Today's Progress

Just a quick note as I scramble to catch up after a nasty bout of shingles (and yes, they are just as painful as people say.)

I finished another chapter in The Gramophone Society. My characters are developing nicely with little nudges from the author. I just won't let them form a Boy Boy Girl Triangle, since it has been done before, and I really do enjoy exploring female friendships.

However, Victor, the mysterious fellow with a strange drawing on his face, did lash out at Arthur, the guy who always follows the rules. In the melee, Arthur nearly fell into the Mouth, the bottomless cavern lined with sharp rocks that look like teeth.

The frustrating part of my day came when I searched for images of bathyspheres for the final book of my Crown Phoenix series, The South Sea Bubble. A bathysphere is a round ball that was used in the early 20th century to explore under the ocean. I've always thought they are beautiful and mysterious, and I want one! Or, at least, a picture of one for the cover of my book.

Not the Block!!!!

It happened this morning. I saw my kid onto the bus and went to prepare myself for a  day of writing. Now, I need to grab a shower, get dressed, even put  on makeup before I sit at the keyboard. That's just the way I roll.

As I poufed on my Blush Minerals  (Stop n Shop brand) a sudden thought hit me: What if I can't write today?

For a  writer, that's the nightmare. You have this voice, and the fear that it might stop speaking is a dreadful one. It's the fear that this gift might be taken away.

Perhaps it hit me because I'm getting close to working on the fourth and  final book in my Crown Phoenix series. The third book is done, and soon I'll start the last chapter in the adventures of Miriam, Riki, Simon, Neil, and Mana. To have to say goodbye  to them and their little world makes my breath catch in my throat.

Perhaps it's because  I'm in the middle of writing a new book at the  moment, The Gramophone  Society. It's a stand-alone work, it's quite historical, and it requires a lot of untangling and careful planning.

I suppose there is  only way to overcome all this: get my butt in that chair and start typing away.

Okay then.