Time For A Big Re-Think

This will be my 245th blog on this website. I’ve loved every minute of blogging here. I’ve been doing it for the last six years, pretty much on a weekly basis. I especially love writing and blogging during the long days of summer when there’s time for a dozen different activities –as well as writing– before darkness falls.

That’s especially true now that my new thriller, Fool Her Once has been published. Less stress, less pressure means I can really enjoy this summer in New York while I think about new directions and plot new projects (more about that below.)

For one, I’ve had time this summer to tend to the backyard, or maybe I should say try to tend to the backyard. Until this summer, it was always my husband, Joe, who did the planting and potting and watering and bird-feeding. He can’t do those things anymore because of his failing health and mobility.

Filling Joe’s Shoes

So, now I’m trying to fill his shoes.

A few weeks ago, I lugged home all the flowers and shrubs that needed to be re-potted around our pool. Geraniums are the easy part. They are always a staple in our backyard. The rest? Not so easy.

Somehow Joe always had the knack of choosing just the right plants and shrubs to bring the backyard to life after a cold, gray winter.

But, I did my best. And, tried to make the backyard as colorful as I could.

A Blaze of Color

Now, I have a bright orange hibiscus on the deck of the guest bedroom. And, marigolds and purple dahlias and red hibiscus along one side of the pool.

I also tried something new. This year I was determined to grow my own basil. Here are my early efforts.

Anyway with all that going on, I’ve been thinking about new directions for me and my blog. I’ve never been at a loss for ideas– especially about writing. I have a mountain of material I’ve gathered from all the workshops, seminars, bootcamps and masterclasses I’ve attended — and from six years of experiences in today’s publishing world.

Wealth of Information

Some of it I’ve shared here on my blog already, but there’s so much more I’ve learned about writing a thriller — as well as the mechanics of selling it. From the first step of finding an agent (if you really need one) to marketing a novel when social media keeps shifting beneath your feet.

I’ve also experienced the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the publishing business and its movers and shakers.

So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be re-organizing my website, tidying it up and making it more useful to fellow writers, authors and readers. I’ll also be organizing new material to supplement many of the more popular and informative/entertaining blogs I’ve already posted.

Ideas Welcome

In the meantime, if you have any thoughts about what you’d like to see or read here, please let me know. You don’t have to make it public by commenting below. Just click on “Contact Me” in the menu and submit your question or idea directly to me.