Fast and Fun, then Slower and Satisfying (and I’m talking about writing)

First of all, I wanted to share that my daughter Holly drove up from Indianapolis on May 10th to get on Allegiant with us to fly to St Pete’s.  That’s why I was missing in action on social media.  We went to visit my second daughter and her husband.  It’s been a while since HH and I have gone to Florida to visit Robyn.  She came up a couple of times to see us last year, and the year before that, I spent the spring recuperating from having my gall bladder out.  The year before that, Robyn flew up to be in a best friend’s wedding and could hardly get any more vacation time from work, so we made the most of her visit home.

This year, it was fun to fly to see her and Scott and see how they redid their kitchen.  It’s gorgeous now–white cupboards, butcher board counter tops, and a granite island top.  We made it a short stay, leaving on the 15th.  Holly’s a nurse and had to get back to the hospital, but we had a great time.

Robyn and Scott took us sightseeing, and we spent time in their pool cooling off.  Holly sent me our mother-daughters picture, so I could prove that we had a good time.

And here’s HH and me waiting for a table at a beach side restaurant:

But vacation’s over now, and it’s back to hitting the keys.  I’ve decided to pound out Muddy River Three as fast as I can, and then spend a week outlining my Jazzi 5 novel before I start work on that.

Muddy River books are fast and fun to write.  They remind me of my old Babet and Prosper urban fantasies.  There’s enough action that the words almost fly onto the pages.  Every book is work of one kind or another, but these are shorter and faster without the intricacies that go into a Jazzi book.

Jazzi novels, on the other hand, take months to write.  The plot moves along at a slower pace and there are more characters and subplots, more twists and turns.  And I love them every bit as much.

In my mind, I compare them to the seasons.  I love all four of them, but spring and autumn feel shorter–like my supernatural stories–and I’m always trying to enjoy them before they flit away.  Summer and winter linger longer and bring a whole different rhythm and unique challenges–like my Jazzi novels.

For now, I’m in fast and furious work mode.  By the time July rolls around with the dog days of summer, I should be ready to slow down and pace myself for the long marathon of Jazzi 5.  And talking about the dog days of summer, Kensington designed a meme for The Body in the Wetlands that they’re placing in pet magazines in June.  Here’s the link:  Modern Dog-12 pg-Summer 2019.   I think it’s pretty cute!

With all of the bad weather people have been pummeled with lately, I hope the skies soon turn sunny for you and the temperatures are warm and wonderful.  And happy writing!