Not Your Typical 9 to 5

People ask me how many hours a day I spend writing and I never can give them
a straight answer.  Some days I sit at the computer for hours on end, just
creating the story.  (Usually this is when a deadline is looming.)

However, the truth of the matter is, I really hate to sit still for long
periods of time and I can find just about any distraction for getting out of
my chair.  "Oh, I need to walk the dog." Or, "I should do this laundry."
Or, "I think I'm out of vanilla."  Whatever.  It's just an excuse.

In my defense, whenever I'm doing those odd chores, I'm usually working out
a knot in my plot.  Even while driving or showering.  (So watch out when you
see me heading your way in my car!)

Hmmm . . . maybe this is why some of my recipes have turned out so strangely
lately.

At The Office

I thought you all might want to see my work space.  This is where Jackie O-No and I work together to create the books I write.  It’s a cozy nook, away from my family and friends and the place I go when I really want to “submerge.”
As you can see, I write on a chaise lounge which is Oh-so-elegant.  Not!  My back gave out a few years back and sitting at a desk for hours on end is out.  So I use my laptop, pretty much exclusively.  Also the lounge is “lounge” enough for Jackie, too!
I can’t write unless the space is neat and tidy—or at least I can’t start a book while the office is messy.  However, as the pages are finished and the deadline looms, the area becomes a sty.  When I’m finished with the book, after a couple days of sleep, I walk into the office and think, “What happened here?  How did I not notice what a mess this is?”  Then there’s a flurry of cleaning before I settle into the next project.  Here's a pic of the place where it all starts:

The three Ws

Weddings, Wine and Writing, that is. 

I was down in Sonoma last weekend for a wedding. And what a great weekend it was, well until we went to the airport to head home and were delayed for hours!! But we did make it back, and safely none-the-less, so more about the wedding.....

It was a beautiful venue on a beautiful summer evening, everything was, well, beautiful. Now, I never payed much attention to the details at weddings until my son got married. That was....oh my gosh......over THREE years ago!! It just doesn't seem like it was that long ago, but I guess it also doesn't seem like that long ago I was celebrating my 35th (gasp!) birthday.

Well, anyway my wedding radar is back in full force because my other son will be getting married next year, so I'm on the lookout for interesting details and any pointers anyone has to offer. They do have a wedding coordinator, so I'm sure they're way ahead of me on all of this, but hey, I like to feel like I'm helping out. One thing I did really love about this wedding was the color scheme, deep, rich fall colors. Fall is my favorite time of year for just that reason.

And we thought since we were in wine country, we better check out some wineries. My favorite was Castello di Amorosa. This winery is nestled behind the walls of a castle, which really took me back to the days I wrote Medievals and Historical Romance.

A great weekend, but now back to reality and writing.......