Happy Summer
Happy summer! It’s finally here, along with this newsletter, which is so long overdue, I’m mortified. At a speaking engagement in January, I appropriately did the mea culpa thing and apologized for being the worst newsletter writer to have ever lived. I don’t know why that is. I love to write, I love to talk, I’m extremely disciplined, and yet somehow, that discipline doesn’t transfer to conjuring a few hundred words for an update. Considering a novel is 80,000 words or more, you’d be right to wonder what my problem is. It’s clearly one of my weaknesses (along with my inability to read maps.)
Or maybe it’s because my life for the past eight months has mirrored Gino’s in a spooky way, consisting solely of twelve-plus hour work days punctuated by embittered grumblings (many of which included profanity) about winter. Neither is a compelling talking point and nobody should be subjected to them. Trust me, I was doing you a favor by staying off the grid.
But it’s a new season in many ways - the ice and snow has been replaced by lush green and abundant blooms, and the woods and my yard are filled with marauding critters that are thrilled to have their grocery store open once again, which includes my gardens. Oh well, we all need to eat, and I don’t mind sharing, especially since my human grocery store is open all year.
AND…I just finished a stand alone novel, tentatively titled Deep into the Dark. Writing a novel outside the Monkeewrench series with new characters and a new setting is something that’s been on my mind for a while, and I finally decided it was time to fully commit, which explains the long work days when I should have been on break. It’s too early for any details as it’s just hot off my computer, but I’m so excited about it. It really was the breath of fresh air I needed to re-energize and reboot my mind, even though it meant missing a mental vacation.
So now that I’m finally on mental vacation, you might wonder what that looks like. You’re in for a surprise, and I hope you’re not too disappointed by the reveal. The thrill of completing a new project is always mitigated by the abject shock of suddenly having hours of free time stretch endlessly before you (as if that was a bad thing.) What do you do when something that has consumed most of your waking hours for a year or more is suddenly gone? First, you go through a short mourning period. Mine lasts about three days, then I enter a state of confused limbo that I call writer’s purgatory, which is filled with insecurity and pointless internal conjecture about what I might have done differently in the manuscript, even though it’s already off to the editor. Still, I’m tempted to go back and rework it. I fight off the demons and remind myself this is the warning Klaxon that tells me to stop being a control freak, take a step back, and re-enter the real world.
And so I do. I jump on the endless list of neglected chores before I become an irredeemable sluggard, and fill those hours with productivity of a different kind. You wouldn’t believe the sense of instant gratification and accomplishment that comes from taking a jaunt on Amazon to buy glamorous items like vacuum cleaner bags and refrigerator filters. Better than two weeks in Fiji. That sounds hyperbolic, but it is the truth � when I’m into work, I’m gone. I can’t buy vacuum cleaner bags and I obviously can’t write a newsletter.
Honestly, life without writing is super boring, but in a good way, and I’m going to enjoy the boredom while I can. And in another week or two, I’ll probably be at it again, and I’ll be so happy, I’ll forget about the chores, the house projects, and yes � probably the newsletters.
On to current book news, which I’m very excited about as well -- you all probably know that the latest installment of the Monkeewrench/Twin Cities series, Ice Cold Heart, will soon be released � August 23 in the U.K. and September 10 in the U.S. This is my favorite book to date, VERY creepy and dark with some crazy twists that made me lose sleep while I was writing it. I hope it does the same for you (I mean that in the best possible way.) It takes places during a particularly brutal winter in Minneapolis. Those of you who endured the wicked 2018-2019 season here will nod your heads as you read the vivid descriptions of Hell on Earth � but most of it was actually written in the hottest months of 2018. Goes to show that we never forget. The U.S. paperback of The Guilty Dead will also be out this year, in July.
Enjoy your summer or winter, depending on your hemisphere, and thank you for being patient with me!
Happy reading!
Traci
Or maybe it’s because my life for the past eight months has mirrored Gino’s in a spooky way, consisting solely of twelve-plus hour work days punctuated by embittered grumblings (many of which included profanity) about winter. Neither is a compelling talking point and nobody should be subjected to them. Trust me, I was doing you a favor by staying off the grid.
But it’s a new season in many ways - the ice and snow has been replaced by lush green and abundant blooms, and the woods and my yard are filled with marauding critters that are thrilled to have their grocery store open once again, which includes my gardens. Oh well, we all need to eat, and I don’t mind sharing, especially since my human grocery store is open all year.
AND…I just finished a stand alone novel, tentatively titled Deep into the Dark. Writing a novel outside the Monkeewrench series with new characters and a new setting is something that’s been on my mind for a while, and I finally decided it was time to fully commit, which explains the long work days when I should have been on break. It’s too early for any details as it’s just hot off my computer, but I’m so excited about it. It really was the breath of fresh air I needed to re-energize and reboot my mind, even though it meant missing a mental vacation.
So now that I’m finally on mental vacation, you might wonder what that looks like. You’re in for a surprise, and I hope you’re not too disappointed by the reveal. The thrill of completing a new project is always mitigated by the abject shock of suddenly having hours of free time stretch endlessly before you (as if that was a bad thing.) What do you do when something that has consumed most of your waking hours for a year or more is suddenly gone? First, you go through a short mourning period. Mine lasts about three days, then I enter a state of confused limbo that I call writer’s purgatory, which is filled with insecurity and pointless internal conjecture about what I might have done differently in the manuscript, even though it’s already off to the editor. Still, I’m tempted to go back and rework it. I fight off the demons and remind myself this is the warning Klaxon that tells me to stop being a control freak, take a step back, and re-enter the real world.
And so I do. I jump on the endless list of neglected chores before I become an irredeemable sluggard, and fill those hours with productivity of a different kind. You wouldn’t believe the sense of instant gratification and accomplishment that comes from taking a jaunt on Amazon to buy glamorous items like vacuum cleaner bags and refrigerator filters. Better than two weeks in Fiji. That sounds hyperbolic, but it is the truth � when I’m into work, I’m gone. I can’t buy vacuum cleaner bags and I obviously can’t write a newsletter.
Honestly, life without writing is super boring, but in a good way, and I’m going to enjoy the boredom while I can. And in another week or two, I’ll probably be at it again, and I’ll be so happy, I’ll forget about the chores, the house projects, and yes � probably the newsletters.
On to current book news, which I’m very excited about as well -- you all probably know that the latest installment of the Monkeewrench/Twin Cities series, Ice Cold Heart, will soon be released � August 23 in the U.K. and September 10 in the U.S. This is my favorite book to date, VERY creepy and dark with some crazy twists that made me lose sleep while I was writing it. I hope it does the same for you (I mean that in the best possible way.) It takes places during a particularly brutal winter in Minneapolis. Those of you who endured the wicked 2018-2019 season here will nod your heads as you read the vivid descriptions of Hell on Earth � but most of it was actually written in the hottest months of 2018. Goes to show that we never forget. The U.S. paperback of The Guilty Dead will also be out this year, in July.
Enjoy your summer or winter, depending on your hemisphere, and thank you for being patient with me!
Happy reading!
Traci
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message 1:
by
TerryLovesToListen
(new)
Jun 26, 2019 08:00AM
Thank you for the update. Take it easy on yourself. Congrats on finishing your manuscript. Can't wait to read it!
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