it a bit...so she asked if I minded. I immediately replied to amend away. And this is the result.

Some of you've already sent comments - and I'm delighted!!! LOve it. We'll (she'll) put up a new photo of me - probably one of the great ones Gary took a few days ago with the new car.

Nice quiet day of writing and walking. Editing going slowly...bit of a slog - but I like what I'm doing so far. Getting closer, of course, to the end. Am at page 180 of 238. So, 60 more pages, more or less. But as we near the end I'll be adding more I think.

Michael and I are having breakfast tomorrow in Knowlton with Jana, who has the farm just down the road and looks after Markus. Then there's a 10am news conference to annouce details of the upcoming WordFest literary festival, in Knowlton in mid-July...I'm the honourary chairperson, so I'll be at the news conference. Then our friend Jim Napier and I are grabbing a coffee. Jim's the crime fiction reviewer for the Sherbrooke REcord. He and I are doing a workshop in writing crime fiction as part of WordFest.

I NEVER do workshops...but I was asked to do one for WordFest and because it's a local festival I said yes, but only if Jim could be a part...and they were thrilled. Jim taught crime fiction writing for many years. I'll tell you more about it on tomorrow's blog. For those of you looking for an excuse to come to Quebec's eastern townships, this is a pretty good reason. WordFest.

So - busy day tomorrow...and hoping, though, to get a few hours writing in tomorrow afternoon.

Oh, by the way, Jim has a new website up - with interviews and reviews of lots of the top crime/mystery fiction writers internationally. Here's the link: www.deadlydiversions.com

Hope you're enjoying your day. And thanks for all your supportive comments about the new blog design.