August 2020/Alternate Universe!
August in an Alternate Universe
A friend of mine recently sent out a newsletter with this title, and it seemed so appropriate, I’ve decided to steal her idea. I hope she won’t mind. It’s not really plagiarism if you’re honest about it, is it?
Things have been so surreal for so long, this alternate universe is actually beginning to feel normal -- proof that we are able to adapt to anything in time, even if we don’t like it. It’s like getting mono � you feel so horrible for so long, you don’t realize the extent of your suffering until you’re healthy again. (I had a really bad case of mono.) This will all be behind us eventually, and it will be reason to party like it’s 1999!
I have always worked from home, so when this craziness began back in March, my writing life didn’t change at all (or so I thought.) My heart broke for the millions of people who no longer had jobs, and I considered myself very lucky indeed. Until I discovered I couldn’t focus, which meant I couldn’t work. The turmoil and uncertainty occurring in the world had snuck into my home and my head. In a convoluted way, my inability to work while others didn’t have the option felt like a betrayal.
You’d think writing about fantasy mayhem would have provided succor, but it really didn’t; nor did it allay my frustration. I reached out to other artists on the topic and learned I wasn’t alone; that our experiences were exactly the same. We loosely agreed that when you have to dig really deep and access your emotions as part of your daily grind, everything -- good and bad -- is vastly magnified (and vastly distracting.) Nobody is impervious to chaos. But I soldiered on and finally rediscovered my focus, even though the world is still upside down. I’m grateful for the aforementioned adaptation thing.
I’m also grateful for a beautiful Minnesota summer and the bounty of the harvest season. There is nothing better than gorging on ripe tomatoes and sweet corn. I’ll hate myself for saying this in a couple months, but I’m getting sick of my healthy diet of marvelous produce.
Book update: I’m thrilled to announce the January 12th publication of Deep into the Dark, my inaugural venture into an entirely new fictional world. I will never desert the Monkeewrench gang � they are an enduring tether to my deeply missed writing partner and mother, PJ -- but as life transforms after seismic shifts in circumstances, so do our hearts and minds and creative yearnings.
My decision to write about Los Angeles was easy: I lived there for a decade and had a capacious vault of experiences and observations just waiting to be opened. Exploring new characters and a new setting was exciting, energizing, and rewarding, and the book took shape in ways that even surprised me. The twists, turns, and general mayhem of the Monkeewrench series are all there in abundance, with the additional edge of Los Angeles� urban zeitgeist.
My personal relationships with brave men and women of the armed forces inspired one of the main characters -- Sam Easton -- a wounded combat veteran suffering from PTSD. The battle after the battle is often the most difficult, the struggles tragic and complex; I wanted to explore the depth of Sam’s strength and courage as he manages this in the face of a devastating series of events in his personal life.
Murder brings two strong and complicated women into his life: Melody Traeger and LAPD detective Margaret Nolan, who both have demons of their own. Together, they navigate love, obsession, grief, and revenge in the City of Angels.
I hope you enjoy!
Be well, take care of each other, and remember to enjoy every little thing.
Traci
A friend of mine recently sent out a newsletter with this title, and it seemed so appropriate, I’ve decided to steal her idea. I hope she won’t mind. It’s not really plagiarism if you’re honest about it, is it?
Things have been so surreal for so long, this alternate universe is actually beginning to feel normal -- proof that we are able to adapt to anything in time, even if we don’t like it. It’s like getting mono � you feel so horrible for so long, you don’t realize the extent of your suffering until you’re healthy again. (I had a really bad case of mono.) This will all be behind us eventually, and it will be reason to party like it’s 1999!
I have always worked from home, so when this craziness began back in March, my writing life didn’t change at all (or so I thought.) My heart broke for the millions of people who no longer had jobs, and I considered myself very lucky indeed. Until I discovered I couldn’t focus, which meant I couldn’t work. The turmoil and uncertainty occurring in the world had snuck into my home and my head. In a convoluted way, my inability to work while others didn’t have the option felt like a betrayal.
You’d think writing about fantasy mayhem would have provided succor, but it really didn’t; nor did it allay my frustration. I reached out to other artists on the topic and learned I wasn’t alone; that our experiences were exactly the same. We loosely agreed that when you have to dig really deep and access your emotions as part of your daily grind, everything -- good and bad -- is vastly magnified (and vastly distracting.) Nobody is impervious to chaos. But I soldiered on and finally rediscovered my focus, even though the world is still upside down. I’m grateful for the aforementioned adaptation thing.
I’m also grateful for a beautiful Minnesota summer and the bounty of the harvest season. There is nothing better than gorging on ripe tomatoes and sweet corn. I’ll hate myself for saying this in a couple months, but I’m getting sick of my healthy diet of marvelous produce.
Book update: I’m thrilled to announce the January 12th publication of Deep into the Dark, my inaugural venture into an entirely new fictional world. I will never desert the Monkeewrench gang � they are an enduring tether to my deeply missed writing partner and mother, PJ -- but as life transforms after seismic shifts in circumstances, so do our hearts and minds and creative yearnings.
My decision to write about Los Angeles was easy: I lived there for a decade and had a capacious vault of experiences and observations just waiting to be opened. Exploring new characters and a new setting was exciting, energizing, and rewarding, and the book took shape in ways that even surprised me. The twists, turns, and general mayhem of the Monkeewrench series are all there in abundance, with the additional edge of Los Angeles� urban zeitgeist.
My personal relationships with brave men and women of the armed forces inspired one of the main characters -- Sam Easton -- a wounded combat veteran suffering from PTSD. The battle after the battle is often the most difficult, the struggles tragic and complex; I wanted to explore the depth of Sam’s strength and courage as he manages this in the face of a devastating series of events in his personal life.
Murder brings two strong and complicated women into his life: Melody Traeger and LAPD detective Margaret Nolan, who both have demons of their own. Together, they navigate love, obsession, grief, and revenge in the City of Angels.
I hope you enjoy!
Be well, take care of each other, and remember to enjoy every little thing.
Traci
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message 1:
by
Dick
(new)
Sep 07, 2020 04:19AM
I'm excited for you, Tracy. I became an instant fan of the style you and your mom brought with the Monkeewrench series and have devoured each. Although, I am anxious to see more about the guys of Monkeewrench in 'The Cities', I will look forward to this new venture you've created and developed for yourself.
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