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Elvira's Next Story?

Now that I'm finished with my third revision of Elvira's story, I'm thinking about my next project and planning for the Historical Novel Society Conference in a few weeks. I'm trying to get motivated, actually. I think I'm just setting my expectations to very low, but hoping I'll learn things. I realized I need to have an idea of what Elvira's next book might be about, in case someone asks me and I've been noodling about it. I know, if I choose to write the next one, she had to be stronger, and come into her own. She'll no longer be the tragic widow. Her life has to stabilize and she has to be a character that people will want to follow, someone they care about. I suppose I have less worries about Jim and Wyatt in that area. So it's an interesting plotting exercise: work on something I may never write.

Happy 20th Wedding Anniversary

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Na Pali

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I took a zodiac boat tour of the Na Pali Coast thirty years ago, give or take. I still remember how majestic it was, from the slippery seat of that tiny boat. This visit, we timed the weather well, and scheduled a boat/snorkeling tour from Hanalei. The boats are bigger now, and there was even a toilet! Thank gosh I didn't need to use it. What a stunning morning we had. Lovely crew, the rest of the group wasn't too irritating (except for the young woman who styled herself a supermodel), and gorgeous views. Spinner dolphins trailed us for a while, and turtles greeted us languorously. It rained coming back to Hanalei (of course), but the sun was out once we docked. And rainbows, as it should be.

Travel Conundrums

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I'm torn between two travel scenarios. Time is limited. Life is short and there are so many places to visit. So is it better to go to a new place every "big" vacation, or return to places you know well and love? We have a checklist, like most travelers. Spain and Morocco. The South Pacific. The Low Countries. Parts of Asia. We typically wander by ourselves, but I'd like to try a river boat cruise and possibly a small, specialized tours, like we did on the Big Island. That three hours taught us more about Hawaii's flora and fauna, the volcano, and the people than we ever would have gotten on our own. It is a quandary. We love Kauai. It's beautiful. It's relaxing. The skies and water change constantly. We know where to eat, which beaches to lounge on, and which sites to revisit. In other words, it's a "chill" vacation. Completely different from visiting a new place, which can present such joy, but also stress and anxiety. We have a friend...

Ahhh...Kauai

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Our flights were uneventful, despite the madness at LAX and we arrived in Lihue on time. Even better, we got a free upgrade to a 4-door Jeep. We realized that the 2-door we rented would have been challenging with golf clubs, so lesson learned there. The condo is fabulous, as usual.  And yes, we witnessed our first rainbow early the next morning.

Novel Revisions, Draft 2

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I just finished my second round of revisions to the novel, which now has a new title! After weeks of toying around with ideas, I've hit on A Certain Deceit. And, for now, I like it. I thought long and hard about using a geographical reference as a title. The problem with that strategy is that my setting isn't exactly well-known (e.g., Paris, The Hebrides). Also, the most logical title, Cache Creek, might be challenging to pronounce, for some people. I still haven't completely ruled it out, but I decided to go with a title that conveys a bit about the book. I'm happy with round 2. At this point, I'm blind to everything, and need some feedback from fresh sets of eyes. So I'm going to put it down for now and wait until I can get it. I signed up to attend the Historical Novel Association conference in Portland in late June. I'm taking some workshops and have signed up for 2 opportunities to pitch the book. That feedback will give me an idea of what I'm...

Workout Fallout

I know going to Body Lift class is good for me. I'm getting stronger, I can tell. When I started in January, I could only use 3 and 5 pound weights. Now, I've graduated to 5 and 8 pounds, as well as learned to do sumo lifts with the bar. Who knew? The only issue is the class sucks the life out of me for the rest of the day. Where's the great rush of energy I'm supposed to feel?